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!
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!
1 Comment
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!
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. We hopped in a small van with about 8 other people at the Tupiza bus terminal. Taking a “taxi van” to the dusty border town of Villanoza was about an hour faster than taking the bus and they depart about every 5 minutes which meant that we could sleep in and leave when we were ready. The cab dropped us off about 15 minutes away from the Argentinian border so we walked the remaining distance. We were expecting a massive lineup of people entering Argentina from all the stories we had heard of the border being incredibly slow and crowded but instead we were pretty much the only gringos crossing over with a few locals so it only took about 20 minutes in total to get through! From La Quaica, the bordering city in Argentina we hopped the first bus to San Salvador de Jujuy…or just Jujuy for short. We were hoping to make a direct connection to Buenos Aires from Jujuy but unfortunately all the buses were sold out and we had to wait until the following day. Being in Argentina was such a culture shock after spending the past three months in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Jujuy was a very developed and modern city, and the prices reflected that. One thing that was finally cheap and delicious however was the wine! Courtney and I ordered a glass of wine each at a restaurant and paid less than $2 Canadian for it! I knew we were going to like Argentina…a lot! After a long bus ride we arrived in Buenos Aires in good spirits with high hopes for the city we had been anticipating so much. We had no idea how to get from the bus station to downtown and so we asked a couple young people who were working at baggage security in the bus terminal for directions and they were so helpful. One of the guys even walked us to the Subte (subway), which was about 10 minutes away so that we wouldn’t have to pay an outrageous cab fare! We lucked out by finding a hostel (Downtown Mate) that gave us a private room at the dorm rate and it even had a balcony overlooking the street! One of the first things we came across was the 14 lane road 9 de Julio that runs through the center of El Centro. It’s absolutely massive and takes two lights to cross! We spent the majority of our time in BA seeing a bunch of different sights and preparing to fly down to the end of the world! On one of the days in the city we took the Subte to the Palermo area and got off near the zoo. We didn't go in but walked along the side and crossed into the beautiful gardens. The area reminded us of Toronto Island due to the multiple parks, rollerblading lanes, ponds, and different fitness clubs. We had a nice picnic in a rose garden and then continued back in the direction of our hostel. We ended up walking for over 5 hours through different areas of the city. The city is very pretty with every type of neighborhood; ranging from the trendy downtown core to pedestrian ruled avenues packed with all stores to posh upscale areas where everyone is walking around in elegant attire or soccer uniforms. We really enjoyed our day sight seeing and can't wait to return to check our the other areas!
|
Get updates by email!
Archives
January 2014
Categories
All
|