Lori and I started the year with a bucket list trip to Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Patagonia.
We enjoyed great Argentinian and Chilean wine. We learned that Patagonia is very, very windy.
If you want more, here are photos from a couple of the other travelers.
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After sitting in a narrow seat with little legroom and getting almost no sleep after 1 hour on the Miami tarmac and an 8 hour flight, I was done.
We were lucky to be here at all after our intended flight was canceled on account of mechanical problems. We were waitlisted for another flight and luckily, we got on it! However, just as the doors were about to close, we were pulled off to make room for flight crew. We were then waitlisted for another flight and luckily, we got on it! This time, the doors closed and we took off.
It was raining hard upon landing. The Tile app said that our bags were in the same terminal. A minor miracle had happened. The bags must have been transferred to the next flight when the flight was canceled and I just happened to miss that movement in Miami.
We didn't see any Wilderness Travel signs outside of baggage claim, so we managed to get an Uber driver. A helpful tour director helped us navigate the text messages to the driver and find out where we should meet.
We arrived at the Palladio Hotel, where our room was ready. Since we didn't eat dinner on account of the scrambling in the Miami airport, we were starved and had a nice lunch in the hotel.
By then the rain had mostly stopped and we took Lori's walking tour of Buenos Aires:
We ended our tour at El Gauchito where we had a couple of excellent meat empanadas, and shared the tables with a family from Montreal, originally from Tunisia, where I learned they speak French as well as Arabic.
Lori on the floor of the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the "world's most beautiful bookstore," which was originally a theater |
The Palacio de Justicia or Palacio de Tribunales is the seat of the Supreme Court and other lower courts |
The Teatro Colón has the best acoustics in the world for opera and second best for concerts |
The Obelisco in the Plaza de la República |
Lori couldn't help but pose with Messi |
|
The Cabildo de Buenos Aires, the seat of the town council during the colonial period |
The Casa Rosada is the workplace of the Argentinian president |
The Puente de la Mujer looks just like the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin, which isn't surprising since Santiago Calatrava designed both to swing 90 degrees to allow boats to pass by |
Lori hangs out with Mafalda and her friends |
The Casa Mínima was built by freedmen following the 1812 abolition of slavery in Argentina |
A transfer agent named Diego took us from the Palladio to the AEP airport to fly to the Iguazu Falls. Flying domestically in Argentina is a refreshing throwback to the old days. They didn't weigh our carry on and personal items and you can bring water through security.
Our guide Gaston met us at the airport with his driver and brought us to the Gran Meliá Hotel.
After lunch in the bar at the hotel and putting our stuff in our room with a view of the falls, we hiked the Iguazu Falls upper trail hike. The falls are really spectacular in volume and in noise. Oh, the thundering noise. It's really hot and humid here (34° and 98%). It's a rainforest. It was clear most of the day and then came a brief deluge in the late afternoon preceded by high winds.
Lori gets ready to enjoy a nice lunch with a view of the Iguazu Falls upon our arrival at the Gran Meliá |
The Iguazu Falls from the upper trail hike |
The Iguazu Falls from the upper trail hike |
South American coati |
Black capuchin |
Monkeys and coatis are not pets! |
We enjoy a little tango along with dinner |
Although we're not in Peru, we can still enjoy a pisco sour in the rooftop bar |
The very subtle entrance to the stairwell to the rooftop bar |
This morning we hiked on the lower trail where we were treated to a much better view of the falls. This is the location where most of The Mission was filmed.
We then took a boat ride in the river and under the falls. Literally. We got drenched! It was refreshingly cool. Saw a caiman (alligator) on the beach. We had lunch at the restaurant near the boat ride bus stop.
Gaston and his driver then drove us to the Brazil side of the falls. We walked down to the viewing platform where we got wet again. The platform was much closer to the falls and worth the trip. It was exhilarating.
We heard that there was an airline strike in Argentina. I later read that it was a 24-hour strike. Nonetheless, we got an email to check in and we wasted no time to get our boarding passes. Our fingers were crossed that we would get to Buenos Aires the next day.
We tried to pay for the extension (Brazil) of our extension (Iguazu Falls) using our international credit card, but there was a snafu on the exchange rate. We paid cash in the hope that our traveling companion Dan could score on some more in the Dallas airport.
