Colonial Colonia!

Colonia, Uruguay, 25 January 2008
Montevideo, Uruguay, 26 and 27 January 2008

Uruguay is close to Buenos Aires so we took the ferry across the Rio de la Plata to the town of Colonia first before taking the bus south to Montevideo.

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Colonia was a beautiful little town with many historic buildings (dated from the Portuguese occupation), narrow passageways, plaza´s, and even sandy beaches. We spent the evening exploring the old town and the next morning we took a local bus out to the huge, run-down, bull ring. The bull ring is in a state of complete disrepair now but it is not difficult to see how this was a serious sports venue in its day. There was a old lady selling souvenirs & I (Claire) bought a heart pendant chain (I didnt want to buy it but I wanted to purchase something from her as she was so nice). From here we strolled back along the beach with our feet in the warm water.

Once back in town it was time for food. What is hugely popular here, as well as in Argentina, is the Parilla. This is a barbecue of, no, not steak and chicken breast, but of all the yucky parts of an animal, tripe, guts, tongue, liver, kidneys, blood sausage, etc. Amazingly I (Claire), the quasi-vegetarian, suggested we try it. Well, when in Rome and all that then feelings of what have I let myself in for, eeek. The whole thing came out on one plate with everything piled on top of each other. Without going into too much detail it wasn´t as bad as we had envisaged....it wasn´t good either though. I requested that we just eat & don't discuss what was on our plates. Dave thought the blood sausage was the best as it was reminiscent of haggis or black pudding. The rest doesn´t bare talking about but I sure was glad I´d ordered the litre of beer.

Later that afternoon we caught the bus to the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, a quick 2 hour jaunt down the road. We were most pleasantly surprised by our accommodation. We had a double room on the top floor of the Palacio Hotel right in the center of town. There was a large private terrace offering views in all directions, an ensuite with bathtub (always puts a smile on my face), a fridge and cable TV. All for only 24 US dollars per night. If only Montevideo itself could have been equally as pleasant. Some places you can´t speak highly enough about, well, Montevideo is a place we can´t speak lowly enough about. There were more weird hawks in this city than we've encountered in all of South America, yes, including infamous Chiloe or Bogota. It is, put simply, a dump. During our 2 day stay we did the whole tourist bit and really struggled to find any redeeming qualities. We visited the Mercado del Puerto, which houses a number of different Parilla estaurants. We went for the safe option this time (or so we thought), BBQ chicken, pepper, potato & onion and a litre of beer. We also tried the Grappamiel, an alcoholic drink made from alcohol & honey.

The one thing that will seriously stick out in my mind about Uruguay was the number of people we passed with Mate cup in hand and thermo flask for refill. Unbelieveable. Hoards of people, mostly men. People say that Argentina has the mate culture but you don't see half as many people on the street hermetically sealed to the bomba (metal straw). Just to explain Mate is a tea-like beverage consumed mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil. It is brewed from the dried leaves and stemlets of the perennial tree Ilex paraguarensis ("Yerba Mate").

Mmmm, this tastes good!

The Bull Ring

Colonia

Old car in Colonia

Catching 40 winks in Montevideo

The lift in our hotel in Montevideo

Anyone for Tango?

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20-24 & 28 January 2008
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Arriving in Buenos Aires (B.A.) on a Sunday morning we caught the underground to Tanguera Hostel in the San Telmo district and immediately went about exploring the various streets, plaza´s, and markets of our neighbourhood. The cobblestone streets were flanked by beautiful colonial mansions, fruit & antique shops. There were tourists everywhere and there was a real buzz about the place. Having walked the length and breath of San Telmo we returned to the central square where we bumped into Ben and Hanna, fellow traveller friends we had first met in Ecuador. That evening we all went for a steak dinner and enjoyed sharing our stories of life on the road. We probably dined a little earlier than most Porteños (locals), who favour a 12 midnight sitting!
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Over the next few days we explored the city center and the better known suburbs (barrios) of Palermo (designer shops & tasty ethnic restaraunts), Recoleto (resting place of Evita), and of course La Boca. We also took several walks along the newly rejuvenated dockland area of Puerto Madero.


