29 January 2011
Today at breakfast Agnes was nagging me to update the part of Angielski our blog. I admit: I do not have the ease of writing as she does and just keep delaying it. But a promise is as promise and here is an update of Those last days in Argentina. I left it off in the day were purchasing a flight ticket to El Calafate ...
19 Jan
We are finally leaving Ushuaia by taking a flight to El Calafate (delayed of course). El Calafate is a kind of tourist resort almost on the border of Los Glaciares National Park and has all a tourist might need: plenty of shops and restaurants and hostels. It also lies by Argentina Lake, the biggest lake in, well, Argentina. We had booked a double room in Che Lagarto hostel. Location: perfect, close to everything. Staff: super nice. Ambiance: ongoing party (could be a bit annoying to have the loud music playing and people chatting just outside your door, but I guess that´s part of its style). Room: very nice with an extra bonus - a TV! Kitchen: on the last floor, to be avoided at all cost, bearing obvious signs of the mentioned above ongoing party.
20 Jan
We went to Los Glaciares by mini bus to see the Park´s most famous glacier Perito Moreno. The glacier is accessed either by boat or by a series of walkways that come real close to its icy wall. The glacier is so popular not only for its magnificence and grandeur but also because it calfs often (parts of the ice wall fall off with a roaring sound). We saw some minor calving only. But the weather, at least in the beginning, was nice and sunny and so the views were fantastic.
21 Jan
A lazy day. We walked to the nearby Laguna Nimez Reserve. It is a small reserve just by the Lake Argentina and has a variaty of birds, but above all pink flamingoes. Just that is enough to take tens of photos, it is our first encounter with a flamingo.
Later we walked along the Lake and spotted more flamingoes and some black-neck swans (the latter from very afar unfortunately).
In the evening we went to check another local specialty: parilla. It is barbecue of sorts: several kind of meat incl. chicken, lamb, beaf, sausages are grilled on open fire and served. Waiter kept bringing the meat in combinations until we said enough. My favorite is lamb, Agnieszka´s - chicken of course.
In the evening our hostel had some live music evening and Agnieszka went to enjoy (not that you had to leave the room to listen really).
22 Jan
We took a catamaran cruise to 3 glaciers within the Park. The cruise was bumpy as the wind got quite strong and half the passangers got seasick. The weather was rainy, windy, cold. One of the glaciers, Upsala (yes, that´s the name, our Swedish friends!), was not accessible: the entrence was blocked by huge icebergs. But we could approach the two other glaciers and the sight from the boat was quite overwhelming.
23 Jan
We left for El Cahlten, a small and charming village much closer to the mountains. El Chalten became our number 1 in Argentina so far. It is a place where 75% of the people either go hiking or return from it. Mountain ranges with a characteristic Fits Roy peak tower over the town. The views are just wonderful.
We stayed at Rancho Grande hostel which is not only close to trails but also has a very nice restaurant when you come back from it.
24 Jan
Time to start hiking. The weather is just perfect: sunny and clear. Alas, my lower back is in terrible pain and although I make an effort at first, I soon have to return. We decide however, that there is no point in Agnieszka'a sitting with me in the room and wasting this lovely day, so she goes on a trail. I stay sitting upright and reading a book. She probably run half the way because she comes 2 hours earlier than I expected her, carring pictures and films from her walk. Beautiful!
25 Jan
Despite all the measures I took my back still refuses to cooperate. The day is even clearer than one before. We decide again that Agnieszka will hike in the mountains while I will take it very easy and walk at slow pace across town to see Fitz Roy as it is not visible from the hostel. I walk slowly and when I finally get to the other side and walk onto the Rio Fitz Roy (Fitz Roy River) bridge and turn around, the sight takes my breath away. In a perfectly blue sky all the peaks are clearly visible, rock and snow.
Agnieszka walks 22 km this day and she has beatiful views and weather all the way. We earned it so we go to a waffle place this evening and enjoy huge waffles with chocolate, fruit and ice cream. Mmmm...
26 Jan
I feel much better so we venture out on an easy and short trail to 2 viewpoints. As I make it to the first one, I feel like I made it to Mount Everest. This one is called Viewpoint of the Condors, and true to its name, just before the top, we see a condor hovering above.
This afternoon another prize at waffle place:-) This is our last evening in El Chalten.
27 Jan
The bus journey from El Chalten to Los Antiguos lasts 15 hours. We hoped for some views but the road is mostly muddy and after about an hour the windows are completly dirty.
28 Jan
In Los Antiguos we wanted above all to see another big lake, Lake Buenos Aires. We walk by the shoreline and then catch a bus to Perito Moreno. We plan to spend 2 nights in Perito before we have to face another long bus trip to Bariloche.
As we enter our so called "Hotel" Bellgrano, a fat guy looks at us annoyed and asks: "reserved?". Later, not bothering to smile or talk, he takes us to our room. Probably a worst room so far, we try not to look too close.
As we take an afternoon walk across to town, we realize That it is just plane ugly, everything Seems to fall apart, even the cross on a church tower is skewed. People mostly look angry or sad and hardly look us in the eye, a contrast to our previous experience and CONCLUSION That Generally Argentinians are very kind and friendly. But in
find a few places: a cafe for example, WHERE staff is a bit warmer and even smiles occassionally.
29 Jan
We have booked a tour this afternoon is the Cueva de las Manos. More on this next time. Anyway it will be good to leave the Perito Moreno tomorrow and head for nicer places.
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