Here is going to a random post with lots of pictures but also not even close to enough. Going through my pictures and picking out these 59 to share was tough! As I was on the trip, I jotted down some notes on my phone so I could remember everything as we went. Here's what I have to share with you! And for those of you who have it on your bucket list.... all I can say is go make it happen!! Here is the day by day run down.
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Day 0- Tuesday
Goodbyes suck. That’s all you need to know.
_________________________________________________________________________________Day 1- Wednesday
Completely exhausted. I still fail at sleeping on planes. When it leaves after 9pm and it is 10 hours long well.... it makes for a whole bunch of fun. Luckily, we were able to check in to the hotel early so we got a nap before heading out to check out the city. Struggled with getting money changed. Got a late lunch about 5:00 for pizza where they brought out peanuts and a bread bowl before food. We missed out on getting into the big cemetery which is apparently a big tourist thing. I believe Eva Peron is buried there. We walked around the city some with no real direction... just to check it out. We made it plaza de mayo before we had had enough fun. All in all I was just not in love with the city. I am not a big city person anyways and we had very little time to try to discover a big city. It was your typical big city in terms of it being a little trashy and stinky. There is no denying that there is some impressive architecture but they all look the same as the day went on. I'm sure I would find more culture if we stayed longer but no time for that. (all of this comes from a very tired, sleep deprived person so believe at your own risk)
Quick little notes- lots of places closed in the afternoon for siesta time. Definitely restaurants but also smaller stores and such. Many places don’t open for dinner until 8. So yeah we saw people still out for the night when we were droggy and leaving at 2:45 the next morning. Taxis still pretty cheap. Uber’s still illegal. 14 million people in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. They use their corners well. Lots of oddly shaped tall buildings to fit the corner. Like triangular ish. Many cafes on corners too.
MEAT... its what for dinner tonight.
these platform shoes.... any platform shoes... everywhere!
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Day 2- Thursday
Alarm at 2:27 for a flight at 5 for El Calafate. Woah early. Beautiful sunrise in the plane. At about 5:30. Super tired. Two nights of hardly any sleep. We made it to our hotel which we thought was a little too far from town and took another nap. Much needed. Went out to town later that evening. Walked around shops. Got dinner. Salmon for me (which they actually call trout... same thing here in some parts of Colombia). And then went to a natural reserve where we were supposed to care about seeing birds. Supposed to was the key word there. Regardless, we got to walk along Lago Argentina, which was beautiful. All in all, I thought all the walking was a little bit of wasted energy considering my knee was not in great condition going into the trip. And for the weather, well you can definitely tell we flew three hours south. It was very windy and much chillier.
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Day 3- Friday
Full day excursion to the perito Moreno glacier. Just breathtaking. Hard to imagine the size of just the front of the glacier and that is absolutely nothing compared to the whole thing. Cold windy and rainy. Sometimes the sun would come out for a little and that would let us see how far back and how massive the glacier is. Stood for a long time at the balcony to try to catching a big piece of ice falling. They call it calving. Of course it seemed like something happened every time I turn away. But we could always hear it constantly. It was a very impressive sound. You could hear the ice breaking splitting or shifting. And you could definitely hear it when it fell. Even the chunks that appeared small gave off a big thundering noise because they really weren’t small at all. Went out to town for water and dinner at mako. Nice restaurant that we had to make a reservation for the day before. Long breadstick. Warm breadsticks. Lamb mousse. Octopus carpaccio. Then pumpkin carrot and curry soup and guanaco burger for me. Argentine steak and mako potatoes with bacon and mushrooms for Dad.
