Last Night in Argentina

I returned to Buenos Aires just in time to be able to grab a late night dinner with an old friend from Cranium days, Katie Arango. Katie lives in the swank Palermo area of Buenos Aires and we dined at Miranda's Restaurant where I grabbed a last great Argentinean steak (Katie the vegetarian ate some green stuff). After dinner Katie introduced me to Mate, the Argentinean tea, drunk from those bowls that I was so confused by at the beginning of my trip. Over the Mate we discussed Argentinean men/dating, politics, and the general state of the world till 3 am. I've known Katie for about 4 years but this was the first time we had a lengthy conversation like this. Funny how old friends can become new friends thousands of miles from home.

El Chalten and Cerro Fitz Roy

Saturday I made a 3.5 hour bumpy bus journey to the remote town of El Chalten. This is the definitive one horse town. A single dirt road contains a few hostels, restaurants, and stores. People come here basically for one reason -- to hike or climb the amazing Fitz Roy mountain range, particularly the imposing Mt. Fitz Roy. The hiking is pretty spectacular as you pass torquoise, glacial runoff rivers, stunning mountain backdrops, and dense forests. Don't worry about running out of water as the river or stream water is purer than any bottled water in the States. Day one got me to Laguna Torre, a glacial lake that is the coolest blue you've seen. But winds gusting at 60 mph forced you to duck for cover behind a boulder to down some refueling snacks. On Sunday I made my way up the Fitz Roy trail towards the base of the incredibly vertical Mount Fitz Roy. It played peekaboo through the clouds much of the day but when the peak was visible it was stunning. Supposedly a climbers paradise, many "Jason Moffatts" wait weeks for the weather to clear just to try and crest Fitz Roy.

Perito Moreno Glacier

So this makes twice in a two weeks I have been completely awestruck by nature. Last week it was Iguazu Falls. This week the stunning Perito Moreno glacier. Having never seen a glacier close up, I had to sit there and just stare it at for as long as I could. Every few minutes, what sounds like a cannon going off, signifies a chunk of the glacier carving itself off the 5km x 14km super structure. It supposedly moves 2-5 meters a day and every couple of years has a massive break-off. And yet it's the only glacier in the world that is growing in size. Like Iguazu, words do not do it justice. Since I did not book ahead, I was unable to trek on the actual glacier, but supposedly the 5 hour trek expedition complete with crampons is well worth the 400 peso price.

The People That You Meet

Traveling alone can be a bit lonely but the flip side is that you can meet some truly interesting people. At the Marcopolo Inn, in El Calafate, I had the pleasure of meeting Heenam from Korea. Not just your standard traveler, Heenam is beginning a 3 year sojourn around the world by BICYCLE! You can check out Heenam's journey at his soon to be up website, http://www.aswind365.com/. Also had the pleasure of post glacier viewing beers with Erin and Shana from NYC at the coolest little cafe in the centro area of the town. Erin/Shan, what was the name of that place? We liked it so much we wanted to buy a t-shirt but the barman said there was only one in existence and it was on his back at the time. Despite pleading from the gals, he would not part with it. By the way, if you ever find yourself in Patagonia's El Calafate, I highly recommend staying at the Marcopolo Inn. Brand new hostel, super clean, ensuite bathrooms, and a great, friendly staff -- especially Dario who remembers everyone's name. Best place I've stayed at in Argentina.

Amazing Hike

On Tuesday I headed out for a day of hiking in the Andes just north of Mendosa. After a 2 hour bus ride we got to the San Antonio lodge at 7800 feet elevation. There I began our climb with our guide Nicolas, and 3 swiss gals and a British gal. After a month of minimal aerobic activity, this hike kicked my ass. We climbed about 3500 feet to an elevation of about 11000 feet at the peak of Cerro Arenalas where we enjoyed amazing views. Plus we had the honor of an added guide for the last bit of the climb, this husky that probably belonged to one of the local refugee villages.

