We took a shared taxi from Potosí to Sucre. It costs 200 Bs for the whole taxi (about $30 for the 2.5 hour ride). There was another guy in the hotel who was going to the airport in Sucre so just the three of us split it (normally there's four to a shared taxi). The shared taxi was much more convenient (door-to-door in both cities), more comfortable and faster.
We arrived in Sucre around noon. I had been checking the forecast on theweathernetwork.com and it had showed rain every day for the past month. However it was a nice sunny day, 20C, when we arrived.
We checked into Hostal de Su Merced, which Heather had found rated #1 for Potosí on tripadvisor. Just in case we hadn't seen it there, the hotel had a plaque in the lobby announcing their tripadvisor rating.
It was still relatively early in the day, we didn't lose a day to travel.
Sucre is a very affluent city (also the political capital of Bolivia). The centro is almost completely restored, one of the nicest colonial cities I've seen. Every building is white with terra-cotta roof tiles.
Lunch was great, we had the set menu at La Posada, soup, chicken with a mustard sauce, and ice cream for dessert, for 35 Bs ($5) each.
We visited Templo Nuestra Señora de la Merced, a church just across the street from our hotel. The outside is plain, but inside almost everything is gold-plated. The church was in disrepair but still looked amazing. We climbed to the roof for great views of the city. It wasn't as tiring as climbing in Potosí, now that we're only at 2750m.
Forgot to mention, we got our running shoes cleaned in Potosí. There's shoe shine people all about (as in most places in the world). Most of them also clean your shoes if they're not polish-able. So now we're walking around with our shoes looking like a million bucks.
Heather and I are just relaxing on the rooftop terrace at the hotel, waiting for the sun to set. Then we're off for dinner.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Potosí, Bolivia
Potosí is a nice little city with a buzz to it, we liked it so spent an extra day here. At 4060m it's also one of the highest cities in the world.
The bus ride from Uyuni to Potosí took about six hours. The road is mostly paved, which made for a pretty smooth ride. It was also scenic, although having just finished the Uyuni tour, we were a bit blasé about it.
We stayed at Hotel Cima Argentum, a little out of the centre, but one of the nicest places we've stayed at this trip. We had reserved a double, but they were full so bumped us up to a suite for no extra charge.
The staff were very helpful and friendly. They took in our laundry even though we were a little over the deadline, no problems. (it was pretty cheap too, less than $1 for jeans, and about 50¢ for tshirts)
We relaxed and cleaned up (very nice shower, good pressure and lots of hot water). We decided to walk into the centro, about a 15 minute walk. The streets were crowded with people and cars and minibuses. A little hectic but nice buzz.
We ate at El Mesón, I had trout and Heather had llama skewers with pineapple and rice, both were excellent.
The next morning we were up early because we wanted to catch the 9am tour at Casa Nacional de Moneda (National Mint). Breakfast at the hotel was great (including freshly squeezed juice, eggs and great bread -- Bolivia has really good bakeries).
The National Mint tour was pretty extensive. They had mule-driven wooden cogs that were used to flatten silver ingots, old coins dating back to the 1700s, minting equipment through the centuries. It was cool.
We toured the Cathedral, in which we climbed the bell tower for great views of the city and of Cerro Rico, the "rich hill" full of silver. In the 1500s, Potosí was one of the wealthiest cities in the world because of the silver mined from Cerro Rico.
We tried unsuccessfully to find silver and tin souvenirs, but apparently they sell them in La Paz.
We weren't up for anything big for dinner, so went to 4060 for pizza and beers. (It took me a while to figure out that the name of the bar was its height above sea level). The bar was packed, we were lucky to get a table. The pizza was actually quite good. The beer, Potosina, was okay.
The next day we continued our hunt or souvenirs, and did find a couple places selling antique stuff. We bought a silver-plated walking stick, and a nested weighting set (I think made from copper). We bargained down to about 75% of the original asking prices, I don't think they overquote too much here.
An oddity of Potosí is the number of dogs running around the street in nice sweaters. Some of them don't even look like they have owners, but they do have nice threads.
We didn't visit the mines, a common tourist activity. I had seen them the last time I was here, and they're quite dangerous.
The last night in Potosí we ate at El Fogón, one of the few misses for food on our trip. At least the wine (Campos de Solana malbec from Tarija) was good, i was surprised that we were able to finish the bottle at this altitude.
The bus ride from Uyuni to Potosí took about six hours. The road is mostly paved, which made for a pretty smooth ride. It was also scenic, although having just finished the Uyuni tour, we were a bit blasé about it.
We stayed at Hotel Cima Argentum, a little out of the centre, but one of the nicest places we've stayed at this trip. We had reserved a double, but they were full so bumped us up to a suite for no extra charge.
The staff were very helpful and friendly. They took in our laundry even though we were a little over the deadline, no problems. (it was pretty cheap too, less than $1 for jeans, and about 50¢ for tshirts)
We relaxed and cleaned up (very nice shower, good pressure and lots of hot water). We decided to walk into the centro, about a 15 minute walk. The streets were crowded with people and cars and minibuses. A little hectic but nice buzz.
We ate at El Mesón, I had trout and Heather had llama skewers with pineapple and rice, both were excellent.
The next morning we were up early because we wanted to catch the 9am tour at Casa Nacional de Moneda (National Mint). Breakfast at the hotel was great (including freshly squeezed juice, eggs and great bread -- Bolivia has really good bakeries).
The National Mint tour was pretty extensive. They had mule-driven wooden cogs that were used to flatten silver ingots, old coins dating back to the 1700s, minting equipment through the centuries. It was cool.
We toured the Cathedral, in which we climbed the bell tower for great views of the city and of Cerro Rico, the "rich hill" full of silver. In the 1500s, Potosí was one of the wealthiest cities in the world because of the silver mined from Cerro Rico.
We tried unsuccessfully to find silver and tin souvenirs, but apparently they sell them in La Paz.
We weren't up for anything big for dinner, so went to 4060 for pizza and beers. (It took me a while to figure out that the name of the bar was its height above sea level). The bar was packed, we were lucky to get a table. The pizza was actually quite good. The beer, Potosina, was okay.
The next day we continued our hunt or souvenirs, and did find a couple places selling antique stuff. We bought a silver-plated walking stick, and a nested weighting set (I think made from copper). We bargained down to about 75% of the original asking prices, I don't think they overquote too much here.
An oddity of Potosí is the number of dogs running around the street in nice sweaters. Some of them don't even look like they have owners, but they do have nice threads.
We didn't visit the mines, a common tourist activity. I had seen them the last time I was here, and they're quite dangerous.
The last night in Potosí we ate at El Fogón, one of the few misses for food on our trip. At least the wine (Campos de Solana malbec from Tarija) was good, i was surprised that we were able to finish the bottle at this altitude.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Salar de Uyuni tour Day 4, Bolivia
The salt hotel was pretty comfortable to stay in. There were only two other groups of people, a couple from Buenos Aires, and a family of five, so the hotel was creepily empty at times.
Almost everything that could be made from blocks, was made of salt. The bed platform, side tables, non-load-bearing walls, floor, all from salt. We were warm at night so I guess salt blocks also have good insulating properties.
Our driver picked us up at 9am, and we were off for the final day of the tour.
