Good bye showers, so long cold beer….we’ll see you again in four days…..

What?!? They have hot showers in the camps and pubs in the Refugios? This trekking thing isn’t going to be as tough as we thought!

We started the W-Trek on the longest and busiest section of the trek with a hike to the Torres del Paine. These are the three iconic granite peaks from which the name of the national park is derived. A lot of people do this as a separate day hike so it was a bit crowded for our liking but the view from the top was rewarding. The peaks soar up from a beautiful glacial lake and we were lucky that they were mostly clear and not covered by cloud.

We spent our first night in a small camp by a beautiful lake with views of the mountains. Unfortunately we weren’t able to spend much time there as we had to get a move on to catch a boat in the morning. The boat is the usual way to access the start of the W and it often lined up early as it is first come first served. We made our targeted departure across the lake, grabbed a coffee at the Refugio and started our hike to Grey Glacier. We encountered few people on this part of the trek and it was lovely! We passed Grey Lake and continued on to Grey Glacier. The view of the glacier was just amazing but it was so windy at the viewpoint that we had to be careful not to get blown over the cliff. When we returned to camp, we had drinks and a little celebration for one of our delightful trekking companions from London who was celebrating her 30th birthday on the trail. It was a great way to wrap up the day.

Day three saw us heading up the French Valley to a viewpoint of the mountains and several glaciers. The park had a major fire in 2011 that burned for months and destroyed a huge swath of forest (apparently started by a tourist who decided to burn his dirty toilet paper in the forest but didn’t anticipate the power of the Patagonian winds….) Regrowth of the forest has been very slow. Today we left the part of the park that had been mostly burned out and headed back into green forest. We made the viewpoint just in time for lunch. The day was mostly sunny and there was no wind so we took our time lunching, relaxing and watching the glaciers. It was just magical!

Our last night on the trail was in Cuerro camp near a beautiful lake. It was a busy campsite but our tent was in a quiet corner under some trees so it was quite peaceful. We were surprised by a fat little fox on the trail to the bathroom in the morning! I suspect he was scouting out breakfast and was not deterred at all when we tried to shoo him off the path to pass.

The last day of hiking was great – lots of undulating trail that we came to know as Patagonian Flat, green forests, views of the Oreo coloured mountains and amazing viewpoints. Again we were blessed with good weather – we started in the rain but by lunchtime it was sunny and calm so we enjoyed another leisurely lunch, resting and looking over the lake. After several more hours of walking, we hit our final destination at the end of our W!

I have to give a shout out to our companions on this trek. We had the pleasure of hiking with some amazing folks from many parts of the world. We shared challenges, encouragement, great conversations and many, many laughs. Thank you for being part of our adventure! We are richer for having shared this with each and every one of you!

After spending a week at a charming airbnb in Buenos Aires and a relaxing weekend in the romantic little town of Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay, we were rested and ready for our Patagonia adventure. We knew it was going to be a busy three weeks with lots of hiking, biking, rafting and even some horseback riding thrown in for good measure but the scenery promised to be amazing.

Our adventure started with a couple of days in Mendoza. This is the area of Argentina that is known for sunshine and wine! True to form, we had beautiful sunny weather and found no end of wineries and tasting rooms. We spent a lovely morning touring wineries by bicycle.

From Mendoza we also got our first taste of the Andes. It served as our jumping off point for a long day hike up to the basecamp on Aconcagua. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at 6980 metres and it would normally take upwards of two weeks to summit. Kind of makes our trek to the basecamp at 3400 metres seem a bit soft but it was actually a pretty decent hike!

After a lovely couple of days in Mendoza, we steeled ourselves for the next adventure….a 19 hour bus ride to Bariloche! The distances between towns in Argentina is pretty significant and we are told that taking an overnight bus is a good way to experience how vast the country really is. Hmmmm….I think I would have believed it without the bus ride but what are you gonna do? It actually wasn’t as bad as we anticipated. Don’t get me wrong – it isn’t something we are dying to do again anytime soon but we survived intact. And the reward was a few days in Bariloche – just in time for some Carnival celebrations!

