A story of excess.

We had left off in Bariloche, Argentina...

1 bus, 5 planes and 3 days later?

Goin' to Mexico

Viva Mexico!

So we have decided to finish our trip in style, with an all inclusive vacation! Ahhh, margaritas by the pool, a choice of delightful French, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean or Asian Cuisine, beautiful sunsets, clear blue water…. This is the life.

Sitting at the sunset

Not that all we did was sit around. No no no, 11 am was pool volleyball! Gotta burn those calories off right? Oh and don’t forget beach volleyball at 3 pm! I know, the schedule was very tight. It was tough to fit in breakfast before pool volleyball, and then getting lunch in before beach volleyball. At times it could just be a down right rush to finish lunch… But all in the name exercise. Oh and let’s not forget the dance party after dinner. Tough life.

 In case I am painting a pathetic picture of laziness and gorging, I should point out that we did fill our time with some actual activities. Scuba for instance. After carrying our scuba books all around South America, we would finally use them to finish our open water certification. Or so I thought. While I spent hours and hours and hours studying on the plane, Andrea barely cracked the cover.  It didn’t matter. We didn’t even get to see the test questions. We were given a bubble sheet and the answers, and told to finish it quick, because we were leaving in 30 minutes to finish our certification in the ocean. Oh don’t worry though, we splashed in the pool for at least 20 minutes  in our official pool session.  But hey, 1 hour, 2 dives later and you are now looking at 2 officially certified divers. Bazinga!

Mayan ruins and cenotes. First let me rewind and tell you a little story about how we scored a free car rental.  We must have been the only backpackers at this 4 ½ star resort, and while we tried to hide it, little things like walking through the lobby with our big backpacks while everyone else uses the concierge to carry theirs really tipped our hand. Oh and then there was the fact that we bused it to town, then sent 4 taxis on their way because they cost too much, negotiated the set rate down 50 pesos and spent 2 hours to get to a resort 30 minutes from the airport, all in the name of saving 10 bucks. Oh ya the car rental. In exchange for a car rental all we had to do was let the resort sell us on a lifetime package to their resorts for an hour and a half. Ha, an hour and a half with a private salesmen.  I almost felt bad at the end when we told him we were broke and had no jobs. He believed us right?

Mayan ruins and cenotes. The cenotes are sinkholes formed from underground water systems. So cool! Take a look at the pics!

Dos Ojos Cenotes

We’ve seen lots of ruins on this trip, spectacular ruins, so it was hard to get excited for the Mayan ruins in Tulum. But built on the side of a cliff facing crystal clear water, these ruins were pretty cool. Once again, take a look at the pics!

Mayan ruins, Tulum, Mexico

Mayan ruins, Tulum, Mexico

Mayan ruins, Tulum, Mexico

Alas all good things must come to an end. But we ain’t leavin this resort until we wring all the free food out of it that we can. 11 am checkout? Just tip the bell boy, he’ll keep our bags safe till we leave at 11 pm. In the meantime, its 10:55 am, pool volleyball starts in 5 minutes!

Biking in Bariloche

Bariloche

30 hours in a bus. No big deal. Not at this point in our travels. And on the other side awaits Bariloche. Land of the 7 lakes. For us this stop on the journey means mountain biking. There is a growing culture of mountain biking in Argentina, and we've heard Bariloche is at the centre. On our first day here we hit the bike shops. Reconnaissance. We are told of a few prime single route areas. 

Sunset enjoyed from the bus.

Bus to Bariloche

On day two it was time to check them out. First stop: Cerro Otto. Cerro Otto will have you climb up a long grueling gravel road for hours before you get to enjoy any of it's single track. You pass incredible views of the 7 lakes, enough to make the ride up worth it on it's own. But then you get to the top and your reward? You now get the adrenaline rush of single tracking down!

In reality? Going down we hit patches of pretty good single track, but mostly, for me it was too sandy, too steep and too many hair pin turns! Walk the bike down, throw the bike down, bum scoot - you won't get me on my bike for some of this stuff! But hey we still had amazing views, and a heck of a work out!

This tranquil picture does not depict my emotion after our bike ride

Our next stop was just half an hour out of Bariloche. Catedral is a ski hill that opens up for mountain biking in the summer. Our plan was to stay in Catedral, for a couple of nights and do one of the classic hiking trails (giving our butts a day of rest after the bike ride), then hit the ski hill for some pure downhill adrenaline. 

