All of my favorite days in life are an odd assortment - often, what I did in them is not what makes them the best days ever, it's more a combination of mood and circumstance. It's no different whilst traveling.
So, on my last day on the continent, my favorite days from month one of my trip, in order:
1. Glacier day, El Calafate
This was hands down the best thing I've done, and I have no doubt that when the entire trip is over, it will still stand up as one of the highlights. Even standing in front of the glacier was an awe-inspiring spectacle of nature unlike anything I've seen. Walking on it was just unbelievable. Even doing the package tour had its advantages - for instance, Brian and I got to spend a lot of the glacier walk joyfully mocking the group of Frenchies with us. I mean, can you blame us - there were two families, and the fathers were both like wayward children. When one lost his hat he was wearing to the wind, he decided to GO BACK FOR IT. On his own. On the glacier. It was such fun to be incredulous at. So it really was a combination of location, activity, and mood, but it was a spectacular day.
2. Tierra del Fuego national park, Ushuaia, Argentina
It was my third full day of the trip, but the first one where I really felt like I had it together. I went for an 8k hike in the park, which was stunning; I managed to get myself to and from the park without incident, which made me feel good; when I got back, it was Saturday night in downtown Ushuaia, and the town was clogged with locals enjoying a summer evening and cruising the main drag; and I had my first (of many) steak sandwich, which was divine (as they all have been). It was a good day, but most importantly, it was the first day that I both felt like I really could do this, and that it was something I wanted to do.
3. Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
This one is interesting, in that it's really a half day. The morning was good, don't get me wrong. But it was also hot and humid as hell, which left me cranky and tired when we got back to the hostel in the afternoon, and I called home, which always makes me a little sad after. So, a hot, tired, cranky, sad me is not a recipe for success - even worse when you add hungry to the mix, which I was, and getting more so. But we took a rather long bus ride ot the other side of the city to go to Palermo Viejo, and somehow, it all just fit. The weather had turned cooler and mild, the sushi hit the spot unlike anything I've had in a while, we split a bottle of excellent syrah, walking around after was both pleasant and delighfully screwball, as we were repeatedly thwarted in any attempts to find an open and existing gay bar. Not what I wouild have expected for a best day, but there it was nevertheless.
Overall, Argentina and neighboring countries has been incredible. And I am ready for the next stop. Talk to you all in New Zealand.
Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts
February 10, 2008
diet coke: argentina
no better.
send your well wishes for improvements in countries to come!
my mom claims that diet coke in australia or new zealand basically tastes the same. but then, she drinks diet pepsi; how sane can her tastebuds be?
send your well wishes for improvements in countries to come!
my mom claims that diet coke in australia or new zealand basically tastes the same. but then, she drinks diet pepsi; how sane can her tastebuds be?
February 09, 2008
What I know about Argentina
Argentinians - or porteños at least, I didn't encounter the same thing in Patagonia - hate small change. If something costs 4,50 and you hand them a 5 peso note, you get a glare and "Do you have the 50 centavos?" And when I don't - because if I did, I would have given it to them - there is a huffing sigh and a "fiiiiiine" while they are forced to hand over the coin. Look, I didn't price it at 4,50. Change it if you don't want to deal with the change, idiot. But it is the complete opposite of the US, where if something costs $16 and you hand them a 20 and a 1, they try to give you back the 1, until you make them keep it and finally the cash register explains that it means you get a five back. Here, they can do rapid fire calculations in their head, to ask if you have 2,35 to give them so they can give you less change. What I don't get is where porteños GET any change if stores won't GIVE them change.
There is a very weird trend in this country towards teeshirts, in English, that don't say anything. They are subtly different from the novelty tee in the US, mainly because these shirts...are not novel. They just kind of...say. The shirts are generally one solid color, with huge letters in another solid color that says like "Comfortable Shoes" or "Put the Milk in the Fridge." They aren't quite nonsense, but they don't say anything either - we referred to them by the title of the first such shirt we saw: Gabba Gabba Hey. If I had found an actual Gabba Gabba Hey tee shirt for sale anywhere, I would have bought it. But despite their bounty on people around us, I never once saw one for sale. Maybe stores can't keep them on the shelves?
They love their drinks. I don't even mean alcohol, not exclusively. Brian and I could never seem to line up our meal times with the natives, but that didn't stop the cafes from being crowded - it's just that no one was eating. They just had tables full of glasses, bottles, cans, everything. Coffee, water, soda, beer, some mix of the above is like a CULTURE here. They go out to drink - and again, I mean regular assortments of beverages - in droves here. And judging by supermarkets, the powdered drink craze is a big deal as well. I love that Crystal Light has been shortened to just Clight. Hee.
That Fergie song, the ballad one? Is a NATIONAL OBSESSION. I've heard it at least twice a day.
Evita was not a craze made up by Andrew Lloyd Weber. I know he has led us astray before, making us falsely believe that the opera did have a phantom or, as a friend was fond of saying, that Jesus was a perfect tenor, but man. These people love their Evita. Shrines, books, posters, museums, jewelry - all Evita happy.
Surprisingly, given that 50% of the country smokes, (and apparently that number does include doctors, who also do not even advise thier patients not to smoke) Buenos Aires passed a law against smoking indoors. It includes bars, too. Very progressive for a Latin American country - hell, progressive for the US, let's be honest. Also surprising, given the national diet of cheese, beef and ice cream - diet drinks and food items are huge here. There is just as much packaging promising "light" and "no trans fats" as in the US. And yet, sadly, there is no national interest in fresh foods, really. I have had a total of one decent salad since I've been here, and the fruit is paltry and scarce. There is no reason why there isn't more, taht I can see - they grow persnickety wine just fine, we get South American produce in our winter up north, most of everything ouside Montevideo in Uruguay is agriculture - but no fruit. No veggies. I never thought I would say this, but I am gagging for an entire day of just fresh veggies.