Bariloche is a very cool little town on the shore of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is a ski town in the winter and has a distinctly Bavarian feel to it. Brewpubs, outdoor equipment stores and chocolate shops – sooooo many chocolate shops – rule around here! We tried our best to distribute our tourist dollars as widely as we could in this town! Hahaha!

Bariloche served as our base for some fun activities – white water rafting on the Rio Manso as well as a day of horseback riding on a local estancia. On the horseback ride, four farm dogs followed us the whole way – apparently that is their job and they take it pretty seriously – until they get to the lake, then they just frolic in the water! The trail was dusty and the horses were pretty docile but we rode through a beautiful valley and along the most spectacular blue lake before heading back to the ranch for some traditional Argentinian asado barbecue. Warren definitely got his meat fix!

From Bariloche, we flew further south into the heart of Patagonia. We spend several nights in each El Calafate and El Chalten. The highlights here were the many hikes around El Chalten and the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. Our big hike was the Laguna de los Tres trek that took us up to a fantastic viewpoint of the Fitz Roy Peak.

The Perito Moreno Glacier was amazing as well. I can try to describe the beautiful sunny day and the thunderous calving of a 200 foot wall of ice but won’t do it justice so have included a little video. Excuse the shakiness….it was very windy and I was a bit excited!

Our next stop is Puerto Natales on the Chilean side of Patagonia to prepare for the W-Trek!

Buenos Aires has no fewer than 48 official neighbourhoods or barrios. We visited a handful of these and picked a few to highlight some of the flavour of the city.

San Telmo….This is an old historical neighbourhood with cobblestone streets and low-story colonial buildings. It is the land of street art, antique shops and a cool old market dating back to 1897. On Sundays, there is an additional outdoor street market that goes on for blocks. We were really impressed with the quality of goods in the market – lots of handmade items from clothes to pottery to jewelry to leather goods. We even found pieces of art created from old vinyl record albums! There are clearly a large number of very creative and talented artisans in Buenos Aires. We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon snacking and browsing our way through the market.

La Boca….One word says it all – futbol! La Boca is home to the famous and much-loved (or much-hated depending on your allegiance) Boca Juniors. They play at the impressive La Bombonera Stadium. The neighbourhood around the stadium is definitely blue collar and rather gritty. It was not recommended to wander too far off the beaten path in this hood due to petty crime but it is colourful and has a lot of character.

Puerto Madero….Once the old port, the waterfront of Puerto Madero has become one of Buenos Aires’ newest and ritziest neighbourhoods. This area is home to high-rises, high end hotels and some very expensive real estate. More importantly for us though, it has become our favourite place to run. The sidewalks are wide, the traffic is light and it is attached to a large nature conservation area with lots of riverside pathways. Perfect when you want to get away from streetlights and pedestrian traffic on the city’s sidewalks. On Sundays, you will see this area well used by families playing in the parks, food trucks on the boardwalk and even dancers strutting their stuff.

Palermo….Palermo is a lovely neighbourhood with large grassy parks, shady lanes and lots of funky bars, cafes and restaurants. There is also some good shopping and cool design studios here. We spent an afternoon here learning how to make and taste Yerba mate at an artisanal mate shop in Old Palermo. Can’t say I am a convert but it was interesting to learn about the ritual that is mate.

Microcentro….This neighbourhood is more or less centred around the Plaza de Mayo. On one end of the plaza is the Case Rosada which houses the president’s office and is where Evita famously addressed the people of Buenos Aires from her balcony. The other end of the plaza is home to the Catedral Metropolitana, where Pope Francis hung out before he got promoted and moved to the Vatican! From the outside, the cathedral looks very un-cathedral-like. It has a triangular facade perched atop neo-classical columns….almost Greek in appearance. The inside, however, is much more what you would expect to see in a Catholic cathedral.

We made a special trip to the Plaza de Mayo on Thursday afternoon to witness the ongoing protest march of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. These women gather every Thursday and have been doing so since 1977. Originally it was a form of protest against the ‘disappearance’ of their children during the Dirty War in the 1970s and 80s. They would gather and walk two by two around the monument in front of the Casa Rosada. They are famous for the white scarves that they wear on their heads. The white head coverings were originally diapers – used to symbolize their children that were taken by the government and never heard from again. Currently the march supports a variety of human rights causes but continues to be quite moving and emotional to witness.

