Before I came to Bariloche I had felt it might be a bit of a watershed moment, and so it proved. Up until now my route had pretty much taken care of itself. I'd booked or at least planned things well in advance and whilst I'd left some latitude to allow time to make arrangements or act on recommendations I'd had a focus and expectation for each stage of my journey. Bariloche was different. I knew it was in a beautiful part of Argentina but it lacked the big ticket draw such as the iconic mountains in the south. In addition the time I would be able to spend here had always been contingent on my earlier progress and limited by the need to get to Mendoza in order to catch my flight to Salta in ... read more

From El Calafate I caught a bus three and half hours and 220 kilometres north to El Chalten. Perched on the edge as the same national park as Perito Moreno (Los Glaciaros) El Chalten is the heart of Argentinean walking country in Patagonia. There are only two reasons why people come to El Chalten - to walk or climb Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. (Just to confirm for reasons I hope the photos will make all too clear the latter was never an option for me!) The similarities between El Chalten and Puerto Natales/Torres Del Paine are striking but so too are the differences. El Chalten is close enough to its attractions that you can walk directly from the town. As a result, whilst it is certainly possible to rent a tent and walk a circuit ... read more

When I first decided on South America for my sabbatical Torres Del Paine was one of the main attractions. All the information from home suggested it was one of the premier trekking sites in the world. Therefore I set out with high expectations of fantastic walking, mountains, lakes, glaciers, spectacular landscapes and challenging trekking. However, on beginning my trip I began to hear some disturbing rumours - Torres Del Paine was over-crowded, it would be difficult to arrange refugios, the refugios and campsites were of poor quality, the weather would make the walking difficult and would obscure any views. So with this advice in mind I set out for Chile and Puerto Natales with some trepidation. From Ushuaia I flew up to El Calafate, overnighted, and caught the bus the following morning to Puerto Natales. The ... read more

Just a few short hours before we set sail. The good news is the weather looks like it's set fair so I am hopeful of a smooth crossing. Attached are few photos of my final day´s walking around Ushuaia - Laguna Esmeralda - beautiful but cold. I walked with a retired police officer and his wife (a fitness instructor) from Guildford - both charming. Travel makes for strange bedfellows! And so to Antarctica...and something about my state of mind... "We find after years of struggle that we do not take trips. A trip takes us." (John Steinbeck) "For scientific leadership give me Scott, for swift and efficient travel give me Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when you are seeing no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton" (Sir ... read more

Well I am over the novelty of not having to go to work in the morning and am now ready to write... For me coming to Argentina has always been about Patagonia rather than Buenos Aires. (In homage to Bruce Chatwin - if not to hunt for dinosaurs or their remains at least look on the landscape that made such ideas possible). So I did not have many preconceptions about Buenos Aires and only had quite a sketchy idea about what to expect. I had heard that it might be oppressively hot (in fact the weather was mild and dry - perfect for exploring on foot), I had feared it might be difficult to navigate with my "improving" Spanish. In fact the whole experience was largely a big success. I was lucky that my hosts were ... read more