And whole wheat! The white bread in this region? Has got to stop. That's all they eat for breakfast, in various forms (usually smeared with dulce de leche, which I will not argue with. Yum). It's really true that pallettes change - I used to eat wheat bread because I "should," but man. I would kill for a nutty loaf and some whole grains right about now.
There is a very weird trend in this country towards teeshirts, in English, that don't say anything. They are subtly different from the novelty tee in the US, mainly because these shirts...are not novel. They just kind of...say. The shirts are generally one solid color, with huge letters in another solid color that says like "Comfortable Shoes" or "Put the Milk in the Fridge." They aren't quite nonsense, but they don't say anything either - we referred to them by the title of the first such shirt we saw: Gabba Gabba Hey. If I had found an actual Gabba Gabba Hey tee shirt for sale anywhere, I would have bought it. But despite their bounty on people around us, I never once saw one for sale. Maybe stores can't keep them on the shelves?
They love their drinks. I don't even mean alcohol, not exclusively. Brian and I could never seem to line up our meal times with the natives, but that didn't stop the cafes from being crowded - it's just that no one was eating. They just had tables full of glasses, bottles, cans, everything. Coffee, water, soda, beer, some mix of the above is like a CULTURE here. They go out to drink - and again, I mean regular assortments of beverages - in droves here. And judging by supermarkets, the powdered drink craze is a big deal as well. I love that Crystal Light has been shortened to just Clight. Hee.
That Fergie song, the ballad one? Is a NATIONAL OBSESSION. I've heard it at least twice a day.
Evita was not a craze made up by Andrew Lloyd Weber. I know he has led us astray before, making us falsely believe that the opera did have a phantom or, as a friend was fond of saying, that Jesus was a perfect tenor, but man. These people love their Evita. Shrines, books, posters, museums, jewelry - all Evita happy.
Surprisingly, given that 50% of the country smokes, (and apparently that number does include doctors, who also do not even advise thier patients not to smoke) Buenos Aires passed a law against smoking indoors. It includes bars, too. Very progressive for a Latin American country - hell, progressive for the US, let's be honest. Also surprising, given the national diet of cheese, beef and ice cream - diet drinks and food items are huge here. There is just as much packaging promising "light" and "no trans fats" as in the US. And yet, sadly, there is no national interest in fresh foods, really. I have had a total of one decent salad since I've been here, and the fruit is paltry and scarce. There is no reason why there isn't more, taht I can see - they grow persnickety wine just fine, we get South American produce in our winter up north, most of everything ouside Montevideo in Uruguay is agriculture - but no fruit. No veggies. I never thought I would say this, but I am gagging for an entire day of just fresh veggies.
And whole wheat! The white bread in this region? Has got to stop. That's all they eat for breakfast, in various forms (usually smeared with dulce de leche, which I will not argue with. Yum). It's really true that pallettes change - I used to eat wheat bread because I "should," but man. I would kill for a nutty loaf and some whole grains right about now.
February 05, 2008
easy day
The only thing on the agenda this morning was a visit to the nature preserve on the edge of town. It didn't seem far away, but the map does not take into account the frillion degrees it was outside, so the walk there was very long indeed. And while the preserve was gorgeous, it was not quite th"lovely spot for a picnic" it was touted to be - there is no grass, really. We managed to find a spot, and then moved to a bench for a while, where we were, no joke, menaced by a swarm of bees. We also brushed nature in the form of this random huge iguana that was there for no discernable reason.
The reserve was really lovely (in the shade) and fortunately, the walk back was capped off by a visit to Freddo for ice cream (it was RIGHT on the WAY). The neighborhood we were in, Puerto Madero, was really hip and ritzy - Battery Park City, in keeping with the metaphor. We may go back there for lunch, if we feel like having a power meal amongst the glass-walled lofts and the dikes of the city's old port.
Tonight it was back to Palermo Vieo for a little shopping - it was the most successful shp we've had, plus we had tapas for dinner. All in all, a good cap toa week in BA.
The reserve was really lovely (in the shade) and fortunately, the walk back was capped off by a visit to Freddo for ice cream (it was RIGHT on the WAY). The neighborhood we were in, Puerto Madero, was really hip and ritzy - Battery Park City, in keeping with the metaphor. We may go back there for lunch, if we feel like having a power meal amongst the glass-walled lofts and the dikes of the city's old port.
Tonight it was back to Palermo Vieo for a little shopping - it was the most successful shp we've had, plus we had tapas for dinner. All in all, a good cap toa week in BA.
kickin' it up, Buenos Aires style
Still rocking it in Buenos Aires, and we are settling into a routine now. In the mornings, we grab the traditional porteño breakfast of coffee or tea with three littel croissants - do not ask me why this is tradition, but this is breakfast everywhere in this city. Then we do part one of our day - for instance, yesterday, brian and I were mighty tourists. We went to Plaza de Mayo, Plaza San Martin, Teatro Colon, and the Obelisco, all the major "monuments" in a city not really known for its brick-and-mortar tourist attractions. We did a bit of shopping, and then had our requisite afternoon ice cream.
Interesting tidbit is that Argentinians, especially porteños (people who live in BsAs) have a ginormous weet tooth. The McDonald's and Burger Kings here all have a separate counter, that is always mobbed, that sells just their array of desserts. Brian and I, however, are sticking with the Freddo ice cream. I am not a huge ice gream fan, but my god - this stuff makes a convert out of me.
