Rafting, biking... stripping and cake?

So after 26 hours I made it to the northern most stop in Patagonia. A town called Bariloche which is known to be the lake district and the Switzerland of South America which is really a shout out to the chocolate shops and I honestly think there are as many in El Calafate but hey who am I to challenge the locals.

The bus trip started at 3.40am and I arrived in Bariloche bus station searching for a cab at 5.00am the following day. Actually wasn't as painful as I'd expected but I still don't look forward to the 17hr bus ride from here to Mendoza (my next stop) even if it is the path to the wine region. I guess I should just be glad I wasn't in Buenos Aires train station since the accident that happened seems to have been severe.

My hostel is called Penthouse 1004 and is situated in the tallest building in town. You're going to have to imagine the views because I still haven't taken a photo yet. Day one I went to a local yoga class and stretched the muscles I'd just squeezed into a bus seat for over a day. Wonderful way to meet a new town. Then decided to try and cook for the first time in over three weeks. Mistake. I can cook but ingredients are not as readily available and I have no interest in lugging leftovers around with me. I've done it though so check that box for this journey!  Met an Aussie named Marty (26) after dinner so we went for a stroll and bought some chocolate and wine (for me) whiskey for him and came back to the common area to make jokes about the people around us and the writing on the chocolate package... can you see the error in the short english bit at the bottom?

higher or fower... you decide. PS F and L are not close together on a keyboard.

The next day I went on a grade 3 white water rafting trip on Rio Manso (which means calm). It was a really terrific experience. I was the only english speaker in the group. (I adore how Argentinians travel in their own country so much) I was taught the commands in spanish, ie paddle forward, slowly, backwards, get in the boat etc and just enjoyed a day in glacier cold water (even managed to jump out at a safe part and float through the rapids on my back ...score). Glad I'd rafted a few times before so I knew what to do and from there it was just what I had hoped for. Beautiful weather and scenery, some broken chats with a family from Buenos Aires and an Asado (traditional bbq with wine) for lunch. Yay!

Camp where we got our gear and inflated the boats and later ate asado

The rapids were of course bigger than this but I couldn't take my camera on the boat.  

 

For some reason I can't stop photographing the english mistakes which is terrible since I don't speak spanish and I'm in their hood but still. This just captures the fact that you have to remember to put your used toilet paper in the bin next to the toilet when you are done.

When I got home after rafting the hostel owners were throwing a cocktail party becasue two of the owners were finally engaged after 15years... please prepare yourself for the most random tradition of all time. We were told that as part of the celebration the soon to be bride is expected to spend a time being as spontaneous as she can becasue the more uninhibited she gets on that night the better her married life would be. The man of course does nothing.  So, they continued, the bride to be would be performing some strip tease in the common couch/lounge area for anyone who wanted to watch. Sorry what did you just say? Yup. This happened. And thankfully for her she had a body that Victoria Secret would like access to.

and after that... they served us cake. Hello? Yah you didn't see that coming did you... me neither!

The guys of course chanted "Best Hostel Ever" over and over and we all kept looking at eachother (especially after the 4th song and outfit was put on and then taken off) and saying  "Where are we and how did we get here?" I'm telling you it was beyond what I would ever imagine would happen on this trip.

Yesterday the group decided to do the Cirquito Chico, which is a 5hr bike trip around the lakes (with a boat load of hills... ugh). Marty couldn't resist playing Jesus at one of the lookouts... a little wrong but hey they didn't have any dinosaur bones to lie with sooo... and then in his excitement on one of the dirt roads he hit the wrong brakes and went ass over tea kettle and from then on became known as "Skin Flap".

After a day filled with blood and bandages (for Marty McSkin Flap) and torrents of rain (turns out it wasn't the BEST day for a 5hr ride up and down steap hills... or was it) Patricia from Montreal, Helm and Lisa from England, myself and Marty enjoyed a dinner of fondue... Cheese and Beef and then Chocolate! Killer.

Well that about catches me up on my journey through the Andes. Today I leave at 3.30pm for my 17hr Full Cama bus ride (which means I get a chair that folds into a full bed and meals served to me for about $115CND). I'll wake up in Mendoza which is said to be hot but dry and just starting their wine festival season.

I'll let you know how that goes...  until then I hope everyone is well and not too frustrated with the formatting and inconsistency of this blog.

xo

b

The capital of Treking in the Argentinian Andes

Well I´m happy to be able to get to a computer again that will accept my photo uploads since I think that makes these blog entries so much more entertaining.

On my last day in Calafate I enjoyed some amazing wine, lamb stew and a sunset for the record books. Here is your chance to live vicariously...

El Chalten, which is 3 hours north of El Calafate was a terrific mix of small town feel, GREAT eats and stunning hiking. It is not called the capital of trecking in Argentina for nothing. I continue to adore the colourful homes and have photographed too many I´m sure but the deleting of photos is for when I get back home.