Back at the hotel, we took a swim in the infinity pool and watched the black capuchin monkeys climb the hotel. Guests were warned to keep the balcony doors locked to keep them out. Then the lightning arrived so we went back to our room, where we later saw monkeys and later a singing bird on our balcony. Then we saw a pampas deer run back and forth across the lawn. Lots of nature. We were treated to a long lightning show most of the evening.
The Iguazu Falls from the lower trail |
The Iguazu Falls from the lower trail |
The Iguazu Falls from the lower trail |
The Iguazu Falls from the lower trail |
The Iguazu Falls from the lower trail |
Our balcony with a view to the Iguazu Falls |
The Gran Meliá from the Brazil side of the river |
Lori takes in the impressive Iguazu Falls from the Brazil side while sheltering from the heat under an umbrella |
A boat gets a serious dousing under the falls |
The Iguazu Falls are even more impressive from the Brazil side |
The Iguazu Falls are even more impressive from the Brazil side |
The Iguazu Falls are even more impressive from the Brazil side |
Lori and our guide Gaston enjoy one last view of the falls before heading up the last few steps to the van |
Lori and the thundering Iguazu Falls |
Black capuchin on our balcony! |
We flew back to Buenos Aires this morning. We saw a dozen toucans on the drive to the airport.
After checking back into the Palladio Hotel, we did another walking tour of Buenos Aires. We had intended to head south to the Congressa but turned left out of the hotel and went north. It's unusual for me to lose my sense of direction!
But it worked out. The highlight of the tour was the Biblioteca Nacional, which is a concrete library of brutalist architecture. We finished the day with a dinner of yummy empanadas at El Sanjuanino.
You might be wondering that it is strange for the bathroom to have a glass wall... |
...until you're in the bathroom and can see the amazing Iguazu Falls |
A statue of the beloved author Jorge Luis Borges |
A statue of Eva Perón in front of the Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno |
This sticker looks an awful like the NASA meatball logo |
Lori and I enjoy some great empanadas and beer at El Sanjuanino |
El Sanjuanino, home of some pretty good empanadas |
Photos for fans of Jorge Luis Borges |
Photos for fans of Jorge Luis Borges |
The El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the "world's most beautiful bookstore," was originally a theater |
Lori on the floor of the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the "world's most beautiful bookstore," which was originally a theater |
The ceiling of the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the "world's most beautiful bookstore," which was originally a theater |
After breakfasting with Dan and Sherry at the hotel, we did another walking tour of Buenos Aires including:
After lunch at the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, we met our tour guide José and the group and took a city driving tour with Federico that included the following spots:
The last time I saw such a curtain fig was in Australia |
Dan and Sherry in the Confitería Ideal |
A dial indicates the floor on this old-style elevator in the Palacio Barolo |
A very fun gargoyle sconce in the Palacio Barolo |
Monumento de los Dos Congresos |
Congreso de la Nación Argentina |
We enter the colorful district of La Boca |
The Dulce de Leche Argento shopping mall |
The Dulce de Leche Argento shopping mall |
The colorful district of La Boca |
The colorful district of La Boca |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below; some are forgotten |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below; some are forgotten and fall into disrepair |
The final resting place of Eva Peron in the Duarte family tomb in the Cementerio de la Recoleta after first being entombed in Milano, and later exhumed and transported to Juan Perón's dining room in Spain |
The final resting place of Eva Peron in the Cementerio de la Recoleta |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes--clearly shown in this photo--to pass caskets down below |
The Cementerio de la Recoleta where tombs go deep into the ground with stairs and chutes to pass caskets down below |
We caught a plane to Ushuaia where we met our driver Sebastian and guide Santiago for our visit to Tierra del Fuego.
Our first hike was along the Senda costera from the Bahía Lapataia to the Beagle Channel. There were just a few light sprinkles, but my ears and hands were cold. In retrospect, my Akubra was the wrong choice. It was too cold here, and later it would be too windy. Multipurpose headwear is the way to go.
The forests here are full of beech trees. The most common is the lenga, or tall deciduous beech (Nothofagus pumilio). Next is the bushier evergreen beech (Nothofagus betuloides), which has the most serrated leaf edges of the bunch. In Los Glaciers National Park, we also saw the Antarctic deciduous beech (Nothofagus antarctica) which looks like it's half dead.
