On our way to the catch the bus from Bariloche at 6:30am we saw a guy on his motorcycle - who was obviously wasted from the night before - try to overtake a taxi, swerve and crashed right into the back of the taxi... hard. The bike toppled on him and the seat was ripped off the bike in the process. Luckily we were right downtown where other people could assist him and soon after a police truck down the road spotted the guy lying on the road and went to help. We had an interesting day yet again on a bus! We went from Bariloche, Argentina to Osorno, Chile (very strict border control with dogs checking for fruits and vegetables) then had a 2 hour wait for our bus to Valdivia, Chile. After arriving in Valdivia we walked around to find a hostel; all the ones we checked were either way too expensive or really dingy. We were sort of tired and frustrated so we went to McDonald's for the WiFi and fries and found a bus to Pucon. After walking around Valdivia for a few hours with all our crap we decided that we'd get on our third bus in one day and head to Pucon. We were greeted at the bus station by a really nice hostel owner and were shown to his Hospedaje (Hostel Wohlenburg http://www.wohlenberghostel.cl/ ) We decided to visit Parque Nacional Huerquehue for a bit of day hiking and we had some pretty decent weather. A girl from Finland who was staying at our hostel came along with us for the day. The National Park was really beautiful like all of the Patagonian areas we've visited but this was a little different than what we had seen already. The park resembled a rainforest than a forest you would find in the mountains of Patagonia. There were huge trees, very lush green undergrowth and stands of bamboo growing all over the place. As we ascended higher into the alpine more snow was sticking to the ground and it was very weird seeing bamboo covered in snow. But the mix of white, freshly fallen snow sitting on lush green vegetation with the sun pouring through the trees made portions of our hike appear as if our surroundings were painted on canvas. It was really cool. After our day in the National Park we hung around Pucon and killed some time enjoying the sunny weather for one more day. To learn more about Pucon check out its Wikipedia page.
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Its come to my attention that all of our blog posts start out with, "We hopped on a bus to..." So we've decided to make things more interesting and have left blanks for your (the readers) imaginations. We arrived at the station and immediately on a direct to Bariloche, Argentina and the Andean Lakes district. When we arrived in Bariloche we found that a good portion of the hostels were closed for renovations and after doing a little searching we were asked by the owner of a hostel called Punto Sur if we wanted to stay in our own private apartment. The price was actually cheaper than staying in a dorm at any of the other hostels that were open so we didn't hesitate to take him up on his offer! We had heard that Argentina's most luxurious (rooms from CA $299-899) and famous hotel was in Bariloche so we thought we would check it out. Lloa Lloa (Shaow Shaow) luxury golf resort and spa is set in a beautiful area, surrounded by mountains and lakes. It has a fancy golf course and it's own natural area with light hiking trails spread throughout. The pictures below are from the hiking trails in the area. The next day we hiked up to Refugio Frey (about a 25 km round trip) which is open year round and set beside a small lake (skating in winter) with sharp jagged mountains all around. To get to the hike we took a 30 minute city bus out of town and got dropped off at Lago Gutierrez. The first two 2 km's was through a rural residential area with houses and lodges along the lake which then opened to campground. After the campground the trail winded its way through the forest. The hike was easy for the first 40 minutes then a steady climb up for 2.5 hours. The scenery was beautiful but it was pretty chilly near the top with snow, wind, and ice. Along the way there was a really interesting cabin built around a rock. It had a table, and a wood stove inside. There was also a small chapel area next to this on a different rock with a church bell... somewhat strange! Our last full day in Bariloche we decided ti head out for a hike up Cerro Campanario. National Geographic voted the view from Cerro Campanario one of the 10 best in world so we had to see what all the fuss was about. These pictures don't do it justice of how beautiful the view really is. Bariloche is known for it's chocolate and icecream so we thoroughly enjoyed both! Icecream from Jauja (popular icecream/coffee shop): 1/4 Kg of white chocolate, dark chocolate chips, and mascarpone and raspberry. We also bought some specialty chocolates from Mamuschka Yum! After we had seen a few of the sites we headed to Valdivia, Chile after hearing it was a nice town and to see Sea Lions chase tourists!
