Yay Bariloche. I will admit that Bariloche on paper was one of the reasons I wanted to come to South America. Though I was dubious at first, it did live up to my expectations. It's a very nice little town set on the shore of one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen (actually second only to Fairview, of course). It boasts its chocolate, wine, and skiing ... very much so. This place has my number. It is like a little Swiss town with more flowers (especially roses) than I have ever seen in one town, and everything was very well kept. The first few days were a bit overcast, and being that it is such an amazing place because of the unbeatable scenery, a cloud cover can be a big downer. This is also part of the reason I ended up staying 7 days instead of 3 ... that and the people. Oops.
Immediately as soon as I walked into the hostel my roommates made (I put up a good fight I swear) me go ou, snow capped for ice cream ... how can you go wrong in this place?? For the next couple days we just kind of bummed around the town and hostel and ate and drank ... a bit (possibly more than a bit??). We watched sunsets from the beach almost every night and froze our butts off during the day and then came back to a warm hostel. It was great.
Once the weather cleared up, some people moved on, but a Welsh guy named Neill and I somehow got trapped and kept ending up getting sucked into more days. The first day we went biking around Circuito Chico and took a walk to Lago Escondido (hidden lake) and had a picnic lunch. The next day we tried to hike up to Refugio Frey, but we took the wrong gondola to start off with, so we were hopelessly lost after that, and basically just climbed to the highest peak we could find and hung out there and had lunch for a few hours in the sun (and snow-- plenty on the ground, and started coming down a bit too) and enjoyed the amazing view. Next day we went up to National Geographic-deemed "Top 10 Best Views in the World", Cerro Campanario-- steep climb but the view was indeed worth it a thousand times over. You can see Nahuel Huapi and many other lakes going as far as you can see, broken only by green, snow-capped mountains popping up all over the place. The lakes literally just glisten. Again, we hung out for a few hours and couldn't tear ourselves away (and had another picnic lunch!).
The next day I went paragliding off of Cerro Otto, and I would argue that that view was even better than Campanario. We started at the very top and then ran down a very steep slope and were suddenly gliding in the air. We had the most perfect day for it, and it was the smoothest most peaceful ride I could have asked for. I'm so glad I waited for Bariloche because I couldn´t imagine a more magestic place to have done it. We sailed out over the water for a bit and finally landed on the beach. Incredible. I would give my left arm for one of those perfect log cabins on the shore of that lake. They are impeccible.
When Neill and I had finally convinced ourselves that we were definitely going to leave the next day, somehow it was Friday night again and we couldn't say no, so we got caught up in more sunsets and red wine and gave in to "one more day"-- who can pack on Friday night-- it's really not fair to have only 9 am busses. That's Finally we resolved the next day to actually make it to the bus station and get out, unfortunately:(.
Off to Chile again (not without a sack full of chocolate for the road, though)!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
El Bolson, Argentina
I was happy to arrive in El Bolson after a 28 hour bus ride. It's a small little town set in a little valley among towering jagged peaks. We got ourselves settled then went to the renound crafts fair in town (well, as renound as a crafts fair in a small argentinian town can be). We spent the day just hanging around and exploring, and then went to the local brewery in town (since apparently I am making it my mission to try at least one brewery in every town) and spent the evening there.
In the morning a couple of us went up Tollado Bosque which is a section in the woods (30 minute climb) where local artists have gone up and made intricate carvings into dead trees-- pretty cool, actually. We continued up to the refugio up there and it started snowing-- it was the first snow of the year for them!
To be honest, Bolson wasn't as ... impressive(?) as I had expected. It was built up as a hippie haven and just sounded amazing, but really it was pretty similar to all the other small Argentinian towns, just in a beautiful setting. Of course it didn't help that the weather was overcast and snowing. I caught a bus in the evening up two hours to Bariloche.
In the morning a couple of us went up Tollado Bosque which is a section in the woods (30 minute climb) where local artists have gone up and made intricate carvings into dead trees-- pretty cool, actually. We continued up to the refugio up there and it started snowing-- it was the first snow of the year for them!