When arriving our hotel that we were going to stay at was closed. Strange, since it was advertising rooms on booking.com! So we went out in search of a hostel or hotel within our budget. One after another the hotels we found were closed for the summer. And after hours of searching the sun begins to set, and a bit of worry begins to set in. We have one last shot. A hostel owner pointed us towards something that may or may not be open, and upon first sight we knew it was definitely not. No sign, no lights, not open. But wait there is someone walking past the window in that dark hostel! It was a little creepy, but no other options but ring the doorbell, and hope! Yes the hostel was closed, just a couple of buddies having a BBQ. But nothing like some Argentinian hospitality! The man who runs the hostel not only invited us in to stay at the hostel, but invited us to his table to partake in the BBQ with them! And to top it of we were offered to stay another night, even though our hosts would be gone! Just turn on the alarm, lock the door and leave the key under that stump! Never mind that we have known you for less then a day!

Breakfast at Catedrel

Hiking up to Refugio Frey the next morning produced more of the awe inspiring views that we have been blessed with on this trip. A Frey was a refugio on the lake, surrounded by sharp jagged mountains. You could stay the night, or have a coffee and leave. We just relaxed on some loungers by the lake.

Prime seats at Refugio Frey

On our second day at Catedral we geared up and hit the slopes. The runs varied from dirt road to very tough North Shore single track. It was all sandy, which definitely adds a level of difficulty. All I can say is I need more practice before I would ever buy a seasons pass to this hill!

Geared up

Now that we are done biking, back on the bus and to our next stop! If you want to see the country you can't linger in one spot for too long!

Perito Moreno glacier, and the outdoor paridise of El Chalten

El Calafate

Merry Christmas!

We spent our Christmas this year in El Calafate, Argentina! We celebrated it with some fellow Canadian travellers! Wine, a good chunk of steak, and friends. Not a bad way to spend Christmas.

There's really one thing people do here in El Calafate. Glaciers. Some might say that going to see the glaciers is like spending the day watching paint dry. Spending a couple hours at Perito Moreno however, is anything but.

Perito Moreno is a glacier that attaches to the third largest ice field in the world. What makes it interesting is the fact that it is actually advancing. {insert size of glacier here} As you sit and watch this one you actually get to see some action. Huge chunks of ice will calve and split off the glacier throughout the day. What looks like a tiny snowball from where you stand is actually the size of a car. This is evidenced by hearing what sounds like an explosion when it hits the water. The glacier constantly groans under its internal pressures. Every once and a while a giant pillar of ice, must be bigger then a semi-truck will break off and collapse into the water. Quite a sight.

El Chalten

Welcome to the outdoor playground of Argentina. With a couple of marquee hikes, a plethora of rock climbing routes, mountain bike  trails, and an up close view of the Fitz Roy mountain - all available to you as you walk out your door, - you won't get bored.

We spent our first day hiking 28km round trip (more km than Andrea or I have ever travelled by foot in a single day). It was to Cerro Torres. A set of 3 towers, which can be seen as you look over a pretty green glacier lake. Or not. It was so cloudy we didn't see much, but the post cards looked really nice! When we got to the lake, the wind was so strong (stronger then Torres del Paine) that at times your options are duck and cover or get pushed off the trail. For the record while we didn't see Torres, we did get a pretty clear view of Fitz Roy, later that evening over pizza.

Our other activity in El Chalten was rock climbing. Climbing a real cliff for the second time in my life I realize how different it is then a rock gym. Hand holds are not nicely shaped chin up holds that you can pull yourself up with. The smaller and sharper hand holds are much less forgiving. Our last climb had us climb in tandem to a pitch halfway up a cliff side. The adrenaline was pumping as we perched on the toe sized ledge on the side of the cliff. Just don't look down... Oh wow, too late! After climbing to knee shaking heights, there really is only one option. You have to go back down again! (actually you could keep going up – but really, what are we, crazy?) It takes a lot of chutzpah for a newbie to first lean back off the cliff and trust the guide that you first met that morning. Does he know what he's doing? Is his equipment good? That knot is going to hold me? Are you sure? Are you really sure? Really really sure? At this point, what other options do you have?  So you hold your breath and lean back and....

Well, you know how the rest goes, I wrote this didn't I?