Info from Bus ride to Perito Moreno
6 ecosystems in an hour. Only place in the world. Dry part is the steepe. Then getting to the more wet part which is the forest. The lengua is the dominant plant there. It is a type of tree. 150 meters deep. Blue like Caribbean water. Blue bc it is formed by the melted ice. Not rain water. The ice doesn't have color so it copies the blue sky. Lakes by the rainforest are green not blue bc of the minerals Landscape looks like Australia in some parts. Guanaco is the natural animal here. The guanaco is like a humpless camel. See white marks on the top of some of the mountain. Bird poop from the condors. New egg every three years to allow the young to grow up enough to help protect the new egg. Super high to protect from humans 200 km/hr wind speeds so the plans have adapted to be short Lots of English names for mountains and such bc Moreno the primary explorer had an English mother. This whole area aka Patagonia was originally Chilean but they abandoned the area when they went to fight against Peru and then the argentinians came in. 1870s Volanic activity in the area long time ago. Can still find ash. 2011 big volacno in Chile. Closed the airport in Buenos Aires and calafate bc of the volcanic ash in the wind Largest national park in Argentina. The ice field is the third largest in the world The lengua forest is in Argentina and Chile. This kind forest is even better than the Brazilian rainforest and emitting oxygen and cleaning the air. No pollution here. Mountain eronded by glacier on the left side of the road we were riding on and by the wind on the right. two different landscapes so close. Tempano. Local name for chunk of ice in lake. aka an iceberg... whatever chunks of ice that are floating in the lakes. Rainy and windy during the high season but wayyyyy too cold the rest of the year. Upsala glaciar. Lost 12 km in the front 20 years ago. Viedma glacier lost 4 km in the last 10 year. Multiple other ones. Scientists perfect that many could be gone in 30 years Perito Moreno. On a slope so that's what it is advancing. In the central area it is advancing 2 meters per day.
on the left side of this picture, just above the rocky ground, there is a dark line on the glacier. this is a group of ice hikers. maybe this will help give you an idea of how massive it is.
Close up of one of the tempanos/ the chunks of ice at the base of the glacier.
just wow
stood on these boardwalks forever to get a glimpse of a chunk falling. mesmerizing
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Day 4- Saturday
We took an early bus to El Chalten, riding along famous route 40- the longest in Argentina. More than 5000 km. We stopped to see Viedma glacier which is also the largest glacier in Argentina. Once we got checked into our room, surprise surprise I took a short nap before we headed out for a small waterfall hike. Only about 6 km. After we returned, we went to check out town for a little. Town is being generous. This is a tiny tiny place and it is only here because of tourism, mainly the hike to Fitz Roy. I dont remember exactly but sometime in the 1980s the town was formed with only about 40 people there.
Because a bus trip wouldn't be the same without a break down.
the clouds though... always showing off
the most beautiful bus rides everywhere we went
beautiful... but I think Colombia has spoiled me
the wind!! insane!! It actually seemed like it was raining when you were near lakes and rivers because the wind would pick up water and blow it around
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Day 5 - Sunday
Today was the long awaited hike to fitz roy. and it was AMAZING! Seriously, everything that I wanted it to be and more. We met two people in our hotel that morning that we went with and it was fun to have some other crazy company. It was a 20km day for us and it took most of the day. It was a beautiful hike, going in and out of forest and walking past beautiful glaciers, lakes, and mountains. The last little bit was tough. It was pretty much straight up with lots of little man made steps built it. But the reward made you forget about all the pain. I walked down to the base of Fitz Roy because at that point whats another few minutes? I also went up this other hill to get a glimpse at another lake with a totally different color. I just sat there and soaked it in for the longest. This was probably my highlight of the trip. And let me just say, we had such a great day. beautiful weather! It is not uncommon to get all the way there and not be able to see it because of the clouds.
A hanging glacier... aka a glacier on the mountain not going into water directly.
almost there!!!
But seriously... how is this place real????
The water is so clear and beautiful and cold and drinkable.
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Day 6 - Monday
We hiked to cerro torre in the morning of our last day here in El Calafate. We were a little sore and nothing could hold a candle to what we did yesterday so it was nice but not exactly amazing. We did a little town walking and shopping before we returned to el calafate in the evening.
This is a picture of the meat pit at Mako where we ate earlier in the trip. This are in many of the windows of the restaurants around town.
