So after the trekking we got an early bus back to Argentina and onwards to Calafate. We spent the first few days there trying to sort out a flight out of el Calafate to Bariloche. This proved difficult. Prior to arriving in Argentina we found that LADE did not have a website and a net search revealed that they did not like picking up the phone. The reality was not much different, we made a lot of trips to the LADE office to try and catch it open. On a whim I decided to check if they had a website, somehow it managed to appear. I tried to book a ticket once and it said there was no availability, then magically it worked the second time. I got an email confirming the flight.. Result!! Now to pay.. you would think that this was easy, however the 3 phone numbers given for central and local offices were not answered, so we had to trek back to the office in town to pay. Amazingly they had the booking so I paid and told Sarah to guard the print out with her life. We´d been told that flying with LADE was quite an experience and we were happy we´d avoid the 72 hour bus journey over unpaved roads on the notorious Route 40.
Next day we went out to the glacier and spent a day trekking in crampons on the ice. The glacier itself is massive and we saw huge chunks of ice carving off and crashing into the water. Walking in crampons took a bit of getting used to but was well worth it for the views of ice caves, big wells of turquoise water and random lakes.
Back in Calafate we didn´t really do much as it was really expensive compared to the rest of Argentina; so we only really did a bit of cycling and lots of eating. We had a message from the airline that the flight would be delayed by three hours and when we got to the airport unfortunately discovered that it had been delayed by another 2. The whole time we could see the perfect 20mph plus clean wind, if only we´d had our kitesuring kit and a a very very thick wetsuit!
The flight itself was cool, a kind of executive jet with a retro 60s interior. It was pretty fast and we had great views of the barren desolate wasteland below. Seriously we flew for hours and didn´t even see a town, just miles of patagonian tundra with the odd lake thrown in. On our descent to Bariloche we could see mountains and lakes in the evening sunshine. The LADE flight made up for the booking stress...
Once we got to the hostel we foraged for some light food at the local petrol station and then had a good game of poker with a very good looking argentine (male) who worked at the hostel. Unfortunately we lost a few pesos.
Following day we were all set to go cycling round the circuito chico when we found a kite shop. After chatting to the guys in the shop we decided to ditch the bikes and hire some kit instead. Luckily the wind gods we smiling on us for once and although the locals were complaining about the direction and it being gusty (it really wasn´t) we both had a great session. It´s so nice kiting on a lake, such clean fresh water you don´t even have to wash your hair afterwards. The sunset was really cool and the guys who owned the shop even gave us a lift back to Bariloche where we headed out for a really bad mexican with some English guys we´d met on the kite trip.
The next day it rained!!!!! so we didn´t do much except sleep, go on the internet. We discovered the joys of Skype and cheap international calls and asked very nicely if Steve´s mum could send us our kite kit to BA. In the evening we went out boozing with the guys at the hostel. We woke up early and dragged ourselves out of bed to go rafting.
The minibus ride to the upriver launch gave us a chance to sleep off our hangovers a bit more as we headed out to the Rio Manso. After being kitted out we got in the raft and had a lesson in how to paddle. the river was pretty low so the rapids really weren´t very scary. Pretty much perfect for a hangover. The scenery was amazing and the asado that followed was even more perfect for my hangover.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Torres Del Paine
So...after lot of mincing around we finally got all the kit we needed for the W trek in Torres. Not being big on the sport of walking (kiting, biking or drinking always seemed to be so much more fun), it was going to be a new experience for us to carry everything we needed for 5 days of trekking. With a bit of advice from the hostel we were staying at we thought we had it all covered. We would live on a healthy diet of porridge with powdered milk and honey for breakfast, tortillas with ham and cheese for lunch, a proper meal in the evening of packet noodles, cup a soup or 5 minute pasta, and snacks of chocolate, trail mix and raw carrots.
Most of the first day was spent on transport to the park, the bus ride brought us to the park itself where the mountains of doom were looming in the rain. We quickly got our waterproof gear on during the wait for the catamaran and then headed across the lake to our starting point at Pehoe. By about 1pm we were on the first stretch heading up to Glacier Grey. Our packs were comfy enough and in the light drizzle it was a pleasant walk up the valley. We could see the snow covered mountains to the left and the lakes below. Some of the walk was really windy and there was a lot of up. First glimpses of the glacier were v impressive and when we finally reached the free campsite Guardas at the top we were just above it and could look down. We pitched our tent and then headed out to the look-out point to chill out in the sunshine. Quick cook pasta hit the spot and after washing the dishes in the stream we hit the sack early listening to the rumbling glacier below.
