The next morning
I went on a 3-hr city tour with Travelline and saw all the
noteworthy places mostly from the window of a minivan. These tours
are only good for visitors with limited time but they don't cover
anything in depth. A photographer came onboard during the 1st
half hour of the tour and took pictures of everyone which she later
made into postcards and sell to us for 30 pesos each. At the
end of the tour the minivan dropped us off at the Galleria Pacifico
Mall where we were offered free glass of champagne and 10% discount
coupons, but shopping was not where I wish to spend my time
especially when I only had two nights in Buenos Aires, so I headed
back to the hotel using the free transfer service the tour company
offered.
In the afternoon
I took a stroll to the Recoleta Cemetery, the elegant entrance is
through neo-classical gates and tall Greek columns. Here the rich
and famous of Buenos Aires rested in a two square block plot of land
filled wall to wall with mausoleums. Finding the Duarte Family
Mausoleum where Eva Perón was buried was tricky even though I
had studied the map locator at the entrance. Eventually I followed a
flock of Japanese tourists to get there. Many mausoleums in the
cemetery have interesting designs and decorations although I don't
know any of the history behind the names. The afternoon was warm and
sunny and I enjoyed the brief moment of peaceful and tranquility in
this place.
Cintia made the
reservation for a show at Señor Tango that evening. The bus picked
me up at my hotel around 8:30 pm and arrived half an hour later. The
place was jam-packed with people. There must be at least 500
people there. I shared
a table with a couple from United States, two ladies from Denmark, a
Cuban and his Argentinean girlfriend. It was a mini United Nations
but we all conversed in English. Dinner consisted of a choice of
grilled meats: steak, chicken and fish; potatoes, vegetables and a
dessert. Also included with dinner were 2 bottles of red wine and
the wine was excellent. The steak was huge and must be over a
kilo. I could only finish 1/3 of it. Dinner was followed by an
impressive Broadway like production with excellent performances of
dancers and singers. By
the time I got back to the hotel it was 1 am.
Feb 27,
2004
I woke up at 6
this morning before the alarm clock sounded. Today I will be going
to Iguazú Falls so I have
to pack. It didn’t take
long as I traveled with only one bag and a backpack. The hotel has 2 computers with free
internet access for its guests and is first come first served.
I checked the weather forecasts and sent a few email home before
going for breakfast.
The self-served breakfast was very good, there were a large
variety of hot and cold foods to choose from and many choices of
drinks including three flavours of yogurt drinks. At 10 am I checked out the
hotel. As everything had already been paid, checking out was a
breeze. The taxi that the hotel front desk ordered for me
arrived within 5 minutes and drove me to the domestic airport
(Aeroparque) for the flight to Iguazú. The taxi ride took 20
minutes and cost 7 pesos.
Air Argentina
flight 1728 left on time at 11:55 am. The flight was full.
The seats were tight and there was almost no legroom. Fortunately it was a short flight.
A small sandwich was served on the plane. I realized later that the
same type of sandwich was served on every Air Argentina flight I
flew on. From the window
I saw the brown waters of the tributaries of Río Paraná
winding in a snake like fashion through the green terrain and
occasionally there are some houses. The flight landed at 1:40 pm. in
the middle of a subtropical forest
and it's hard to believe the biggest waterfalls is here
somewhere. The airport is very small and I retrieved my
luggage quickly, took a taxi to the Sheraton International Hotel and
checked in before the other tourists arrived. It was
hot and muggy.
To make the best
use of my time, I immediately ventured out to see the fall even
though it was mid-day and very hot. Sheraton Hotel is located
inside Parque Nacional Iguazú and the sights
are within reach. My
first stop was to the Cataratas Station where I caught the train to
Garganta del Diablo (Devils Throat). This is the place where 70
metres of water tumbles every second over a semicircle of rocks into
the canyons below. The
setting is absolutely stunning and beyond the description of any
words. Usually the
afternoons are the best time for taking pictures of the Devil’s
Throat falls, as the sun is not in the way of the camera
lenses. Unfortunately
it was raining the day I visited, and the pictures didn’t turn out
that well. After
Devil’s Throat I took the train back to Cataratas Station and went
along the Upper Circuit trail followed by the Lower Circuit trail,
two hours in total. The
view from each of the vantage points was spectacular. The best experience I had
was at the observation deck at Salto Bosetti (Bosetti Falls) where I
felt I was literally standing under 40 metres of roaring waters,
engulfed in the sprays and mists and surrounded with the noise of
the falls. By the time I returned to the hotel I was tired and ready
for dinner.