Anyhow, then it's siesta time. We come back to the (air conditioned) hostel, read, do some internet or crossword puzzles, maybe nap a little.
In the evening, we find dinner. We are trying very, very hard to be like natives, but with only dubious success - Argentines eat dinner at about 10, and we are too gringo to last that long. Last night was our latest venture, but even so it was about 9:30. However, we added a bit of spice by hitting up a tango show. It was this old school cabaraet, totally touristy, and totally awesome. The dancers were incredible, the food was really good, and the singers were charming.
We finally found our gay bar last night, too, and i love that they had fresh peach frozen daqueris, which was a relief in the 1000 degree weather. There were not, however, hardly any other people there. Apparently, for a town with multiple "Gay Buenos Aires" maps, the capital of the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriange, has a really pitiful gay scene. Tragic.
It was out most touristy day, to be sure, but it also felt in the groove of the whole Buenos Aires Scene.
Interesting tidbit is that Argentinians, especially porteños (people who live in BsAs) have a ginormous weet tooth. The McDonald's and Burger Kings here all have a separate counter, that is always mobbed, that sells just their array of desserts. Brian and I, however, are sticking with the Freddo ice cream. I am not a huge ice gream fan, but my god - this stuff makes a convert out of me.
Anyhow, then it's siesta time. We come back to the (air conditioned) hostel, read, do some internet or crossword puzzles, maybe nap a little.
In the evening, we find dinner. We are trying very, very hard to be like natives, but with only dubious success - Argentines eat dinner at about 10, and we are too gringo to last that long. Last night was our latest venture, but even so it was about 9:30. However, we added a bit of spice by hitting up a tango show. It was this old school cabaraet, totally touristy, and totally awesome. The dancers were incredible, the food was really good, and the singers were charming.
We finally found our gay bar last night, too, and i love that they had fresh peach frozen daqueris, which was a relief in the 1000 degree weather. There were not, however, hardly any other people there. Apparently, for a town with multiple "Gay Buenos Aires" maps, the capital of the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriange, has a really pitiful gay scene. Tragic.
It was out most touristy day, to be sure, but it also felt in the groove of the whole Buenos Aires Scene.
February 03, 2008
New Aires
I don't know how I didn't notice before, but instantly, upon walking around with Brian on Friday, all I could think was how much Buenos Aires is exactly like New York. I know I've mentioned how places remind me of others throughout Argentina and Chile, but BsAs is...almost exactly New York. It's uncanny. Everywhere we go, Brian and I know the area because they ahve a neighborhood like it in Manhattan.
So far, we've done a bunch of the sights. On Saturday, we went to Recoleta, which is posh and leafy and lovely, and went to the cemetery there. It was really elaborate, these tombs, but also vaguely run down because a lot of these people were buries hundreds of years ago - no more family to maintain the mausoleums. It will also never be creepy to see these locked tomb doors with stairways going dow, cause we KNOW what they are going down to. We did see Evita's grave, though, which was surprisingly anticlimactic. Then we went to the fine arts museum, and saw all kinds of paintings from all kinds of time and just generally enjoyed the air conditioning (it was hot hot hot and HUMID as all get out).
Then last night we went to Palermo Viejo, the SoHo of BsAs. I was craving something non-Argentinian to eat, so we got sushi. Was it the best sushi I've ever had? Far cry from that. But it was fresh and tasty, and not fried beef or ham, so I was in heaven. It tasted fantastic, and we polished off a bottle of wine, so it was an excellent night.
Palermo Viejo is pretty much the best neighborhood I've seen here, though today we went to San Telmo, which comes close. It's the West Village, and on Sundays they have this massive market/antiques fair that brings hoardes of people and street performers, so we wandered the cobbled streets and enjoyed. So it is a good place too - lucky, since our hostel is in San Telmo - but I think we'l be back to Palermo before the trip is out.
Other highlights include the complete absence of gay bars in this town. Brian dutifully wrote down dozens on his map, and we have so far tried to go to 8 of them. But apparently, the names and addresses came from Ye Olde Map of Closed Bars, because every single one is not there, or doesn't look like it was ever there. We found one, but it was a scary stairway that Brian said led to hamster cage shavings (I said it looked like the place I would surely die), and then one other we got to, but we arrived before they opened. At midnight. We will keep trying, though, dammit. I will not ruin Brian's streak of international gay bar tours.
All was not lost, though. Last night on the way back, we wandered into San Telmo's Carnivale celebration, which evidently involves a lot of spray foam. It was pretty cool to see the celebration, but I will tell you: never take a hit of spray foam to the open eye. It's not good eye health practice.
But I would like to make a mention of the one, awesome, spectacular thing about this city, and that is the ice cream. A serious sweet tooth and all the best of an Italian tradition makes ice cream a way of life here, and thank god for it. It was gorgeous weather today - still sunny and hot, but breezy and not humid - so the ice cream tastes to die for. The banana split-flavored ice cream was the best we've had yet.
Also: gotta love siesta. I think I will take advantage of it now...
So far, we've done a bunch of the sights. On Saturday, we went to Recoleta, which is posh and leafy and lovely, and went to the cemetery there. It was really elaborate, these tombs, but also vaguely run down because a lot of these people were buries hundreds of years ago - no more family to maintain the mausoleums. It will also never be creepy to see these locked tomb doors with stairways going dow, cause we KNOW what they are going down to. We did see Evita's grave, though, which was surprisingly anticlimactic. Then we went to the fine arts museum, and saw all kinds of paintings from all kinds of time and just generally enjoyed the air conditioning (it was hot hot hot and HUMID as all get out).
