Sunday, February 25, 2007

Chile - Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine "W" trek


We completed the Torres del Paine "W" circuit in 4 days and have now renamed the national park Torres del PAIN. After over 100km of hiking with backpacks weighing around 18kg Markus, Erez and myself are completely exhausted. Leaving early on Wednesday morning we take the bus to the park and we hike up to the first camp. On Thursday we get up at 04.30h and trek up to the Torres viewpoint in the dark using head torches to find the way. This proved fairly difficult and the ground is very steep, firstly through the forest and then scrambling over large boulders. We arrive what we think is the viewpoint and it is still pitch black. The sun comes up slowly and the wind was blowing so fiercely we were freezing. Daylight reveals that we have missed our target and are actually 200m above the lake and the viewpoint. No matter, as this proves to be an even better vantage point than below. The sun shines on the Torres and turns them bright orange in the early morning. This was really spectacular and worth the effort of getting up so early. After hanging around for an hour we head back down to the campsite and pack up and move on. Following the trail down through the vally and contouring around lakes, we reach the next campsite at about 20h. A very long day and about 30km hiked in total. The evening meal is cooked on the small gas stove and we go straight to bed afterwards and sleep for about 12 hours. On Friday we awake and it is raining quite heavily, so we cut out a few km due to the bad weather and missed the Valle de Frances. We hike on to the next camp and it is a well established one and we even manage to get a hot shower. There is a feeling of being reborn after scrubbing off the dirt, dust, sweat, suncream and insect repellant. On Saturday we have another early start and trek even further up to the Grey Glacier to complete the "W" shaped trail. We hiked back to the camp and realise that we just about have enough time to hike the extra 18km to the administration to catch the bus to Puerto Natales. There is also the option to pay $22 and take a catamaran to meet the bus on the other side of the lake. Markus and I head off in a rush and leave Erez behind as he is in a lot of pain with an injured knee. He wisely decides to take the boat back. Moving quickly down the trail we arrive at our destination in 3.5 hours and everything hurts. We ask for a beer at the park administration, but are told we have to walk another 1km to the closest shop. In our weary and ragged state we couldn't even muster up the motivation to go there. We get the bus and luckily it stops at a shop on the way back so we get our well deserved cerveza there. We return to Puerto Natales and it is Saturday night...so we head out for a meal and a few drinks. The end to a really fantastic time in Torres del Pain national park.


Monday, February 19, 2007

Over the border into Puerto Natales, Chile

Monday 19th Feb

Awake early after a terrible nights' sleep in a noisy hostel to get the 08.30h bus out of El Calafate to Puerto Natales in Chile. Travelling with with Markus (Switzerland) and Erez (Holland), who I met on the Glacier trip. The journey should take 4hrs and snakes through a barren landscape mostly on a gravel road. On the way we spot wild llamas, osterrich and condors. In the distance Chile and a view of our goal, the snow capped peaks of Torres del Paine national park. The border formalities and Latin American laid-backness delay us by almost 2hrs, as forms are filled out, exit stamps given by the Argentines and entry stamps by the Chileans. Our bags are searched for fruit and vegetables as it is illegal to transport these across the border. We arrive in Puerto Natales in the afternoon and check into a cheap hostel.

Today and tomorrow will be spent preparing for the trek we have come here to do (hiring equipment and buying food etc). The Torres del Paine "W" circuit is a must for all serious hikers coming to this region. This is a 5 day trek through some of the wildest and most spectacular mountain landscape in Latin America.

Excellent.

Patagonia - El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier



Sunday 18th Feb

Spent the afternoon at the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest in the world. There are wooden walkways where you can get down quite close to the front. The sound is incredible and you can hear the thunderous cracking as the Glacier moves. Huge chunks of ice break off reagularly and fall into the water below. We were lucky enough to see this three times in the three hours we stayed there, and I caught one on film!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Patagonia - El Chalten - Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy



El Chalten is a mecca for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. So just the right kind of place for me. It's a small village with a few hostels, a supermarket and no ATM's or banks. Spent a couple of nights in a very basic hostel that is still being built.