Sheraton served
a good buffet dinner for 34 pesos and the selection of food was
good. I shared
the table with 2 others who were on a pre-cruise tour. And
what a small world it is, one of them is also from the Toronto area
and works at the same company as I. We ended up talking
about our work and the company even though we were trying to get
away to relax.
Ushuaia is the
southernmost city in the world, on the shores of the Beagle Channel
and surrounded on three sides by dramatic peaks. In Yamana language,
Ushuaia means "bay penetrating the West". The Yamana Indians
were canoe people who lived here for thousand of years, they were
nomadic hunters who survived on seal meat and edible plants. The
island was discovered in 1520 by an expedition leaded by Ferdinand
Magellan when he was looking for the intercontinental pass that now
bears its name.
European explorers baptized the island Tierra del Fuego (Land
of Fire) because from the distance they saw fire and smoke on the
northern shores.
I did not booked
any tours in advance so that I had the flexibility of choosing
the excursions depending on what the weather was like. I woke up this morning at the usual
time of 6 am. The room was cold as I didn't turn on the heater
but the floor of the bathroom was heated and my feet felt
warm. After a sumptious continental breakfast at the
hosteria, I began my walk down to the tourist office by
the waterfront on Av. Maipu . It is located close to the
municipal tourist dock. The staff there was friendly, spoke fluent
English and offered very good travel advice. Information booklets were
available in English. They gave me a list of restaurants and
recommended a couple of places that specialized in king crabs
(centolla) dishes. Next I went next door where all the Beagle
Channel tour kiosks were located and tried to book an
excursion. The morning
itineraries were very similar, they all go to Isla Lobos to view the
lion seals and the cormorants, the difference between them is type
of boat used. The smaller boat lets you get closer to the
wildlife while the bigger boats are faster and more comfortable.
I chose Pira
Tour. The 4-hour tour on a small trawler with 8 other people
cost 80 pesos and included a nature hike on the uninhabited Bridges
Island. Albatross were
plentiful on the Beagle Channel and quite a sight. There were many seabirds as
well but I don’t remember any of the names. The seals and the cormorants
lived harmoniously on Isla Lobo, the seals on one half of the island
and the cormorants occupied the other half. It was an amusing sight.
I did not see any penguins and was told that there was
separate tours to the penguin rookery run in the afternoon. The boat went all the way
out to “Les
Eclaireurs” lighthouse before turning
back. Even though it
was drizzling a bit and quite cold, the sensation of the breeze, the
smells, the
cries of the cormorants and the roaring of the sea lions is one that
forms a lasting memory.
On Bridges
Island the guide showed us how the
Yamanas lived. The Yamanas
built their homes along the shore and discarded the wastes outside,
the waste eventually formed mounds that are called
middens. These mounds
are
circular in the ground with a depression in the middle. The Yamanas fed on fish and
sea animals. They didn't wear clothes even in the winter but
put
oil and grease on their skin to protect them from the
cold.
In
the afternoon, I took a combination tour with Tres Marias of the
Estancia Harberton, the oldest ranch in this area and the Penguin
Colony. There were very
few tourists in early March and the excursion was almost cancelled
because only 2 others had signed up. At the last minute four
marine biologist students from Buenos Aires who had to go to work at
the Whale Museum (Museo Acatushun) near the estancia came onboard
and the excursion was on.