Then last night we went to Palermo Viejo, the SoHo of BsAs. I was craving something non-Argentinian to eat, so we got sushi. Was it the best sushi I've ever had? Far cry from that. But it was fresh and tasty, and not fried beef or ham, so I was in heaven. It tasted fantastic, and we polished off a bottle of wine, so it was an excellent night.
Palermo Viejo is pretty much the best neighborhood I've seen here, though today we went to San Telmo, which comes close. It's the West Village, and on Sundays they have this massive market/antiques fair that brings hoardes of people and street performers, so we wandered the cobbled streets and enjoyed. So it is a good place too - lucky, since our hostel is in San Telmo - but I think we'l be back to Palermo before the trip is out.
Other highlights include the complete absence of gay bars in this town. Brian dutifully wrote down dozens on his map, and we have so far tried to go to 8 of them. But apparently, the names and addresses came from Ye Olde Map of Closed Bars, because every single one is not there, or doesn't look like it was ever there. We found one, but it was a scary stairway that Brian said led to hamster cage shavings (I said it looked like the place I would surely die), and then one other we got to, but we arrived before they opened. At midnight. We will keep trying, though, dammit. I will not ruin Brian's streak of international gay bar tours.
All was not lost, though. Last night on the way back, we wandered into San Telmo's Carnivale celebration, which evidently involves a lot of spray foam. It was pretty cool to see the celebration, but I will tell you: never take a hit of spray foam to the open eye. It's not good eye health practice.
But I would like to make a mention of the one, awesome, spectacular thing about this city, and that is the ice cream. A serious sweet tooth and all the best of an Italian tradition makes ice cream a way of life here, and thank god for it. It was gorgeous weather today - still sunny and hot, but breezy and not humid - so the ice cream tastes to die for. The banana split-flavored ice cream was the best we've had yet.
Also: gotta love siesta. I think I will take advantage of it now...
February 02, 2008
patagonia wrap up
Patagonia topped the list of what I wanted to see on this trip, and in some ways I am glad, and in some ways, knowing waht I know now, it might have been different.
The country there is unlike anything else I have ever seen. Bits of it may have reminded me of the familiar here and there, but all in all it was different and new. even though I don't speak Spanish, that was not my largest hurdle. The hardest part is that am not a rural girl. I would not be at all surprised if my extended family, say, who speak even less of the language, but who understand the language of camping and hiking, might have had an easier time with trekking, no phones, gravel roads.
One thing I will miss is the blue - Patagonia knows how to do blue. The mountain lakes are this amazing turquoise every bit as bright and light as the tropics, but bafflingly opaque. It looks fake. The sun sets so late that the sky turns from brigh summer aqua to this deep midnight with dozens of shades in between all evening long. The channels, lakes, and sounds all have about 23 different blues within them.
One thing I will not miss is the damn insect population. I don't know what in El Calafate found me so damn tasty, but I was eaten ALIVE y'all. Seriously, I have about 25 (no exaggeration) bites on each arm, more on my legs, feet, and middle. I am an itchy mess, and the dry air (meaning dry skin) of the warm & windy south was not helping. Here is hoping the humid BsAs climate will kill the bugs and let my red blotchy skin clear up.
One thing I learned is that the guidebooks are pushing it for Patagonia. For trekkers, it would probably be possible to spend endless time in each place and see something new every day. For me, not so much. You know how, when you are looking to go somewhere, and the guidebook gives you four thigns you want to do, each is about a 1/2 day output, you alot a minimum of 3 days there, right? You know that things take longer, or you will need a nap, or you want to spend another day poking into shops or at a cafe? This does not hold true for Patagonia. If you find one day's worth of stuff there, plan one day. No more. If you didn't see anything you were dying to do, but are there anyway, there is no ned for the 1-day buffer, because you are in Punta Arenas, and there is nothing to it. There is no more to the towns that the guidebooks have found, trust me.
Overall, I was much more taken with Argentine Patagonia that Chilean. I found the sights better in general, and it was a bit more touristy, but that also meant more paved roads, cafes, and services - fair trade off, for my money. I also had the benefit of creepy good weather - wind came in the late afternoons, but mostly it was sunny and perfect for the entire two weeks. On the last night in Calafate, Brian and I watched an impressive storm roll in, but even the rain lasted about an hour (Calafate gets very little precipitation).
Patagonia was very much worth it - the postcard, surreal beauty alone was priceless. I want to go to Antarctica some day, so I will be back, but that trip will be different to be sure.
Edit:
Oh! I cannot believe I almost forgot. Patagonia is hilarously trapped in a time warp, in a completely awesome way. Graffiti is for Nirvana, I saw a kid sporting, with pride, a Guns N Roses tee straight out of the Appetite for Destruction era. In the shops, they sell tons of Simpsons gear - like the shirt of Bart as the naked baby in the pool from that Nirvana album? Mean regularly wear mullets - or, even better, rat tails. The hostel I was at had a huge movie collection, on tape, that was like exactly my movie collection from when I went to college, so I watched the South Park movie and the first Scream. It was a surreal mid-90s place to be, everyone.
The country there is unlike anything else I have ever seen. Bits of it may have reminded me of the familiar here and there, but all in all it was different and new. even though I don't speak Spanish, that was not my largest hurdle. The hardest part is that am not a rural girl. I would not be at all surprised if my extended family, say, who speak even less of the language, but who understand the language of camping and hiking, might have had an easier time with trekking, no phones, gravel roads.
One thing I will miss is the blue - Patagonia knows how to do blue. The mountain lakes are this amazing turquoise every bit as bright and light as the tropics, but bafflingly opaque. It looks fake. The sun sets so late that the sky turns from brigh summer aqua to this deep midnight with dozens of shades in between all evening long. The channels, lakes, and sounds all have about 23 different blues within them.