We both slept a good 12 hours and awoke feeling refreshed despite the hard ground. The morning was drizzly and we had breakfast (v tasty) packed-up and started our descent by 9.00. Back down at Pehoe our shoulders were aching and ste was beginning to complain about hunger. We had a massive cheese and meat sandwich and then moved on the next free site at Italiano. This campsite was really cool, right next to raging river fed by the glaciers in the French valley, under the trees, and it even had a toilet! Supper was a combination of noodles and cup a soup and again we went to bed early as soon as the sun went down. It was a cold night with the wind coming in through vents in the corner of the tent. Ste was suffering in his inadequate sleeping bag and my feet even got a little bit cold in my new fleece lined cosy sleeping bag.
The days trekking was good because we could leave our kit at the campsite and walk up the French valley with only a day pack. We set-off early to avoid the rush of day trippers. The climb was really steep with amazing views all the way up, a steep glacier on the left with the raging river below and big rocky mountains to the right. Half the walk was through the forest climbing over trees and rocks. When we reached the top there was very steep scramble up a stream which took us right up above the tree line and gave great views over the valley and lake at the end. It was really cold at the top so we didn't hang around for too long. The trek down was really quick passing all the day trippers on the way. When we got back to camp ste went to try and scrub the cheese from between his toes with a rock in the stream, the smell of his feet were starting to be a real issue and it did look like they were practically rotting.
With the tent down we began the trek round the corner, we were both knackered so took it slowly. It was always the last two hours trekking each day that seemed to be the killer and we both got a little tetchy. Ste was adamant that we should have brought at least double the amount of chocolate that we had and he may be starving on the number of calories we were eating compared to the amount of energy expended. The terrain on this stretch was really mellow, we were sheltered from any wind and rain by the mountains and the sun finally came out turning the lake a stunning turquoise blue. The campsite was right by the lake and as it was a paid site even had showers. We decided to treat ourselves to a tin of tuna to go with the pasta and a beer each. After an awesome shower, a beer and a meal which left you full we felt almost human again.
The night was cold which made for slow start the next day, we knew this was the longest stretch we would walk and weren't particularly keen. The first bit was nice and flat and took us along and round the lake. The scenery changed again as we reached the next valley and looked more alpine. It was a really steep climb up to our final campsite and unfortunately we got absolutely soaked at one point. Luckily the weather changed further on and the sun came out so we managed to get our clothes dry. By the time we reached the campsite we were knackered. After we got the tent pitched another shower came in, it was really cold up near the Torres and the wind was howling through the vents in our inadequate tent. I tried to build a stone wall to shield us from the wind but it proved largely ineffective. We both put on all the clothes we had with us and huddled in the shelter as we had noodles and soup debating whether we would get up for sunrise at the Torres. Reluctantly we got into sleeping bags for our final night on the hard ground. Even with all our clothes on it was still cold and neither of us slept well, at about 4.00a.m. it seemed to get warmer and the wind calmed down so we finally fell asleep properly.
The alarm woke us up at 5.45a.m. and I could see from the light outside that the sky had cleared and the sunrise may be worth it. We stumbled out of bed, found the torch and got the pack with breakfast in it together. The hour long climb up the near vertical boulder field in the dark was interesting. Our route leaving the campsite missed the actual path and we had to climb round some trees before we got out. Even with the other backpackers heading up it was really difficult to see where we were going and I went the wrong way at one point heading away from the big rocks onto dangerous scree which fell way beneath our feet. Luckily we didn't fall down the mountain in a landslide. The climb was really hard but we made it to the top and could see the Torres looming in the dark and the sun starting to come up. We made breakfast and dawn started to break. When the first rays of sunlight hit the rocks everything turned a crazy red colour. The light was awesome and made the early start well worth it. Breakfast on the rocks was cool and unlike anything we had done on our time off so far.
The final walk down was nice and easy with barely any up and good views down the valley. The transfer back went pretty fast and before we knew it we were back at the hostel. The shower when we got back and the evening meal with some guys we met on the trek were awesome. We all agreed that the 72km trek had been well worth it.
Most of the first day was spent on transport to the park, the bus ride brought us to the park itself where the mountains of doom were looming in the rain. We quickly got our waterproof gear on during the wait for the catamaran and then headed across the lake to our starting point at Pehoe. By about 1pm we were on the first stretch heading up to Glacier Grey. Our packs were comfy enough and in the light drizzle it was a pleasant walk up the valley. We could see the snow covered mountains to the left and the lakes below. Some of the walk was really windy and there was a lot of up. First glimpses of the glacier were v impressive and when we finally reached the free campsite Guardas at the top we were just above it and could look down. We pitched our tent and then headed out to the look-out point to chill out in the sunshine. Quick cook pasta hit the spot and after washing the dishes in the stream we hit the sack early listening to the rumbling glacier below.