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Day 7 - Tuesday
Shocking I know but it was another early morning departure into Torres Del Paine (pronounced like pie-nay). We were heading there for our big 4 day backpacking trek and culmination to the trip. We joined a tour group for just the transportation but we got the added benefit of lot of information. We were supposed to get dropped off on the way in but didnt have anything to do the rest of the day. After deciding it was a wasted day, we talked to the tour guide of the bus group we were on and we were able to stay on for the whole tour. Neat because we got to see the park from a different view. We will get to see it from this side on the catamaran on the way back before we head to puerta natales but it was such a beautiful day as far the weather was concerned so we wanted to take advantage. We had a pretty good dinner with cous cous, super tough beef and mashed squash. All the meals are family style so I sat and talked with a mom and two kids from scottland and really enjoyed talking with them. That evening, we bought a little internet so I was able to touch base with mom and Katie. The Refugios are basically a series of dorm rooms in a hostel. Our little room had 6 beds in it and a community bathroom. You could definitely use your nose and figure out who was starting and finishing the W. No judgement because I knew we would be there in a few days.
Bus into Torres del Paine
1959 created
voted 8th natural wonder of the world
5th place in top 100 places to go in your lifetime
Torres means towers. And Paine is a local name for the blue color that you see everywhere.
Riding on ruta del fin de mundo bc it goes to Ushuaia
Saw guanaco, lots of sheep, little cats, and an ostrich on the drive in
Layers on the mountains. The black rocks. We're formed by the ocean bc this used to all be flooded. And this black clay sunk to the bottom.
About 100 years ago people came here yo make money. They found that sheep are good here and so they kept putting more sheep. Then they wanted more farm land. So they burned the forest which had lasting implications.
The north face owner founder is a huge proponent of land conservation for nature. Donated all kinds of stuff. Very active in Patagonia region
Milky look to the water because with the glacial ice falling constantly it is always stirring up dust. Water is flowing toward the Pacific and so it is slowly clearing over time.
like what?! woah woah woah!
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Day 8 - Wednesday
Though we were up and ready to go, we headed out a little later to try to wait out the rain. It worked out well for us and that was really the only day time rain we saw. Thank you Mother Nature! It was definitely a day of climbing and we had to stop to take off layers many times. Also, it was by far the most crowded hike that we went on bc many people do it as day trips. We were heading to the towers (the Torres- the namesake of the park). Some people like to save it for the end bc of the drama but I am happy that we got to experience it at the beginning because it was a tough day.
We stopped about 2 or 3 hours in when we made it Refugio Chileno for lunch, a break, and to drop off our bags before leaving for the base of the towers. After the morning rain and fog burned off, it was a great day for weather and we were lucky enough to get to see all the towers. Much more so than Fitz Roy, a ton of people get there and see nothing. And lets just say that is not a hike you want to waster. It is a very very steep up. You almost lose a path as you make it to a boulder field with lots and lots of rocks, huge rocks. You just look up and (hopefully) see the towers and use that as your guide.
This hike is beautiful at sunrise buttttttt that means you are hiking up that in the dark. And the morning weather is typically always super foggy and such so it is a big risk. A group of people went the next morning and I heard them talking at breakfast that they didnt see it at all.
Hiking times today....9-11:30 and 12:30-5:30
Maybe I was naive but I never expected this much green forest
thats a niceeee boulder... I like that boulder!!
Yes I know I am in short sleeves. I promise it was cold but we were working hard!
TORRES DEL PAINE!
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Day 9- Thursday
We headed out early this morning with a good bit of energy and it is a good thing because the day was longer than what we were expecting. Guess this is mostly our fault since we missed the short cut to Refugio Cuernos. Let's just say that we weren't so happy about that. We had the best packed lunch that day and we stopped to eat it with a nice view. Long day with the full backpack all day. No rest for the weary
Hiking times...8:15-4:30 with some breaks of course!
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Day 10- Friday
Friday was the longest day as far as our scheduled itinerary (25 km) but I knew i was not going to go the whole way. I planned on stopping at the first lookout. We left cuernos and went to camp Italiano where we were able to leave our big bags. We definitely took advantage of that where possible. I think I did a great job packing bc mine really was not that heavy. As you can see in the pictures, I wore the same thing every day depending on what layers were showing at the time. My feet were definitely stinky but other than that I think we did good. I guess the colder temperature and crazy wind helped with that too.