One thing I will not miss is the damn insect population. I don't know what in El Calafate found me so damn tasty, but I was eaten ALIVE y'all. Seriously, I have about 25 (no exaggeration) bites on each arm, more on my legs, feet, and middle. I am an itchy mess, and the dry air (meaning dry skin) of the warm & windy south was not helping. Here is hoping the humid BsAs climate will kill the bugs and let my red blotchy skin clear up.
One thing I learned is that the guidebooks are pushing it for Patagonia. For trekkers, it would probably be possible to spend endless time in each place and see something new every day. For me, not so much. You know how, when you are looking to go somewhere, and the guidebook gives you four thigns you want to do, each is about a 1/2 day output, you alot a minimum of 3 days there, right? You know that things take longer, or you will need a nap, or you want to spend another day poking into shops or at a cafe? This does not hold true for Patagonia. If you find one day's worth of stuff there, plan one day. No more. If you didn't see anything you were dying to do, but are there anyway, there is no ned for the 1-day buffer, because you are in Punta Arenas, and there is nothing to it. There is no more to the towns that the guidebooks have found, trust me.
Overall, I was much more taken with Argentine Patagonia that Chilean. I found the sights better in general, and it was a bit more touristy, but that also meant more paved roads, cafes, and services - fair trade off, for my money. I also had the benefit of creepy good weather - wind came in the late afternoons, but mostly it was sunny and perfect for the entire two weeks. On the last night in Calafate, Brian and I watched an impressive storm roll in, but even the rain lasted about an hour (Calafate gets very little precipitation).
Patagonia was very much worth it - the postcard, surreal beauty alone was priceless. I want to go to Antarctica some day, so I will be back, but that trip will be different to be sure.
Edit:
Oh! I cannot believe I almost forgot. Patagonia is hilarously trapped in a time warp, in a completely awesome way. Graffiti is for Nirvana, I saw a kid sporting, with pride, a Guns N Roses tee straight out of the Appetite for Destruction era. In the shops, they sell tons of Simpsons gear - like the shirt of Bart as the naked baby in the pool from that Nirvana album? Mean regularly wear mullets - or, even better, rat tails. The hostel I was at had a huge movie collection, on tape, that was like exactly my movie collection from when I went to college, so I watched the South Park movie and the first Scream. It was a surreal mid-90s place to be, everyone.
February 01, 2008
what's new, buenos aires?
Back to Buenos Aires, back to where it all began. I will post some closing thoughts on Patagonia (my first region done, if not entire country) a little later, but for now I am going out to explore the city.
Perhaps not the BEST thing about this city, but close up there, is the free highspeed internet in the hostel. 's like a breath of fresh air. So while I am not completely caught up ( I will do the mass upload of the photos later, in the next day or so), the blog is hereby up to date. I went all the way back to Torres del Paine and added photos, and there are other new entries in there as well, so scroll down. I should be updating regular for some time now.
I admint, I have missed the city, even if it is one where I am rendered mute by my lack of Spanish skillz.
Perhaps not the BEST thing about this city, but close up there, is the free highspeed internet in the hostel. 's like a breath of fresh air. So while I am not completely caught up ( I will do the mass upload of the photos later, in the next day or so), the blog is hereby up to date. I went all the way back to Torres del Paine and added photos, and there are other new entries in there as well, so scroll down. I should be updating regular for some time now.
I admint, I have missed the city, even if it is one where I am rendered mute by my lack of Spanish skillz.
January 30, 2008
Just a day on the glacier
If it's not the first rule of backpacking, it should be: while the whole thing is being done on a budget, know when to spend your money.
Today Brian and I went to the attraction that makes El Calafate any sort of a destination, the Perito Moreno glacier. It's not the biggest glacier around, but it does have a couple of defining characteristics: It is accumulating at rougly the same rate as it's melting, it moves fast, and it's terminal face is right at land. So hop on a bus from town and in an hour, you are standing in front of a glacier, watching pieces fall off into the water in one astounding show of nature.
But we wanted to do it better. We did board a bus in town (with a posse of Japanese tourists, naturally), and went to the Glacier National Park. We did spend a couple of hours on the series of balconies they have there, watching the glacier drop pieces of itself into the lake. This particular glacier apparently has a history of advancing to the point of hitting the land on the other side, at which point the lake on one side builds up water, until eventually the water pressure is too much and the glacier ruptures in a mass of crashing ice. The glacier has currently dammed the lake up pretty well, and they are expecting a rupture again at the end of the summer. It's really impressive.
Anyhow, so when ice falls off the glacier, and it does every few minutes, honestly, it looks like tiny pieces tumbling off, but it makes a mighty crashing sound, and thunderous noise when it falls into the water. It may not have looked like a huge deal, because the pieces that fall are small in relation to the overall glacier. When you walk up, you expect the pieces to be like...this entire side or something, but they are ones that seem small from the balcony. But I am sure our scale was messed up and the pieces falling off were big enough to crush a Wicked Witch or something. But the sound it made, man. I would never get tired of it.
After that, our tour included an awesome boat ride, in the dammed side of the lake, right up to the face. It was insane, to just motor right on past these icebergs kicking it in the water. The ride itself was lovely, and gave a much better impression of scale. Note: we are very, very wee when it comes to a glacier, even a small one like Moreno.
We landed on a beach, and were able to leave off most of our stuff before they fitted us with crampons (which, because we are secretly 12, Brian and I of course joked about in a manner unbefitting our stature but very amusing nonetheless). And then...we get to climb on the glacier. We climbed on a freaking glacier! It was unlike anything else, but also a weird combination of things. The ice is super, super hard, but also easy to break into with the crampons (hee). It´s also really sparkly, and the chunks look like uncut diamonds. We were on the malting side of the glacier (as opposed to the accumulation side) so there were also streams and puddles and pools all over the place, yet the ice around them is essentially hard and unmoving enough to walk on.