After a 22 hr bus ride that went 3 hrs South from El Chalten to El Calafate then another 4 hrs Southeast to Rio Gallegos, then a 4 hour layover and another 17 hr ride North to Puerto Madryn we finally arrived! Courtney wasn't feeling well so we took a couple of days resting and researching the next few months of the trip. With the decent internet and calm atmosphere we got a lot accomplished. Puerto Madryn is a beautiful city on the East shore of Argentina. It is a popular beach town and whale watching destination in the summer. Unfortunately we were not there during peak wildlife watching season so we didn't have our hopes high to see anything. On our first day we took a stroll down to the pier and lucked out by seeing a bunch of penguins fishing and then a large sea lion chasing a duck. We watched them for awhile and continued down the large pretty beach. It was neat to see the difference in water level between low and high tide. During low tide the beach goes out for half a km but during high tide it is only a couple of meters wide. Our second day we headed out in the evening and were accompanied by three street dogs. We were surprised that they were following us as we weren't initially encouraging them. We thought it was humorous because whenever we went inside a store they were there lying at the door step waiting for us. They followed us around for several hours "protecting" us from any other dogs! Our third day the weather was very windy and cloudy so we decided to not rent bikes but to walk along the coast to the Ecocentro (a local museum and cultural heritage center) to view a National Geographic Photo Gallery. The winds were so strong that in some areas we could lean back and let the gusts support our weight! When we rounded the last bend before the centre we saw the same three dogs tear-assing towards us. They were so happy to see us and greeted us with huge smiles. We were happy to be reunited with our little friends once again! The centre was closed for their Siesta so we went for lunch at a restaurant on the beach and ate Menu del Dia which ended with delicious Dulce de Leche crepes YUM!. Of course our friends waited patiently for us until we were finished. The third day in Puerto Madryn Andrew went on a day bike trip with two English guys we had met at the hostel. Courtney stayed at the hostel to rest as she still wasn’t feeling well. Andrew, Joe, and Max rode to El Doradillo (pronounced el door-a-dee-show), a popular place to see whales in high season. The bike ride to El Doradillo was long and dusty but the beach was beautiful. We sat around and had a giant beer each and waited for any marine animals to pass by. We lucked out as a couple of southern right whales swam past us about 200m away from shore but they weren't interested in sticking around or entertaining us with jumps or flips. In fact we were so excited to see them that we didn't bother trying to take pictures. The whales were also far enough away that our pictures would have looked like black blobs floating out at sea. A bit later we noticed that as the tide lowered some cool caves along the point at the far side of the beach were revealed so we head over to do a little exploring. On our last day we decided we’d walked to the beach and play Frisbee. We started heading down the block when we saw our three street friends waiting outside our hostel. They accompanied us to the bus station to buy tickets, then to the beach. It was hilarious as they had no idea how to play fetch let alone frisbee and never once became interested in it. Two of them fell dead asleep as the third ate sea shells while we played. When we left the beach, to get food, the shaggy one stayed sleeping. We felt bad for leaving him behind but he looked like he needed some rest. After 40 minutes or so just when we were wondering if they would find each other again we saw him crossing the road towards us! The two other ladies became really excited that they were all reunited and started rubbing and jumping on one another. After their little reunion party stopped we all continued to the grocery store. They laid down outside the store as they knew they were not welcome inside. When we were finished in the store we were sad to see they had left (probably found other tourists more willing to feed them). We spoiled them with love and affection but did not give them anything to eat the whole three days. We understand street dogs can be a nuisance to locals because they chase cars, can become territorial or dangerous and spread disease; however, we really enjoyed their company! In June we have decided to volunteer at an animal rescue in Mendoza, Argentina. We found the placement on workaway.org. We think it will be a great experience and know we will love working with the animals!