Rainy season is in Jan-Feb, and so at this time of year, the salar is covered with water, around 10cm depth when we visited. We drove out slowly, for about 30 minutes at 5 km/h (to minimize salt water splashing under the vehicle). We drove past workers collecting the salt. Some were making conical piles about 1m high, which allowed the salt to dry out. Others were shoveling the dried-out salt into trucks, which is then taken to refineries.
The salar reminded us of lakes after winter, when the surface is melting but there's still ice underneath. However there was no worries about falling through -- under the water is 1.5m of solid salt, 12,106 sq km big.
A lot of other tourists walked through the salt water in their bare feet, but we didn't feel the need.
After lunch, we drove to the Train Cemetery just outside Uyuni. There's dozens of rusting old steam locomotives and other train cars, just sitting in the middle of sand. It's a b/w photography dreamscape. I took a whole bunch of pictures, in the hope that a couple may actually look good. I don't have a good eye yet for b/w pictures.
Our driver dropped us off at our hotel in Uyuni, Los Girasoles Hotel. The 4-day tour seemed much longer than the 5-day W trek, maybe because the scenery changed so quickly.
We walked around town, with not much to do except find a place for dinner. All the tourist places have the same menu of pizza, llama burgers and pasta. We had resigned ourselves to attempting pizza again, until we walked by a restaurant with rotisserie chicken (the range was outside on th sidewalk). It was pretty good, served with decent enough fries.
After we went to a bar and celebrated with a Potosina, a local beer. We haven't had any alcohol since we've been in Bolivia, to help adjust to the altitude. At 3669m, Uyuni is lower than the 4200m+ of the tour. Our remaining cities in Bolivia are Potosí (4070m), Sucre (2750m) and La Paz (3660m), before we return to closer to sea level in Santiago.
Almost everything that could be made from blocks, was made of salt. The bed platform, side tables, non-load-bearing walls, floor, all from salt. We were warm at night so I guess salt blocks also have good insulating properties.
Our driver picked us up at 9am, and we were off for the final day of the tour.
Rainy season is in Jan-Feb, and so at this time of year, the salar is covered with water, around 10cm depth when we visited. We drove out slowly, for about 30 minutes at 5 km/h (to minimize salt water splashing under the vehicle). We drove past workers collecting the salt. Some were making conical piles about 1m high, which allowed the salt to dry out. Others were shoveling the dried-out salt into trucks, which is then taken to refineries.
The salar reminded us of lakes after winter, when the surface is melting but there's still ice underneath. However there was no worries about falling through -- under the water is 1.5m of solid salt, 12,106 sq km big.
A lot of other tourists walked through the salt water in their bare feet, but we didn't feel the need.
After lunch, we drove to the Train Cemetery just outside Uyuni. There's dozens of rusting old steam locomotives and other train cars, just sitting in the middle of sand. It's a b/w photography dreamscape. I took a whole bunch of pictures, in the hope that a couple may actually look good. I don't have a good eye yet for b/w pictures.
Our driver dropped us off at our hotel in Uyuni, Los Girasoles Hotel. The 4-day tour seemed much longer than the 5-day W trek, maybe because the scenery changed so quickly.
We walked around town, with not much to do except find a place for dinner. All the tourist places have the same menu of pizza, llama burgers and pasta. We had resigned ourselves to attempting pizza again, until we walked by a restaurant with rotisserie chicken (the range was outside on th sidewalk). It was pretty good, served with decent enough fries.
After we went to a bar and celebrated with a Potosina, a local beer. We haven't had any alcohol since we've been in Bolivia, to help adjust to the altitude. At 3669m, Uyuni is lower than the 4200m+ of the tour. Our remaining cities in Bolivia are Potosí (4070m), Sucre (2750m) and La Paz (3660m), before we return to closer to sea level in Santiago.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Salar de Uyuni tour Day 3, Bolivia
We had pancakes for breakfast, with dulce de leche (a cross between condensed milk and caramel), and were on the road by 7:30am.
The first stop was Árbol de Piedra, a tree-shaped stone in Desierto Sioli. It's a mandatory photo stop, which most people post to Flickr.
Because it's near the end of rainy season, the normal route wasn't accessible. We drove by a couple amazing lagunas instead.
The first was Laguna Cañapa. The surface was completely still, and formed a perfect reflection of the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
Next was Laguna Hedionda, which had a couple thousand flamingoes, which didn't run / fly away at the first sight of humans. It was signposted as to how close you were allowed, which is maybe why. We sat and took dozens of pictures of flamingoes with the Andes in the background.
The rest of the day was driving to Uyuni. We stopped at a few towns: Alota, a farming community surrounded by colourful fields of quinoa; Culpina K, a mining town with a plaza filled with iron works; and San Cristobal with a beautiful 350-year old church.
We also saw active Volcán Ollagüe, and drove through a giant area filled with rock formations as far as we could see. In another area, we drove through a sandy desert at 4500m. It's an odd sight to see snow-capped tips of 5000m mountains just peeking above the horizon. The whole day was filled with surreal images.
Tonight we are staying at Hotel Cristal Semaña, built almost entirely from salt, just off Salar de Uyuni. We just watched the sunset over the Salar from the 2nd floor dining area.
The first stop was Árbol de Piedra, a tree-shaped stone in Desierto Sioli. It's a mandatory photo stop, which most people post to Flickr.
Because it's near the end of rainy season, the normal route wasn't accessible. We drove by a couple amazing lagunas instead.
The first was Laguna Cañapa. The surface was completely still, and formed a perfect reflection of the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
Next was Laguna Hedionda, which had a couple thousand flamingoes, which didn't run / fly away at the first sight of humans. It was signposted as to how close you were allowed, which is maybe why. We sat and took dozens of pictures of flamingoes with the Andes in the background.
The rest of the day was driving to Uyuni. We stopped at a few towns: Alota, a farming community surrounded by colourful fields of quinoa; Culpina K, a mining town with a plaza filled with iron works; and San Cristobal with a beautiful 350-year old church.
We also saw active Volcán Ollagüe, and drove through a giant area filled with rock formations as far as we could see. In another area, we drove through a sandy desert at 4500m. It's an odd sight to see snow-capped tips of 5000m mountains just peeking above the horizon. The whole day was filled with surreal images.
Tonight we are staying at Hotel Cristal Semaña, built almost entirely from salt, just off Salar de Uyuni. We just watched the sunset over the Salar from the 2nd floor dining area.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Salar de Uyuni tour Day 1-2, Bolivia
We started the tour (also called the Southwest Circuit) in Tupiza, doing it the reverse of most tours (which start in Uyuni). We arrived from Argentina and are headed north, so it made more sense logistically, but also gets us to the sites at different times from the bulk of tours.
We met our driver and cook, and headed out in our Toyota Land Cruiser. The first day was a lot of driving, with the main attractions the following days.
The scenery was amazing, with lava formations, eroded sand cliffs, abandoned Spanish villages, quinoa fields, llamas, sheep and donkeys. We reached a maximum altitude of 4855m. I got a bit sick, but I think more from heat stroke, as I was sitting on the sunny side most of the afternoon.
The driver and cook were great at paying attention to our health, and were very concerned that I might have altitude sickness.