Torres del Paine, aka Tour de Pain

Punta Arenas, Chile

And now our travellers will board the plane from Santiago. Their destination: Punta Arenas. It is through Chile that they will first enter the world reknown trekking territory of Patagonia. Their plane travels uneventfully over thousands of kilometers to the southern tracks of Chile.

Upon exiting the plane, they enter a land altogether different than any they have journeyed thus far. The land they enter is polar opposite to that of the Chilean desert. It is summer, yet the temperatures will only reach the teens here. The trees grow on slants, from the constant battering of the wind, which drives the rain near horizontal. Our travellers have landed on the Straight of Magellan. From here they could take a bus 10 hours south to Ushuia, Argentina and board a boat for a 2 day trip to Antarctica.

Cloudy Skies

Punta Arenas and the Magellan Straight is just a layover. But they discover just a short ride away, the Magellan penguin colonies. For this reason they decide to make a short stay here, before heading to Puerto Natalies, the launching pad into their first trek in Patagonia.

Magellan Penguins on the run

Puerto Natales, Chile

It is from this quaint port town that they will gather information and supplies, readying themselves for the 5 day trek through Torres del Paine, known as the W circuit.

The beautiful port town of Puerto Natales

A log, from the Torries del Paine circuit, found in our travellers trip journal:

Dec. 19 7:00 AM

Today we set out for Torres del Paine. Tour of Pain, as some have labelled it. We will walk a route called the W loop. Our plan is to stay in refugios in the night as we trek for 5 days and 4 nights for 68 km, there will be some incredible sights.

Dec. 19 11:00 AM

We have reached Ecocamp. We will stay here tonight. Our geodesic dome cabin, a semi-permanent structure, contains a double bed, cozy fleece sheets and a star gazing look out above the bed. Andrea compares it to glamping (glamour camping). We stop here only to leave our big bag. Then we start the trail to Las Torres the 3 pinnacles which often embodies pictures of Patagonia.

"Glamping"

Dec. 19 8:30 PM

We have returned from Las Torres. The 18 km trip was long and tough. The hike included a lot of up in a short period of time. The rock towers could be one of the most inspiring sites that we have seen in the mountains.

Las Torres

On the way down, Andrea slipped and hurt her wrist. We will tape it, and hope it gets better as we go not a good sign to start our trek.

It is Andrea's birthday in a few days. We celebrate the big 30 at Ecocamp with wonderful appetizers, dinner of quinoa and salmon (dietitians delight) and wine. Andrea writes “What more could someone ask for on their birthday, incredible views and hike with a satisfying meal it will be hard to top this birthday celebration.” I have packed a tiny cake, candles and birthday hats for the special celebration.

Happy Birthday!

Dec. 20 10:00 AM

It's raining, and windy here. It doesn't matter, we have to get to Los Cuernos today 11km away. The weather causes us to have a late start. I have used 2 bag covers on our big bag, but I fear that nothing will hold the water out.

Dec. 20 6:00 PM

We have made it to Cuernos. The hike was good, but long and cold in the rain. The rain has soaked through our jackets, and a bit through the bag covers. This weather is expected in Torres del Paine. The view of the mountains was a bit shrouded in cloud, but looks as though something big is looming within the clouds.

L

My knees have become sore from the constant downhill of today, with a large pack. It worries me a little, as tomorrow will be our longest hike. Nothing to do but keep going. Andrea's wrist is in rough shape and she fears a break from her fall.

The wind here is vicious reaching 80-100 km/hr. It shakes the lodge like its a paper building, Andrea wonders if the wall of windows will smash in on us in the dining room, but walls hold up. My top bunk shook throughout the night.

Dec. 21 7:00 AM

We have woken up to an incredible view. The sun rising on the powerful mountains takes our breaths away. It looks to be a clear day today. Should make for good hiking as Frances valley is said to have spectacular sights.

Los Cuernos in the morning light

Dec. 21 9:00AM

We have had breakfast, and have packed our bags. Our shoes have dried in front of the wood oven. It's time to go.

Breakfast with our fellow Canadians Terry and Tracy

Dec. 21 12: 30 PM

We are at Camp Italiano. It is in the crux of the W. Here we will head up the middle of the W . We are worried about time. Its 3 hours up Frances valley, and 3 hours back. It is another 3 hours to Refugio Paine Grande, where we stay tonight. There have been avalanches in the valley, that we saw during our hike to the camp. Perhaps we will get a good view of one. Hopefully not too close though. There have been reports of avalanchse in the Frances valley causing river levels to rise so high that the valley closes.

