February 20, 2007

Almost the End of the Earth–Ushuaia, Argentina

I have spent much of the last few days recovering from Torres Del Paine. I am at about 95% and just about ready for my next adventure.

So far the weather in Ushuaia has been a delightful mix of rain, high winds, and more rain. The actual city is situated on an island in Tierra Del Fuego and the Beagle channel runs right in front of the city. I am currently sitting in a crappy internet cafe in the southern most city in the entire world. Due to its geographical position, Ushuaia serves as a launching pad for most Antarctic expeditions and thrives from a bustling maritime economy. Over 172 years ago, Charles Darwin sailed right by here while developing his evolutionary theories aboard the Beagle. I am going to go ahead and guess that the weather was similar in 1833 as well. Ushuaia is an interesting mix of tourist trap and shantytown. On one hand, it comes complete with high end shopping, a casino,  and nice restaurants. On the other hand, the houses look like they are ready to topple over at any second. The next stiff breeze could send this entire town into shambles.

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February 15, 2007

Torres del Paine: 35 miles with an Englishman and two Israeli Soldiers

Yesterday I escaped Torres Del Paine. It was one of the most worthwhile yet extremely painful adventures of my life. We walked the equivalent of 35 miles up mountains, down mountains, through valleys, by lakes, up more mountains, over the river, and through the woods. We saw glaciers, wildlife, and natural wonders that I had only seen in books and movies.

When I say that this is one of one of the toughest endeavors of my life, I mean it.

I feel like there are four factors that attributed to just how hard it really was:

1. Torres Del Paine is a physically challenging place to hike. In the four days we were there we ran into backpacking and outdoor enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. We met mountain climbers, mountain guides,  park rangers, and trail runners.

2. Any day in the park you can encounter up to 4 seasons. It goes from 70 and sunny to 40 and windy in a blink of an eye. Then 15 minutes later it is 80 degrees. You are constantly putting on and taking off layers. The winds can be unpredictable and very strong as well.

3. We hiked the 35 miles in 4 days, where we should have broken it up into 5 days.
This was stupid and I paid for it.

4. At this point in my life I am in the worse shape of my life.

The trekking and backpacking options for Torres Del Paine are to take a day trip, to hike the 4-5 day “W” path, or to do the 10-12 day circuit. We choose the middle of the pack and decided to hike the “W”.

Pictured below is a map of the trail. The Red W shape is the path we took. The first day we went up the far right hand side of the W. The second day we walked from the top of the right spoke to the base of the middle spoke. The third day we walked up and back on the middle spoke, then to the base of the far left spoke. The fourth day we walked up and back on the left spoke. FYI: I would have died if I would have attempted the 10-12 day circuit.

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February 10, 2007

Patagonia: The Perito Moreno Glacier outside of El Calafate

The Internet in Patagonia blows the big one. Now, I realize that there is nothing down here. I realize that it is a beautiful place, full of glaciers, and penguins, and sheep farmers. However, there is no reason that I should not be able to send an email in 5 minutes. As far as computers go, Patagonia –both Argentinian and Chilean- are hopelessly trapped in 1996.

The 32 hour bus ride from Bariloche was not much better than Internet connections in Patagonia. I have come to the conclusion that I am simply too large for bus transportation. In addition, I am too large for planes, the back seats of most cars, and bicycles. My most recent addition to the list is horses.

Anyway, enough bitching.  On with the good stuff. I saw a Glacier!

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February 5, 2007

Entering Patagonia via San Carlos de Bariloche in the Lake District

San Carlos de Bariloche is a sleepy ski town and the biggest city in the Lake district of Argentina. I think its the biggest city in Patagonia but do not quote me on that. It feels like I’m living in a giant postcard. This place is breathtaking.

Ben, Billy, Garrett, and I took off from Mendoza at about 8 in the evening. The bus rides in Argentina are normally very pleasant. However, I think that once you hit the 20 hour mark things tend to take a turn for the worse. My first problem, is that my ass has been in extremely bad shape since the horseback riding episode in Mendoza. Problem number two is that we were supposed to arrive in Bariloche at 1:30 pm. Unfortunately, our bus decided to blow up. We had to sit around at a gas station in the middle of nowhere until a new bus arrived. Nonetheless, it was a monumental day.  We can wear our first South American bus breakdown like a merit badge. According to the seasoned travelers that have been here for months, this is something we better get used to.

In reference to the music that we have heard so far, See if you can picture this:

At 9:00 in the morning on the bus, most of the people were quietly relaxing or asleep. When, out of nowhere, the most outrageous video medley of all time appears on the TV screens with the volume at full blast. It was so loud you could not help but stare at this jaw dropping spectacle. It was not possible to concentrate on anything else. It woke every single sleeping person including myself.

Here are some of the highlights from quite possibly the most disturbing/entertaining hour and a half of music I have ever experienced:

(All of these songs have an electric drum machine bed that unifies them into one glorious medley)

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February 2, 2007

Mendoza: At the Foot of the Andes on Horseback and Bicycle

And the journey continues…..

Spanish lessons in Cordoba

On the spur of the moment, I took off for one of Argentinians most important cities–Cordoba– to visit a girl named Maia that I met in Villa Gesell. I broke away from Ben and the boys for a few days after Australia day for a bit. We were to meet back up in Mendoza a few days later.

Cordoba is a 12 hour bus ride north west of Buenos Aires. I hopped on an overnight bus and spent much of my time reading Atlas Shrugged, my enormous book. My bus ticket was for “Cama Suite” which is comparable to a first class seat on an airplane. We had full meals which were surprisingly not bad. The seats reclined all the way back. It was surprisingly luxurious.

In Cordoba I met up with my new friends Maia and Carolina. I originally met them at Pueblo Limite, a nightclub in Villa Gesell. They are both studying to be English translators in Cordoba and gave me a locals perspective on both Cordoba and Argentina. Cordoba is both, historic and stoic. Its one of the oldest cities in South America, yet there are young people everywhere. The city is full of Universities and University students. All of the people drink Fernet and Coke, which tastes reasonably close to coca-cola with a dash of gasoline.

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