We stayed the night at Quetena Chico (4200m), in a very basic hospedaje. We were the only tourists (tours that start in Tupiza do more of the southwest), so raided the extra beds in our dorm room for blankets.
We were in bed by 9pm, and slept all the way through till 6:30am. The altitude was exhausting!
Day 2 started with us in much better health (and so spirits). It was a short (90 minute) drive to Termas de Polques, hot springs (30C) that now have basic facilities. When I was here 10 years ago, there was just water coming out of the ground. Now they have built a small pool that captures the water, about a foot deep. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pants and relaxed on the ledge for a while. The water was very soft.
Next we drove through a valley that looks like a replica of a Dali painting. It's a big stretch of sloped sand, dotted with house-sized boulders. It's deceptively large. We parked near one boulder, and thought to walk to another to take a picture. After five minutes and not getting closer, we thought better.
Next was Laguna Verde, one of the highlights of the tour. It's mint green lake, (from high concentrations of lead, sulfur, arsenic and calcium carbonates), at 4400m, with Volcán Licancabur (5960m) rising in the background.
We had lunch at 4400m, within view of Laguna Blanca.
En route to the next stop, we drove past the hot springs again, which now looked like Daytona Beach at spring break. We were glad we visited earlier in the day.
We drove through a pass at 5000m, the highest altitude of the tour, without any altitude problems. Just over the pass is Sol de Mañana, filled with geyser basins and bubbling fumaroles (and sulfur fumes). Not that impressive as other sites we saw earlier, but still interesting.
The last stop of the day was Laguna Colorado, a fiery red lake with hundreds of pink flamingos feeding. The red comes from the algae and plankton in the water that the flamingos feed on. I got some good pictures, but a big zoom lens would be better. The flamingos move away from humans and vehicles.
It was a shorter day, we were in a hospedaje by 3:30pm, with a view of Laguna Colorado.
There were other groups also in the hospedaje, about 30 tourists in total. At least we had our dorm room to ourselves. Electricity was from a generator and was on from 7-9pm, so it wasn't a good place to recharge camera batteries.
We had dinner at sundown, and were in bed by 8:30pm. There was no light switch so I had to unscrew the lightbulb in the room to go to bed.
We met our driver and cook, and headed out in our Toyota Land Cruiser. The first day was a lot of driving, with the main attractions the following days.
The scenery was amazing, with lava formations, eroded sand cliffs, abandoned Spanish villages, quinoa fields, llamas, sheep and donkeys. We reached a maximum altitude of 4855m. I got a bit sick, but I think more from heat stroke, as I was sitting on the sunny side most of the afternoon.
The driver and cook were great at paying attention to our health, and were very concerned that I might have altitude sickness.
We stayed the night at Quetena Chico (4200m), in a very basic hospedaje. We were the only tourists (tours that start in Tupiza do more of the southwest), so raided the extra beds in our dorm room for blankets.
We were in bed by 9pm, and slept all the way through till 6:30am. The altitude was exhausting!
Day 2 started with us in much better health (and so spirits). It was a short (90 minute) drive to Termas de Polques, hot springs (30C) that now have basic facilities. When I was here 10 years ago, there was just water coming out of the ground. Now they have built a small pool that captures the water, about a foot deep. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pants and relaxed on the ledge for a while. The water was very soft.
Next we drove through a valley that looks like a replica of a Dali painting. It's a big stretch of sloped sand, dotted with house-sized boulders. It's deceptively large. We parked near one boulder, and thought to walk to another to take a picture. After five minutes and not getting closer, we thought better.
Next was Laguna Verde, one of the highlights of the tour. It's mint green lake, (from high concentrations of lead, sulfur, arsenic and calcium carbonates), at 4400m, with Volcán Licancabur (5960m) rising in the background.
We had lunch at 4400m, within view of Laguna Blanca.
En route to the next stop, we drove past the hot springs again, which now looked like Daytona Beach at spring break. We were glad we visited earlier in the day.
We drove through a pass at 5000m, the highest altitude of the tour, without any altitude problems. Just over the pass is Sol de Mañana, filled with geyser basins and bubbling fumaroles (and sulfur fumes). Not that impressive as other sites we saw earlier, but still interesting.
The last stop of the day was Laguna Colorado, a fiery red lake with hundreds of pink flamingos feeding. The red comes from the algae and plankton in the water that the flamingos feed on. I got some good pictures, but a big zoom lens would be better. The flamingos move away from humans and vehicles.
It was a shorter day, we were in a hospedaje by 3:30pm, with a view of Laguna Colorado.
There were other groups also in the hospedaje, about 30 tourists in total. At least we had our dorm room to ourselves. Electricity was from a generator and was on from 7-9pm, so it wasn't a good place to recharge camera batteries.
We had dinner at sundown, and were in bed by 8:30pm. There was no light switch so I had to unscrew the lightbulb in the room to go to bed.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tupiza, Bolivia
Our bus arrived at La Quiaca, the Argentinian side of the border, at 6:30pm. We decided to stay the night in Argentina rather than attempting the border crossing with night approaching.
La Quiaca is at 3442m and we could feel the effects of the altitude. We had no endurance at all. We took a slow walk a few blocks to Hotel de Turismo, and checked in.
The Lonely Planet only has one page and no map for the town, so we went to the very friendly tourist information. Our hotel was within a block of the church and museum, so we stopped into both on the way back.
The next morning we had breakfast then walked to the border. Leaving Argentina was very easy; entering Bolivia was pretty straightforward as well.
Villazón, on the Bolivian side, is a small bustling border town. We found our way to the bus station, and bought tickets for the next bus to Tupiza.
We had about an hour to wait, so dropped our bags at the guardaropa and walked around. Had some really good empanadas from a street stall (3 Bs, about 40¢).
It was fun crossing the border, because we had to figure it out as we went. Travelling has become a bit of paint-by-numbers over the years :)
In Tupiza we checked into Hotel Mitru. We were lucky to get the last double, there are more tourists here than in Argentina, although the demographic is more 20-something backpackers.
Our errands for the afternoon were to book the Uyuni tour, get money from the bank, and have lunch.
We booked a four-day tour for just the two of us, with driver and cook, meals and accommodation, for 4800 Bs. On the 3rd night we're staying in a salt hotel (this is extra), and then we'll finish in Uyuni.
I have been wrong about this before, but I don't think we'll have Internet access until we get to Uyuni.
La Quiaca is at 3442m and we could feel the effects of the altitude. We had no endurance at all. We took a slow walk a few blocks to Hotel de Turismo, and checked in.
The Lonely Planet only has one page and no map for the town, so we went to the very friendly tourist information. Our hotel was within a block of the church and museum, so we stopped into both on the way back.
The next morning we had breakfast then walked to the border. Leaving Argentina was very easy; entering Bolivia was pretty straightforward as well.
Villazón, on the Bolivian side, is a small bustling border town. We found our way to the bus station, and bought tickets for the next bus to Tupiza.
We had about an hour to wait, so dropped our bags at the guardaropa and walked around. Had some really good empanadas from a street stall (3 Bs, about 40¢).
It was fun crossing the border, because we had to figure it out as we went. Travelling has become a bit of paint-by-numbers over the years :)
In Tupiza we checked into Hotel Mitru. We were lucky to get the last double, there are more tourists here than in Argentina, although the demographic is more 20-something backpackers.