We both slept a good 12 hours and awoke feeling refreshed despite the hard ground. The morning was drizzly and we had breakfast (v tasty) packed-up and started our descent by 9.00. Back down at Pehoe our shoulders were aching and ste was beginning to complain about hunger. We had a massive cheese and meat sandwich and then moved on the next free site at Italiano. This campsite was really cool, right next to raging river fed by the glaciers in the French valley, under the trees, and it even had a toilet! Supper was a combination of noodles and cup a soup and again we went to bed early as soon as the sun went down. It was a cold night with the wind coming in through vents in the corner of the tent. Ste was suffering in his inadequate sleeping bag and my feet even got a little bit cold in my new fleece lined cosy sleeping bag.
The days trekking was good because we could leave our kit at the campsite and walk up the French valley with only a day pack. We set-off early to avoid the rush of day trippers. The climb was really steep with amazing views all the way up, a steep glacier on the left with the raging river below and big rocky mountains to the right. Half the walk was through the forest climbing over trees and rocks. When we reached the top there was very steep scramble up a stream which took us right up above the tree line and gave great views over the valley and lake at the end. It was really cold at the top so we didn't hang around for too long. The trek down was really quick passing all the day trippers on the way. When we got back to camp ste went to try and scrub the cheese from between his toes with a rock in the stream, the smell of his feet were starting to be a real issue and it did look like they were practically rotting.
With the tent down we began the trek round the corner, we were both knackered so took it slowly. It was always the last two hours trekking each day that seemed to be the killer and we both got a little tetchy. Ste was adamant that we should have brought at least double the amount of chocolate that we had and he may be starving on the number of calories we were eating compared to the amount of energy expended. The terrain on this stretch was really mellow, we were sheltered from any wind and rain by the mountains and the sun finally came out turning the lake a stunning turquoise blue. The campsite was right by the lake and as it was a paid site even had showers. We decided to treat ourselves to a tin of tuna to go with the pasta and a beer each. After an awesome shower, a beer and a meal which left you full we felt almost human again.
The night was cold which made for slow start the next day, we knew this was the longest stretch we would walk and weren't particularly keen. The first bit was nice and flat and took us along and round the lake. The scenery changed again as we reached the next valley and looked more alpine. It was a really steep climb up to our final campsite and unfortunately we got absolutely soaked at one point. Luckily the weather changed further on and the sun came out so we managed to get our clothes dry. By the time we reached the campsite we were knackered. After we got the tent pitched another shower came in, it was really cold up near the Torres and the wind was howling through the vents in our inadequate tent. I tried to build a stone wall to shield us from the wind but it proved largely ineffective. We both put on all the clothes we had with us and huddled in the shelter as we had noodles and soup debating whether we would get up for sunrise at the Torres. Reluctantly we got into sleeping bags for our final night on the hard ground. Even with all our clothes on it was still cold and neither of us slept well, at about 4.00a.m. it seemed to get warmer and the wind calmed down so we finally fell asleep properly.
The alarm woke us up at 5.45a.m. and I could see from the light outside that the sky had cleared and the sunrise may be worth it. We stumbled out of bed, found the torch and got the pack with breakfast in it together. The hour long climb up the near vertical boulder field in the dark was interesting. Our route leaving the campsite missed the actual path and we had to climb round some trees before we got out. Even with the other backpackers heading up it was really difficult to see where we were going and I went the wrong way at one point heading away from the big rocks onto dangerous scree which fell way beneath our feet. Luckily we didn't fall down the mountain in a landslide. The climb was really hard but we made it to the top and could see the Torres looming in the dark and the sun starting to come up. We made breakfast and dawn started to break. When the first rays of sunlight hit the rocks everything turned a crazy red colour. The light was awesome and made the early start well worth it. Breakfast on the rocks was cool and unlike anything we had done on our time off so far.
The final walk down was nice and easy with barely any up and good views down the valley. The transfer back went pretty fast and before we knew it we were back at the hostel. The shower when we got back and the evening meal with some guys we met on the trek were awesome. We all agreed that the 72km trek had been well worth it.