The first hike that Roxy and I did was an easy 6 hour round trip trek to see Fitz Roy mountain. A must if you are in the area. It was the hottest day I have experienced in the Andes so far so drinking from the streams fed by the surrounding glaciers became a requirement and the locals were right. No stomach issues. Hurray!

 As you can see the town has a ton of character and it was hard to balance taking photos of the insane scenery with mountains, rivers, glaciers etc when there was such an abundance of art and interesting architecture.                          I feel like I should appologise for the insane formatting of this blog. With each town comes a new computer from 1982 and I have to try to make it work the way I want it to while guessing at how my desired output can be achieved using spanish hints on the keyboard... hence the random spacing and often incorrect punctuation. It is just a win if the keys have writing on them but sometimes when they do they still don´t produce the character it promises to.

Okay so back to the story of my days in Patagonia... It did turn out to be a bit of a struggle with each passing day spent hiking to leave and return to our hostel becasue of the insanely high steps they built leading up to the building. Roxy and I had to muster the strength and burn through the lactic acid in our legs to do it each day.

I worked on finding inner peace at one stop becasue I couldn´t imagine a better setting. This one is for you B. Reminds me of Jamaica yoga mornings.

 

I thought I was also paying good attention to the vegetation and could identify what bushes and shrubs the original peoples would have used for bedding since it looked so soft... with one soft touch I was schooled in how very wrong I was... jaysus the spikes were like daggers!

 Our last hike was 8 hours and was comprised of 4 hours going up hill to rise from 400m to 1400m for a 360 degree view of the entire area and then of course a 4 hour grueling decent. My calves hated me on the way up and my knee caps wanted to be removed on the way down but I did enjoy the 15mins we spent at the top trying not to be pushed off the summit but the gale force winds!

As Roxy and I found ourselves sharing our last dinner together before we once again went our separate ways we found enjoyment in the menu...  and I quote... 300g MEATS for who eat less.. (and then lower down) 500g MEATS for those who don´t want to stay with desire)... sorry what are you saying

or you can have an ALCOHOLIC DINKS to finish.... riiiight. Thanks Jhonny Wlaker.

Just as an aside, I of course had the lamb.... delish!

and in closing this is a sticker from the hostel video library. There is just no way the creator of this sticker was not aware of what they were doing. Dump trucks... seriously.

 

Patagonia - Hanging out in Darwin's old stomping grounds

Since I began this leg of the journey in Ushuaia, Argentina I suppose it is appropriate to say "let me start at the bottom". El fin del Mundo (The End of the World... the city situated the furthest south on the planet) actually feels just like the last stop on earth.

Reminded me of an old (latin) Whistler back when my family stayed near Creekside at a friend's place who had no running water so trapsing through the snow at night to an outhouse was the norm. (Yes I am THAT old). They of course still have graffiti so I took a photo of one of my favourites.

Okay I'm not painting an accurate image of Ushuaia. They have running water and toilets inside the hostels but it does have an old ski town vibe. See for yourself exactly what it looks like. Beauty eh?

Took a catamaran boat ride up the Beagle Channel to photograph sea lions and penguins for my nephew Max who has now taken to emailing me with requests I will always try to oblige. 

These shots are for you Maxy!

On my walk home I passed kids doing bike tricks in a ramp park and a futbol match. Both were being played against the backdrop of the Andes. Seemed a little sureal so I toasted my day with some Fin del Mundo vino blanco. Perfecto.

Followed that up with a 7hr trek through the Tierra del Fuego National Park the following day with some pals I met at the hostel. Emily from Montreal (22) and Jonathan from Germany (19).

Emily from Montreal and Jonathan from Germany joined me for the day hike

Once again the views were staggeringly beautiful and we managed to share some stories and laughs about life on the road and cultural differences that seem to leap into view when you enter the backpacker route.

proof I was in Chile

On from there I rolled northbound to Puerto Natales, Chile via a 16hr bus ride that will seem short after my journey through South America over the next 15 wks. Puerto Natales actually manages to have less to offer by way of a town than even Ushuaia but their claim to fame is the Torres del Paine National Park and that little sliver of the globe is none too shabby.

ouch...

Towers carved by glaciers, waterfall filled lakes in shades of crayola crayons and wildlife maintaining the circle of life even after the terrible fire that raged in January and burned a large area of the park.

Oh and the Singing Lamb hostel serves THE BEST oatmeal, scrambled eggs and homemade toast I've had this side of the equator so staying there for two nights was a great way to recharge a little. Again I am photographing food for new mamma Foxy to revel at.


Next I continued north on a 5hr bus back to Argentina (for a 3rd time in just over 2wks) to reunite with Roxy (we met in Buenos Aires) in El Calafate.

This town I loved.

So much lavender, monkey trees and awesome restaurants/shopping. Plus we were there during the towns 135 anniversary festival week so there was dancing and music all around. Not a bad deal for also being 30minutes away from the glacier.