I should mention at this point that my freakish luck with Patagonian weather is holding, and it is downright hot as we are loading out for the glacier walk. I am in a longsleeved shirt and jeans, and Brian is in the same, and we are roasting. On the glacier itself, iut is not as warm, but not cold either. We are only in gloves because it is required, and it gets a little warm wandering about. Fortunately, we can just hack off a piece of ice to eat when we get thirsty - it tastes wonderful, by the way.
At the end of the trek, there is a little table, where they have glasses, and they hack off some ice and pour you a scotch. It was kind of gnarly scotch, but a wonderful sentiment, and we drank like good kids.
The sun was bright enough on the glacier that we both have interesting sunburns where the wind and sunblock conspired against us, but all in all, it might be my favorite day here.
Today Brian and I went to the attraction that makes El Calafate any sort of a destination, the Perito Moreno glacier. It's not the biggest glacier around, but it does have a couple of defining characteristics: It is accumulating at rougly the same rate as it's melting, it moves fast, and it's terminal face is right at land. So hop on a bus from town and in an hour, you are standing in front of a glacier, watching pieces fall off into the water in one astounding show of nature.
But we wanted to do it better. We did board a bus in town (with a posse of Japanese tourists, naturally), and went to the Glacier National Park. We did spend a couple of hours on the series of balconies they have there, watching the glacier drop pieces of itself into the lake. This particular glacier apparently has a history of advancing to the point of hitting the land on the other side, at which point the lake on one side builds up water, until eventually the water pressure is too much and the glacier ruptures in a mass of crashing ice. The glacier has currently dammed the lake up pretty well, and they are expecting a rupture again at the end of the summer. It's really impressive.
Anyhow, so when ice falls off the glacier, and it does every few minutes, honestly, it looks like tiny pieces tumbling off, but it makes a mighty crashing sound, and thunderous noise when it falls into the water. It may not have looked like a huge deal, because the pieces that fall are small in relation to the overall glacier. When you walk up, you expect the pieces to be like...this entire side or something, but they are ones that seem small from the balcony. But I am sure our scale was messed up and the pieces falling off were big enough to crush a Wicked Witch or something. But the sound it made, man. I would never get tired of it.
After that, our tour included an awesome boat ride, in the dammed side of the lake, right up to the face. It was insane, to just motor right on past these icebergs kicking it in the water. The ride itself was lovely, and gave a much better impression of scale. Note: we are very, very wee when it comes to a glacier, even a small one like Moreno.
We landed on a beach, and were able to leave off most of our stuff before they fitted us with crampons (which, because we are secretly 12, Brian and I of course joked about in a manner unbefitting our stature but very amusing nonetheless). And then...we get to climb on the glacier. We climbed on a freaking glacier! It was unlike anything else, but also a weird combination of things. The ice is super, super hard, but also easy to break into with the crampons (hee). It´s also really sparkly, and the chunks look like uncut diamonds. We were on the malting side of the glacier (as opposed to the accumulation side) so there were also streams and puddles and pools all over the place, yet the ice around them is essentially hard and unmoving enough to walk on.
I should mention at this point that my freakish luck with Patagonian weather is holding, and it is downright hot as we are loading out for the glacier walk. I am in a longsleeved shirt and jeans, and Brian is in the same, and we are roasting. On the glacier itself, iut is not as warm, but not cold either. We are only in gloves because it is required, and it gets a little warm wandering about. Fortunately, we can just hack off a piece of ice to eat when we get thirsty - it tastes wonderful, by the way.
At the end of the trek, there is a little table, where they have glasses, and they hack off some ice and pour you a scotch. It was kind of gnarly scotch, but a wonderful sentiment, and we drank like good kids.
The sun was bright enough on the glacier that we both have interesting sunburns where the wind and sunblock conspired against us, but all in all, it might be my favorite day here.
are you tired of lakes and mountains yet?
Isn't it rough, that this is what I force you to see, again and again? Poor babies.
This is Lago Agentino, a massive lake that El Calafate sits on, one that turns into marshland closer to town. The water goes all the way to the glacier, where we will be tomorrow. It is very much a resort town, with these really posh, faux-rustic looking lodges all around and some tourists with some seriously evident bucks. But it is also a really nice town to wander about, and it is interesting to view the boomtown-ness of it. There is this posh downtown, and then three blocks away, the paved roads just ...stop. There is also more construction of houses here than I have maybe ever seen in one place. The town's population already went from about 5,000 to 15,000 in the last 10 years, and it looks like they are ready for that to keep happening.
It is a relatively small town, but I really don't see why everyone was bashing it. Really, I would recommend Calafate top anyone - certainly more than Punta Arenas...
January 29, 2008
back to 'tina
I have said a final goodbye to my very first country and made my way out of Chile yesterday. I am back in Argentina, in El Calafate. And peple have been warning me that this place is touristy (which it is) and expensive (which it is, sort of, but also very upscale - it doesn't seem to be that much more expensive for the same things), but I am also finding it gorgeous. It´s a lovely little mountain town on a huge lake; with all of the "native artisan" emphasis, it strikes me as a very New Mexico/Arizona resort town. Not a bad place to spend a couple of days. Plus, tomorrow: glacier!
I also managed to almost manage my Chilean money correctly, so I didn´t leave with too much extra. Maybe I will change the 2000 pesos I have, maybe not. We'll see. On the other hand, the computer at the hostel, while free, is archaic enough that the USB drives don't work. Pictures will have to wait either for an Internet cafe or Buenos Aires, whichever comes first.
