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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Nov 30, 2016 09:00 PM Perito Moreno - The Rainy Glacier
People fly hundereds of kilometers off the their main route through Argentina just to see this glacier. Why? - Because it is so big, so picturesque and staying on the viewing balcony opposite you are just a hundered meters from the ice...
The only gateway to Glacier Perito Moreno is El Calafate. Every morning a caravan of the tourist buses depart El Calafate. The cheapest provider *RP Transportes" charge 450 pesos for round trip. My bus was full, so maybe it is better to buy a ticket in advance. Distance to the glacier is around 80 kms, 1,5 hous drive. We had rain from the morning and cloudy sky. Departing El Calafate I saw on the right huge and light-blue Lago Argentino. Then there were kilometers of savanna and another lake - Brazo Rico on the left. Stop. National Park is very smart in... collecting entry fee. Inspectors board the bus and charge money. 330 pesos per head. If you do not have pesos you can pay USD or Euro like me, but the rate they use is lower then official. It seems to be their little private exchange business!
Narrow road goes onward up and down along Brazo Rico lake. Finally you see it. Wow! Few kms onward car park and you have 3 hour to explore. Today - in the rain and strong wind. But it is still impressive. The solid system of metal walkways will take you to different observation levels. Rich people can pay extra 350 pesos for 1-hour sail along in the little boat /not worth!/ You will hear like thunders - the glacier is calving all the time. The face of the Perito is 5 kms wide. The height is from 40 to 70 m. Great, great... But why we do not have the blue sky... Unpredictable Patagonia... I was here some 30 years ago and the sun was shining. But I did not have digital camera to take 150 pictures and video recording, like today.
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Nov 29, 2016 09:00 PM By bus to El Calafate
Today I was travelling by bus from remote El Chalten to the bigger and more civilized El Calafate. The ticket for 3-hours non-stop journey through the Patagonian emptiness costs 450 peso arg (1USD is worth 15,5 pesos). You have to pay in addition terminal fee - 20 pesos (locals - only 10 - it is discrimination, isn't it?). The journey takes 3 hours and to enjoy the views ask for the right window seat. At the beginning you will enjoy huge Lago Viedma with a distant glacier. Then, after crossing the river the new lake appears -- Lago Argentino. El Calafate lies on this lake, with snowy mountains on the horizon.
I am back on the old trail - I have been already in Calafate some 30 years ago - digital photography did not exist at this time, no internet...
I found accommodation in the fancy /from the front/ hostel "Glaciar Libertador" - see picture. They charge 23 USD for bed in the 4-bed room. The advantage is that the rooms have ensuite bathrooms.
Tomorrow I plan to see again famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
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Nov 28, 2016 09:00 PM Hiking to the bottom of Cerro Torre
They call El Chalten the national hiking capital of Argentina. There are two basic hikes: one to The bottom of Fitz Roy (I did it yesterday) and second to bottom of Cerro Torre - a needle-like mountain. Today I took the second hike. Strong wind was blowing since the morning. After an hour of climbing I reached great view point. In the distance there was snow-covered Cerro Solo (2121 m high) then there were large glaciers in the end of the valley, but sorry, all Needle Mountain was covered by clouds. Locals say that the days when you can see it are very rare. I was going up the valley anyway - along the thumbling river. The front wind was stronger and stronger. When I reached the moraine (km 9) it was so strong, bringing sand and drops of water, then is was hard to take the pictures of the Lago Torre - big lake formed by nature below the glacier. Cerro Torre was still not visible... Bad luck! But it was still an interesting experience. And on the trail I met the charming young lady who reminded me Juliette Greco - famous French singer, star of the Paris boheme from 60-ties. Initially I didn't'nt even know she is from France... It was nice to walk back to El Chalten with her and Andrew from California, talking about the world and travelling... Andrew didn't know that tomorrow is St Andrew Day - celebrated by all Andrews in Poland as their name-day...