There is just no way to capture the Perito Moreno glacier on a camera.

Quaint but active and the launching point to see Perito Moreno glacier. Epic. Boarded another catamaran to get up close and personal with this mammoth slab of shifting ice as it melts and giant segments break off and thunder to the lake with a subsequent tidal wave. Could only have been better if my mom were here since it was her birthday. Wish I could have caught it on video but I wasn't successful in that endeavor so if you want to watch, check out youtube. I can only imagine others before me have timed things better. 

If you can believe it, I am now in yet another bus, this time a brief 3hr hop, skip and jump north to El Chalten which is the home of the Fitz Roy mountain range and is said to be the treking capital of the Andes. Bring it on. 

Overall I have enjoyed this cooler climate and brilliant topography, though the distances are daunting, make no mistake, and this is only the beginning. 

I've finally managed to remember 100% of the time that toilet paper does not go in the toilet on this continent, that road lanes are just pretty drawings not guides for safe passage, that sleep is not a priority so get past it, that wifi is as abundant as empinadas and knowing how to habla even a little espanol is better than none at all. 

Hope you are all well, happy and healthy.
xox
b

Just call me John Candy

So tonight I´ll begin an epic journey from the warm beaches of Punta del Este, Uruguay (25C) to the cool glacial breezes in Ushuaia, Argentina (Patagonia 15C).  I will take a midnight bus for five hours to return to Colonia (Uruguay) to board a 5.30am ferry that will last three hours and crosses back to Buenos Aires where I gain an hour, grab a cab and head over to the domestic airport for a four hour flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. My first stop in Patagonia and the most southern city in the world.  Sometimes I think about it and it seems like nothing and then I get a flash of "ummmm, you´re in South America, solo, traveling at all hours of the day and night, in spanish, seeing the most extraordinary things" and I pause, and go back to thinking yah that´s normal.

Coastline - rough seas but pretty none the less

The crew I had just spent 3 days with left to go further east through Uruguay yesterday so I hung back and did a walk around the "punta" aka point today. Beautiful scenery for a long lazy afternoon stroll.

Seriously the mussels were plentiful. I was scared I´d twist an ankle and razor myself to ribbons. Too dramatic?

Mom - this is for you. Know how you love to photograph vegetation in random places you visit.

At the end of the point there is a lookout and it isn´t really notable except that the stench is out of control. Seriously. I was mumbling to myself that there was an unresolved issue the tourist office needed to focus on immediately. No idea why but it was horrid. If I could post a scratch and sniff I would. 
Did pass by these fine ladies though...Looks like I wore the right outfit to fit into the scene. Pretty

cool looking artwork if I do say so myself and since Foxy just had her baby girl today I thought it was fitting to have a photo of this momma and her baby...¿mermaid? in my album. So Foxy this one on the left is for you. I hope Kate isn´t already smothering that baby of yours with insane kisses like she does to me. (Strange child) She can get a little rough in her enthusiasm. Can´t wait to teach your little one how to pole dance like you did for Kate (kidding). 

After I walked around the shoreline I figured it was time to hit the main drag which runs down the center of the point. It looks a little like Miami beach (only I think Miami beach folks might be insulted by that comment). Loads of gift shops and knick knack junk. In my wander and attempt to find something worth buying (I´m still strugging with that one since the only things I seem to like are from a shop that sells things from the "Orient" and it doesn´t seem to make sense to buy that stuff in SOUTH AMERICA as a reminder of Uruguay does it?)




Anyways, I came across two fine images worth photographing. One inside a shop... Tell me you´ve ever seen two dudes this happy to piggyback? EVER? This is a happy pair to be sure. Then as I walked by Burger King (okay I´ll come clean... as I came out of Burger King but only to use their washrooms. I swear to dinosaurs I ate empinadas for lunch from a local deli.)

So is it me or did Burger King Uruguay spell the last word incorrectly here??? Awaist? Awaits - right? Or do they mean this thing is going straight to "a waist"? I think someone is gonna be fired.

I did manage to get a better photo of the hand/fingers that seem to be coming out of the sand down at the beach as well. No one can tell me the significance of the installation and there is never a time when tourists aren´t all over it so this was the best I could do.  It does show you scale and utter "random-nocity" of it all. Good work Uruguay. It worked on me. I´ve come see it twice now and I think it´s insane slash a little scary.





Speaking of random check out this video I made when strolling down the beach with Tanyin yesterday... Beach Aerobics in Punta del Este, Uruguay... it was amazing to watch so much so that we joined in. You know what they say... "when in Uruguay..."

I have no idea what the internet connectivity will be like in Ushuaia so this may or may not be my last post for a week or two. Who knows maybe Ushuaia will surprise me like Uruguaian buses did.

Until then - enjoy the days folks. Chat soon.
xo
b