You can’t go to Argentina and not attend a soccer game, right?  We tried unsuccessfully to get tickets for a couple of different matches on the weekend but did managed to score a couple of tickets to the Independiente vs Fortaleza game last night.  This match is part of the Copa Sudamericana so was an international affair.  Normally fans of the visiting team are not allowed in the stadium but as this was an international cup game, the Brazilian Fortaleza fans were allowed in one section of the stadium.  It was pretty obvious which area was for the visitors…it was behind high chainlink fencing with buffer zones on either end guarded by police.  They take their futbol very seriously here!

Our evening started out with a briefing from our guide…Andy is a lifelong supporter of the diablos rojos (or Red Devils) as the Independiente club is known. He taught us some of the cheers, chants and gestures that all fans are expected to know.  He also filled us in on the insults that are thrown around.  We learned the words for son of a bitch and your mother’s….ahem….what?!?  Warren learned some new Spanish vocabulary that they will not teach you in school!

After our briefing, we went to a local hangout where the Independiente fans gather before the games.  It was in a field near the stadium where you could get some beer and barbecue and meet up with local fans.  Bear in mind that unlike hockey games, alcohol of any kind is forbidden in Argentinian soccer stadiums so the pre-game drink was on! It was rather reminiscent of a high school bush party.

The game itself was pretty exciting but not necessarily for the quality of the futbol. The Independiente side emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin but it was the player antics that made it interesting.  The game was really physical and at one stage, there was quite the brawl on the field.  Two red cards later, players were separated and they were back to playing soccer.  I think we were expecting a bit more drama, diving and magic spray to revive the fallen players but these guys played hard and tough.  I think even my hockey playing husband has a little respect for soccer players now!

To give you a sense of the pre-game fan gathering, check out this video:

As strange as it sounds, one of Buenos Aires’ top attractions is a cemetery! It was established in 1822 and is located in the lovely Recoleta neighbourhood. It is the final resting place of many rich and famous Argentinians including presidents, important politicians, military generals and of course Evita. There are over 6400 grave sites covering about 13.5 acres here. But that in itself is really just part of the story…..

Until 1822, it was common practice for residents of Buenos Aires who passed away to be buried on the church grounds. Obviously there came a point when this needed to end due to space and hygiene concerns so the Recoleta Cemetery was established as a public graveyard on land adjacent to the church. Some Catholics families of Buenos Aires were not pleased with this development but what could they do? They could not bury their loved ones in the church yard….so how about instead of bringing the deceased to the church, they bring the church to the deceased!

Families started building chapels around their gravesites and things just kind of took off from there. Nowadays there is an astounding collection of chapels, crypts, statues and monuments jammed into the cemetery. The plots themselves seem to be of a more of less standard size but what is put on them varies wildly. There are modern buildings in marble and glass, old weathered chapels in stone, simple memorials and some crazy monstrosities. And these are not your standard one-and-done graves. These are equipped with some fairly sizeable crypts below ground level so the whole family can enjoy the afterlife together.

That may sounds a bit creepy (and some of the graves are just that!) but it is actually quite a peaceful and pleasant place to walk around. It is also really interesting to see the some of the original immigrant make-up of Buenos Aires – the family names on the graves reflect many of the nationalities that make up Argentinian society (or the Catholic part at least). I would guess that we saw as many Italian names as we did Spanish ones. There was a decent representation of French and Irish surnames as well. Probably explains why the city feels rather European.

Here are a few photos to give you a feel for the place….

Up until today, all of our landings have been on islands. Our first attempt earlier in the week to make an actual continental landing was aborted due to poor conditions. The landing party from the ship tried to go ashore but the zodiac was nearly flipped over by the winds.  The katabatic winds coming off the mountains are not to be messed with!

Today we finally managed to go ashore on the actual continent – not once but twice! Our first landing was at Base Brown Antartica Argentina on Paradise Bay.  We encountered some wildlife we had yet to see on this trip….humans!  The base is run by the Argenitnian military and is staffed by a small group of people.  Apparently both Chile and Argentina have numerous bases on the Antarctic peninsula just in case there is ever a time when they may be able to make a claim to the land.  Right now is is governed by a consortium and belongs to no country….but you never know….probably good insurance against the zombie apocalypse too!