Avalanche in Frances Valley

Dec. 21 2:30 PM

I have reached the summit of the valley. Andrea waits below near the glacier. The view I have from here is 360 degree panoramic. Glaciers, the backside of the powerful mountains we saw in the morning, and glacial lakes. Words cannot capture what I see.

To the left of me

To the right of me

Behind me

Dec. 21 6:00PM

We have hiked hard, and reached Paine Grande. The rain began to pound just after our arrival. It is warm, and cozy here. This is a good place to rest our sore feet, at the end of a long hike. Nearly 20 km carrying our packs.

We leave jagged peaks behind as we hike to Paine Grande

New life, with old burnt forrest

The dinner served was delicious. Tender pork which flakes apart with tasty risotto. I feel we have the best of both worlds – incredible hiking, with very comfortable lodges at each stop.

Warming up at Paine Grande

Dec. 22 8:30 AM

Today is a short 11km trip. Our destination is Glacier Grey. It is the last destination on our journey.

Dec. 22 11:30 AM.

We have stopped for lunch at lago grey. The winds are powerful. If you don't step carefully the winds will knock you over. The water being blown off the lake straight into the air indicates 100km winds.

Dec. 22 2:30 PM

We have made it to Glacier Grey Lodge. Another very nice lodge. From here we leave our packs and hike to the glacier lookout point which is 5 minutes away.

Glacier Grey Lodge

Dec. 22 5:30 PM

We have visited the glacier. The blue ice was quite the sight. It is nice to be back in the warm lodge though. Today is Andrea's real birthday and we cheers with a Patagonia beer with some friends made on the loop from Canada. Happy Birthday Andrea!

Glacier Grey

Dec. 23 8:30 AM

This morning will be our last hike, 11km back to Paine Grande to finish the W loop in Torres del Paine. Our hike has been packed with incredible views, on some very nice days. Very lucky. Those nice days were sandwiched by typical Patagonian wind and rain. Our muscles are sore and ready for a rest.

This is the end of the log found from our travellers. For now, we will part, but we will continue to follow them as they make their way through the vast and wild, Patagonia. Goodbye for now.

Waiting for the boat home

Travelers Notes:

In Puerto Natales we stayed in “Nikos II”. I wouldn't recommend it. Sometimes there were no english speaking staff around. They are slow to clean, and garbages were overflowing when we were here. The rooms are a bit smelly, beds kind of old, and walls are thinner than cardboard. Erratic Rock, and some other hostels do info sessions on the W circuit. That's the first place I would look. The “W” or the “O” circuit are the popular hikes here. If you look to stay at refugios book early. Book with Veritce or Fantasticosur. If it appears there is no room, try booking.com. If there is still no room, you could just go and it could turn out that there actually is room. It was supposedly booked solid when we were there, but they were usually like half full. (except Cuernos, which was close to full but not completely). If you can, do the W loop West to East. The only reason it makes a difference is that you start with less for views and it gets better as you go also the wind typically blows west to east so it should mostly be at your back. This was our loop (east to west, so exactly backwards as what we would have liked, but still fantastic) using refugios and it worked out pretty good:

Day 1 – get of bus at Los Torres hotel. There is a 5 star hotel, 2 refugios and an ecocamp here. We stayed at the ecocamp. Hike up to Las Torres and back stay the night at Eco camp.

Day 2 – Hike to Las Cuernos, stay the night there

Day 3 – Hike up Frances valley, then back down to Paine Grande. This one was a long and tough day. We didn't do all of Frances Valley. Leave your big bags at Camp Italiano for the hike up the valley. Stay the night at Paine Grande. If you are backpacking, we recommend staying at Camp Italiano for a night.

Day 4 – Hike to Refugio Grey. You can stay here like we did or hike back down and be on the catamaran by 6:30 to go home. I suggest staying the night. It gives you some time to explore and see the glacier. And gives the legs a break. Refeugio grey is real nice and new.