Monday, March 3, 2008
South America 1
So...we`ve been in Aouth America for a good couple of weeks now. Its gone really fast. We started off with a great couple of days in a very hot very humid Buenos Aires where we were extremely well looked after by Steve`s gran. We ate lots; parillas, meat, more meat and cake mostly and tried to acclimatize to the 30 plus sunshine. There was lots to see in San Telmo, Purerto Madero, Palermo and we checked out the modern art museum, a random Manga event at the Japanese garden and managed to get some trekking essentials at the shopping centres.
After re-packing we were back on a plane again. We worked out we`d taken off and landed 9 times in the past 3 weeks so were glad when we stepped off the plane in Ushuaia and only had bus rides for the next few weeks. The first hostel we stayed in was ok apart from the excessive cleaning that went on around you in the kitchen whenever you were trying to cook, the cats that slept on the beds and the obligatory snorer in the room each night. Ok so it was the worst hostel so far.
Ushuaia itself was a bit strange, loads of shops and a bit of a tourist trap. The Tierra del Fuego national park was really nice and you could explore the hill behind up to the glacier. We spent the first night getting hammered with a Dutch guy in a bar that had the awesome local brew "Beagle" and made really good apple martinis. The next day we got some trekking practice in, it did take us an hour to get out of town as I got my east and wests confused and sent us half an hour the wrong way, I blame the hangover (SD: yeah right). Unfortunately I managed to pick-up some bug so following a 10 mile trek the day after I was a bit sick. Another day recovering and then we headed out of Ushuaia on a bus to Punta Arenas in Chile. The bus journey was long and over unpaved roads which is pretty tiring. I hadnt believed Steve when he said there was a lot of nothing in Argentina and Patagonia, I do now. So much of it is barren desolate wasteland as far as the eye can see. The bus journey included a brief ferry ride across the straights where the boat was followed by a couple of cool cow print mini dolphins.
The next hostel was awesome, super attentive really nice couple running it, great breakfast and our own room. We spent a while working out what we need to do the trek we wanted to do in Torres Del Paine national park and managed to get hold of a cheap tent and some roll mats in the duty free area. In the afternoon we went to see some magellanic penguins which we well amusing. There were quite a few of them coming in from fishing, catching some sun and waddling between the sand dunes and we got some good video footage. After another great meal with good wine. Our first impressions of Chile were all good. The town was more established than Ushuaia, less tacky and had more of an old school colonial feel, only problem was the Chileans speak Spanish super fast so I can`t understand anything.
We moved on to Puerto Natales after a couple of days, our final stop to get all our food etc sorted for the trek in Torres Del Paine.
After re-packing we were back on a plane again. We worked out we`d taken off and landed 9 times in the past 3 weeks so were glad when we stepped off the plane in Ushuaia and only had bus rides for the next few weeks. The first hostel we stayed in was ok apart from the excessive cleaning that went on around you in the kitchen whenever you were trying to cook, the cats that slept on the beds and the obligatory snorer in the room each night. Ok so it was the worst hostel so far.
Ushuaia itself was a bit strange, loads of shops and a bit of a tourist trap. The Tierra del Fuego national park was really nice and you could explore the hill behind up to the glacier. We spent the first night getting hammered with a Dutch guy in a bar that had the awesome local brew "Beagle" and made really good apple martinis. The next day we got some trekking practice in, it did take us an hour to get out of town as I got my east and wests confused and sent us half an hour the wrong way, I blame the hangover (SD: yeah right). Unfortunately I managed to pick-up some bug so following a 10 mile trek the day after I was a bit sick. Another day recovering and then we headed out of Ushuaia on a bus to Punta Arenas in Chile. The bus journey was long and over unpaved roads which is pretty tiring. I hadnt believed Steve when he said there was a lot of nothing in Argentina and Patagonia, I do now. So much of it is barren desolate wasteland as far as the eye can see. The bus journey included a brief ferry ride across the straights where the boat was followed by a couple of cool cow print mini dolphins.
The next hostel was awesome, super attentive really nice couple running it, great breakfast and our own room. We spent a while working out what we need to do the trek we wanted to do in Torres Del Paine national park and managed to get hold of a cheap tent and some roll mats in the duty free area. In the afternoon we went to see some magellanic penguins which we well amusing. There were quite a few of them coming in from fishing, catching some sun and waddling between the sand dunes and we got some good video footage. After another great meal with good wine. Our first impressions of Chile were all good. The town was more established than Ushuaia, less tacky and had more of an old school colonial feel, only problem was the Chileans speak Spanish super fast so I can`t understand anything.
We moved on to Puerto Natales after a couple of days, our final stop to get all our food etc sorted for the trek in Torres Del Paine.
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