The first part of the tour was by road and the trip took an
hour and half. Along
the way we made a stopover amidst the rolling grass hills and across
from Gable Island in the distance saw the small Chilean town of
Puerto Williams. The
Estancia was founded early in the 19th century by an Englishman,
Thomas Bridges who named the place after the village where is his
wife was born in Devon. It is the oldest sheep
farm in the region and is still a working ranch. The four or five
red-roofed houses sit at the head of a tranquil bay, surrounded by
gently rolling green fields. Our guide gave us
a walking tour of the gardens and the farm. The place was very quiet and
it was a great privilege to have this sublimely peaceful spot to
only a few of us that were around. Later we boarded the boat
and headed out to Martillo Island, where the Magellan penguins and a
few of the Gentoo penguins make their home. There were hundreds of them
and it was cute seeing them waddling side to side in tuxedos, but we can only watch them from
the boat. One of the two
tourists happened to be the same Japanese woman who took the morning
tour that I did. We later went visit the Whale Museum together
and had a gorgeous king crab dinner at the Mariscos Restuarant (La
Casa de los Mariscos) on San Martin St.
Most of the
tourist sites outside of the city are accessible by bus. The
next day I took one of the buses near the dock to Tierra del Feugo
Park. The bus was
actually a minivan.
Buses are available at many locations along Av. Maipu, the
drive to the park was about 30 minutes and a round trip ticket cost
17 pesos. I would suggest purchasing a single ticket for 9
pesos and then buy the return ticket for the next available bus
leaving the park. This will give you the most
flexibility. The
entrance fee to the park was 10 pesos. Tierra del Fuego Park has a
beautiful landscape of lengua (southern beech) forests, lakes and
rivers. On the bus I
met an amazingly fit gentleman in his late 60´s who had completed
the W-trek in Torres del Paine and also trekked Mount Fitzroy. He and his friend were going to
hike on the Cerro Guanaco trail, the most difficult trail in the
park. The bus dropped us off at Lago Roca and I decided to go
on the Cerro Guanaco trail as well. But had I known that it was
a 3000 ft climb I would have second thoughts as I was out of shape
from hibernating in the long Canadian winter. I took my time
and managed to slowly get through the steep forest and peat
bogs. The final ascent through the scree was pretty
steep. The view at the
top was spectacular though and worth all the aches and pains I ended
up with for the next few days.
I originally
planned to hike along the Lapataia Bay as well but was too tired
after the climb and decided to go back to town. There I
strolled along
the main street looking for souvenirs to buy. At a store called Jemmy
Button, I had an interesting with the owner. She wanted to know what
Canada is like, and all about Montreal as her son has found a job
there and will soon be moving there.
El Calafate, March 3-6, 2004
I spent the
morning visiting a few museums in Ushuaia before heading to the
airport for El C
alafate. While waiting for my flight,
I saw a woman in a gift shop struggling to
take a picture of
herself and went over to
offer my help. She was working in a shop that sell things made
of rhondocrosite and wanted to take a picture with the penguins. We
had an interesting conversation as she was eager to practise her
English and I was trying to kill time before we were allowed to
board. It turned out
that this was her
summer job and she will be going back to university in Buenos Aires
in two weeks time. One of the good things of traveling alone
is the opportunity to meet so many people who has lots of first hand
travel tips to share.
The flight to El
Calafate
took about 90
minutes and all I can see
from the plane window was the desolate pampas stretch out hundreds of
miles. After
retrieving my bag I took a taxi to the Kalken Hotel. The Calafate
airport is about a 40 minutes taxi drive to
town. El Calafate is a
quaint little village located on the southern shores of Lago
Argentino and is the gateway to the incredibly spectacular Perito
Moreno Glaciar
which is
the reason most tourists come here for.
The hotel is
conveniently located and is only 2 blocks from the bus terminal and
the series of stairs leading down to Av. Libertador, the main
street. There are
numerous tour companies located on Av. Libertador but I ended up
signing up
for a tour to Perito
Moreno with the Calafate
Hostal who sells
tours on behalf on Chalten
Travel.
This
was an all day tour
including a 2-hr hike along the shores of Lake Argentino and an
optional boat ride for a closeup view of the glaciar.
I found a buffet
restaurant on one of the side streets and decided to try it
out. It is run by a Chinese couple who came from Beijing,
China ten years ago. The buffet was predominately Chinese
dishes which suits me fine and one can have as much steak, chicken
and sausages from the grill.