Day 5 – Hike back to Paine Grande. The Catamaran leaves at 12:30 or 6:30PM. You can also get a hostel to call the Glacier Grey hotel, and arrange a ferry from Refugio Grey to pick you up, take you to the other side of the glacier, and bring you back to their hotel. From there transportation can be arranged ahead of time to bring you back to the buses. This option is more expensive. The catamaran brings you to the buses and from there back to Puerto Natales, where you will have to stay another night because it is too late to get a bus out. 

One, Two, Skip a Few, 99.. Mendoza!

Heading into Argentina

Colourful rocks - reds greens, yellows; Salta-  meeting with Argentinian friends made in Ecuador, huge gigantic pieces of meat, wine, architecture, cool rock formations; Cafayete - peaceful wine country, slow pace, small town, long siestas, riots, strikes... Long buses - 6 hr rides followed by 10 hour layovers, 40 degree heat, another 15 hour bus ride... And hey, we're in Mendoza!

Colourful rocks near Salta, Argentina

This steak does NOT meet dietitian standards.

Wine with friends

Its hot up here in Northern Argentina, desert actually, and that makes it perfect for - you guessed it - wine. We're in wine country! Unfortunately for the sweet white wine lover, malbec is king here. Most wine here is red. That's ok though, we're in Mendoza, and a wine tour is a must. And hey, lucky us, our tour is private! On the agenda: 4 wineries. A classic tour and tasting at stop one. We become the chemists at stop two as we learn how to produce our own blend and compete for the best blend! (Andrea must have cheated...) At stop 3 you will stagger into the winery for a 5 course dinner with a wine to pair for each course. (how many glasses have we had so far?) Delicious! And the fourth stop we taste the progression from the unfinished in the tanks, to the finished products out of the barrels. I need to sit down.

A Bodega in Mendoza, Argentina

Andrea's special blend.

Seriously, who drinks this much wine at lunch?

Another spin (I know y'all love a good pun now and then) on wine tours is the bicycle. Pretty much everyone who goes through a hostel ends up at Mr. Hugo's to rent a bike. How much wine can YOU drink without falling off your bike?

A self serve biking wine tour.

Seriously though, Argentina is nuts. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's the nicest, cleanest and least poor country we've been to in South America. We love it. But the government is just crazy! Heres the deal: Inflation here is running rampant, and the value of their peso is sinking like a rock. Everyone wants USD, because it's way more stable. The crazy part? The government has actually banned foreign currency! Other then buying it on the street (and it's expensive) you can't get it. Period. (Believe me we have tried) Travelers will go to Uraguay or Chile if they are running out of cash to pull out more USD. An illegal market has developed to supply it. They call it the blue dollar. Legally the exchange rate is 6.3 pesos to 1 USD (right now anyway, its constantly going up though), which is the rate your bank will charge an American using their credit card. But on the blue market (it's blue not black because EVERYONE knows about it) you will get 9.3 to 1. It's crazy, it's illegal but the rate will actually get printed in the newspaper! The government just pretends it doesn't exist!

I gotta say, it felt pretty sketch the first time we went it the jewellery store to get out money changed:

The money changers were lined up on the street. Contact was made, the rate was negotiated. It pays to come equipped with knowledge of the actual rate. You won't get it here in Mendoza, but not knowing is a sure way to be taken advantage of. We're escorted into the shops, downstairs into a tiny hole in the wall jewellery store. The store clears out and the door is closed. Jewellery is not the main business here. A knock on the wall and a small hidden windows slides open. Wads of cash are exchanged. A black light is pulled out for our use if we desire, to check the money for fakes. The changers are more reliable then the banks, their reputation is on the line. Still, to not check would be foolish. The money is good. The exchange complete.

By the way - we're off to Chile. We need some more USD!

Country quirk: In many parts of Argentina they believe strongly in siestas. Everything shuts down from 1-5, often restaurants will be closed from 1 to 8 or 8:30. How annoying.

Argentinian empanadas are where it's at.

Travelers notes: we stayed at hostel Lagares. Good price and fairly close to the main square. It was clean, had a kitchen, and had breakfast (just toast and homemade sweet bread, coffee and tea). Tons of movies available if you wish. Javier the owner will help you with anything, even give you help planning your trip as he's traveled within Argentina himself.

Changing money really isn't sketchy... It really does help stretch your money. Everyone does it, you'll have no issues. You get better value in Buenos Aries.

We did our wine tour with Mendoza Wine Camp, I recommend it.

Riots in Cafayete

Biking with Mr Hugo.