Our errands for the afternoon were to book the Uyuni tour, get money from the bank, and have lunch.
We booked a four-day tour for just the two of us, with driver and cook, meals and accommodation, for 4800 Bs. On the 3rd night we're staying in a salt hotel (this is extra), and then we'll finish in Uyuni.
I have been wrong about this before, but I don't think we'll have Internet access until we get to Uyuni.
Tupiza, Bolivia
I guessed wrong about not having wifi access for our last couple stops. Even the hotel at the little border town of La Quiaca in Argentina had wifi (and a non-guessable password -- most hotels have just used the name of the hotel).
We spent three nights in Salta. It was a nice town for Heather to recover from her cold. Between the two of us, we were sick for almost our entire time in Argentina :)
The first night we ate at the hotel restaurant, and were pleasantly surprised that the food was great. The next day we went to a couple museums (not a lot was open on Sundays).
The highlight was Museo Histórico del Norte. In 1999 three tombs were discovered at the peak of Llullalliaco (6739m). Because of the altitude and cold, the tombs and bodies were perfectly preserved. The museum gives a history of why they were there, and has almost everything on display, including the preserved bodies.
We went to a couple of the artesenal markets but they didn't have anything that appealed to us.
The 2nd night we ate dinner at Viejo Jack's, a parrilla (grillhouse) a little out of the centre. They serve huge amounts of meat at very low prices. We had the parrillada for two (a grill filled with various meats, brought sizzling to the table). We originally ordered the 'Parrilla Jack', but the waiter said we just needed the 1/2 Jack. Which was a good thing, as we didn't even finish that between the two of us.
The last night in Salta we ate at José Balcarce, a trendy restaurant with exposed brick walls and the like. The food was great (I had a llama steak, which was very tender).
Also in Salta we went up the teleferico which has great views, as I suppose they all do.
From Salta we took a bus to the border town of La Quiaca.
We spent three nights in Salta. It was a nice town for Heather to recover from her cold. Between the two of us, we were sick for almost our entire time in Argentina :)
The first night we ate at the hotel restaurant, and were pleasantly surprised that the food was great. The next day we went to a couple museums (not a lot was open on Sundays).
The highlight was Museo Histórico del Norte. In 1999 three tombs were discovered at the peak of Llullalliaco (6739m). Because of the altitude and cold, the tombs and bodies were perfectly preserved. The museum gives a history of why they were there, and has almost everything on display, including the preserved bodies.
We went to a couple of the artesenal markets but they didn't have anything that appealed to us.
The 2nd night we ate dinner at Viejo Jack's, a parrilla (grillhouse) a little out of the centre. They serve huge amounts of meat at very low prices. We had the parrillada for two (a grill filled with various meats, brought sizzling to the table). We originally ordered the 'Parrilla Jack', but the waiter said we just needed the 1/2 Jack. Which was a good thing, as we didn't even finish that between the two of us.
The last night in Salta we ate at José Balcarce, a trendy restaurant with exposed brick walls and the like. The food was great (I had a llama steak, which was very tender).
Also in Salta we went up the teleferico which has great views, as I suppose they all do.
From Salta we took a bus to the border town of La Quiaca.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
La Quiaca, Argentina
A couple pics. The first is of Perito Moreno Glacier; the second is Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Salta, Argentina
We're off to the border town of La Quiaca this morning, and then into Bolivia. We may go straight on the four day Uyuni tour. Not sure when we'll have Internet access again; it may be after the tour.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Salta, Argentina
We split up the 9+ hour bus ride from La Rioja to Salta, stopping in Tucumán for a night. There's no real tourist attractions in Tucumán, and we didn't see any other tourists.
I was at the tail end of my cold, and Heather was just getting into hers, so we didn't do much sightseeing. We did have dinner at a nice little mom-and-pop place, with excellent empanadas.
Walking about Tucumán at night at this time of year is a bit nerve-wracking, there are a million cicadas flying about. I didn't like it one little bit; the locals seemed unperturbed.
Took the bus today to Salta. We've actually been watching (and enjoying!) some of the movies shown on the bus rides, including to my surprise Norbit (the Eddie Murphy movie).
Because Argentina wasn't part of our original plans, we didn't bring a guide book for Argentina. However thanks to the Internet and iPhones, I bought a digital copy of the Argentina Lonely Planet (they sell them as PDFs, which I've saved to Stanza), which we've been using for the last week or so. It took a couple days to adjust, and I now find it far more convenient. Lots of locals use smart phones, so if we're looking at a map on the iPhone we don't stand out as tourists. Plus it's no additional weight.
So far the only downside is that there was one page that was corrupted (or at least won't open on the iPhone). It is the map of Salta. So we arrived today without a map. We wanted a hotel near the main plaza, so took a taxi to the main square, and then looked at hotels. We decided on Hotel Salta, on a corner of Plaza 9 de Julio, splurging an extra $10 per night to get a huge terrace balcony. We asked and received a significant discount for staying three nights and paying cash.
Salta's a beautiful colonial town with a few pedestrian-only streets around the centro. We walked around a bit this afternoon, to stretch our legs after two days of bus rides. We're here for a couple days, with plenty of churches, museums and artesanal markets to visit.
I was at the tail end of my cold, and Heather was just getting into hers, so we didn't do much sightseeing. We did have dinner at a nice little mom-and-pop place, with excellent empanadas.
Walking about Tucumán at night at this time of year is a bit nerve-wracking, there are a million cicadas flying about. I didn't like it one little bit; the locals seemed unperturbed.
Took the bus today to Salta. We've actually been watching (and enjoying!) some of the movies shown on the bus rides, including to my surprise Norbit (the Eddie Murphy movie).
Because Argentina wasn't part of our original plans, we didn't bring a guide book for Argentina. However thanks to the Internet and iPhones, I bought a digital copy of the Argentina Lonely Planet (they sell them as PDFs, which I've saved to Stanza), which we've been using for the last week or so. It took a couple days to adjust, and I now find it far more convenient. Lots of locals use smart phones, so if we're looking at a map on the iPhone we don't stand out as tourists. Plus it's no additional weight.
So far the only downside is that there was one page that was corrupted (or at least won't open on the iPhone). It is the map of Salta. So we arrived today without a map. We wanted a hotel near the main plaza, so took a taxi to the main square, and then looked at hotels. We decided on Hotel Salta, on a corner of Plaza 9 de Julio, splurging an extra $10 per night to get a huge terrace balcony. We asked and received a significant discount for staying three nights and paying cash.
Salta's a beautiful colonial town with a few pedestrian-only streets around the centro. We walked around a bit this afternoon, to stretch our legs after two days of bus rides. We're here for a couple days, with plenty of churches, museums and artesanal markets to visit.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
La Rioja, Argentina
We've been enjoying the lively little city of La Rioja. We're staying at the Hotel Plaza, with a balcony overlooking the busy Plaza 25 de Mayo. Sierra de Velasco (a mountain range) overlooks the town and would be a pretty background, if we hadn't been here on the only two cloudy days of the year.