I also saw lots of other new plants and animals such as the yellow orchid (Gavilea lutea), Misodendrum punctulatum, a ball like structure of tubular branches and twigs and similar to false mistletoe (Misodendrum linearifolium), which has a feathery, beard-like appearance for dispersing seeds, prickly heath (Gaultheria mucronata), Magellan ragwort (Senecio smithii), upland geese (Chloephaga picta), steamer ducks (Tachyeres patachonicus), and chimango caracara (Milvago chimango).
After the hike Santiago and José shared their mate with me. It's a social drink where you pour tea leaves into a cup, pour in a little water (80 degrees Celsius, very important!), and push a filtered straw underneath the leaves. Do not move the straw after this. You drink the liquid, fill it up with water in the same place so that the water expands to soak the leaves slowly, and pass it on to the next person.
We spent the night in the comfortable Los Yámanos hotel where we had dinner.
Enjoying lunch in a yurt on the Rio Lapataia very near the Beagle Channel |
Enjoying lunch in a yurt on the Rio Lapataia very near the Beagle Channel |
Little hard fern |
A mushroom hides among the ferns and baby beech |
Our hike takes us down to a bay off of the Beagle Channel |
On a beach off the Beagle Channel |
Santiago and Lori lead the way through the beech forest |
We stop to soak in the view of the coastline while I wonder what the diving in the kelp forest is like (hint: colder than Monterey) |
Prickly heath |
False mistletoe |
A nice chunk of quartz |
Jeff takes a breather, while I wonder what's it like to dive in these kelp forests |
Steamer ducks |
Santiago tells a story to Lori, Christine, and Karl as Jeff and Wendy descend to the beach |
Lori hikes through the beech forest |
Santiago, Lori, and the rainbow |
During the drive to the Beagle Channel, Santiago explained that the glaciers receded about 20,000 years ago. We know that the glaciers were about 1000 m high because any mountain below 1000 m is rounded, whereas taller mountains are jagged and triangular, just as uplifting and erosion has left them. The treeline here is 600 m.
The Anglicans were the first inhabitants along the coast in 1872.
We hopped on a boat to visit the penguins on Isla Martillo. The Magellan penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) arrived in September and will migrate north in March. The gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) are here year round. It is adorable with its orange beak and feet. The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) has an orange ear. A large number of imperial cormorants also hung out with the penguins.
After our visit with the penguins, we took lunch in a yurt and had a hike on Gable Island. We learned that beaver were introduced for its pelts. These beaver created dams as protection of their dens. As a result, the nearby trees died. I continued to see new plants including fachine (Chiliotrichum diffusum), common yarrow (Achillea millefolium, which we have here in California), balsam-bog (Bolax gummifera), Darwin's fungus or Indian's bread (Cyttaria darwinii), and Chilean fire bush (Embothrium coccineum).
Lori and others walked around town and met the rest of us back at the hotel for dinner.
Sunrise on the mountains across the Beagle Channel in Chile |
The Los Yámanos hotel in Ushuaia |
The flags of Argentina and Tierra del Fuego |
Tractor seats with sheepskin covers face the Chilean mountains across the Beagle Channel |
Sebastian takes us to our next adventure |
Lori hangs with the guys (Santiago, José, and Sebastian) |
The dock at Estancia Harberton |
Our first stop was Isla Martillo to visit the local
penguins such as these magellanic penguins |
I thought the gentoo penguins were pretty cute |
Gentoo penguin |
Magellanic penguin |
Magellanic penguin |
The king penguin is regal indeed, although this guy (or
gal) is far from their home in Antarctica |
Motoring from the penguins on Isla Martillo to our lunch spot and hike on the Islas de Tierra del Fuego |
Mark enjoys lunch--I think--in the yurt while Diane clearly enjoys the conversation |
Lori is ready for the hike |
The yurt and its environs |
Balsam-bog |
False mistletoe |
A bee enjoys a late flower |
A ton of false mistletoe without the hair |
Santiago tells a story, but I am too far away to hear what it is |
The beaver was introduced for its pelts and creates dams for protection of its den; as a result, the nearby trees die |
Fachine |
Common yarrow |
|
Darwin's fungus |
Jellyfish washed up on the beach |
We inspect an old whale skull |
Chilean fire bush |
We're back to hiking through the beech trees |
We arrived at the Ushuaia airport where by coincidence a colleague was scheduled to arrive a half hour after our departure! From there, we flew to El Calafate where we met our driver for the rest of the trip, Pablo. We shortly saw the Cerro Fitz Roy in the distance, one of the most renowned mountains in Patagonia.
