Have You Heard From Laura?

Termas around Pucon

I left San Martin in the rain, crossed the boarder to Chile in the rain, and arrived in Pucon in more rain. Pucon is all about climbing Volcan Villarica but we couldn’t even see it from town – too many clouds. The trekking outfitters were canceling all trips up the volcano until the weather cleared, and that could be days, even a week. There are still a few things worth doing in the rain, like watching soccer in the pub and sitting in hot springs, so this is what we did. I linked up with some other gringos from my guest house for lunch and then soccer….can´t remember who Argentina was playing that day. That evening, we put together a picnic dinner with wine and pisco sours, and hired a van to drive us way out of town to some hot springs, Termas de Huife. It was POURING down rain but a very pretty place. Several hot pools along a river within a gorge and giant granite bolders all around.

Coco´s House, San Martin de los Andes

Birthday Dinner

In search of trekking and hot spings I made my way to San Martin de los Andes. Coco’s house was recommended as a good hostel. Coco is this Argentinian guy who runs an illegal hostel out of his little house in San Martin. Coco is such a good guy. He spends his days hanging out, cooking for his guests, giving trekking advice and just talking about life in Argentina. Coco´s home is a rather bohemian place. You won’t see a bunch of gringos with their noses in their Lonely Planet at Coco’s house. Rather, there is no English spoken at Coco´s, the bathroom’s are not so clean, and the place generally smells like a fat spliff. But Coco is so friendly and generous – just love that guy. Daily loco Coco cooks up a great homemade breakfast and dinner. When I arrived, as happens nearly every day, someone asked my age, my job and about my trip. No one could believe I was thirty six. In fact they were so convinced that I was saying the numbers wrong that they made me write ‘36’ on a piece of paper. Hooray for youthful looks – thanks mom! When Coco learned that it was recently my birthday he immediately set to work on a birthday party for the next night. Loco Coco made a birthday feast of quite possibly the best roasted chicken I will ever have. Yum. We also ate roasted potatoes, pesto, ensalada and of course wine. I made a big apple crumble with cream for desert.

Cerro Otto, Bariloche

Lago Nauhuel Huapi from Cerro Otto

Marta at the Hostel Inn can ALWAYS be counted on to set her guests up with great day trips. Today Mavi led us 6 hours on horseback up and around Cerro Otto, just outside the city of Bariloche. The weather was perfect and so were our views over Lago Nahuel Huapi and the entire Bariloche area. I was joined by three Italian Swiss guys, Alesandro, Tomas and Alesandro. It was first time on horseback for these Swiss, but Mavi’s horses are all wonderful, so not a problem. After a long and steep switchback climb to the top of Cerro Otto we parked the horses in the shade and stopped in at Refugio Otto for lunch. Martin, the proprieter at refugio Otto, kindly serves up delicious chorizo (sausage) on fresh rolls and makes his own home brewed beer! Note: beers are not the brightest thing about Argentina. Quilmes is the national beer in Argentina and Quilmes makes even Bud look pretty good in my opinion. Martin’s beer is a nice hoppy amber brew – very yummy. On this day we relaxed on the rustic patio at the beautiful of refugio up on Cerro Otto soaking up the sunshine and beer, munching on chorizo, and watching 4 or 5 condors cruise in the thermals over Cerro Otto. Hmmm, a good one.

Bariloche, Argentina

Paddling with Diego
Brazo de la Tristeza, Bariloche

Still in Bariloche, Argentina. Today I`m taking a day off from my self imposed ´Andes Boot Camp`. The past week was a full one: three days treking around Cerro Catedral followed by a 2 day kayak trip in Braza de las Tristeza. All fantastic, but now I need a rest. I`m considering staying around here to do a two week Spanish course while living with a family in town. Problem is that I can´t begin a course until next Monday. However, there is heaps to do here - more trekking, horseback riding, even scuba diving in the lake- as well as plenty of good restaurants and bakeries with fabulous chocolates and cookies to keep me busy. Don´t even get me started on the wine. I really love Argentina. It`s damn cheap and also safe and well established so I can live like a princess in between quality time in the out of doors, which as you know, is exactly how I like to live.

Nanuel Huapi Park

Cerro Catedral was a great three day hike in Nahuel Huapi National Park outside of Bariloche. My treking partner was Stuart who I have been bumbing into from time to time since Buenos Aires. Day 1 was an easy hike to Laguna Tochek and Refugio Frey. Can´t report much about that place because we played peek-a-boo with low clouds the entire time. The refugio was full of rock climbers (a.k.a. really handsome scruffy argentinian men) which leads me believe that there must be some great peaks nearby. Day 2 was still cloudy but we did get glimpses of some amaizing rock towers that are Cerro Catedral, though we were kept very busy trying to get up and down the route to the next refugio which took us over two really steep scree passes. The steep trails were certainly worth the views from the second refugio. Wow, what a place! Refugio Jakob is a rustic little cabin warmed by a cast iron stove and set next to Laguna Jakob, a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by 2000 meter peaks and of couse the occasional glacier and waterfall. The sun was out, there were very few people around we sat on a huge warm slab of granite and watched the sun set while the mountains proudly reflected in the lake. Truely truely great.