To be honest, Bolson wasn't as ... impressive(?) as I had expected. It was built up as a hippie haven and just sounded amazing, but really it was pretty similar to all the other small Argentinian towns, just in a beautiful setting. Of course it didn't help that the weather was overcast and snowing. I caught a bus in the evening up two hours to Bariloche.
Friday, April 16, 2010
El Calafate, Argentina
In Calafate I went to Glacier National Park to see Perito Moreno. Out of 300 glaciers in the park, there are only two that are not receeding- Perito Moreno is advancing, and there is one other that is stable. This glacier was spectacular. It made Cerro Glacier in Chalten look tiny. First we took a boat ride almost to the base of the glacier, but because it is advancing so fast, you can´t get too close. Every few minutes you hear these massive cracking sounds that sound like thunder. Because sound travels slower than light, if you look after the sound, you typically only see the splash of where the ice fell into the water, but if you are looking when it happens to fall, you can see the ice break off. It´s a bit misleading, really, because some of the pieces look kind of small, but they make this huge menacing crash when the fall (either they are way bigger than they look, they are just that dense and heavy, or they are falling much farther than it looks). The glacer is about 60 or 70 meters tall from the water. We were insanely lucky because as we were staring at the glacier, a gigantic piece fell like a tree from the top and it looked like slow motion as it crashed into the lake. It creates a huge wave that really rocked the boat, and then for the next minute or so, huge chunks of ice keep popping up on the surface from where they fell under water. It was spectacular.
After the boat we went and walked all the way from the right side of the glacier to the left on a massive walkway that takes you up above the line of the glacier and you can see how it just extends for what looks like forever. You just stand there mesmerized for awhile because you can´t stop looking. That night, though, we came back to town and went for a fantastic meal at a little hippie place, Pura Vida, and had some Patagonian lamb stew to die for ... it was served in a pumpkin!
Other than that, I pretty much spent the time just wandering around, got a lot of errands done, and visited the nature reserve where the lake is full of flamingos ... the last thing you´d expect to see in the freezing cold next to glaciers, but there they were, pink as could be. All and all Calafate was pretty cool- like a little ski town but no skiing. Very outdoorsy and all well kept.
After the boat we went and walked all the way from the right side of the glacier to the left on a massive walkway that takes you up above the line of the glacier and you can see how it just extends for what looks like forever. You just stand there mesmerized for awhile because you can´t stop looking. That night, though, we came back to town and went for a fantastic meal at a little hippie place, Pura Vida, and had some Patagonian lamb stew to die for ... it was served in a pumpkin!
Other than that, I pretty much spent the time just wandering around, got a lot of errands done, and visited the nature reserve where the lake is full of flamingos ... the last thing you´d expect to see in the freezing cold next to glaciers, but there they were, pink as could be. All and all Calafate was pretty cool- like a little ski town but no skiing. Very outdoorsy and all well kept.
El Chalten, Argentina
I left Puerto Natales with one friend from Torres del Paine, Ruud, and we took a bus back up to Argentina, to El Chalten. It is a tiny town on the Chilean border and only 25 years old. They don´t have a bank or cell phone service, but they are the trekking capital of the country.
The first day I went for a glacier trek-- hiked right from town a few hours in to the Cerro Glacier. We stopped by Lago Torres to get our crampons and harnesses, used the zip line to get across the river, and hiked up a bit more to the base of the galcier. We put on our crampons and hiked around a bit, which was really cool. There were tons of reeeeally deep crevases all over the place, and sometimes you are walking on little slivers between them which is kind of scary because it takes a little bit to get comfortable with the crampons and then the wind comes along and it´s really strong and you feel as though you might actually blow away in a stiff breeze.
We stopped for a picnic lunch for a little and then went over to a part of the glacier where you can ice climb. It looked pretty hard, but I don´t think it´s that much harder than rock climbing (except for the ice axes in your hands), and I was shockingly somewhat decent at it! It was a blast and we had a few races up. The way back was much of the same, zip line over the river again and then hike back to town.
I met Ruud back at the hostel and we went with some others to another local brewery which was tiny and so cozy with fantastic food and beer!