On Saturday I hiked up from the village, past Camp Poincenot to the base of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy. It was absolutely fantastic and the sun was shining all day with clear views of the towers. This is apparently uncommon due to the unpredictable weather in the area, so I felt very lucky. It took about 8 hours there and back, with an hour for lunch admiring the views and taking pictures. The old legs were quite sore when I made it back to the hostel in the evening. Celebrated with a steak and some vino tinto de la casa.

Got the first bus back to El Calafate at 06.30h this morning. Later this afternoon I am going to check out the Perito Moreno Glacier, about 1h west of here.

Friday, February 16, 2007

El Calafate - Patagonia


Friday 12th Feb

Caught the 10.30h flight from Ushuaia to El Calafate in Patagonia. It only takes 1h on the plane and after landing I head directly to the bus station. I want to travel onwards to El Chalten (Fitzroy & Cerro Torre range), 4h north of here, and return to El Calafate on Sunday to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. However, the next bus is at 18.30h, so that means a 6h wait in town...Time to spend a while in the internet cafe and sort out some admin (bus tickets, hostels etc.) for the coming days.

Ushuaia - horse riding Gaucho style


Thursday 15th Feb

Met up with Andrea from Switzerland over breakfast at the hostel. We had met at the top of Guanaco the previous day. After disussing what the options were for my final day in Tierre del Fuego, we decide to go on a 4 hour horse riding tour of the area.

Again the scenery was breathtaking as we rode out of the Estancia (ranch) in Gaucho style, through the forest, over hills, through streams and along by the lake.

When we got back to the hostel not only were my legs aching from the hike, but my ass was now hurting like hell from 4 hours in the saddle!

Ushuaia - Parque Nacional Tierre del Fuego



Wednesday 14th Feb.

Met up with Kobi in the morning to see about getting into the national park to do some trekking. He brought Andy from NYC with him. We grabbed some supplies at the local supermercado and arranged for a minibus to bring us to the park. A$20 entrance fee for tourists, A$6 if you are Argentine, so they definitely know how to milk the foreigners.

Got a map at the entrance and headed off to trek route 4 to the top of Guanaco peak. Starting at Lake Roco it is a fairly gentle walk to where the path splits and we go uphill through the forest. Suddenly it becomes steep and strenuous for about 2km until we get out of the forest and reach the first viewpoint, sweating and breathless. Time for a break to take in the stunning scenery. It is so spectacular that half an hour passes and we realise we have to head onwards and upwards. Entering the forest again we ascend to emerge in a wet moorland than levels off as we cross it. Fairly abruptly the moor turns to stone and scree and a dusty lunar path leads to the top of the peak. After another hour of very strenuous hiking on the steep and slippery scree we summit Guanaco, 971m above sea level, where we started. The weather had been marvellous all day with bright sunshine and puffy white clouds. We ate at the top and stayed for about 45 minutes taking in the 360 degree scenery. On the left the Atlantic and Argentina, on the right Chile and the Pacific. This must be one of the few places where you can see both oceans from one point. Incredible!! The view of the mountains of Chile was absolutely breathtaking and I have never seen anything so spectacular in all my travels. After chatting to fellow trekkers from Switzerland and Israel, we start to pack up. Stopping to admire the landscape one last time, we spy a huge condor as it swoops past and lands on a distant cliff face. Incredible, it must have had a wingspan of 2m. The perfect way to leave the summit, we walk back down to the lake to catch the bus back into town.

Back in Ushuaia we celebrate the successful day with a few beers and a huge Argentinean steak each. Splendid!

Ushuaia - el fin del mundo



"El fin del mundo - the end of the world" is probably part of Ushuaia's marketing plan to attract more tourists. However, after looking around the town it certainly feels like it. I head down to the harbour and book a tour to visit a penguin colony on a nearby island. Only 15 people can set foot on the island at any one time and no more than 45 per day in total. I feel lucky to get a space considering the number of foreign tourists in the town. In the last 10 years Ushuaia has apparently increased in population from 10000 to 60000, supported by the boom in tourism.