After our day at Perito Moreno Glacier we took a 3 hour night bus from El Calafate to El Chalten, a very small new (26 years old) mountain town famous for Cerro Fitz Roy. The next morning we hiked to Laguna Los Torres, a beautiful day hike which started right in town and traversed through a brightly coloured forest with mountains and a pretty waterfall. At one point the trail opened up giving us a great view of the mountains which were covered with bright red leaves and a river running beneath. The trail continued for a few hours and ended at a lake fed by a huge glacier that sat high up oon the mountain's side. We had a nice lunch then continued to the mirador of the glacier. Our second day we got up early, packed our day bags and headed out for the 25km roundtrip hike up to the famous Cerro Fitz Roy. We started hiking before sunrise, so we were unsure how clear the day was going to be. We had heard from other travellers to wait for a clear day to hike to Fitz Roy, otherwise you could hike for hours to reach the lookout, only to see that Fitz Roy is hidden by clouds. When the sun came up we could see it was cloudy but we continued with positive thoughts hoping they would lift. The trail is flat, then up and more flat then up for approximately 2 hours and the last hour is straight up the mountain side with snow or mud to slip in. On our way up the steep mountain the clouds began to slowly clear. We got our first glimpse of Fitz Roy mid-way up the climb. Once we reached the mirador the clouds were almost all clear and we were speechless at how beautiful and tall the granite spires really are! Cerro Fitz Roy sits at a lofty 3330 meters above sea level so we had read it has its own microclimate and usually is surrounded by clouds. We had also read that the area beneath the spires where you take photos is usually very windy. We totally lucked out and had no clouds or wind so we stayed up there taking photos and enjoying the view all day. The hike down was also spectacular as the whole valley surrounding us was clear! We couldn´t have asked for a better day! After our hike we went back to to the hostel, packed our bags and got ready for another early morning bus ride. In order to keep moving North we had to take a 3 hr bus South back to El Calafate, a 4 hr bus Southeast to Rio Gallegos, then we had a 4 hour layover and finally got on a 14 hr bus ride North to Puerto Madryn. When we were in Rio Gallegios we saw this hilarious alphabet poster!
Happy Mother's Day!!! From Ushuaia we traveled, yet again, by bus to El Calafate, a small town on the side of Lago Argentino. We had a couple of rest days walking around town then headed on a day tour to Glacier Perito Moreno. Glacier Perito Moreno is a very famous glacier as it is one of the only Patagonian glaciers still advancing. It is a large tourist attraction with accessible paths running throughout the forest front providing tourists with great views. The glacier is huge! It is 30 km long, about 60m high at the exposed end and it blankets a total area of 250 square km. Periodically loud thundering sounds begin to fill the area then all of a sudden a huge chunk smashes into the water and waves splash out towards the shore. Listening to the water slash around under the glacier was very interesting as it sounded hollow in parts. The video below is a tiny chunk of ice falling off the glacier that we were able to catch on film! After our day trip we jumped on a bus to El Chalten another town 3 hours North from El Calafate. The bus was super clean and comfy which we guessed was from the two posted signs; one said no eating or drinking on the bus and the other said please don't take off your shoes! At one point the bus pulled into a rest stop where the driver got out and went inside a cafe. We quietly opened up our leftovers and started shoveling them into our mouths. While stuffing my face I could feel someone watching me and thought oh great now I'm going to get in shit from the driver. When I turned my head around I was pleasantly surprised to see this guy sitting waiting patiently :) We were so impressed by him; when the driver was heading back to the bus the dog quickly jumped off and pretended no one was eating. Thanks pup!
Ushuaia was a really amazing place to see and we would have liked to visit Isla Navarino to its south and of course Antarctica but we were getting a little too close to winter and the Antarctic would have to wait…until we had more time and a lot more money! Our next destination would be Parque Nacional Torres del Paine near Puerto Natales, Chile. To get there we had to take a 12 hour bus ride through Punta Arenas, Chile where we met some friendly street dogs along the harbour front while we killed time waiting for our connection that would take us the remaining 4 hours to Puerto Natales. When we arrived in Puerto Natales we found our way to a hostel and settled in for the night. When we awoke the next day we immediately started to prepare for a trek into Parque Nacional Torres del Paine since the majority of the services in and around the park shutdown after April 30th. We originally wanted to do the 8-10 day trekking circuit but winter weather had forced one of the higher passes to remain closed and later we would be very happy that we didn’t have the option of doing the longer trek. At 5PM We received an hour long briefing from an employee at our hostel about all the ins and outs of the park and we finally decided to do the infamous 5 day W trek but by camping at only the free campsites in the park. We went out that evening and rented all of our camping gear and bought and prepared food for 5 full days of trekking. The morning was clear and cool when we hopped into the van that would drive us into the park. Before we even arrived at the entrance gates of the park we spotted a lot of guanacas and even two ostriches! The famous towers of Torres del