Wine Tasting and HUGE Steak

After my day of travel aggravation I did make it to a very nice Mendosa hostel where I immediately befriended and English couple and 4 Americans playing a crazy card drinking game that got us sloshed in 2 hours. On Monday one of the American gals, Susan, and I headed off to ¨Bikes and Wines¨for a day of wine tasting. Not exactly, Napa, you bike through muddy construction to hit some quaint wineries that don´t exactly act happy to see you. But we did taste some great wines and had a most picturesque lunch. Monday night headed out to dinner with the Brits and Americans (and Sasha from Aus) for a steak dinner. You can´t tell from this pic but the steaks in this country are HUGE. This cow did not die in vain.

Travel challenges

So I've come to find out that Argentina is not an easy country to plan on the fly. I had booked a early am Sunday flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate to see the glaciers of Patagonia. Unfortunately getting a 6 am flight after staying out till 4 am was a bit ambitious and I missed my flight. No worries, there must be another flight right? Yes, but they were all full for the next two days. Undaunted, I headed to the bus terminal to see if I could get an overnight bus southward. But 2 days of bus journeying did not sound appealing to me. Okay, so put the glaciers on the back burner and head to Mendosa Wine country maybe? Well, possible but the next available bus for that 10 hour journey was 6 hours away. Having already spent 5 hours in the same bus terminal waiting for my Iguazu bus a few days prior, it was not an experience I wanted to repeat. Well lets get online to see if flights to Mendoza are possible? Hey wow, a flight to Mendoza leaving in a few hours from the International airport, cool! But can´t book online so close to the flight time, damn. No worries I´ll just grab a shuttle to the airport and buy the ticket there. A 45 minute shuttle ride later, I´m at the international airport being informed that the flight leaves from the domestic airport, 30 minutes away. Damn. OK, still can make it if I jump on the shuttle I just got off and go back to the domestic airport where I had missed my flight 4 hours earlier. Arrive at the domestic airport and wait in a huge check in line, to be told that I was misinformed by my ticket seller. The flight is leaving from the International airport after all IN 10 MINUTES! Arggghhh. Get in the long ass sales line and another 3 minutes later I'm rewarded with an updated ticket from the airport I´m at to Mendosa leaving 2 hours later. So instead of a 6 am flight to Patagonia I'm now on a 4:30 pm flight to wine country. Boy that wine better be good!

Argentine side of Iguazu

Imagine a day where you simply start running out of superlative adjectives. That was the day spent on the Argentine side of the falls. Traveling by boat into the thundering spritz of a massive falls. Standing on a bridge over the very cusp of falls so loud that you cannot hear yourself think. Hiking past amazing butterflies, a deceased armadillo, and strange ¨cuati¨ rodents. Lunching on a isla St. Martin, while falls cascade in almost ever direction around you. Have I said, ¨WOW,¨yet?

Iguazu Falls -- WOW!

Do not adjust your monitor. These pictures are real. No photoshop, and often no zoom. What can I say. Words and pictures do not do them justice. Imagine the Grand Canyon rimmed with 250 waterfalls and surrounded by tropical jungle and you kind of get the idea. You must come see it for yourself. This set is from the Brazilian side.

The Night Bus & Hostel ¨Club Med¨

Tuesday I decided to get out of ¨Dodge¨and make my way to Iguazu Falls. Everyone raves about the overnight luxury buses complete with food, alcohol and movies included, so I decided to give one a try. Unfortunately due to bad planning on my part and tardiness of the Singer bus line, I spent over 5 hours at the bus terminal preceding my 15 hour journey. And I chose the oldest bus company in Argentina. Good for nostalgic photos. Bad for bus quality, service, etc. Not quite the ¨first class¨ adventure others had raved of. The good news was my seat reclined flat and I was able to sleep much of the way. Got to Iguazu Wed at noon and the temps were about 20 degrees hotter than BA.

So since I´m traveling alone and trying to keep a lid on costs, I´ve been staying at hostels. Good for budget and meeting peeps, bad for privacy and room quality. But I must say the Hostel Inn in Puerto Iguazu is worth every bit of the $12 per night I spent there if only for the amazing pool. Life is hard.