La Rioja is a nine-hour bus ride north from Mendoza. The bus stopped for 30 minutes for lunch in Vallecito, where we stumbled across the Difunta Correa Shrine. There's hundreds of scale model houses, license plates, and other offerings. If we hadn't gone for a short walk from the bus to stretch our legs we would have missed it.
We ate at the two best restaurants on the two nights we were here, at least according to the Lonely Planet. First night we had dinner at La Viejo Casona. We got there just before 8pm and walked in the staff entrance, not realizing they didn't open till 8pm. I tried chivito (grilled goat), a local specialty, which was excellent, although hard work to get each mouthful.
The next night we ate at Stanzza. Not wanting to repeat our faux pas and show up before the restaurant opened, we went out for dinner at 8:45pm. Unfortunately Stanzza doesn't open until 9pm. So we wandered down to a nearby plaza and watched the local life for 20 minutes. Stanzza has great Italian food, I really liked their lemon sole.
At both restaurants people continued to stream in at all hours, including families with little kids and babies. We felt uncool going home to bed at 11pm when two-year-olds were just sitting down to dinner.
I managed to pick up a cold or the flu somewhere along the way, and sniffled most of the time in La Rioja. Heather now has it but hopefully it looks like she's getting better.
La Rioja is a nine-hour bus ride north from Mendoza. The bus stopped for 30 minutes for lunch in Vallecito, where we stumbled across the Difunta Correa Shrine. There's hundreds of scale model houses, license plates, and other offerings. If we hadn't gone for a short walk from the bus to stretch our legs we would have missed it.
We ate at the two best restaurants on the two nights we were here, at least according to the Lonely Planet. First night we had dinner at La Viejo Casona. We got there just before 8pm and walked in the staff entrance, not realizing they didn't open till 8pm. I tried chivito (grilled goat), a local specialty, which was excellent, although hard work to get each mouthful.
The next night we ate at Stanzza. Not wanting to repeat our faux pas and show up before the restaurant opened, we went out for dinner at 8:45pm. Unfortunately Stanzza doesn't open until 9pm. So we wandered down to a nearby plaza and watched the local life for 20 minutes. Stanzza has great Italian food, I really liked their lemon sole.
At both restaurants people continued to stream in at all hours, including families with little kids and babies. We felt uncool going home to bed at 11pm when two-year-olds were just sitting down to dinner.
I managed to pick up a cold or the flu somewhere along the way, and sniffled most of the time in La Rioja. Heather now has it but hopefully it looks like she's getting better.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Mendoza, Argentina
We've covered a bit of ground since I last posted. Right now we're relaxing on our balcony overlooking Plaza Indepencia, the centre square in Mendoza. It was a beautiful sunny day, 24C, for walking around, seeing the town, having a beer in the pedestrian street while figuring out our next few steps.
After seeing Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, we took the bus back to Puerto Natales, and then caught another bus to Punta Arenas. The crossing into Chile was much more labourious than going to Argentina. Everyone had to get their luggage from the bus, have it scanned (for prohibited items such as fruit and meat). We had a couple hard boiled eggs for a snack on the long bus ride, which they cracked to make sure they were in fact cooked.
We stayed at Hotel Ilaia in Punta Arenas, which is run by a very nice family. It also had the one of the best breakfasts so far, including home made chapatis, and steeped tea! And a rainhead shower.
We took a day trip to Isla Magdalena to see a penguin colony. We saw thousands of Magellanic penguins, although not as a big group, but rather dotted all across the island in their burrows. We took a two-hour ferry to the island through the Strait of Magellan (which was quite comfortable), then had an hour on the island before returning back to Punta Arenas. There is a roped qalking path from the docking area to a lighthouse at the centre of the island. Penguins are all around you as you walk. It was extremely windy, and we were concerned about being blown off our feet into a penguin burrow. Fortunately no penguins were killed by our walk!
It's a long way back from Punta Arenas to Santiago (almost 48 hours by bus), so we flew with Sky Airlines, $150 one-way, about half the price of LAN Chile. It was a mill run, stopping down in a couple cities along the way.
Stayed overnight in Santiago at Casa Bonita (same place as our first night), then took a bus through the Andes to Mendoza. We had the front seats on the upper level of a double decker semi-cama bus (semi-cama means 'half-bed' in spanish, and refers to the fact that the seats fold back to 140*, almost flat). This is the way to take this trip. The views of the Andes and the road, especially near the top of the Chilean side where there's about 30 switchbacks, is amazing. Near the top it tunnels through the peak, reaching an altitude of 3195m.
Unfortunately it takes forever to get through customs. We waited 2.5 hours at the crossing. Definitely not as efficient as the crossing to El Calafate. There was an excellent stall selling sandwiches which helped.
We arrived in Mendoza and checked into Hotel San Martin. We had emailed them earlier but they said they were full, but they seem to have plenty of rooms available.
We had lunch in the market this afternoon which was great, much better than the overbooked steak we had on the touristy Av Sarmiento. Tonight we are looking for a restaurant on the trendy Aristides Villanueva.
After seeing Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, we took the bus back to Puerto Natales, and then caught another bus to Punta Arenas. The crossing into Chile was much more labourious than going to Argentina. Everyone had to get their luggage from the bus, have it scanned (for prohibited items such as fruit and meat). We had a couple hard boiled eggs for a snack on the long bus ride, which they cracked to make sure they were in fact cooked.
We stayed at Hotel Ilaia in Punta Arenas, which is run by a very nice family. It also had the one of the best breakfasts so far, including home made chapatis, and steeped tea! And a rainhead shower.
We took a day trip to Isla Magdalena to see a penguin colony. We saw thousands of Magellanic penguins, although not as a big group, but rather dotted all across the island in their burrows. We took a two-hour ferry to the island through the Strait of Magellan (which was quite comfortable), then had an hour on the island before returning back to Punta Arenas. There is a roped qalking path from the docking area to a lighthouse at the centre of the island. Penguins are all around you as you walk. It was extremely windy, and we were concerned about being blown off our feet into a penguin burrow. Fortunately no penguins were killed by our walk!
It's a long way back from Punta Arenas to Santiago (almost 48 hours by bus), so we flew with Sky Airlines, $150 one-way, about half the price of LAN Chile. It was a mill run, stopping down in a couple cities along the way.
Stayed overnight in Santiago at Casa Bonita (same place as our first night), then took a bus through the Andes to Mendoza. We had the front seats on the upper level of a double decker semi-cama bus (semi-cama means 'half-bed' in spanish, and refers to the fact that the seats fold back to 140*, almost flat). This is the way to take this trip. The views of the Andes and the road, especially near the top of the Chilean side where there's about 30 switchbacks, is amazing. Near the top it tunnels through the peak, reaching an altitude of 3195m.
Unfortunately it takes forever to get through customs. We waited 2.5 hours at the crossing. Definitely not as efficient as the crossing to El Calafate. There was an excellent stall selling sandwiches which helped.
We arrived in Mendoza and checked into Hotel San Martin. We had emailed them earlier but they said they were full, but they seem to have plenty of rooms available.
We had lunch in the market this afternoon which was great, much better than the overbooked steak we had on the touristy Av Sarmiento. Tonight we are looking for a restaurant on the trendy Aristides Villanueva.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
El Calafate, Argentina
We saw Perito Moreno Glacier yesterday! It was just as impressive as the first time I saw it ten years ago.