After dropping our bags off, we went to mirador Frances and got to watch some avalanches or calving. So much ice and water around. This was a much harder hike to the mirador than I expected. It was a long day too. Got really tired right at the end of the day but I knew the end was in sight. Let me just take a quick time out right here though and tell you that this signage in the park is completely terrible so you never really know how much you have gone and how much you have left.
Also the last hour and a half or so we got to experience the famous Patagonian winds. I felt like I would have been cheated without them but I had had enough fun by the time I made it to the fefugio. According to the weather report at Paine Grande there were gusts up to 60 km. Super strong. Balance was already off from the backpack so it knocked you around pretty good. We probably had the best dinner of the trip that night with mashed potatoes and pot roast. I was super hungry too so Im sure that had nothing to do with it. This Refugio was owned by a different company and was definitely a little nicer. But it was also right on the water so its access to the outer world was a lot easier too.
That evening, we fought with the emergency contact with the company we went with and failed. We didn't get much help. But with the exception of our way in and way out of the park and the location of our hotel we were very pleased with everything. It was well worth the money we spent to have them help us out!
Hiking times that day.... 8 - 12:30 and 1-4:00
Mirador Frances
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Day 11- Saturday
We had had enough fun by the last day. We were tired but also just very content with our whole experience on the W and in all of Patagonia. We checked out our itinerary and decided we wanted to try to get the early boat and bus back to puetro natales so we could rest a little before all the travel time coming our way. Also we had done a whole bunch of hiking and seen lots of glaciers so it was not super important to see glacier grey. However with that said we still went out for a short hike to see what we could see. We didn't make it to the glacier but we did see some icebergs in the lake. It was a good shake-out and wind down hike.
Thankfully, we caught only our second bit of rain waiting for the ferry. We were so nervous about making it on the ferry and the bus because our tickets didnt have times on it but both were nearly empty.
we made it Puerto natales after about a 3-4 hour bus ride. We did a little shopping and grabbed a yummy dinner before calling it a night.
Hiking time... 8:30-10:30.
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Day 12 - Sunday
And the traveling begins... We left on a bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate for about a 5 hour bus or so. We had to cross from Chile back into Argentitna so the border crossing adds time there. We had a long time to waste in El Calfate before catching our late flight back to Buenos Aires. We were able to leave a few things in our hotel in Calafate that we didnt need to hike with so we picked those up, grabbed some snacks, ate a linner, did the last bit of shopping, and just chilled in a tourism office. Our flight didnt leave until 9pm so we got into BA after midnight. Travel travel travel. A necessary evil and oh so worth it considering our trip but we were exhausted.
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Day 13 - Monday
Back to reality and back to Medellin for me. We got picked up at 5 that morning and I made it in to Medellin about 4:30 that afternoon.
But today was a biggggg day. It was GAMEDAY and the BULLDAWGS were playing in the national championship so I definitely rallied for that. My apartment was a mess from when I left to go home before Christmas so I worked on cleaning it up before heading out to watch the game with some friends. Completely wiped and heartbroken by the end of the night.
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And lastly..... here are some things that just didnt fit in anywhere else...
Great weather during out trip. Much much warmer than I expected. I almost wish it was a little colder so I could wear more clothes and carry less. Usually cloudy in the morning, cleared up by mid morning, and cloudy again in the afternoon. Super lucky.
Stayed in refugios and it is well worth the money. Also had all meals provided. Decent food. Enough to fill your belly but nothing too delicious. All served family style. 6-8 beds in the dorm rooms.
Many people end up doing the same schedule as you so you get to know some fun people and check up on them through the the day and each evening.
The signs in the park are awful. And all signs and all maps lie. They must operate with Chilean kilometers here because they are unlike any kilometers I have met before.
Walking sticks... They may not be the cool thing or the cutest thing to take your picture with but they are life savers. Don't go without them. Even if you have never used them before.
Fun game on the last day. Who is finishing the w and who is starting the w? Haha it isn't too hard to tell
we think we did roughly 75km. with lots of ups and downs.
so thankful my body made it through. glad I didnt come rolling down the mountain on a horse of stretcher. Yes it was painful and YES it was worth it!
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well thats all folks. Hope you enjoy checking out all the pictures!
