hola amigos! Long time no blog. We last posted from Puerto Varas in Chile with our fingers crossed for an easy border crossing the following day into Argentina. I wouldn’t say it was an easy process but the drive to the border, the hour or so in between checkpoints and the drive from the Argentine border was spectacular indeed. The actual checkpoints took about 2 pretty long hours standing in queues each side but it meant that we were able to spend an entire day up amongst the Andes pointing out breathtaking vistas to each other and taking too many movies of the road on the gopro. It was with a huge sigh of relief and a happy high five when the border guard let us through and we began the descent on the other side. The long, frustrating and confusing wait was over and we were back on the road free to journey to Patagonia through Argentina. Woohoo!

The first stop was Bariloche, a not too dissimilar town to the others on the Chilean side of the Lakes District. Beautiful, still lake with mountains surrounding it, stunning old stone buildings, a disproportionately high amount of ice creameries and chocolate stores, way too many holiday makers but the biggest difference was the food. Hello amazing red meat and wine! Our first night we went to a gaucho-themed restaurant and ordered the parrilla para dos (grill for two) and my gosh what a delicious introduction to the famous Argentine grill! Suffice to say our meal of choice since crossing the border has been meat, meat and more meat. Matt is in heaven.

After a couple of rainy days rest in Bariloche we stocked the van with food, accidentally bought the most expensive thermos ever made (AU$130) and set our sights on the Ruta 40 southbound. Next stop Patagonia.

What a drive. As we moved onto the Patagonian steppe the impressive mountains quickly turned into rolling hills and within a few hours the hills became flatter while the earth and the sky seemed to grow wider. Seńor Vánchez became an insignificant little white wind-catcher trying to cut through the gusts that screamed across the plains, with Matt needing to hold the steering wheel at 45° just to stay on the endlessly straight road.

The only sign of human inhabitance for a long time was the hand-painted signs every 100kms or so indicating the entrance to another estancia. Then you reach a point in time when you cross a cattle grid and that’s the end of the fences… Just open landscapes with no sign of man other than the road we were on, a very lonely but beautiful place. The amount of wildlife increased and a way for us to pass the time was honking at the rhea birds (similar to the road-runner) to see how fast they could shoot off into the fields and see how funny they ran. It sounds mean but it was for their safety really as they like to peck at the scrub very close to the road. Matt also discovered the best way to get the attention of a guanaco (llama kind of animal) was to yell “HEY!” at the top of his lungs while they munched on the dense shrubs in the distance. The car noise was not enough to interest them but a man yelling “hey” at the top of his lungs seemed interesting enough to pull themselves from their meal to have an inquisitive, camel like stare, long enough for me to take a photo before they lost interest and went back to the fascinating grass at their feet.

We stopped at a few little towns on the way, some not worth much of a mention, others with gorgeous old buildings waiting for some TLC and a good barista. We drank some atrocious cafe con leche and slept in some pretty interesting places but there were also a lot of highlights. Some of the towns we stayed in included Trevelin (lovely), Perito Moreno (not so much), El Chaltén (awesome), El Calafate (touristy but cool), Comandante Luis Piedra Buena (pretty cool) and Camarones (awesome).

     

     

Definitely one of the best parts of the journey to Patagonia was the journey itself. The drive allowed us to see some spectacular vistas on the highway that given the time make you appreciate the vastness of this place. It feels like you just couldn’t look at it the same way by flying directly to the big drawcards. Even when it turned to dirt for a few hundred kilometres it was yet another unique sight to see.

After driving on dirt for about 100kms we headed up a rise thinking we were driving onto yet another level of the Patagonian steppe. The intriguing thing about the steppe is that you head uphill for what seems like forever thinking that you’re going to reach an amazing view at the top of a hill or something. When you reach the top however, it’s just more flat nothingness and after many many kilometres you begin the incline again to reach the top of yet another steppe. It’s bizarre yet beautiful. But once we were on the dirt and had done this a few times we came over a rise to find a downhill road (shock!) and the most amazingly aqua blue lake either of us had ever seen. Sunglasses kind of bright. We both made weird awe/breathtaking sounds and pulled over immediately to take it in and to take some pictures.

Pretty stoked on it as it was so unexpected after driving for hours seeing nothing but nothingness. And native animals. This particular day was a day for shock and awe as we continued driving. A few hours later and back on the tarmac the plains gave way and the road began heading southwest.

The first time you catch a glimpse of Mount Fitzroy is just after passing through the tiny little town of Tres Lagos. It kind of caught us by surprise as the highway winds between a few large hills and, when we moved on to a large plain, all of a sudden there it was off to the right lit up by the afternoon light in all of its glory. Incredible jagged granite spires that completely dominate the Patagonian Cordillera. Amazing considering that we were still 120-130km away. Then a righthand turn off the Ruta 40 for the first time in days for the the final 90km drive to El Chaltén with the entire scene growing larger in the windshield minute by minute. Hands down the most amazing landscape we have ever seen, no photos could ever do this drive justice.

We stayed a few nights in El Chaltén which was a great stop for a bit of R&R. We enjoyed having a few drinks each night, some epic empanadas and doing some people watching in a town that is filled with rock & mountain climbers of the gnarly kind and the boasting kind (often not the same people). It’s also a haven for hikers, and we dragged ourselves up one trail due to feeling guilty because everybody else was there for the outdoor activities. There was an amazing view at the end of our little one hour trek so that made it a worthwhile experience.  The wind was relentless and so strong it was an experience in itself. I asked the man at our hostel if the weather was ok for the following day and he said with the wind they never know what the weather’s doing for the next hour. He was right as not long after we arrived and took the photo above the storm clouds rolled in and it rained torrentially all night until morning. For two mornings we braved the early cold and tried to capture Mount Fitzroy with front lighting, but alas, its precipice was as elusive as the ghost cat. I don’t know the right adjectives to describe this place but I look at my photos and can’t believe we were just there. Mind blowing.

Heading south the next stop was El Calafate, a bit of a tourist magnet but after doing the trip from town out to Perito Moreno Glacier for the day we realised why this is a stop on every travellers itinerary on a trip to Patagonia. Perito Moreno Glacier is awe inspiring, even with the bus loads of people arriving and the large souvenir shop and eatery at the entrance. We sat in a nice quiet place for way longer than we had anticipated (pretty much all afternoon) and took in its sheer size. The point that we were standing was 800m from its face and hearing the cracking and popping noises coming from the ice was incredible. Watching car sized pieces of ice fall and slap the water with the sound of a shotgun being fired was captivating. But after waiting for hours a really loud cracking noise followed by an entire section of glacier carving off directly in front of us one a pretty special experience. It really was like watching a train crash in slow motion and incredibly loud. Neither of us had anticipated the sheer scale nor the impressiveness of this glacier, or any glacier really, so it was a refreshing experience to be taken by surprise by the raw power and beauty of nature in motion. A perfect end to the day.

   
Thanks Patagonia. You were increíble. 

ciao chicos!