Get me out of Argentina!!

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The journey south from Bariloche started very badly and didn´t get much better! We left 7 hours late and as a result didn´t arrive at the town of Perito Moreno until after 3am. We didn´t stop much at all on route except at petrol stations in the middle of knowhere to fill up.

The following morning we were up at 7am to go to see Cueves de los Manos which is a set in a spectacular canyon. Inside the caves there is fantastic hand painting from 9300 years ago (believed to be the oldest evidence of man anywhere in South America). Their remoteness means that very few people see them (100 per day in ´peak season´). This was by far the best bit of the trip as we got to see an Armadillo, lots of the very shy guanaco and some flamingo´s. The rest of the day was another 10hours of gravel road through nothingness (apart from the occasional stop for fuel).

The trip down Ruta40 certainly didn´t live up to anyone´s expectations. It was billed as a tour with english speaking guide, etc and was no more than an expensive bus journey that took approx 2 x 12 hours driving almost all on gravel roads with a stop at the Cueves de los Manos. When time permits we put some more detail of the specific ways in which the trip left us feeling ripped off in the hope that others will avoid the trip.

The Ruta40 trip ended in El Chalten, a very isolated one street ´town´ that´s sole purpose is to act as a gateway to the national park around Cerro Fitzroy (the place was actually created in 1985 for this purpose). We spent two days trekking in the park and although we didn´t see the Cerro Fitzroy due to low cloud it was a great walk and nice to be out in the fresh air again. It was pretty cold and windy throughout and after overnight snow, we found ourselves walking in knee deep snow again in places higher up the mountain.

After returning to El Chalten, we took the bus another four hours south to El Calafate where the Perito Moreno Glacier is the main tourist attraction. The glacier is 4 to 5km wide and almost 60m high where it enters the lake and stretches back for around 15km. As we stood there it was fantastic to watch the glacier calving and large icebergs fall into the lake. Once again the trip was slightly tainted by having to pay extra charges in addition to the fee for the excursion charged by the travel company. We were far from alone in being caught out by this sharp practice. Fortunately a kind guy lent us the fee to save us having to pày in dollars at a penal exchange rate where the guide would have taken around 20% commission.

Overall, as the title may indicate, we haven´t been too enamoured with Argentina. The country is very beautiful but the people in the towns where we have stayed seem to be so caught up with trying to rip tourists off that they spoiled the experience for us (the only exceptions to this being the lovely couple at Hosteleria Guemes who were incredibly helpful despite our communication challenges and the waiter at the Mexican down the road who sat down and chatted to us about places we must see). More or less every encounter was tainted with some niggling issue. The telephones charge you per 58seconds so I was caught for another minute as I tried hang up to try to avoid the cost of another minute (at $4 per minute to Ireland). When we got our laundry done they tried charging us double the amount they quoted - the money isn´t much but it leaves a very nasty aftertaste. I guess the Ruta 40 trip was the worst bit but it all has built up and we will be happy to leave this place today. Next stop Puerto Natales in Southern Chile, the gateway to Torres del Paine national park...

SEE GALLERY ´ARGENTINA´ FOR MORE PHOTOS

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