Paine were also visible in the early morning light so we stopped and got some pictures before continuing on. We chose to start the trek from the west side of the park to avoid the larger crowd of gringos starting from the east. We knew that this wasn’t a trek to be taken lightly and so we prepared for it. A good portion of the people starting the trek from the opposite end of us were wearing running shoes and jeans and if anyone who is reading this has peed their pants, you know that it’s very uncomfortable to walk around in wet jeans and shoes. We took the ferry across a lake and started our trek towards Campamento Guardos. The sun was out and the weather was mild, which made for a beautiful day to be outside. We first spotted Glacier Gray from a distance and it was another one of those views that looked entirely fake. This glacier is absolutely massive; it stretches 28km long and has an area of 270 square kilometers. As we approached the monstrous living mass of ice we started to hear its cries as it boomed and thundered as enormous chunks of ice broke off of its great face. When we reached campamento Guardas we walked out to a mirador (lookout) over the glacier where we spent some time watching the glacier calve. In the late evening we joined a handful of other campers out at the mirador again to watch the stars shine and the moon reflect over the glacier. We don’t know why, but the stars were sparkling so much it was as if they were small fires in the sky. We both hadn’t seen anything like it before. The next morning we awoke to another clear day and a beautiful sunrise. Although we had a pleasant rest, we were woken several times throughout the night to the thunderous sounds of the glacier cracking, breaking off and falling into the water. A couple of times the ground around us shook. We had a quick bite to eat out at the mirador and enjoyed Grey Glacier one more time and we set off back the way we came towards Campamento Italiano at the foot of Valle de Frances (the French Valley). Along the way we saw some amazing scenery but some of the most eye opening was the devastation caused by a forest fire set by a traveler only about 2 months before our arrival. The traveler had set his toilet paper on fire on a windy day and the fire blew through the area faster than anyone could stop it. Now every time that traveler goes to the can he is reminded of the fire that destroyed a good portion of park. Anyway, the day was long and tiring but we arrived at camp before dark. We were welcomed by a ranger at campamento Italiano and given some info, "the drinking water from the stream runs from the glacier so it’s safe to drink, the pipes are frozen so don’t use the washroom, and the mice are very bad at this campsite so hang your food." We set up camp, made dinner, organized for the next morning and fell asleep once again to the cracking thunder from another glacier in the French Valley above us. We awoke in the dark and began getting ready for our day hike up into the French Valley. We had been told by anther traveller to start the hike in the dark and watch the sunrise. It was pretty chilly when we started but after our blood got pumping and the sun began to shine to temperature rose. The sunrise was spectacular; every couple of minutes we would turn around and it would see it lighting up another set of mountains or shinning on the lake making the water sparkle. It was so nice to day hike with no pack (Courtney) or a lighter pack (Andrew). We made breakfast along the river and continued to a mirador for a fabulous view of the glacier which fills every crack of a mountain sides and hangs on just waiting to fall, the blue lake filled with glacier water and steep rock towers with a fantastic contrast from grey to black stone. We returned to camp where we relaxed in the tent and Andrew whipped up a great rice, sausage, veggie dinner. We went to bed pretty early because we knew we had another long day (Over 20km) hiking with our packs to the next site. In the night we were awoken by the heavy rain coming down on the tent. When we got up and began packing, in the dark, we realized it was going to be a very cold day as the rain was on the border or snow. Our packs weighed even more, good thing our hip bones were numb to the pain from the first two days! The first 5 km of the trail were through forest and small brush; it then opened up to a beautiful lake. We arrived a t a Refugio where we asked if they had any more food for sale just in case we were cold and needed more. The friendly staff said they did but there was one small issue. They were closing for the season and had packed the receipt paper so they couldn’t sell it to us. However… we could have everything that was left over as long as we tipped them. We happily handed over a large tip! In total we got a package of spaghetti, tomato sauce, 4 brownies, a can of tuna, and 4 pieces of bread! Now filled with delicious food we set off for the next 11 km’s uphill. The trail continues flat up flat up and over some river crossings. At one point the trail opened to a huge field with rolling hill covered with beef cows and horses. As you would guess this really lifted Courtney’s spirits about walking in the rain/snow! We found it really interesting that some of the parks land is privately owned; therefore, the owners can do what they want with their land. On some of the private land the owners had built hotels or were farming. The hike was pretty but we were socked in by clouds so our views were not too impressive. The trail we took was a shortcut which had very steep inclines throughout. The higher we hiked the colder it got and the rain turned to snow. After a full days hike we finally arrived at campemento torres. With the Patagonian winds blowing snow and us being the only people there we decided we would set up camp in the cook hut and let our tent dry outside in the wind