OK, so I don't really have anything to day, at least until I can get pictures up, but I want to keep my loyal fan base reading. I will be more interesting as soon as I can, I swear.
I also managed to almost manage my Chilean money correctly, so I didn´t leave with too much extra. Maybe I will change the 2000 pesos I have, maybe not. We'll see. On the other hand, the computer at the hostel, while free, is archaic enough that the USB drives don't work. Pictures will have to wait either for an Internet cafe or Buenos Aires, whichever comes first.
OK, so I don't really have anything to day, at least until I can get pictures up, but I want to keep my loyal fan base reading. I will be more interesting as soon as I can, I swear.
January 19, 2008
everything you ever wanted to know about ushuaia
I find that I really liked Ushuaia - I did everything I really wanted to, so I am ok with less time here than I had originally intended (between buses leaving a day early and me arriving a day late, I really am only here for 2 days, plus a little that first night). Besides, I still want to go to Antarctica someday, so that will probably bring me back here at some point.
The town is a really interesting hybrid. It´s not miniscule - at least 60,000, if not more, but it is also built where there wasn't room, so it´s crammed between mountains and the Channel. It is only about four streets deep (but they are very long!), yet as it is, there are staircases on the sidewalks because of the steep hills. It´s also such a vacation spot for the whole world, that it has a very cosmopolitan feel. It feels like a jumble of Tahoe (with the rusticy-resort feel), an Alaska frontier town (it is an undeniably remote and harsh place to live, so the people that do it year-round have a bit of cache for it, and they know it), and a Track & Trail catalogue (how tempted am I to go to one of the umpteen stores and buy something by Patagonia, IN PATAGONIA). So take all of that on a normal day, and ptoooy out spits a cruise ship´s bazillion passengers on shore for the day. It´s chaotic and weird, but also really lovely.
Tonight was a warm and sunny Saturday night, so the main drag (really, the only street with anything but houses on it) was packed with families, and everyone in town under the age of 20. Apparently, it is the place to be in Ushuaia, and it was kind of cool to see. Not necessarily cool to get stuck behind when you are hungry and want dinner, but whatever.
The 20 hours of sunlight is surprisingly disorienting. It never feels late until it's 1 am, and combined with the traditional Argentine tendencies towards late dinners and nightlife anyhow, and the fact that it is the summer holidays, and it´s really disorienting to see toddlers out and about at 11:45 like it´s nothing.
So, thumbs up on Ushuaia. Stop here on your next Antarctic cruise.
The town is a really interesting hybrid. It´s not miniscule - at least 60,000, if not more, but it is also built where there wasn't room, so it´s crammed between mountains and the Channel. It is only about four streets deep (but they are very long!), yet as it is, there are staircases on the sidewalks because of the steep hills. It´s also such a vacation spot for the whole world, that it has a very cosmopolitan feel. It feels like a jumble of Tahoe (with the rusticy-resort feel), an Alaska frontier town (it is an undeniably remote and harsh place to live, so the people that do it year-round have a bit of cache for it, and they know it), and a Track & Trail catalogue (how tempted am I to go to one of the umpteen stores and buy something by Patagonia, IN PATAGONIA). So take all of that on a normal day, and ptoooy out spits a cruise ship´s bazillion passengers on shore for the day. It´s chaotic and weird, but also really lovely.
Tonight was a warm and sunny Saturday night, so the main drag (really, the only street with anything but houses on it) was packed with families, and everyone in town under the age of 20. Apparently, it is the place to be in Ushuaia, and it was kind of cool to see. Not necessarily cool to get stuck behind when you are hungry and want dinner, but whatever.
The 20 hours of sunlight is surprisingly disorienting. It never feels late until it's 1 am, and combined with the traditional Argentine tendencies towards late dinners and nightlife anyhow, and the fact that it is the summer holidays, and it´s really disorienting to see toddlers out and about at 11:45 like it´s nothing.
So, thumbs up on Ushuaia. Stop here on your next Antarctic cruise.
trekkin'
i have spent my time in ushuaia hiking, and it has been lovely.
yesterday, i invited myself along with two girlsfrom the hostel - they were planning to do the same hike i wanted to do, plus i enjoy companionship where i can get it. they are from san francisco, of all places - residents at UCSF - and clearly serious hiker/outdoorsy types. and man, am i glad i tagged along.
they show up decked out in REI, i am carrying an overstuffed messenger bag. they´ve also been in town for 4 days, so they showed me where the market is, and then we headed out. this was listed as the 'glacier martial´hike, and i must admit, i was excited to see a glacier in real life. we didn´t really know where we were going - all of us were inspired by the description in lonely planet, and the directions there were vague at best. but we were supposed to find a chairlift, and we did - nonoperational, but no matter. we were going to climb anyway. so we CLIMBED THE SKI RUN. it was killer steep (probably at least 30% grade? and LONG. but the views at the top are killer. then we kept going and...nothing. i mean, it was a cool, boggy, meadow at the top but...nothing glaciery. damn you, global warming! clearly, this was glacier-made, but no ice except on distant mountain tops. we werent sure it was the right hike, but when i got back and checked, yup. we were in the right place. don´t know where the glacier was. they were acting like it was a casual walk, but the ascending/descending killed me. i thought it was worth it, too - i´ll upload the picture form the summit, and you will see too.