We took our first of three tea breaks in La Leona before continuing on to El Chalten where we took a short hike to Mirador de las Cóndores to stretch the legs before checking into El Pilar, a lovely hotel at the base of Fitz Roy.
A lovely view from our room at sunrise to the Chilean mountains across the Beagle Channel |
We pass by the Ushuaia sign downtown on the way to the airport |
We flew from Ushuaia to this airport outside of El Calafate, pretty much in the middle of nowhere where we met our driver Pablo |
You could see the Fitz Roy--our destination--off in the far distance |
Very cool sedimentary rock |
The Hotel La Leona at a crossroads is the only place with food, drink, and a toilet, for kilometers around |
José and Pablo, our new driver, enjoy their afternoon mate |
More cool sedimentary rock with some uplifting |
Cerro Fitz Roy on the right and Cerro Torre on the left are the signature mountains here and are the inspiration behind the Patagonia logo |
El Chaltén is a small village and gateway to the local climbing and hiking venues |
Lori and I on the Mirador de los Cóndores during our first hike in the area, which provided a nice overview of El Chaltén and the mountain range beyond |
Our comfortable room in Hostería El Pilar |
The view to Fitz Roy from our room in Hostería El Pilar |
We hiked to Lago de los Tres with Romina and Ismael as guides. The weather in the morning was fantastic, and we were treated to beautiful vistas of Monte Fitz Roy. As we were eating our lunch at Lago de los Tres, the rain and cold came, so we put on all our layers and headed back down the mountain. By the time we were halfway down, the rain stopped and we peeled off all our layers again. Welcome to Patagonia!
A beautiful sunrise over Hostería El Pilar |
The sunrise paints the Fitz Roy in vivid colors |
The sunrise paints the Fitz Roy in vivid colors |
Buff-tailed bumble bee |
We start our hike and the Fitz Roy has assumed its more common color |
The first of many glaciers we'll see in this region |
Our guide Romina leads the way through the lenga trees |
Sherry, Lori, and Dan in front of the Glaciar Piedras Blancas |
The Cerro Eléctrico rises to the right of the Glaciar Piedras Blancas |
A mountain range is framed by the everpresent lenga beech |
The Fitz Roy rises into the clouds, where it will remain the rest of our stay |
Where we're going, and where we've been |
José and Romina, who can rarely strike a serious pose |
José and Romina, who can rarely strike a serious pose |
José and Romina, who can rarely strike a serious pose |
José and Romina, who can rarely strike a serious pose |
José and Romina, who can rarely strike a serious pose |
Lori and Romina start their charge up the last steep, rocky trail to Laguna de los Tres |
Glacial cut mountains in the background, the rubble of glacial moraine in the foreground |
Ha! That wasn't so bad! |
With most of the climb behind us, we take a moment to catch our breath and look out towards the Laguna Madre e Hija to the southeast |
Me and Lor duck behind a rock to get some relief from the wind while we eat our lunch, just before the rain began and we made our hasty exit |
Laguna de los Tres |
Karl snaps a shot with Lori on the way down the hill |
The Fitz Roy is completely occluded by clouds, but its adjoining sawtooth ridge is still impressive |
This granite rockfall in the forest reminded me of similar granite rockfalls in Yosemite |
Lori and our host, Guillermo, offering excellent wines from the Mendoza region |
A local jackrabbit hangs out by the hostería's sign |
Today's hike was to Laguna Torre with Romina and Ismael as guides.