22 kms on Sunday, 12 - yesterday, 18 - today. Walked on the flat terrain it is not much, but in the mountains it requires an extra effort. Tomorrow I'll have a break :) I'll go by bus to Calafate.
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Nov 27, 2016 09:00 PM On the eastern side of the Andes
So I am in Argentina, in the mountain village El Chalten - resting a little bit after challenging crossing of the mountains. On the other side I spend last night in the barn of Senior Ricardo without light and running water - there was no other option in this abandoned place. After that El Chalten is a big world, with hundreds of tourists, dozens of hotels and hosters. They have even a bank here! I stay in the cozy Lo de Trivi Hostel having hot shower and common kitchen (18 $ per night in the 4-bed room - they prefere dollars here!). Strong sun is shining but we have also strong wind.
In the afternoon I was hiking again to the mirador - the view point of Cerro Fitz Roy on the level 750 m. It took me 4 hours round trip and the view from the windy point was just breathtaking.
Everything goes well! Let you know that here they do not like Chilean currency, giving 25% less then official value. But USD is accepted...
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Nov 26, 2016 09:00 PM 7 hours on the trail to Argentina...
A big cup of coffee in the morning and rolls brought from Villa O'Higgins (no supply here!). Then I got exit stamp in the post of Carabineros and at 8.15 I started 22kms long walk to Argentina. Just at the beginning is is climb up to - some 400 m to the forested pass. Bad views because the cloudy sky and high trees around. At 11 am I saw in the far distance a famous piramide of Mt Fitz Roy. Then at km 12 (it is regular gravel road on Chilean side and well marked) I was surprised tu see the aerodromo - empty runway in the mountains.
No single house or shelter on the route. After crossing few rivers - yes there are bridges! at 12 am On km 16 I reached the border pole. Welcome to Argentina! No control, no soldiers... I started to walk down the Argentinian path, no road. It is a nightmare witl a lot of mud, swampy grass, stream crossings without bridges... But it goes through the pristine forest. First great view was at 14.30 - turquoise Lago del Desierto with Fitz Roy in the distance. Then there is very steep descent to the military post at the end of the lake. At 3 pm I got a Argentinian stamp in my passport. It 17.30 little boat came from the other end of the lake to take us for the onward bus on the bumpy road to El Chalten...
Yes, I did it!
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Nov 25, 2016 09:00 PM O'Higgins Glacier - what a views!
It was raining in the morning but when we boarded little ship at Puerto Bahamontez the sun appeared slowly. Mountain Lake O'Higgins on the border between Chile and Argentina is huge. We were sailing about 2 hours to the little outpost called Cilndarello Mancilla and then another 1.5 hours to the great Glacier O'Higgins. What a views! The face of the glacier is 3 kms wide and has a height 60 - 80 m. It was calving every few minutes.... The ship was drifting at the glacier one hour in the sun and strong, cold wind going down from the ice cap. Then we returned back to C. Mancilla. There is a border post of Carabinieros de Chile and only one family living - Senior Ricardo - offering 11 beds in the cramp cabanas. All bads were booked in advance by international group of tourists travelling with Gabriela -local guide. Ricardo put me to his barn. Primitive place, but what a fantastic view of the O'Higgins Lake and snow capped mountains! And what a new adventure!
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Nov 24, 2016 09:00 PM Cordillera de los Andes - it rains!
Yesterday on arrival to Villa O'Higgins I had beautiful sunset. Today in the morning it rains! I amlooking through the window in my cozy "Hosteria Fitz Roy" (18 $ per room with breakfast) and thinking what will be tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan to cross the range to Argentina - there is no other way...
Later in the evening: no more rain! I arranged a space on the boat which will take me tomorrow morning to the border. In the only bakery in Villa I bought sufficient amount of bread for next 2 days. I do hope that the weather will improve. There is no internet at the border area so the next message will be probably only on Monday...
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Nov 23, 2016 09:00 PM Along Rio Bravo
Do you like that western? I saw it many times in my childhood, and I like especially the song... Today I saw Rio Bravo - Chilean Rio Bravo, of course.