The next morning
at around 7:00 am, a bus picked me up at the hotel, and after
collecting the other
tourists from their
hotels, we headed off
towards the park. Along
the road, the scenery was mostly dry arid pampas. The tour guide was drinking
mate all that time and offering his
drink to others who
dared to
try. I
really wanted to try but declined the
offer as I started to have a sore throat probably from the constant
wind and damp weather in Ushuaia, and didn’t think it was
appropriate to pass on the
germs.
Everyone
had to pay
an entrance fee
of 20 pesos to get
into the park. About 7
km from the park entrance, we had the first sight of the
glacier and all got out to
take pictures.
Under
heavily
overcast sky and
misty rain, it didn’t look all that impressive from a
distance. Only later when I got
closer to the
glacier did I realized
how massive the Perito Moreno
is.
Our
bus stopped closed to the boat ramp where we began our hike.
The walk followed
along the shorelines
of
Lake Argentino. The view of the glacier was
simply spectacular.
Perito Moreno is about 45-55 meters tall, a few kilometers
across and 14-40 km deep, bigger than the city of Buenos Aires. The Alaskan glaciers are
impressive too but I was on a cruise
ship and weren't able to get very close. .
We were the first
tour group to be
on the trail
and had
the whole
place to
ourselves for the first
half an hour. Words
cannot describe how majestic a sight the
Perito Moreno glacier is. The experience
of being there
physically was awesome and never to be forgotten - the sight of the
immense shades
of blue ice and the
thundering noise made by the breaking of ice and falling into
the water.
Later in the
afternoon, the bus took us back to the boat ramp where we boarded a
boat for a closeup view of the glacier. We only saw one or two major
calvings during the one-hour trip, but it was a surreal
moment to felt so
close to nature in the solitudes of the towering
walls of blue ice.
It
was a very enjoyable trip although the waters was a bit rough.
The
bus left the park around 4 pm and I returned to
the hotel at
5:30 pm.
The next day I
went on a tour to see the Upsala Glacier and Estancia
Cristina. The
Upsala Glacier is the largest of 13 glaciers in Los Glaciares Park, it is 50 km long, 10
km wide and 33 metres tall. I was picked up
at the hotel by a minivan and driven 50 km along the same road to
Perito Moreno but this time stopped
at Puerto Bandera shortly after we entered the Park. There we boarded
“Upsala Explorer”, a comfortable
cruiser specially built
to weather the conditions of the ocean. At 9 am the cruiser started
sail down the northern branch of Lake Argentino. Soon after we were served
continental breakfast.
Half an hour after the cruiser navigated its way up the arm
of the Upsala branch of the lake, we were allowed to go onto one of
the two decks of the ship.
It was a nice sunny but windy
day and the
scenery was majestic.
Approaching
from a distance the glacier looked like a huge sheet of water and it
didn’t appear to be too high but this deception was soon overturned,
as we got closer. The
Upsala
glacier is
massive with
breathtaking
sculptures of icebergs in different shades of blue floated along on
the lake.
It was beautiful in its own way and different from the Perito
Moreno.
All
around us was quiet except for
the occasional breaking of ice from the icebergs. I stayed on the upper deck
of the boat for most of the time absorbing the
view. It was cold but worth every
moment of this surreal experience.
After 2 hours of
sailing, we arrived at Estancia Cristina, a sheep ranch founded in
1914 by the Master family but is now managed by Los
Glaciares National Park.
I was only one of 3 people
who signed up for the 5-hour horseback riding excursion.
There were four people
who chose to go on a
6-hour hike around the estancia, which we were warned, was fairly
strenuous and the other 60 odd people opted for a short walk and
a parilla style
lunch
at the
restaurant. Our
guide was waiting for us at the dock and led us to the corral area
to prepare us for the ride. I was assigned a nice
calm horse by the name
of Tobacco. All three
of us were novice riders but with a few pointers from the guide, we
felt ready for the trail.
For two hours we rode leisurely, amidst the desolated
windswept valleys in the backdrops of the mountains dotted by notros
and calafate bushes,
babbling brooks
and silvery lagoons.
Words cannot describe the experience of being - being in the
intense silence surrounded by the splendour beauty of nature. This is the Patagonia I have
yearned to see and have fallen in love with.
