Buenos Dias from Argentina!
We´ll it´s been a while so sorry but we´ve been pretty darn busy!
Whilst staying in Puerto Varas we took a day trip to Chiloe which is the main island of Chile and home to many indigenous tribes. We visited the town of Ancud by the sea and enjoyed a tasty meal of salmon and steak and we bought some funky wool slippers which we definitely needed in southern Chile!
The day after we signed up for a cabalgato - horse trek - with a local company in Puerto Varas. The day we went it was raining but we had an amazing time, after three hours we were both soaking wet and walking ala John Wayne but our first experience of horse riding was great!
From Puerto Varas we caught a flight to Punta Arenas in Southern Patagonia where we stayed the night and then caught a bus to Puerto Natales near the border with Argentina. When we arrived there we saw lots of flamingoes on the lake!! We stayed in a great hostel called Erratic Rock and booked our bus trip for the following morning to El Calafate in Argentina. The reason for this is the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the last advancing glaciers in the world. On the bus we met Mauricio, a Columbian, and Matt and Andrea an American couple. After a very easy border crossing we arrived in El Calafte and headed to a hostel recommended by Bill at Erratic Rock. America Del Sur had views overlooking the lake in El Calafate and under-floor heating so we checked in and shared a 4 bed dorm with Matt and Andrea. We headed in to town for a wander and arranged our tour to the glacier the following day then spent the rest of the night sampling the hostel´s BBQ and fine beer selection.
Needless to say that getting up at 0800 after going to bed at 0200 was hard! The morning however was beautiful and the sun was red as it was rising over the lake. We arrived at the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares at 11ish and caught our first glimpse of the glacier! WWoweeee. Huge and blue and ice like! We caught a boat out to the face of the glacier and watched as pieces cracked and fell off into the water! We also saw lots and lots of icebergs! Photos are amazing! After that we were driven to the viewing platforms that surround the glacier and went for a walk and took some more pictures. We were hoping for a huge chunk of ice to break and fall off but sadly not! A great day and an incredible sight. We topped off the day with a meal out and plenty of drinks back at the hostel!
The following day Carl and I went down to the lake which had turned to ice and all the locals were there ice-skating! Pretty cool! We had a lovely meal with Matt and Andrea that night and went to a bar where a local band were playing but this being Argentina the band didn´t start until 0230 when we had already gone home!
Caught the bus back to Puerto Natales in Chile and stayed again with Bill at Erratic Rock. The following day we went on a days trip to Torres Del Paine - THE national park of South America! There we saw some of the finest scenery we have seen the whole trip! We also saw lots of wildlife; Guanaco (llama), Condors, Grey Fox and an ostrich like bird called a Nandu. We saw huge icebergs and also managed to catch a small piece, Carl named him Toby and we have pictures of him very soon. We also had a great snowball fight. Who said married people are dull?! Back in Puerto Natales we spent the night chatting to Bill and got an early night.
Ww caught a flight from Punta Arenas back to Santiago and had our last meal in Chile which was also our best. And so we come to yesterday where we caught a long bus ride through the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina and we´re here now having yet again sampled the local brew. We´re off for a siesta and then hitting the restaurants and bars of Mendoza! Tomorrow we´re heading north, stopping at La Rioja, Salta, Jujuy and then La Quiaca; the border with Bolivia by the 1st August. TIME IS FLYING BY!
Buenos Noches.
Team Haines xxx