The next morning I had to say bye to Ruud which was sad because we had been 9 days together which is like a lifetime in backpacker world, and I set off to go hike up to Fitz Roy. Most of the hike isn´t too bad, especially after Torres del Paine, but the last hour is just straight climbing climbing and relentless directly up and it was pretty painful. I managed to make it to the top and Laguna de los Tres was spectacular, but unfortunately Fitz Roy was mostly covered in clouds. I could see the outline of it and it was just massive because you are almost at its base, and it just looms above you, but you can´t really see it at all in my pictures. On my way down it started to clear up a bit, but I could not have been paid to go back up the steep at that point.
It was a nice day outside by myself and I hopped on a bus that night back to El Calafate.
The first day I went for a glacier trek-- hiked right from town a few hours in to the Cerro Glacier. We stopped by Lago Torres to get our crampons and harnesses, used the zip line to get across the river, and hiked up a bit more to the base of the galcier. We put on our crampons and hiked around a bit, which was really cool. There were tons of reeeeally deep crevases all over the place, and sometimes you are walking on little slivers between them which is kind of scary because it takes a little bit to get comfortable with the crampons and then the wind comes along and it´s really strong and you feel as though you might actually blow away in a stiff breeze.
We stopped for a picnic lunch for a little and then went over to a part of the glacier where you can ice climb. It looked pretty hard, but I don´t think it´s that much harder than rock climbing (except for the ice axes in your hands), and I was shockingly somewhat decent at it! It was a blast and we had a few races up. The way back was much of the same, zip line over the river again and then hike back to town.
I met Ruud back at the hostel and we went with some others to another local brewery which was tiny and so cozy with fantastic food and beer!
The next morning I had to say bye to Ruud which was sad because we had been 9 days together which is like a lifetime in backpacker world, and I set off to go hike up to Fitz Roy. Most of the hike isn´t too bad, especially after Torres del Paine, but the last hour is just straight climbing climbing and relentless directly up and it was pretty painful. I managed to make it to the top and Laguna de los Tres was spectacular, but unfortunately Fitz Roy was mostly covered in clouds. I could see the outline of it and it was just massive because you are almost at its base, and it just looms above you, but you can´t really see it at all in my pictures. On my way down it started to clear up a bit, but I could not have been paid to go back up the steep at that point.
It was a nice day outside by myself and I hopped on a bus that night back to El Calafate.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, Chile
I arrived in Puerto Natales by bus from El Calafate in Argentina. Crossing the border was tedious, but pretty painless. It is becoming clear that I need more pages in my passport. I calculated that if I do my trip as (somewhat) planned, I won´t be able to get back into the states, so hopefully I can pick up some more pages in Santiago. I met a couple people on the bus, then a few more people around town, and we all set out for the 5 day "W" hike in Torres del Paine a few hours away.
Overall, it was a flawless hike- definitely the highlight of my trip so far. We had amazing weather- gorgeous days warm enough so that you could walk in a t-shirt and even sweat a bit, and the nights pretty cold, but with lots of layers it was no problem. TDP is notorious for inclimate weather and wind, and we didn´t have a drop of rain or wind- we got SO lucky. The scenery was out of this world, everything from mountains to lakes to fields to glaciers to massive granite towers. It is low season so there were very few other hikers which was really nice. There were eight of us and everything went perfectly-- I couldn´t have asked for a better group with which to hike and camp.
The first day we hiked 6 hours up to Guardas and camped next to Grey Glacier. The next day was about 8 hours hiking to Italiano next to a huge river and another glacier and we could hear avalanches all night long. The third day we climbed up Valle Frances and saw some even more spectacular foliage than normal, and ended maybe 7 hours later at Cuernos next to the lake. The fourth day was all up hill 7 or so hours to end at Torres but we got there early and got to sit out in the sun for awhile and just enjoy the view. The last morning we got up at 5 am and hiked straight up in the dark to watch the sunrise against Los Torres. We were the first ones up and about halfway up the trail turns to just rocks, and it was a giant game of connect the dots stopping at each trail marker to try and find the next as it zig-zagged all over the place. We found a giant rock at the perfect incline, crawled in our sleeping bags, made tea, and enjoyed a spectacular sunrise turning los torres every shade of red and orange right in front of us.
When we came back to Puerto Natales we were thrilled for some showers and hot food, and more than indulged ourselves in one last celebratory night out. Fantastic trip!