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La Boca was hilarious with its brightly coloured buildings and over eager street vendors. The most common were the tango dancers who would encourage you to have your photo taken with them for a mere 2 peso´s (50 cent). There was one character who fancied himself as a Diego Maradona look-alike so, needless to say, he was charging to "have your photo taken with Diego". He got very rattled when people took his photo without permission. The place felt more like a Disney set than a working class suburb of BA.

And of course you can´t come to the Argentine Capital and not take in a tango show. We decided to go for the full package: tango lesson, followed by dinner, followed by the show. We were a little nervous about the tango lesson but it turned out to be great fun and gave us a greater appreciation of the show later in the evening, which, by the way was amazing. Tango is clearly a way of life over here. Even the receptionist at our hostel told us she goes dancing every night till 6am. With that level of commitment from the locals what hope do us blow-ins have, I ask you?

BA reminded us very much of New York City with elegant leafy parks, grand architecture, metro system, wide avenues, selection of eateries, professional dog walkers, kerb crawling taxi drivers, people stepping on top of you, pollution, designer shops & funky city suburbs. The good weather (30oC) meant it was really pleasant for us to stroll around in shorts & t-shirt dodging the multitude of dubious drips that fall from buildings above the footpath (probably water from air con units).

The popular breakfast here is cortado (espresso with a dash of milk) & medialunas (croissants). A bottle of good wine in a fine restaraunt costs 25 pesos (6 Euro) - bargain!
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Tango Dancers wall plaque


Tango Dancers Bridge at Puerto Madero


La Boca

La Boca

La Boca

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Tango Show

Claire & her Tango dance teacher Hugo, he looks like Carlos Cardel (famous Tango artist)

The resting place of Eva Peron

Strange bug we found in our bedroom, eeek

Casa Rosada

Bariloche (Argentinian Lake District)

Bariloche, Argentina, 14-18 January 2008

After spending a couple of days in a really comfy hostel (Las Carretas) we caught an early morning bus to El Calafate. Our intention was to get a bus from El Calafate to Bariloche but once in El Calafate Claire decided she really couldn´t face a 34 hour bus journey so soon after the hardship of Torres Del Paine. As it happened the buses were fully booked anyway for the following 2 days. So we booked a flight to Bariloche for the following afternoon. Once at the airport we met an English lad who we knew from Puerto Natales. His flight to Buenos Aires had been cancelled due to a baggage handlers strike so he had been stuck in the airport for the past 2 days. At night, once his last chance to get on an alternative flight had passed, the airline would put him up in a hotel until the following morning when his "groundhog day" would start all over again.


We had not been able to book any accommodation before our flight (despite the fact that we phoned 7 places in the guide book), we intended on just asking a taxi to take us into town and we would ask around. This might not have been so bad had our flight not been delayed. As it turned out we landed in Bariloche at midnight...DOH!! With biblical images of walking the streets in desperate search of a bed for the night, Claire approached the airline officials & asked of they could help us find a hotel because of the flight delay. The airline went one step better than that, taking pity on us, paid for a taxi into town and a nights accommodation right in the heart of downtown. Result! We chcked in at 1am & the following morning we found alternative accommodation in Hotel Antartida.

Bariloche was like a holiday from our holiday. T-shirt, sandals, and shorts were the clothing of choice. Tourists everywhere availing of free chocolates. That´s right, the town was awash with chocolate stores. As a lure, the stores would use trays of free chocolates to entice you in....and they were delicious. On our first day we stayed around town (I wonder why?) but on day 2 we caught a bus along the shore of Lake Nahuel Haupi to a place called Bahia Lopez.



Another day trip took us to Cathedral, one of South America´s largest ski resorts. Obviously, this being the height of their Summer, it was more about getting to the top of Cerro Cathedral and enjoying the views. Claire decided to give it a miss and headed back to Bariloche. I think I was probably the only person that day that chose to walk to the summit. Other holiday makers took the more leisurely cable car option. It was a hot, hard hike...just the way I like ´em. Fortunately, having spent my time at the summit, I managed to blag a free cable car ride to the base...walking isn´t that much fun. Result.