today i went to tierra del fuego national park. dude - i went to TIERRA DEL FUEGO. i am like, living in 3rd grade social studies, y'all. so cool. anyhow, took a bus there this morning, and did the 'moderate' hike, and i found my level. it wasn´t egregiously hard, but there was enough climbing and trudging and scrambling about that i was beat at the end. it was great for a non-hiker, too. the path was really well-marked, and i would wander along and feel like the only person in the world, and whoop! there´s a tour group. it was nice in making me feel that if, hypothetically, this klutzy city girl were to fall off the trail, someone would find her. hypothetically.
in the end it was about 6 miles, and i am BEAT. totally gorgeous, though - it wound along a lake, overlooking mountains, through some forests. completely wonderful, and totally picture-perfect glacier topography, which i always love.
it was unusually warm, though - generally this area gets to about 50 in the summer, but it was at least 60 all day, and still is at about 9pm. so i came away with a niiiiiice sunburn on my nose and back of my neck. hot!
tomorrow, i leave the country for about a week - i am going to punta arenas, chile, on a smashing 12 hour bus ride. should be...awesome. but hopefully pretty, and i have benadryl on hand for when it is not.
yesterday, i invited myself along with two girlsfrom the hostel - they were planning to do the same hike i wanted to do, plus i enjoy companionship where i can get it. they are from san francisco, of all places - residents at UCSF - and clearly serious hiker/outdoorsy types. and man, am i glad i tagged along.
they show up decked out in REI, i am carrying an overstuffed messenger bag. they´ve also been in town for 4 days, so they showed me where the market is, and then we headed out. this was listed as the 'glacier martial´hike, and i must admit, i was excited to see a glacier in real life. we didn´t really know where we were going - all of us were inspired by the description in lonely planet, and the directions there were vague at best. but we were supposed to find a chairlift, and we did - nonoperational, but no matter. we were going to climb anyway. so we CLIMBED THE SKI RUN. it was killer steep (probably at least 30% grade? and LONG. but the views at the top are killer. then we kept going and...nothing. i mean, it was a cool, boggy, meadow at the top but...nothing glaciery. damn you, global warming! clearly, this was glacier-made, but no ice except on distant mountain tops. we werent sure it was the right hike, but when i got back and checked, yup. we were in the right place. don´t know where the glacier was. they were acting like it was a casual walk, but the ascending/descending killed me. i thought it was worth it, too - i´ll upload the picture form the summit, and you will see too.
today i went to tierra del fuego national park. dude - i went to TIERRA DEL FUEGO. i am like, living in 3rd grade social studies, y'all. so cool. anyhow, took a bus there this morning, and did the 'moderate' hike, and i found my level. it wasn´t egregiously hard, but there was enough climbing and trudging and scrambling about that i was beat at the end. it was great for a non-hiker, too. the path was really well-marked, and i would wander along and feel like the only person in the world, and whoop! there´s a tour group. it was nice in making me feel that if, hypothetically, this klutzy city girl were to fall off the trail, someone would find her. hypothetically.
in the end it was about 6 miles, and i am BEAT. totally gorgeous, though - it wound along a lake, overlooking mountains, through some forests. completely wonderful, and totally picture-perfect glacier topography, which i always love.
it was unusually warm, though - generally this area gets to about 50 in the summer, but it was at least 60 all day, and still is at about 9pm. so i came away with a niiiiiice sunburn on my nose and back of my neck. hot!
tomorrow, i leave the country for about a week - i am going to punta arenas, chile, on a smashing 12 hour bus ride. should be...awesome. but hopefully pretty, and i have benadryl on hand for when it is not.
January 17, 2008
at home at the end of the world
It took an extra day, more stress, and more flexibility than I maybe would have liked, but I made it to Ushuaia today without much additional issue. I got to my hostel, which looks lovely, and wandered around the town some. So far so nice.
Check out the view from the upstairs lounge in the hostel:
swank, no?
Anyhow, the town is charming, and I can't wait to hike and explore. I am uploading photos as we speak, and tomorrow I will hopefully have no issue getting a bus out of here for this weekend or Monday (fingers xed for me!).
My low mood has turned itself around, for which I am glad. My entire trip was sort of stretched out in front of me, but I think I am looking forward to it again, as it should be. I'll post more details of the place as soon as I have been here for more thana few hours. For now, I will just say that it is really cool, how this is such a tourist destiation, but for the whole world. There were lots of Argentines and other Latin Americans on my plane today, and all were as giddy and excited as I was at the vistas from the plane windows. There were Scots and Irishers at the baggage claim, there is an Israeli at the computer next to me - for a remote world's end distination, it sure is a hot spot.
Also, it may not technically be the midnight sun, but it's darn close - sunset was at about 11:30 tonight, and I am sure it will rise again in like 3 hours. Trippy.
Thank you so much for the comments, by the way - please keep them coming! I love feeling connected!
Check out the view from the upstairs lounge in the hostel:
swank, no? Anyhow, the town is charming, and I can't wait to hike and explore. I am uploading photos as we speak, and tomorrow I will hopefully have no issue getting a bus out of here for this weekend or Monday (fingers xed for me!).
My low mood has turned itself around, for which I am glad. My entire trip was sort of stretched out in front of me, but I think I am looking forward to it again, as it should be. I'll post more details of the place as soon as I have been here for more thana few hours. For now, I will just say that it is really cool, how this is such a tourist destiation, but for the whole world. There were lots of Argentines and other Latin Americans on my plane today, and all were as giddy and excited as I was at the vistas from the plane windows. There were Scots and Irishers at the baggage claim, there is an Israeli at the computer next to me - for a remote world's end distination, it sure is a hot spot.
Also, it may not technically be the midnight sun, but it's darn close - sunset was at about 11:30 tonight, and I am sure it will rise again in like 3 hours. Trippy.
Thank you so much for the comments, by the way - please keep them coming! I love feeling connected!
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