Back to the penguin tour. A minibus takes us the 85km to Haberton ranch where we catch a Zodiac to take us over to the island in about 20 minutes. The tour group is made up of mainly Argentinians and Americans and sitting next to me Kobi, a young Israeli traveller.

When we reach land there are about 10000 penguins just waddling around. They don´t even flinch when we walk to within one metre of them. Obviously we were moving slowly and not talking, but I was expecting a different reaction. We walked around the Island and the guide, Victoria, explained pretty much everything you need to know about penguins.Very interesting. The place is covered in penguin poo and I kneeled in some when trying to take a photo :( Felt a bit unfortunate and stupid until I realised everyone had poo on them somewhere...

After making a few stops at various points of interest on the wind swept landscape, we headed back to Ushuaia and the hostel.

Argentina - Landing in Ushuaia - Tierre del Fuego

Monday 12th Feb.

Arrving in Ushuaia by plane is a pretty scary experience! The plane comes in over the mountains to land on a strip of concrete jutting out from the mainland, in the shape of a sideways T parrallel to the coast. The approach is close enough to the mountainous terrain to be uncomfortable... then suddenly the pilot makes a steep dive down towards the runway. Extra braking power is applied upon landing, probably to avoid over shooting the runway and landing in the sea.

Glad to be on the ground again I grab a taxi to take me to the Antartica Hostel near San Martin Av, the town's main drag. Due to the delay in Buenos Aires it is late. Time to go to sleep in order to be fresh tomorow for exploring "the southernmost city in the world".

Monday, February 12, 2007

Argentina - Tierre del Fuego

Spent a relaxed morning in San Telmo and then got ready to leave after lunch. There was a mass exodus from the hostal this morning. After a fun filled weekend there seemed to be a feeling of "this is a mad party city, if we stay too long we may never get out...". Especially among the Irish for some reason ;)

My plan is to fly down to Ushuaia and spend the rest of the week there. Now I'm sitting at the Aeroparque in Buenos Aires and the flight is delayed by about 2 hours. Anyway, at least it's given me a change to write a few entries in this blog.

Tourist in Buenos Aires


Spent Saturday cycling around the city and visiting the main attractions: La Boca, Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero, Plaza Dorega etc. Saw La Boca stadium where Maradonna used to play and the Casa Rosada where Evita stood at the balcony. Great!

Met some Catalans guys and some Irish guys at the hostal and we hung out for a while. The Hostal had organised a Barbeque for the evening and we all tucked into some of the famous Argentinian steaks and Choripan (bread and sausage).

After eating we went out to a club in Puerto Madero with about 20 people from the hostal. Pretty big party that went on until after the sun came up. Needless to say the sightseeing suffered the next day. I wasn't that dissapointed though cause I'd packed so nuch in the previous day!

The first evening

After being shown to my room on the roof terrace of the hostal, I went to the bar downstairs to have a cold beer. The local brew is called Quilmes and tasted great. A lot of people were heading out to a club, but I decided to catch up on some sleep and went to bed instead. Knowing that I wanted to see the city the next day.

The trip has started...

The journey finally started last Thursday (8th Feb) when I left Belfast and drove down to Dublin. I stayed at Mark's house and he and Patrick kindly drove me to the aiport at 4am. Early start and at -4 degrees a very cold one! The first leg was 2.5 hours to Madrid and then a few hours waiting for the connection to Buenos Aires. I used the time to phone Nuria in Barcelona and buy some supplies for the trip. Approximately 12 hours later I arrived in Buenos Aires where the local time was 21h and the outside temperature was 25. This was a shock to the system! As I was fairly tired by this stage I decided to get a taxi to the Hostel-Inn in San Telmo (the district famous for Tango), rather than try to figure out the public transport system.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

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