while we made dinner. We know... GREAT idea! After our tent dried we moved it inside the cook hut, set our bags up, cleaned up the food and hung it above our tent on a beam. As soon as we settled into our bags we began hearing the scurrying of mice. They were trying to digg into what sounds like the tent and they were even launching themselves from the beam onto our tent making it sound as if they were falling on us. We had some pretty good laughs and tried to sleep taking turns hitting the sides of the tent trying to scare them away so we didn't have to replace our rented gear.. They were relentless and continued all night long!! On top of the mice tree branches were hitting the roof of the hut and a couple times we thought it was going to fall in. So after a really long restful sleep Andrew went outside to see if the sky was clear enough to hike up to see the Torres. He shouted back that we should pack up and get going as it had continued snowing all night and there was already 4 inches on the ground. We were happy to see that the mice didn't damage any of our gear. It was fun starting the hike in the pitch balck using our headlamps to guide through the forest. Once the sun came up we were amazed at how big the snowflakes or snow balls were falling from the sky. The snow continued all the way down to the beginning of the trail head where there was at a privately owned gorgeous horse ranch (great bathrooms too!). We then had another 7 km walk along the road to the Ranger station where we would wait until 4:00pm for our shuttle van. We met some really nice other hikers and all spent time drying our clothes besides the fire in the rangers station. All in all it was a great time! We enjoyed the hike throughout the beautiful scenery, had fun listening to the cracking glacier, and even enjoyed the adventures in the snow. Although we didn’t get to see the infamous towers we would recommend the hike to anyone who likes backcountry trekking. We were happy we hiked during the low season as the changing leaves and small crowds made the hike very peaceful. We would also highly recommend a warm sleeping bag if you plan to camp in the fall or winter. Check out our travel advice section for a few pointers on traveling to Torres del Paine.
The airport door opened and a gust of cold air whipped in, we looked at each other and thought oh no... WINTER! We had thought we would bypass all cold weather this year but after hearing how beautiful Patagonia is we thought OK, lets tough it out and go! We decided to fly in to Ushuaia instead of taking the 40 hour bus from Buenos Aires. We were very happy with our decision. The cold was a bit difficult to get used to at first but after the purchase of warmer jackets we were happy to be at the end of the world! Ushuaia is the Southernmost city in the world and is very beautiful. White, snow-capped mountains surround the city with the Beagle channel on the south side creating a pretty waterfront. Our second day in Ushuaia we spent hiking up to see Martial glacier.The walk started from our hostel through the town and up into the outskirts of Ushuaia. The hike follows a small highway with hotels strategically placed along the sides with beautiful views of the Beagle Channel and mountains. The actual hike is at the bottom of a small ski hill where a chair lifts takes people up to the top. The chair wasn't working so we hiked up the snowy mountain until we reached the glacier, approximately 1.5 hrs. The next day we took a shuttle van from our hostel to Tierra Del Fuego National Park! The van dropped us off near the main gate and we hiked along the shoreline for about 8 km. It was very peaceful walking along the water. Unfortunately the clouds were low so our views of the mountains were reduced. We had a nice picnic lunch at one opening and watched ducks swim around. We also saw different types of birds and then two woodpeckers at work. There are 3 main channels near Tierra del Fuego that ships can use to Navigate between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Beagle Channel, the Straights of Magellan and the Drake Passage. The latter is used the most because of its size. When the passages were discovered sailors noticed many fires burning along the shores of the channels and aptly named the area Tierra del Fuego. The fires were used by the Yaghan peoples, who settled the area some 10,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. Don't quote me on this but there are about 1600 Yaghans remaining in Chile as of 2002. In 1949 50 Canadian beavers were introduced into Tierra Del Fuego, to improve the fur trade, and because there are no natural predators the beaver population continued to grow out of control. They have destroyed large sections of the park and are now considered an invasive species. We didn't see any but got some good views of their "work". Go Canada! Ushuaia is largely supported by the tourism, car and electronic industries. Many products are made in Ushuaia and sent to Buenos Aires where the people in BA have to pay an additional tax. We noticed that the cars in the town were mostly all new; when we asked why a local told us that the government gives a tax incentive so that the people almost have to buy new cars every year. He also said it is the most expensive place to live in Argentina and difficult to buy property even though they get higher wages. The new cars do make the city seem classy but it's so wasteful.
We enjoyed our time in the hostel making homemade meals and meeting new people. One really nice couple from Australia are on a similar trip to ours except they are on route to Canada! We told them they could stay with our friends and family, so heads up! After 4 days in Ushuaia we took a 12 hr bus to Puerto Natales in Chile, the town closest to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. |
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