We are treated to a sunny Fitz Roy for a short while |
The Glaciar Torre |
This sign explains Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) associated with a lake held back by unstable moraine |
Lori and our guide Ismael lead the charge today |
Ismael and Christine take a short break on our way to the Glaciar Torre in the background |
Lori, Christine, and I take refuge from the wind while we eat our lunch. Again. |
The Laguna Torre in front of the Glaciar Torre |
The Rio Fitz Roy |
One last view of the Glaciar Torre before we turn down for the final descent |
Our trail continues to follow the Rio Fitz Roy... |
...all the way to the pub, where I enjoy a beer with José and Uma at the La Cervecería Chaltén |
Bonanza? |
Today's hike was to the base of La Loma de Pliegue Tumbado with Romina and Ismael as guides.
During the climb in the forest, we saw a southern crested caracara (Caracara plancus). We've been seeing a very thorny plant on just about every hike called Azorella prolifera, although the guides and the local field guide called it Mulinum spinosum. We also encountered cutleaf anemone (Anemone multifida) and as well as Adesmia boronioides, whose leaves have a strong smell. Not surprisingly, it has anti-inflammatory effects and is used as an analgesic, an essential oil, and combats rheumatic and menstrual pain. Another thorny plant that we've seen on nearly every hike is the Magellan barberry (Berberis microphylla) although it is known locally as the calafate (Berberis buxifolia). It has blue berries that can be made into a jam. At lunch we saw the delicate Darwin's slipper (Calceolaria uniflora).
Our guides Ismael, Romina, and José enjoy some sweets before our hike |
We quickly climb above El Chaltén |
Azorella prolifera aka Mulinum spinosum, a very common, thorny plant |
Looks like bog cotton, doesn't it? |
Adesmia boronioides, whose leaves have a strong smell. Not surprisingly, it has anti-inflammatory effects and is used as an analgesic, an essential oil, and combats rheumatic and menstrual pain. |
Magellan barberry, locally called the calafate is
another thorny plant that we've seen on nearly every
hike and has blue berries that can be made into a
jam |
Granite, lenga, and broad vistas complement the lakes, glaciers, and mountains |
Dan and Sherry pose in front of a grassy mountain that could be in California |
Our driver Pablo joins us for the hike today |
Darwin's fungus is also known as Indian's bread since it is edible |
This Darwin's fungus looks like it was left over the fire for too long |
Southern crested caracara |
Uma snaps a shot of me hiking through a forest |
Suddenly, we're in the middle of a Martian landscape |
Lori and I enjoy lunch with a view of the Laguna Torre
below where we had lunch the day before |
Darwin's slipper |
We pass on the offer to climb the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado above us, and Uma, Romina, and Phil enjoy lunch instead |
We descend from the rocky piles of rubble back to the native grasslands |
Sherry, Dan, and Romina stay to the main path to allow the damage caused by other inconsiderate hikers to recover |
Romina points out some of the Patagonian features to Dan |
Heading back down to El Chaltén |
One last look at the mountains before we head south |
José and our hosts Cristina and Guillermo |
We drove to Estancia Helsingfors. After visiting La Leona for the 2nd time, we started a 2-hour ride down a 75 km dirt track. We went by two other estancias on the way. This place is truly the end of the world. It is also very, very windy.
Along the dirt track, we saw: Lesser/Darwin's rhea (Pterocnemia/Rhea pennata), which is like an ostrich, and live guanaco (Lama guanicoe). We also saw Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), southern crested caracara (Caracara plancus), and Patagonian grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) feeding on a not-so-live guanaco. We then viewed Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) and black-necked swans (Cygus melanocoryphus) from a distance. We even saw an armadillo (Zaedyus pichiy), but sadly I didn't get a photo of it.
After checking into the estancia, we hiked to Punta del Viento with Pastor and Danielle as guides. We encountered the strongest winds of the trip. 50 knots? It was almost enough to hold you up if you leaned forward and enough to knock you off balance and move your poles while hiking.
A very deceased guanaco that was too weak to jump over the fence |
La Leóna, take 2 |
Our turnoff to Helsingfors, which is a two hour drive down a 75 km dirt track |
Andean condor and southern crested caracara feed upon a
guanaco |
We take a break to view the flamingos and swans in the middle of nowhere |
Chilean flamingos and black-necked swan |
We are treated to an Argentinian barbecue upon our arrival |
The lovely Estancia Helsingfors, which is truly at the end of the world |
Siete camisas, or redclaws |
Pastor and Danielle guide our hike to Punta del Viento where we were treated to the strongest winds of our trip, strong enough to hold up José and Sherry as they leaned forward |
Lori leans into the 50 knot winds |
The group hikes back to the estancia |
I decided not to brave the wind and bagged the horseback ride to Laguna Azul. Instead, I relaxed and identified all of the species that we've seen so far and finished David Grinspoon and Alan Stern's book Chasing New Horizons. It's a surprisingly good book if you're into space exploration.