We stopped near
a lake where the Masters family used to take their friends fishing
and the guide prepared a delicious picnic lunch of pumpkin soup,
roasted lamb, cold cuts, cheese and onion pies and
an assortment of
desserts. We rested a bit after lunch
and then headed back to the Estancia, said goodbye to our horses and
went to the restaurant for a cup of tea before joining up with the
rest of the group to reboard the
cruiser back to Puerto Bandera where we were met by our bus to take
us back to the hotel.
It was a long but enjoyable day.
Torres del
Paine, March 6-9, 2004
The next stop
was the Torres del
Paine Park in Chile where I will be spending three day. The information from the
internet and the guidebooks tell you that there are no direct buses
from El Calafate to the park. You can take a 5 hr bus to Puerto
Natales and then find another bus to take you to Torres del Paine
(another 2 hrs) or you can take the bus to Puerto Natales but get
off in Cerro Castillo, the tiny border town between Argentina and
Chile to wait for the bus from Puerto Natales. Either way, the schedule is
tight for making the trip in the same day.
The people at
the Calafate Hostal speak very good English and are extremely
knowledgeable with tours. It was at the hostal that I found out that
I could go directly to Torres del Paine Park from El Calafate. The hotel runs a daily
excursion to Torres del Paine.
I can be dropped off at the Administration Office in the park
where I have arranged in advance for someone from the Hosteria for a
transfer. The tour bus
will pick me up at Cerro Castillo a few days later. So it costs a little more
money than the regular buses but it is a tremendous time saver and I
got a tour of the Park as well.
A 14-passenger
minivan picked me up at 7 am for the excursion to Torres del
Paine. For hours we
drove through the dry barren pampas, scattered occasionally with
sheep ranches. About
30 minutes from the border, the bus driver told us that any meat
cooked or uncooked, fruits and vegetables are not allowed across the
border and the rules are strictly enforced at the Chilean Customs,
so a few people started to eat their lunch at 10 in the morning. We
arrived at Cerro Castillo shortly after and have to take all our
belongings into the building where they were scanned and
inspected.
After cleaning
Customs, we were met by our tour guide and told to change money at
the gift store as the park entrance fee must be paid in pesos (8000
pesos, about $14 US).
We made a few purchases of drinks and snacks at the café and
then boarded another minivan at around 11 am to begin our tour of
the park.
Torres del Paine (Tower of Paine)
Park is a spectacular park with 450,000 acres and was declared a
Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. It takes its name from the three
distinctive granite towers within the park. Along the main park
road we saw herds of guanacos, black-necked swans and even condors
on the mountain slopes.
It was a beautiful sunny day although the wind was
fierce. We were lucky
to get a clear view of Los Torres (the Towers) and Los Cuernos (the
Horns), which are incredibly beautiful. At the camping site on Lake
Pehoe we stopped for lunch.
Of course most of us have eaten our lunch before crossing
into Chile so we ended up walking around the area although the wind
was so strong that the top of the hill that it almost blew me
away. Most people
visited the park in January and February and by early March the
place was almost deserted.
March is a good time to visit Patagonia. It is drier and the weather
is still decent. It
should be easier to find accommodations. After the lunch break, we
continued along the park road and ended at Lago Grey beach area
where we began our 1 ½ hrs hike. The skies have now turned
overcast and it was extremely windy on that stretch of the
beach. With the wind
pushing behind my back and sand flying into my face, I hurried to
reach the peninsula at the far end of the beach to begin the climb
up the trail. The panoramic vista from the top
of the windswept peninsula was absolutely stunning, icebergs
floating on the lake with the view of Glacier Grey from a distance,
a very surreal moment.
The next stop was the Administration Building,
where I have requested to be dropped off. The guide radioed the place
that I will be staying for the next few days to let them know that I
will be waiting for the transfer. In 30 minutes someone came
to pick me up and I was on my way to Hosteria Lago Tyndall
(http://www.hosteriatyndall.com). The hosteria is located 7 km
outside of the park across from Rio Serrano. At the end of the road, a
ferry awaited me for the 3-minute ride across the river.
From my room was an
incredible view of the snow-capped mountains. This place is so
serene and so unaffected by everything happening in the rest of the
world. The hosteria
served a good buffet in the evenings. After a diet which was
predominately meat in Argentina, it was refreshing to see the
variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available at buffet.
