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You might wonder "what is this", so here some details to start with:
country: Argentina
location: many
what: vacation
After spending a few days in Buenos Aires with 1 1/2 days of good weather and 1 day of really bad weather I left this overwelming city - it was just a bit too big and especially too busy for me at this moment in time. Although, it has been a bit strange to leave from Europe to fly to Latin America and then finding yourself in a city with a european feeling, regarding people, shops and infrastructure. And it leaves a pretty much save impression to me, other than voices on the internet etc. The climate there (when it is not raining) is quite good like late spring in Germany (what we actually have here now, spring) but the sun is maybe a bit stronger. This I had to notice after wondering around the center for half a day and not expecting the sun being such strong to get an incredible sunburnt face and neck...
Next I left towards Salta, which is situated in northwest Argentina and has an even better climate for my taste! It is comfortable wearing T-Shirt only day and night mostly & with a sunshade like a hat it is not getting too hot. This nice colonial town has been my base now for the last week, as many excursions are possible from there in the vicinity (or a bit further). E.g. I went once with some people on a bicicle through a beautiful canyon a bit similar to landscapes you might find in Utah or Arizona. We have been lucky that this day was a bit overcast to not get too much sun as it is quite dry and without any shade there almost. You can visit strange wind and watercreated rockformations and jsut continue lateron on the bike. To reach this place we took our bikes on a regular bus. Our destination for that day was a town which is almost something like an oasis inbetween the dry land, which they use for growing wine. So we had the chance to visit a bodega and make small tour with tastings. Buying the really good wine is quite cheap as well!
The other day I went on an amazing busride towards another town in the mountains, called Cachi. You have to cross quite high mountains which sometimes appear in great red color making a good contrast to the green valley (in the beginning) and the darkblue sky of the beautiful day! Lateron I got extremly dry and we got off to visit a park which was't so easily accessible by foot/bus. To leave again (the park has its name from the CArdone cactus, which is huge) we had to rely on hitchhiking but were lucky. Cachi is again something like an oasis within the mountain desert, quite small and originally settled by Quechua people I think, now it has a colonial look, as many places here. We stayed one night and visited some places the next day before heading back to our "base".
Yesterday I got another horderiding experience, after having fun last year in Ecuador already with my horse there. Starting with a 2 1/2 h warmup ride in dry riverbeds to learn getting control of my huge horse (it was taller than me and I had first to get used to "climbing" onto it... then a really necessary brak to regather energy and have a light lunch. For this part I had one2one "lessons", but for the afternoon two British joined as well. The guide was great fun and a good teacher! So for the afternoon we went through villages (I felt like in a western movie... ) before heading for the mountains. This was also a good experience for the nature part, it is so peaceful there and green and the weather was perfect (with sunshade on my head of course only). But eventually those altogether 8 h on a horse were unusual for me and a bit exhausting, but all worth it, I can tell you!
Now I'm on the way south towards Patagonia, we'll see what that will be like!
With kind regards,
Gunther
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After some more adventures in Latin America I got to write some summary - as it is raining today the day lends itself perfectly for such activities :-)
Some things went wrong (like sometimes the weather or once my backpack didn't want to travel on the same plane as I did) and plans - as far as they existed - have changed frequently.
So leaving the nice climate of Salta behind me I took a plane down to the far south of Argentina (Rio Gallegos) but I was forced to spend a night in that particular windy town (well, Patagonia is known for that) because my luggage has not arrived with me... Next day I took a bus across the continent to Rio Turbio travelling through low hills with nothing much growing than grass and cattle standing around from time to time. Almost no people live in the area which takes us about 6 h to cross, just one or to gas stations and an estancia where people started to dance as soon as they got off the bus, seemed quite crazy but funny to me - and a good opportunity to stretch legs during this long bus ride.
After crossing over to Chile and spending a night in Puerto Natales I leave for a 4-day trek in the national park Torres del Paine. I'm travelling with to US americans and one irish guy, everyone's got a tent and food for the time of our trip as there is little or no possibility to purchase food in the park. The weather is not ideal for trekking (lot of rain, snow and often cold) and I'm constantly afraid of my tent sailing away in the strong winds there. Though not all days were bad, the last day gave us enough reason to leave the park: snow and rain horizontally because of the strong wind blowing from the glacier we're heading for. 4 h of walking towards the wind to get a close look at Glacier Grey!! In the lake where the glacier ends huge iceblocks float and have a shining blue appearance, even though there is no sun out. We walk back te same day, this way we didn't need to carry all our heavy gear around. A challenge was to take down the tent in the short breaks of rain/snow... I managed to tear down my tent, but then my remaining equipment was still lying around (unprotected) when another heavy rain started... and I was just glad that this has been the last day as otherwise I would have to wear wet clothes for the next day ;-(
Two days of rest, then I took a ferry through narrow channels and fjords of southern Chile towards Puerto Montt. The whole cruise took 3 days/4 nights and the landscape was unusual: channels the ship hardly fit through, snow covered mountains quite close, reminded my slightly of the area close to Stockholm with all the small islands...
Our days were mostly according to schedule: breakfast at 8 - 9, lunch 12.30 - 13.30, dinner 19.30 - 20.30, all included in the ticket price probably to keep us busy. Otherwise we were standing on deck (if the rain and wind would permit this) or taking a siesta, reading, talking to new friends (many people we met on the trek have been on the boat as well), watching a movie or listening to lectures about the nature we were passing by. Almost the whole area is not populated at all! In the evenings people would meet in the bar and drink good but cheap chilenean wine or pisco sour or party like on the last night. All in all quite relaxing and an unusual experience!
Next I spent a short time on an island south of Puerto Montt, Chiloe, but rain made me leave soon. All is pretty green here (with the rain no big surprise) and houses mostly wooden, even the churches, so quite picturesque.
A few hours on the bus later (actually almost a whole day) I was back to Argentina, a nice town close to many lakes and mountains called Bariloche.
Once I went on a hike to REfugio GRey next to a mountain named La CAtedral, and the name suits it perfectly! Starting in dry land, the path continued through a bamboo forest, then a forest of huge trees (landscape changing pretty fast during the first 2 1/2 h of ascend) before we reach the snowline already! We decide to continue walking because it is still early, but the path becomes a steep climb through snow and can be only guessed. Reaching the ridge we are rewarded for the climb: A good view over the lake at Bariloche and the surounding mountains, many snowcovered. Lateron the snow dissapears again for a rocky and dusty dessert in change... The descend is not that nice unfortunately, because the skilifts are not operating we have to stumble down the ski slopes, which is extremely exhausting, making it a 7 h hike altogether.
Other activities included a mountain bike ride (with all the wind tough but we have been lucky with the weather at least) or relaxing in a remote mountain resort where it was much more peaceful than in the city in the hostel. Though we had to carry all food again to be able to cook some nice dinner, but there was a shuttle up the steep and bumpy gravel road up the hills from Bariloche.
As the weather seemed to turn bad again I decided to leave for San Martin de los Andes, although I only had one day left before my return to Buenos Aires. It is situated at another lake, and a peaceful small resort town, but unfortunately the weather obviously moved with me... so all my plans are not worth much. Anyhow I'll have a bus linking me with Buenos Aires again this afternoon, which will be a 21 h busride. I have been promised luxury for a bus: almost completely reclining seats with food and drink served like on an airplane. We'll see what this is going to be like...
But soon office is calling again, FRiday flying out of Buenos Aires (giving me 2 days for shopping and some few more sightseeing) I will be just in time for work on Monday morning (not thinking too much about that right now).
Hope you had some pleasure reading my reports from Argentina!
Gunther
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