Laguna Jakob

We could have continued more days on the Nahuel Huapi traverse but I had to get back to Bariloche for a kayak trip. The two day trip was a paddle on Brazo de la Tristeza, an arm of Lago Nahuel Huapi. I went with the only kayak outfitter in town, Puravida Argentina. Along for the paddle were a Canadian couple, a couple from Australia and our guide, Diego. I had such a great time. The lake is so clean and beautiful and we were blessed with great weather - really sunny with no wind. Paddling along the water was every shade of teal and turquoise. We could see right into the lake maybe 10-15 meters down. Trout were jumping and the occasional condor sailed high in the sky. Diego is a great guide and chef and the other guests all good fun as well. Such a nice trip. If you are ever near Bariloche you must do a paddle trip with Diego, he is the best (info@puravidapatagonia.com.ar).

Diego

Mr. Toast aboard the Navimag

Mr. Toast gets pissed with California guys, Michael and Wayne

Mr. Toast goes to lunch with Betty Bread Roll

Spent the last 4 nights and 3 days aboard the Navimag, traveling through the Chilean fjords from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. My review is simply this: boring, don´t bother. The accomodations on board were fine, the food was fine, I got to know some nice people from Spain and also California, but the trip was expensive and boring. There was not much to see other than young twenty something travelers getting pissed in the bar and picking up on each other late night, so dull. To others I would recommend instead getting a Patagonia trekking book and traveling by bus or car between Calafate and Bariloche stopping many points along the way to trek the Andes.

Puravida Argentina!

Peanut Butter Friends in Torres

I returned in one wet soggy piece from Torres del Paine NP late last night. I found a great cheap little B&N here in Puerto Natales, Los Antiguos, where I had a great night's sleep on a real bed, a big breakfast and have been able to dry and sort out all my rain soaked gear. Torres del Paine is famous for its unpredictable and often wet weather, so I came prepared - or so I thought. My odds were not bad actually, in 6 days in the park I had 3 sunny days and was able to enjoy the Torres and the Valle de Frances, 1 rainy day which I avoided by waiting it out while inside a refugio playing cards all day, 1 windy day where I had to hike against a strong wind coming off Glacier Grey, and the last day I hiked 4 hours in heavy wind and rain during which my trusty old Sundowner boots finally broke down and took on much water. The rain soaked through my gortex and right to my bones and well into my sleeping bag. At the end of the afternoon I waited in a hut with 20 or 30 similarly soaked trekkers for the ferry to take us accross the lake to the bus stop for the trip back to Puerto Natales. Inside the muddly little hut we were not dry or warm but there was a hot kettle for tea and I managed to make fast friends with two guys from Chile and one other American - they had bread and I had peanut butter. We made a perfect team.

Tonight I board the Navimag ferry. I'll spend the next 4 nights and three days sailing through the Chilean fjords on my way north to Puerto Montt.

Valle de Frances

Valle de Frances, Parque National Torres del Paine

Los Torres

It was a beautful sunny day when we set out for Los Torres. That morning I linked up with Casey and Anja on the bus on the way to the Torres del Paine National Park. We were all planning to spend the next 6 days trekking the W route. We had dropped our heavy packs at camp and were zipping up the additional 2 hours to the Torres viewpoint with just cameras and water. Thing is, on sunny days in Patagonia those big beautiful glaciers heat up and melt and the melt swells the streams and rivers. When you arrive at a flooded stream you have options: Take off you boots and wade, traverse upstream and down and look for an easier crossing, or build a bridge. Key is to be patient. Unfortunately, while Casey was wading barefoot through one swelled stream Anja most unfortunately and very accidentally tossed Casey`s boots accross the river but they just barely DID NOT make it. They were immediately swept away. So there we were on day 1 of perhaps the most beautiful trek in the world and Casey´s boots were lost down the river. EEAK! What to do? Well, carry on of course. While Anja went back to camp for Casey's sandals, Casey and I made up jokes to pass the time.... What's worse than loosing your boots in the river? Losing your new best friends´s boots in the river..... How do you loose a new best friend? Toss their boots in the river..... One boot on the foot is worth two in the river.

So with this little adventure set for the diaries, we carried on up to Los Torres. And they are very amaizing. The rock architecture just so dramatic - rollling peat bogs and beautiful lakes and and glaciers are par for the course down here in Patagonia, but in this park Los Torres are truely amaizing granite towers that shoot stright out of the Andes with glaciers nested between and an emerald lake lying beneath - so stunning. For me it is the most beautiful catherdral I´ve ever been lucky enough to visit.

Miraculously, Anja was able to radio from camp back to their hostel in Puerto Natales and other friends brought rented boots for Casey the next day and she continued on. Amaizing.

Photos soon - promise.