The next morning, I
went on a zodiac ride sailing down Rio Serrano. First I was told to put on a
wet suit and because it was at least one size bigger, I felt
extremely clumsy but it turned out to be a good suggestion, as it
was freezing cold on the boat.
Only one other person joined this tour. He had trekked the Circuit W
at Torres del Paine for 10 days and will be going to trek Mount
FitzRoy next. The boat
operator was eager to show off his skills and sped the boat through
rough waters chopped up by the wind for the first 30 minutes. This was my first zodiac
trip and back hurt at every bump of the ride, as I didn’t position
myself properly. A
waterfall blocked the boat from going further and we have to get
out, walked 10 minutes to get to the other side in the clumsy wet
suits to board another zodiac. We sailed down the spectacular
watersheds of the Rio Serrano with the majestic view of the
mountains of the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. Half way through the trip,
the zodiac stopped at one of the docks on the river to pay to visit
to a hermit by the name of Arcadio Marín. He has been staying in a
simple wooden shed without heat and electricity for the last 40
years and made his living grazing cattle and playing hosts (serving
coffee, tea and cookies) to the boat passengers. The hot coffee was much
appreciated after 2 hours of sitting on the zodiac facing biting
cold winds. After a
short stay, we proceeded on our journey along the river. At the dock in front of the
Bernardo O'Higgins National
Park we disembarked.
Another tour boat had also arrived carrying thirty odd
people. Together we
walked about one km on a path through the middle of a virgin forest
to the foot of the glacier Serrano. The day was overcast and
misty so I did not see the full view of the glacier but it was
impressive nonetheless.
Returning back to the dock, the guide gave me a box lunch,
which I had to eat on the other boat. After lunch, we put our wet
suits back for the return trip. This time there were 12
students from England going on a trekking trip in Torres del Paine
that will be going upstream with me. The other fellow took
another boat for Puerto Natales. The people were split up into 2
boats and I got to ride on the motorboat, which was more comfortable
than the zodiac. We
stopped again at the hermit’s homestead before making the final leg
back. I got back to the
hosteria, took a shower and then went for dinner. It was a long day and I
turned in early as I will be doing a 6- hr hike of the Frances
Valley tomorrow.
The next day the
hosteria’s minivan deposited me at the dock area of Lago Pehoé. I was alone for almost an
hour before the other tourists arrived. The catamaran sailed at 9:30
am with a dozen people.
It was a sunny day with only a few clouds. The view from the upper deck
was spectacular, half an hour later the catamaran docked at the
Pehoé refuge. Everyone
took the same path for the first 10 minutes, then the Glacier Grey
trail split to the left and the Valle Frances trail continued
straight ahead. I went
on the Valle de Frances (Frances Valley) trail. The scenery is stunningly beautiful
with close-up view of the hanging glaciers and the granite
“horns” of Paine, and gorgeous views of Lago Pehoé and Lago
Nordenskjold. Being
alone in the silence of the valley under the majestic shadows of the
mountains was truly an amazing experience that will last a
lifetime.
I returned to the
hosteria around 6:30 pm and sat by one of the three fireplaces
reading before taking dinner at the dining room. At dinner, I met a couple
from Idaho. I started
to develop a sore throat after being exposed to the freezing cold
wind on the zodiac the better part of yesterday. The lady offered me some
Echninacea pills and asked whether I have Vitamin C pills, which I
did. Funny how we
trusted each other only after a 10 minute conversation and we ended
up exchanging our medicine after dinner. In Toronto I would have
thought twice about popping pills from people that I hardly
know.
Time only allowed me
to spend two full days in Torres del Paine and the weather was dry
and sunny both days. I
looked out the window of my room on the morning of my departure, the
sun was shining bright and there was not a cloud in the sky. What a beautiful view of the
mountains and how peaceful this place was. I made a note that I have to
come back again.
The hostal’s minivan
took me back to the Administration Building inside the park where I
caught a local bus to Puerto Natales making a stop in Cerro
Castillo. From there I
waited 2 hours before the tour bus from El Calafate arrived. By the time we got back to
El Calafate, it was 10 pm.