It rained hard during the night and we woke up to fresh snow in the mountain tops. We stopped at La Leona for the third and last time before continuing on to the Xelena Hotel in El Calafate where we had lunch.
In the afternoon, we visited the awesome Glaciar Perito Moreno. Afterward, one group went downtown for shopping and dinner. I hung out in the hotel restaurant with the others and had guanaco.
Views across Lago Viedma of fresh snow that had fallen overnight |
Views across Lago Viedma of fresh snow that had fallen overnight |
Our third and last visit to La Leóna |
This map highlights the viewpoints along the point each with a different perspective of the Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Our first views of the lovely blue ice of the Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Lori and I and the vast Glaciar Perito Moreno beyond |
The Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Note the contrast of the silty water from the outflows of the Brazo Rico on the left and the glacial melt in the Lago Argentino on the right. Until 2020, the glacier would periodically hit the point and dam the Brazo Rico until the water level rose and caused a rupture. |
Icebergs from the Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Moments after ice calves off of the Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Our last view of the Glaciar Perito Moreno |
Our room at the Xelena Hotel in El Calafate with a view of Lago Argentino |
We left El Calafate in a slightly larger bus and drove through a large, flat area on the way with lots of guanacos. It's not too high (400 m) and is called the steppe here.
We stopped at Chali Aike where Gonzalo provided a history of the estancia and then sheared a sheep. He spun a strand of wool and gave it to Lori. I took a strand of fleece; José explained that the black stripe in the mostly white fleece indicated stress, probably from giving birth. Since white fleece is of higher quality, Gonzalo explained that they just run four shearers at a time to minimize the number of sheep shorn in a day to reduce stress. His wife Sandra prepared a lunch of salad and empanadas. And dessert of cake, banana, and dulce de leche. And Malbec. And Legui, a delicious Argentinian digestive from sugar cane.
We exited Argentina and entered Chile in Cerro Castillo where we had to have all of our luggage scanned.
On the drive to the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, we saw more guanaco as well as sheep, cow and fox. We checked into the Hotel Lago Gray where we could see a couple of icebergs from our bedroom window.
As we enter the steppe, we encounter the best view of
(live) guanaco we've seen yet |
Why did the guanaco cross the road? |
Gonzalo from the Estancia Chali Aike tells us the history of the ranch as José interprets |
When the dogs aren't herding sheep, they ride motorcycles |
The dogs do need help from Gonzalo to actually make the motorcycle go |
With a couple of whistles, one of the dogs is off on a clockwise pattern around the paddock and quickly comes back with a small herd of sheep |
The dog ensures that the sheep stay where they should be |
And with another whistle, the dog snaps into action... |
...and drives the sheep back into the middle of the paddock where they started |
Meanwhile, a very friendly farm feline easily finds the cat lover in the group |
The wool of recently shorn sheep is piled up in the barn |
The wheels are remnants from the past when they were driven by large engines |
However, the shears are now driven by quieter electric motors |
Gonzalo treats us to a shearing demonstration |
Gonzalo moves towards the head of the sheep |
The sheep's shorn wool totally hides the sheep by now |
In less than five minutes, this sheep has lost its heavy coat |
Gonzalo shows the raw wool from the sheep, and then later presented it to Lori by wrapping it around her wrist--she wears it today |
Gonzalo then proceeds to spin yarn from the wool and presents it to Lori who still wears it around her wrist even today |
As we finish our lunch, Gonzalo introduces us to Legui |
Legui is a very tasty Argentinian digestive made from sugar cane |
Our first glimpse of the mountains in the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine |
Lago Porteno |
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Endless skies above Lago el Toro |
The Torres del Paine massive in all its glory |
Our room in the Hotel Lago Gray where we could see icebergs from our bedroom window |
There is one of those icebergs now |
We took a delightful 8 mile hike to an overlook of the Paine Massif.