We booked a day trip through Hielo Adventuras ($125), which included a boat trip to the front of the glacier, and walking on the glacier.
Perito Moreno is 90 minutes west of El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 9am, and then we were off.
At Perito Moreno, we first had a couple hours to wander around the observation walkways. The glacier is always calving (pieces of ice breaking off), and we were lucky to see an entire face (about 50 ft tall) calve right in front of us. I didn't get it on video but have some cool pictures with the mini tidal waves.
Next we took the boat ride near the front of the glacier. It looks more impressive looking up from water level than from the viewing platforms where you're mostly looking down.
On the other side of the lake we met our guide for the glacier trek. First we put on crampons, a 10-second lesson on use (walk with your feet apart, and with your feet flat, not on your toes or heels, and how to walk up and down inclines), and then we were walking on the glacier!
We spent almost two hours walking around. It took a few minutes to trust the crampons, which were heavy on our feet. Plus with the added height, our boots didn't get wet.
It was a very warm day (about 15C), and walking on the glacier is no colder than walking on land. We wore gloves to protect out hands in case we fell, because the surface is covered with sharp ice pebbles (sort of like crushed ice). It is deceptive in some areas, where it looks like your foot will sink into slush, but it's all ice underneath and you can walk on what looks like slush.
It is dangerous to wander off the path of the guides. The glacier melts at this time of year (although the snow build up at the top keeps the glacier size in balance), and so in places you could fall through to water flowing down inside the glacier.
Towards the end of the glacier walk, the novelty had worn off, and we were getting tired and just wanted to get back to town for dinner.
El Calafate has grown up since I was last here, taking advantage of the tourist draw of Perito Moreno. It's becoming a nice resort town, with nice restaurants and patios for a coffee.
We just wanted something simple for dinner so stopped in at a pizza place. Somehow I always forget that pizza (and most Italian food) is hit-and-miss when travelling, actually almost all misses. The beer, however, was excellent. There's only one beer in Argentina, Quilmes, and it ranks up there in my opinion as one of the best beers in the world, only behind Beerlao in Lao.
We forgot that it's Carnaval, and Monday and Tuesday are holidays in Argentina. There were more local tourists, and also the ATMs ran out of cash! Fortunately the ATMs were refilled, but there was were still line ups to get cash.
We weren't sure at the border crossing if we would be charges reciprocity fees of $70 to enter Argentina (this is what Canada charges Argentinians to enter Canada). The Lonely Planet said we would, but we weren't. I think for land crossings we'll be okay.
In El Calafate we stayed at an actual IHYF Youth Hostel. This one had part morphed into a hotel, with some double rooms with private bath. It had the best showers on the trip so far. The main reason we selected the hotel is because they have self-serve laundry facilities. After the W Trek, we needed to wash our dry-fit clothing, but didn't trust the special washing instructions (half the detergent, no dryer) to other people. So we now have packs full of clean clothes again.
Today we're on a couple buses to get us to Punta Arenas (about eight hours on buses, plus the border crossings). We plan to relax there for at least a couple days (we've been on the go since the start of the trip), and hopefully a day trip to see a penguin colony.
We booked a day trip through Hielo Adventuras ($125), which included a boat trip to the front of the glacier, and walking on the glacier.
Perito Moreno is 90 minutes west of El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 9am, and then we were off.
At Perito Moreno, we first had a couple hours to wander around the observation walkways. The glacier is always calving (pieces of ice breaking off), and we were lucky to see an entire face (about 50 ft tall) calve right in front of us. I didn't get it on video but have some cool pictures with the mini tidal waves.
Next we took the boat ride near the front of the glacier. It looks more impressive looking up from water level than from the viewing platforms where you're mostly looking down.
On the other side of the lake we met our guide for the glacier trek. First we put on crampons, a 10-second lesson on use (walk with your feet apart, and with your feet flat, not on your toes or heels, and how to walk up and down inclines), and then we were walking on the glacier!
We spent almost two hours walking around. It took a few minutes to trust the crampons, which were heavy on our feet. Plus with the added height, our boots didn't get wet.
It was a very warm day (about 15C), and walking on the glacier is no colder than walking on land. We wore gloves to protect out hands in case we fell, because the surface is covered with sharp ice pebbles (sort of like crushed ice). It is deceptive in some areas, where it looks like your foot will sink into slush, but it's all ice underneath and you can walk on what looks like slush.
It is dangerous to wander off the path of the guides. The glacier melts at this time of year (although the snow build up at the top keeps the glacier size in balance), and so in places you could fall through to water flowing down inside the glacier.
Towards the end of the glacier walk, the novelty had worn off, and we were getting tired and just wanted to get back to town for dinner.
El Calafate has grown up since I was last here, taking advantage of the tourist draw of Perito Moreno. It's becoming a nice resort town, with nice restaurants and patios for a coffee.
We just wanted something simple for dinner so stopped in at a pizza place. Somehow I always forget that pizza (and most Italian food) is hit-and-miss when travelling, actually almost all misses. The beer, however, was excellent. There's only one beer in Argentina, Quilmes, and it ranks up there in my opinion as one of the best beers in the world, only behind Beerlao in Lao.
We forgot that it's Carnaval, and Monday and Tuesday are holidays in Argentina. There were more local tourists, and also the ATMs ran out of cash! Fortunately the ATMs were refilled, but there was were still line ups to get cash.
We weren't sure at the border crossing if we would be charges reciprocity fees of $70 to enter Argentina (this is what Canada charges Argentinians to enter Canada). The Lonely Planet said we would, but we weren't. I think for land crossings we'll be okay.
In El Calafate we stayed at an actual IHYF Youth Hostel. This one had part morphed into a hotel, with some double rooms with private bath. It had the best showers on the trip so far. The main reason we selected the hotel is because they have self-serve laundry facilities. After the W Trek, we needed to wash our dry-fit clothing, but didn't trust the special washing instructions (half the detergent, no dryer) to other people. So we now have packs full of clean clothes again.
Today we're on a couple buses to get us to Punta Arenas (about eight hours on buses, plus the border crossings). We plan to relax there for at least a couple days (we've been on the go since the start of the trip), and hopefully a day trip to see a penguin colony.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
W Trek - Day 5 - 11km - 5.5 hours
Woke up at 7am and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This boded well to get good pictures. Earlier in the morning we heard the trekkers leaving at 4am to be at the lookout for sunrise.
From the refugio we watched Los Torres turn red with the sunrise. We quickly ate our breakfast, and started our ascent to the lookout shortly after 8am. I was worried that clouds would roll in at any moment, and with just a day pack, we had a very fast pace.
It was a strenuous climb, ascending from 400m to 800m, but not very technically difficult. The last few hundred metres was over rocks, but well-marked. We must have had a big adrenaline kick because the map said it should take 2:15 hours but we reached the lookout in 1:25!
Los Torres is simply amazing. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky (we had prepared ourselves to wait for a couple hours to get a glimpse, based on blogs we read beforehand). Also, the sunrise people had descended, and we were the first post-breakfast people to arrive, so we had Los Torres to ourselves for almost an hour! We sat on a big boulder the size of a minivan and took in the views for almost 90 minutes.