After 4 days of glorious sunshine in Bariloche it was time to move on to Argentina´s capital - Buenos Aires (BA).

Death by Chocolate

Where is the chocolatest street in the world? It is in Bariloche, Argentina, located in the southwestern part of Argentina near the Chilean border. Austrians and Germans looking for a better life settled in the area in the late 1800’s. These immigrants sought a place that reminded them of their Bavarian homeland, and they found it in a beautiful, fertile valley nestled in the Andes. Bariloche's chocolate history began after World War II, when some of the European immigrants began making chocolates at home. Some of Bariloche's chocolates are still handmade but most are prepared by a combination of machines and handcrafting. Now Mitre Street, Bariloche’s main street, is a “Street of Chocolate Dreams.” It is lined with stores selling chocolates and tourists trying to decide which store offers the best chocolate. It is a yummy dilemma!

No shortage of places to purchase chocolate in Bariloche!

No need to buy chocolate here, just do what Dave & I did, visit a few shops & snack on the complimentary samples!!

Afternoon Tea?

We took a daytrip from Bariloche along the shore of Lake Nahuel Haupi to a place called Bahia Lopez. From here it was a pleasant 7km walk to Peurto Panuelos and our ultimate destination - 5* Hotel Llao Llao for afternoon tea. This place was amazing. So amazing in fact we thought there is no way we will be able to afford it. Once we had made it passed security (honestly) we were invited into the hotel. This place was plush in the extreme and talk about views. Perched on a hill it enjoyed spectacular views in every direction. But we didn´t come here for the views!! It was time to get down to business... gorging ourselves on the most exquisite cakes and pastries imaginable. Taking a 7km walk to get here was inspired. We started with a few dainty smolked salmon sandwiches followed by countless trips to the pastry table. The best part is that it was really good value. For about 15 euro per person you got all the food and all the tea´s, coffee´s, juices you could consume. You even got a glass of wine at the end to wash it all down. Incredible. We rolled onto the bus back to Bariloche.

A backpackers life, eh?!
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The Pleasure & Pain of Torres Del Paine

Torres Del Paine, Chile, 6-9 January 2008
Puerto Natales, Chile, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 January 2008

Our 16 hour bus journey to Puerto Natales was uneventful, other than the fact that we forgot that we would have to set our watches back an hour once we entered Chile and thought we had missed our connecting bus in Punta Arenas. All was fine. In Puerto Natales we pushed our way passed the hecklers trying to get us to go to their accommodation as we already had a reservation....or so we thought. When we got to the address there was only a locked up bar there. No one had heard of Hostel Nancy. Beautiful. No biggy though, we simply checked into Hostel Oasis instead.

Next day we set about getting all our provisions together for a 5 day hike in Torres Del Paine (TDP) National Park. We planned to do "The W". If you've been there you'll know what we mean but, put simply, it is a walk that takes the shape of a capital W. The town is superbly kitted out with everything the would-be hiker could possibly need. There are even shops that sell nothing but dried fruit. We were ready.

DAY 1

Next morning, carrying only what we would need for the next 5 days, we caught the bus to the park. Once we had taken the catamaran across lake Pehoe it was time for the fun to start in earnest. The map said it should take three and a half hours to get to Refugio Grey...but those things always over·estimate, right? About 4 hours and 15 minutes later we rolled into the campsite...exhausted. Can't complain too much though as weather conditions were perfect. With the tent erected and our energy levels slowly rising again we took an evening stroll up to the local mirador (lookout point). It was really quiet up there and we had excellent views of Glacier Grey and the surrounding mountains. We lingered for a while glad to have the first arduous day under our belts.
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DAY 2

After a peaceful, if perhaps a little chilly, night in the tent I, Dave, took an early morning stroll up around the mirador again. I had the whole place to myself. I climbed up a small hill to where a small cairn had been put together. Then I noticed there was a higher hill just next to it with no cairn. Twenty minutes later, cairn erected, photographs taken, one last look at the glacier, and it was time to head back to Claire to start our descent to Refugio Pehoe. Again conditions were perfect and once at the Pehoe we enjoyed a long lazy lunch at the Refugio. It was great. Boots were off, toes were wiggled, coffee was hot, and all was well in the world. Then it was time to re·don the backpacks (and the boots) for the two hour leg to Campamento Italiano in the center of the W. They say you can get 4 seasons in one day in TDP and it was on this stretch that we first experienced this for ourselves. As we set off the sun was still shining, then sun turned to hail stones, hailstones then turned to rain, and by the time we reached the campsite the sun was out again and all was calm.