The Torres del Paine massif beyond the Lago Grey at sunrise |
Lago Pehoé and the Torres del Paine mountain range |
Lori ascends the steep path to the Mirador Lago el Toro |
Lago el Toro |
Uma and Carlos |
Lori and I with the Torres del Paine mountain range behind |
Hiking through another lenga forest |
Fuegian edelweiss |
Cool lichen |
Carlos and the Torres del Paine mountain range |
The western half of the Torres del Paine mountain range |
Christmas bush |
Lori grabs some lunch and some great scenery |
Mark and his moment of Zen |
The Torres del Paine mountain range |
A fire recently ravaged this forest, and since it is not fire-adapted, will take a long time to recover |
The Torres del Paine mountain range |
There are lots of lakes on this hike |
Cool sedimentary rock |
Lori and I frame the Cuerno Principal and the Cuerno Oriental |
Carlos, Lori, Mark, Christine, and José hike on with a beautiful backdrop |
Mataguanaco |
Christmas bush |
Chilean fire bush |
Very cool aggregate |
Carlos and Lori pass by yet another scenic lake |
And another lovely lake |
And another lake milky from glacial melt |
Lori points out the Paine Grande in the background, or guanacos in the foreground, I don't know |
Hardy fuchsia |
Lori descends |
We walked out to the peninsula that we could see from our hotel room to see the Grey Glacier. In the rain. My boots were still sponges, even with the SnoCoat. The inside of my new rain pants were wet but it could have been condensation from the cold.
We drove a short spell and then took a walk to Salto Grande. In the wind. In the rain. In the hail and driving snow. We did not continue the walk to the viewpoint of the Cuernos as they were behind clouds.
We then checked into the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia. The Carménère Reserva that we had with dinner was excellent.
Dan and Christine start across the beach, which was probably once an old moraine |
A chunk of glacial ice that has washed up on the beach glimmers as waves wash across it |
Lori embraces the glacial ice |
Our group heads out along the peninsula for the view |
Looking back along the beach and toward our hotel in the background |
Lori and the Grey Glacier in the distance |
The bottom of the Salto Grande |
The top of the Salto Grande |
The very top of the Salto Grande |
We have to ford a river to get to our hotel |
José, Carlos, and Pablo in the restaurant at the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia |
Got up early to have breakfast with Lori and to walk with the group a short distance towards the mountain. While Lori hiked up into the rain and driving sleet, I hung out, relaxed, and read in the room, and had a really nice massage.
Everybody eventually made it back safe and sound albeit wet. The hikers regaled us with a story of José helping to quiet a bucking pack horse whose girth had slipped.
The Hotel Las Torres Patagonia just before sunrise |
A lovely sunrise |
The sunrise colors the peaks behind the hotel beautifully |
Lori, before she climbs into the rain and sleet--I had other plans |
I had an appointment with a massage therapist, and a nice massage it was! |
The massage hut--the three upstairs windows are the same ones as in the previous photo |
We checked out of the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia and hit the road bound for Punta Arenas. We made a quick stop at Lago Amarga. With a pH of 9.1 and cyanobacteria, stromatolites are formed.
On the way we dropped off Carlos in his hometown Puerto Natales and had lunch at Rio Ruben. We arrived in Punta Arenas, checked into Hotel Cabo de Hornos, walked around town, and topped off the trip with a wonderful last dinner at La Yegua Loca.
We stopped briefly at Lago Amarga on the way out of the park to admire this stone that split in two and the stromatolites that were formed as a result of cyanobacteria and a pH of 9.1 |
The last of the guanaco that we saw on this trip |
We were truly on the "Route to the End of the World" on our way to Puerto Natales where we dropped off Carlos in his hometown |
We arrived at Punta Arenas |
Lori poses in front of the Punta Arenas sign (we had to get in line for this) |
Catedral de Punta Arenas |
The Ilustre Municipalidad de Punta Arenas |
At the end of the block is our hotel, the Hotel Cabo de Hornos |
Our room in the Hotel Cabo de Hornos |
Our last Carménère at the restaurant La
Yegua Loca, and it was a good one! |
The restaurant La Yegua Loca, and the city beyond |
One last shot of the park across the street from our hotel with the Catedral de Punta Arenas beyond |
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