We went slower on the descent, to take it easy on out knees, and also because there was no rush any more. Most people take the bus back to Puerto Natales the same day, but we had chosen to stay at Las Torres Hotel, our splurge for the trip. It's a very nice place, we were glad it was at the end of the trek and not that start (some people go east-west; I think west-east is better because you finish with the highlight (Las Torres), and there's great views of Los Cuernos along the bottom part of the W.
The weather forecast posted in the hotel showed a high of 23C for today! -- we had packed clothing for 5C :)
Over the five days we trekked 70km, almost all ups-and-downs, over uneven rocks. We had no rain on four days, and just a sprinkling on the other. As well we didn't get the high winds that we'd read about. Our gear held up pretty well, and so did our bodies. We were very impressed by both the quality and quantity of food, although with all the walking with packs we both lost weight (at least, out clothes are fitting much looser).
From the refugio we watched Los Torres turn red with the sunrise. We quickly ate our breakfast, and started our ascent to the lookout shortly after 8am. I was worried that clouds would roll in at any moment, and with just a day pack, we had a very fast pace.
It was a strenuous climb, ascending from 400m to 800m, but not very technically difficult. The last few hundred metres was over rocks, but well-marked. We must have had a big adrenaline kick because the map said it should take 2:15 hours but we reached the lookout in 1:25!
Los Torres is simply amazing. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky (we had prepared ourselves to wait for a couple hours to get a glimpse, based on blogs we read beforehand). Also, the sunrise people had descended, and we were the first post-breakfast people to arrive, so we had Los Torres to ourselves for almost an hour! We sat on a big boulder the size of a minivan and took in the views for almost 90 minutes.
We went slower on the descent, to take it easy on out knees, and also because there was no rush any more. Most people take the bus back to Puerto Natales the same day, but we had chosen to stay at Las Torres Hotel, our splurge for the trip. It's a very nice place, we were glad it was at the end of the trek and not that start (some people go east-west; I think west-east is better because you finish with the highlight (Las Torres), and there's great views of Los Cuernos along the bottom part of the W.
The weather forecast posted in the hotel showed a high of 23C for today! -- we had packed clothing for 5C :)
Over the five days we trekked 70km, almost all ups-and-downs, over uneven rocks. We had no rain on four days, and just a sprinkling on the other. As well we didn't get the high winds that we'd read about. Our gear held up pretty well, and so did our bodies. We were very impressed by both the quality and quantity of food, although with all the walking with packs we both lost weight (at least, out clothes are fitting much looser).
Friday, March 04, 2011
W Trek - Day 4 - 16km - 5 hours
I woke with a start at 7am and ran outside in my pajamas to see how Los Cuernos looked in the dawn light. The sun was yet to rise over the foothills opposite so I had time to wash up and get my camera.
Breakfast was really good, cereal with milk, scrambled eggs and homemade bread. (The box lunch included homemade granola bars!) We were off by 8:30am, walking alongside the glacial green Lago Nordenskjöld, with beautiful views of Los Cuernos. The weather was looking to be another gorgeous day.
About three hours in we forked left for the shortcut to Refugio Chileno. The map showed a visual cue with the fork being just before a lagoon, but not to worry as there was a sign clearly marking "Shortcut to Chileno". We didn't see the lagoon for another 10 minutes so it's a good thing there was a sign.
The next hour was the hardest on the trek so far. We were under the hot sun, with no wind. It was stinking hot. About 30 minutes in we took shade under a lone tree, to eat our oranges, reapply sunscreen and cool down. When we got going again, we realized everyone else on the path had the same idea, as every few minutes we passed another tree with someone under it.
We were also running low on water. Horses use the same path, and we weren't sure of water quality (the streams flowed through more grasslands than on Day 1 and 2). Later we found out most other people ran out of water on this same stretch. It was unusual to have such a warm day!
Finally we crested the ridge, into the Windy Pass. It was windy as its name suggests, which helped to keep us cool. Plus we could see Refugio Chileno in the distance, which gave us a boost.
Refugio Chileno is yet another refugio in a perfect location. From the common room there are views of Las Torres. They rent towels ($3) (so far only Paine Grande included towels, and we hadn't packed any to save on weight) so I jumped in the shower. It wasn't hot but I didn't care.
The sun was still strong at 3pm so we sat inside for a beer while everyone else was sitting outside. Some other trekkers decided to climb to the lookout that afternoon because of the lack of clouds. The sun's in a better position for pictures in the morning so we decided to wait until tomorrow as planned.
Breakfast was really good, cereal with milk, scrambled eggs and homemade bread. (The box lunch included homemade granola bars!) We were off by 8:30am, walking alongside the glacial green Lago Nordenskjöld, with beautiful views of Los Cuernos. The weather was looking to be another gorgeous day.
About three hours in we forked left for the shortcut to Refugio Chileno. The map showed a visual cue with the fork being just before a lagoon, but not to worry as there was a sign clearly marking "Shortcut to Chileno". We didn't see the lagoon for another 10 minutes so it's a good thing there was a sign.
The next hour was the hardest on the trek so far. We were under the hot sun, with no wind. It was stinking hot. About 30 minutes in we took shade under a lone tree, to eat our oranges, reapply sunscreen and cool down. When we got going again, we realized everyone else on the path had the same idea, as every few minutes we passed another tree with someone under it.
We were also running low on water. Horses use the same path, and we weren't sure of water quality (the streams flowed through more grasslands than on Day 1 and 2). Later we found out most other people ran out of water on this same stretch. It was unusual to have such a warm day!
Finally we crested the ridge, into the Windy Pass. It was windy as its name suggests, which helped to keep us cool. Plus we could see Refugio Chileno in the distance, which gave us a boost.
Refugio Chileno is yet another refugio in a perfect location. From the common room there are views of Las Torres. They rent towels ($3) (so far only Paine Grande included towels, and we hadn't packed any to save on weight) so I jumped in the shower. It wasn't hot but I didn't care.
The sun was still strong at 3pm so we sat inside for a beer while everyone else was sitting outside. Some other trekkers decided to climb to the lookout that afternoon because of the lack of clouds. The sun's in a better position for pictures in the morning so we decided to wait until tomorrow as planned.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
W Trek - Day 3 - 13km - 4.5 hours
(I typed and lost this entry twice, and so here´s a much shorter version)
Trekked from Paine Grande, a short break at Campo Italiano, and then onto Refugio Cuernos. Great views of Los Cuernos, along the trek and from the refugio. Great food. Rained on us for the first time, but too hot under our windbreakers so just in our capilene base layers, but it wasn´t raining very hard and our clothes never really got wet. Debated going to Valley of Frances as a side trek from Campo Italiano (the middle part of the W) but decided against it because we didn´t want to push it.
Trekked from Paine Grande, a short break at Campo Italiano, and then onto Refugio Cuernos. Great views of Los Cuernos, along the trek and from the refugio. Great food. Rained on us for the first time, but too hot under our windbreakers so just in our capilene base layers, but it wasn´t raining very hard and our clothes never really got wet. Debated going to Valley of Frances as a side trek from Campo Italiano (the middle part of the W) but decided against it because we didn´t want to push it.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
W Trek - Day 2 - 19km - 6.5 hours
We slept deeply until 6am when the sky started to lighten and woke us up. We wanted to get an early start, to get a side trip closer up to glacier (with just a day pack) before heading back down to Paine Grande.