It was lucky day - first I find out that there is a bus in the morning going to Tortel - half way to my remote destination. Transport is scare here - I bought almost the last available ticket for the little bus to Tortel. Then the lady-cashier checked out that in the afternoon there times per week another minibus goes from Tortel to Villa O'Higgins in the Andes. Yes! Today it is operating! Lucky me, I embarked first bus (back seat, no photos!) and we drove Carretera Austral - dusty gravel road, along small lakes and rivers. Tortel is a little village on the bank of the fiord. It is reminding Malay villages on the poles. I had there 3 hours to explore this picturesque place and then minibus for just 4000 pesos took me first to Puerto Yungay, where we boarded the car ferry. The terrain is here so difficult that Chileans decided to include 12-kms ferry passage into the Carretera. It is free and tooks 40 min.. On the other side we started to drive the gravel again along Rio Bravo river... Climbing and going down. And climbing again. Did you ever drive on the gravel? So you know, how the car is "dancing" on the small stones. You cannot drive fast. Great views of the snow-capped mountains on the way and Rio Bravo - quite wide... It was 8 pm when we reached Villa O'Higginns where Carretera Austral or Carretera del Sur ends. Everything goes well!
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Nov 22, 2016 09:00 PM Sapphire lake, turquoise rivers, white summits...
I spent today 7,5 hours on the bus heading from Coihaique to Cochrane.
The ticket costs 14000 pesos - like 20 USD for 340 kms, but I must tell you that the ride is worth the price. We were going by Carretera Austral (called also Carretera del Sur, which means the same) It is the only road crossing the Chilean Patagonia. It is hard to describe what you see from the window of the bus. At the beginning it looks like Switzerland, with green pastures framed by the mountains, but after two hours you feel you are in the middle of nowhere. Settlements became rare. Soon you will see picturesque and massive Cerro Castillo (Castle Mtn). Here the pavement on the road ends. Onward you travel on the gravel - in the clouds of dust. But you see sapphire mountain lakes, turquoise rivers, snows on the mountains... The only stop on thecway was in Puerto Tranquillo. Locals went to eat, but me - I was running to take the pictures and recordings because the landscape was so beautiful and through the tinted windows of the bus you are getting little false color.
General Carrera lake is the second-large lake of South America - after Titicaca. Part of this lake is in Argentina. We were going aoong this huge lake enjoying the scenery. Then we follow the canyon of Baker River... Now I am in Cochrane - little mountain settlement. Do not trust them if they say in Coihaique Tourist Office that the onward bus to Villa O'Higgins go every day. Here they were laughing - the bus goes only on Wed and Saturdays! Should I wait here 3 days?
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Nov 21, 2016 09:00 PM Coihaique or Koi-aike - remote Chile
Coihaique is the capital of Chilean Aysen Region in Patagonia. Surrounded by high mountains, with only 40 000 inhabitants makes a feeling of the last real town before the frontier. Simpson River goes below the settlement heading to the 88 kms-far fiord. There are rapids and waterfalls on its tributaries.
From the little bridge on Simpson River you can see the big rock called Piedra del Indio - It has a profile of an Indian. I was climbing back to the hill above Piedra - there is a nice view point overlooking the river, I found the place and... taking the pictures I was unexpectedly bitten by the agressive dog. In Chile there are herd of such homeless dogs and they do nothing. Shame on you, Chile!
What should I do? Go to the doctor or to the police? Fortunately my jeans were enough thick and strong to protect my body. Large hamatoma remained...
Little bus goes from the center of the town to Aysen. I took it for 1200 pesos to disembark at Salto Virgen - two-tier waterfall (lower about 12 m, upper some 15 m) Nice place! Then, walking back to Koi-aike I saw the rapids on Simpson River and Velo de la Novia fall. Hitchhiking seems not to be popular in Aysen Region: 40 cars passed by in half an hour and did not stop. No 41 did - gracias, amigo! And shame on the other drivers!
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