Overall, it was a flawless hike- definitely the highlight of my trip so far. We had amazing weather- gorgeous days warm enough so that you could walk in a t-shirt and even sweat a bit, and the nights pretty cold, but with lots of layers it was no problem. TDP is notorious for inclimate weather and wind, and we didn´t have a drop of rain or wind- we got SO lucky. The scenery was out of this world, everything from mountains to lakes to fields to glaciers to massive granite towers. It is low season so there were very few other hikers which was really nice. There were eight of us and everything went perfectly-- I couldn´t have asked for a better group with which to hike and camp.
The first day we hiked 6 hours up to Guardas and camped next to Grey Glacier. The next day was about 8 hours hiking to Italiano next to a huge river and another glacier and we could hear avalanches all night long. The third day we climbed up Valle Frances and saw some even more spectacular foliage than normal, and ended maybe 7 hours later at Cuernos next to the lake. The fourth day was all up hill 7 or so hours to end at Torres but we got there early and got to sit out in the sun for awhile and just enjoy the view. The last morning we got up at 5 am and hiked straight up in the dark to watch the sunrise against Los Torres. We were the first ones up and about halfway up the trail turns to just rocks, and it was a giant game of connect the dots stopping at each trail marker to try and find the next as it zig-zagged all over the place. We found a giant rock at the perfect incline, crawled in our sleeping bags, made tea, and enjoyed a spectacular sunrise turning los torres every shade of red and orange right in front of us.
When we came back to Puerto Natales we were thrilled for some showers and hot food, and more than indulged ourselves in one last celebratory night out. Fantastic trip!
Iguazu and Buenos Aires (AGAIN)
After Uruguay we went to Iguazu (just a quick flight from BA). Our hostel had overbooked, and it being Easter weekend, there was literally not a bed to be found in the whole town (without going to Brazil, which we couldn´t do for obvious reasons). Soooo, in spite of our reservation, we had to go to the bus station to sleep. Halfway through the night we ended up going back to the original hostel and slept under the tables in their foyer because, afterall, it was their fault we were homeless in the first place. Not a great night, but luckily the falls the next day were enough to make us forget all about it.
We took a jeep tour through the jungle first, followed by the boat ride under the falls where you get SOAKED. The water is just SO powerful. It was incredible, then we walked and did the lower circuit below the falls, the upper circuit above (a catwalk that is built along the ridge on top of the waterfalls). It is amazing how calm the water seems to be on one side, and then on the other (two feet away) it is thundering down this monsterous drop. There are just falls everywhere. Lastly, we took the little train up to the upper most catwalk. You walk about 20 minutes out over water to finally get to Devil´s throat, which might be the most magnificent piece of nature I´ve ever seen. You stand on a platform at the end of the catwalk, and look at this massive semi-circle of tumbling water. You can see the steam in the air from the airplane it creates such a cloud (it looks like an explosion). I can´t even describe it.
Then we hopped a flight back to BA, finished up the stuff we hadn´t done the first time (the rest of San Telmo, La Boca, etc.), and of course, DesNivel ... this steak may have moved to the top of my list for best ever steaks. It was perfect in every way. Buenos Aires was much more successful and appealing this time!
We took a jeep tour through the jungle first, followed by the boat ride under the falls where you get SOAKED. The water is just SO powerful. It was incredible, then we walked and did the lower circuit below the falls, the upper circuit above (a catwalk that is built along the ridge on top of the waterfalls). It is amazing how calm the water seems to be on one side, and then on the other (two feet away) it is thundering down this monsterous drop. There are just falls everywhere. Lastly, we took the little train up to the upper most catwalk. You walk about 20 minutes out over water to finally get to Devil´s throat, which might be the most magnificent piece of nature I´ve ever seen. You stand on a platform at the end of the catwalk, and look at this massive semi-circle of tumbling water. You can see the steam in the air from the airplane it creates such a cloud (it looks like an explosion). I can´t even describe it.
Then we hopped a flight back to BA, finished up the stuff we hadn´t done the first time (the rest of San Telmo, La Boca, etc.), and of course, DesNivel ... this steak may have moved to the top of my list for best ever steaks. It was perfect in every way. Buenos Aires was much more successful and appealing this time!
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