DAY 3

Night two was considerably colder in the tent so extra layers were required in the sleeping bag. The next day was to be our easy day, following breakfast we would head up Valley de Francois.... without backpacks. Yey!! The weather wasn´t ideal but knowing how quickly it can change we determined to persevere & walk to the mirador at Campamento Britanico. The clouds did part every so often but for the most part our views were obscured, it was still a psychological victory though as this mirador marked the middle section of the W i.e. it completed half our circuit (not to be confused with the grand circuit as some hikers choose to do). Once back down at Campamento Italiano we dismantled our tent & commenced the 2 1/2 trek to Refugio Los Cuernos. Energy levels were definitely lower in this our 3rd day. I guess our bodies were adjusting to the new lifestyle mi.e. little sleep pn hard ground in cold tent, long days trekking with heavy backpacks, only cold dry food for brekkie, lunch & tea, and all whilst taking a constant battering from the fickle Patagonian weather. Well, maybe that last on isn´t entirely true. For the majority of our trek the weather was perfect, but every now & then you´d get a glimpse of what this place is capable of when a gust of wind would come out of nowhere & practically knock you off your feet. We tool a break to take a seat on the shore of Lake Nordenskjold. The sun was shinning & it was glorious. Next thing you could see that the wind had picked up water from the lake & was driving it towards us, it was like a visible wind. Needless to say the outcome was a quick showering in lake water. There were great views of Los Cuernos (the horns) along this stretch. These are huge blocks of granite rock with peaks of black slate on the top. Once set up at Refugio Los Cuernos, Claire enjoyed a hot shower.... I decided to remain au natural!

DAY 4

We struck off on what would be our longest day trekking. After about 6 hours we glad to come around the corner and see Refugio Chileno in the river valley. This section had treacherous drop-off to the right hand side of the path and you could imagine how a sudden gust of wind could cause a hiker to have a serious accident. Before we started our hike we were told it was along this section that an Irish man, Ronan Lawler, had gone missing. He was presumed dead but his body had not been found. At this stage he´s been missing almost 2 months. While it was east to see where someone could have a fatal accident it was difficult to understand why the authorities would have such difficulty finding the body. You couldn´t help combing the area with yours eyes as you walked along.

Once at Refugio Chileno we enjoyed a frosty beverage before completing the last leg of our journey to Campamento Torres. Claire was beginning to feel the strain from our long day hiking so it was a real spirit lifter when we arrived at the campsite after only one hour more. The map and signs had it down as 1.5 hours. Hallelujah! With the tent up & the last supper in our bellies I (Dave) decided to take the 45 mins walk up to the mirador. If I didn´t go up tonight & conditions were bad in the morning then I might miss the towers entirely. Claire decided to stay put in the tent. She was little nervous letting me off at 8pm at night. Weather & visibility were perfect & I had the whole place to myself. It was immensley satisfying after such a long day of trekking to be able to sit in solitude and gaze upon one of SA´s most iconic landmarks. After 20mins I headed back down to Claire and an icy cold night in tent. What we found out a day later was that Ronan´s body had been found up in the area.
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DAY 5
After a 4:45am alarm, I headed back up to the mirador to watch the sunrise. Apparently it´s the thing to do. Unfortunately the Towers/sun didn´t perform for us on this particular occasion. We then commenced the last hike of the 5 days, as with all these tough experiences it´s only when it´s all over that you are truly glad you did them! Then, back in Puerto Natales it was back to the good stuff:
warm shower
clean clothes
fantastic meal
hot stone massage
comfy bed
warm room
Ahhh, it never felt so good.















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It is the rocky torres (towers) & cuernos (horns) that made Patagonia famous!
















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Chocolate treats post trek!