It took us an hour to reach Los Guardas campsite. There was supposed to be a lookout point 30 minutes beyond the camp, but we only saw signs to a lookout about 5 minutes away. This lookout point was almost on top of the glaciers and was amazing. (Later we talked to other trekkers who found the more distant lookout, oh well).
We went back to the refugio to get our packs, and a box lunch we had ordered. The lunch was huge! I was thinking about how much it weighed :) in my pack.
The trek back to Paine Grande was enjoyable. The views in the distance were amazing, but so was the path (which we didn't notice the first day). If you paid someone to create a rock garden and landscaping it wouldn't look half has good.
We arrived at Paine Grande lodge at 4:15pm. This was more hotel-like, although still with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. We were able to get a room for just the two of us. We showered and stretched, and the headed to the bar for a celebration beer ($4) (we also had one after day 1).
Dinner was a buffet, lots of food which was good, but not as tasty as Refugio Grey.
So far we've been lucky with the weather. The wind hasn't been too strong (gusts up to 40km?) and no rain yet. We've been wearing our capilene base layer with a wind breaker, and by zipping and unzipping and taking gloves on and off we've been comfortable in the changing weather conditions.
It took us an hour to reach Los Guardas campsite. There was supposed to be a lookout point 30 minutes beyond the camp, but we only saw signs to a lookout about 5 minutes away. This lookout point was almost on top of the glaciers and was amazing. (Later we talked to other trekkers who found the more distant lookout, oh well).
We went back to the refugio to get our packs, and a box lunch we had ordered. The lunch was huge! I was thinking about how much it weighed :) in my pack.
The trek back to Paine Grande was enjoyable. The views in the distance were amazing, but so was the path (which we didn't notice the first day). If you paid someone to create a rock garden and landscaping it wouldn't look half has good.
We arrived at Paine Grande lodge at 4:15pm. This was more hotel-like, although still with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. We were able to get a room for just the two of us. We showered and stretched, and the headed to the bar for a celebration beer ($4) (we also had one after day 1).
Dinner was a buffet, lots of food which was good, but not as tasty as Refugio Grey.
So far we've been lucky with the weather. The wind hasn't been too strong (gusts up to 40km?) and no rain yet. We've been wearing our capilene base layer with a wind breaker, and by zipping and unzipping and taking gloves on and off we've been comfortable in the changing weather conditions.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
W Trek - Day 1 - 11km - 4.5 hours
We were up early yet again, this time to catch the 7:30 shuttle for the two hour drive to Torres National Park. Paid our entry fee ($30 each), and then waited for the catamaran that took us to our starting point of the trek at Paine Grane lodge on Lake Pehoe.
At the airport check in, put packs weighed 15.7kg and 13.7kg. We left non-trekking stuff at our hotel in Puerto Natales, so we had about 15kg in total between the two of us for the trek.
We started walking at 1pm. The map said the 11km should take 3.5 hours. We started with a slow ascent to just under 500m above lake level, then ups and downs, in some places over fairly difficult rock formations. The path itself was very easy to follow, with false forks marked off. After 90 minutes or so, we had our first view of Glacier Grey, around 10km on the distance, but still very impressive. As we got closer, the views improved. The challenge was to keep our eyes on the rocky path and not on the amazing views!
After 3.5 hours we were getting tired, with no refugio in sight. It took us a very long extra hour to finally get there. We were surprised, because we are usually faster than suggested walking times.
The refugio was basic, jammed with bunk beds in dorm rooms. However it was very clean and the staff were amazing. The food servings were huge and delicious, contrary to what we has read in blogs prior to the trip.
Heather and I were in bed by 10pm, the first day of the trek completed.
At the airport check in, put packs weighed 15.7kg and 13.7kg. We left non-trekking stuff at our hotel in Puerto Natales, so we had about 15kg in total between the two of us for the trek.
We started walking at 1pm. The map said the 11km should take 3.5 hours. We started with a slow ascent to just under 500m above lake level, then ups and downs, in some places over fairly difficult rock formations. The path itself was very easy to follow, with false forks marked off. After 90 minutes or so, we had our first view of Glacier Grey, around 10km on the distance, but still very impressive. As we got closer, the views improved. The challenge was to keep our eyes on the rocky path and not on the amazing views!
After 3.5 hours we were getting tired, with no refugio in sight. It took us a very long extra hour to finally get there. We were surprised, because we are usually faster than suggested walking times.
The refugio was basic, jammed with bunk beds in dorm rooms. However it was very clean and the staff were amazing. The food servings were huge and delicious, contrary to what we has read in blogs prior to the trip.
Heather and I were in bed by 10pm, the first day of the trek completed.
Puerto Natales, Chile
We're just about off for our little trek. The bus picks us up at 7am, a two-hour drive to Las Torres national park, and then a ferry to our starting point.
Yesterday was another full travel day. We spent most of the day on airplanes and in airports getting from Santiago to Puerto Natales. My biggest concern prior to the trip was that the plane schedules were rather tight, so any delay from Toronto onwards would have messed up our reservations for lodges on the W trek. JFK had been closed about once a week this winter but we made it through. Also our luggage made it all the way too!
We arrived in Puerto Natales around 5pm. A nice couple runs a shuttle to town (from one of the smallest airports I've ever flown into) for about $4 per person, dropping us at our hotel, Hotel Amerindia.
We scurried about town on errands, renting walking poles ($3 per pair per day), buying dried fruit and nuts, getting cash. Then we had to reduce our packs for the trek, leaving behind at the hotel about half our stuff. The packs are now about 8kg each.
Finally got to dinner around 9pm. Had another big steak and lamb, grilled to perfection, along with a bottle of Carmenère. There's nothing added to the meat, just a little salt and that's it. But it tastes amazing.
Puerto Natales is a jumping off spot for most tourists, and everyone is wearing their new Patagonia gear (just like us). Not too much Lululemon though :)
I don't think there will be internet access on the trek, so we'll next update on Sunday.
Yesterday was another full travel day. We spent most of the day on airplanes and in airports getting from Santiago to Puerto Natales. My biggest concern prior to the trip was that the plane schedules were rather tight, so any delay from Toronto onwards would have messed up our reservations for lodges on the W trek. JFK had been closed about once a week this winter but we made it through. Also our luggage made it all the way too!
We arrived in Puerto Natales around 5pm. A nice couple runs a shuttle to town (from one of the smallest airports I've ever flown into) for about $4 per person, dropping us at our hotel, Hotel Amerindia.
We scurried about town on errands, renting walking poles ($3 per pair per day), buying dried fruit and nuts, getting cash. Then we had to reduce our packs for the trek, leaving behind at the hotel about half our stuff. The packs are now about 8kg each.
Finally got to dinner around 9pm. Had another big steak and lamb, grilled to perfection, along with a bottle of Carmenère. There's nothing added to the meat, just a little salt and that's it. But it tastes amazing.
Puerto Natales is a jumping off spot for most tourists, and everyone is wearing their new Patagonia gear (just like us). Not too much Lululemon though :)
I don't think there will be internet access on the trek, so we'll next update on Sunday.
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