This afternoon we transited what has to be a whale super highway on our way to our second landing site at Orne Harbour.  We were following a pod of 12-15 killer whales on one side of the ship while another half dozen humpbacks were feeding on the other side.  To top it all off, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day on deck.  

Oh yeah – and just before lunch we underwent a crazy ritual called the polar plunge.  We stupidly lined up at the side of the ship and jumped into the freezing water – well, not quite freezing.  The water temperature was just shy of a whopping 1C but you may notice the icebergs in the background in the picture.  It was rather shocking but quite exhilarating. Safely out of the water and back on board, we were greeted with a shot of schnapps and a badge to celebrate our achievement (stupidity?!?)

We have seen so much spectacular scenery and wildlife. I am going to let a few of our favourite pictures tell the story for today….

Where do we start with the ice?  Wow!  On our zodiac cruise this morning, we witnessed both an iceberg flip and some calving.  As the icebergs move and melt, the centre of gravity changes and when they can’t stay balanced any longer, they flip.  It is quite cool to witness…and a little scary if you are too close!

This evening was capped off with a passage through what is known as the Gullet.  It is a narrow and very scenic channel that passes between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula.  Most of the year it is completely covered in sea ice but right now it has only about 40% coverage so the expedition leader decided to take us through.  The ship handled the ice very well but you could certainly feel the bumps as we crashed through the sheets of ice.  It is midnight now and the sun is just setting.  We can still see (and feel) the chunks of ice and icebergs outside our window.

In between the morning ice show and the evening ice show, we went ashore at Stonington Island to explore an abandoned research station.  Station E was used by the Americans from 1939 to 1941 then again by the British in the 60s and 70s. It was actually a little eerie. There were a lot of provisions and supplies left behind when the station was abandoned in 1975.  With no critters to scavenge the food and such a dry climate, everything was remarkably well preserved. Canned spaghetti anyone? 

Very early this morning we crossed the Antarctic Circle!  Most expeditions do not get this far south as the weather and ice conditions need to be ideal.  Lucky for us everything was in our favour and we are currently exploring an area that has few visitors.  Even our very experienced expedition leaders are pretty excited!

Our first landing this morning was on Jenny Island in Marguerite Bay.  The primary attraction here was a bunch of ratty looking elephant seals.  The mating season is over and they are now in full moult.  For the most part they just ignored us and continued their lazing about on the shore.  They won’t go back into the water or eat again for several weeks until their fur regenerates.

This afternoon was much more raucous.  We visited our first colony of Adelie penguins at Pourquoi Pas. There were thousands of the cute little critters waddling around on the rocks.  I think Warren took about 400 pictures but he just couldn’t help himself!  

After the party with the penguins, the weather was calm enough for us to kayak around the bay.  The double kayak did not have a rudder and we spent a fair bit of time spinning in circles but it didn’t matter as the scenery was just so stunning.  We were basically at the edge of a glacier and surrounded by icebergs.  The landscape here is very black and white but it is broken up by the stunning blues of the ice.  As we paddled around, we listened to the thunder-like cracking of the ice and occasional splish-splash from the penguins that would porpoise out of the water beside us.

To top off our first full day of exploration, we had both an orca and a humpback whale show after dinner.  As we were finishing our dessert, the call came over the PA system that there was a pod of orcas near the ship.  We watched them for a while then headed back to our cabin to hunker down for the night.  But wouldn’t you know, just as we got into our pyjamas, another call came over the PA – this time is was humpbacks feeding right off the bow.  So we threw on our boots and parkas and headed back up on deck.  It was worth it!  Two humpbacks fed and dove and fed and dove for a good half an hour right in front of us.  Finally made it to bed as the sun was setting.

We boarded the ship and departed Ushuia, Argentina (known as the end of the world) for our two day transit to Antartica.  The route took us past Cape Horn and through the infamous Drake Passage.  Given the wind and currents in this part of the world, the passage has a reputation for being a turbulent one and well, it did not disappoint!  Wind speeds were 40 knots and waves were 5-6 metres.  Not the worst it can get but certainly bad enough that we felt we got our money’s worth! 

Warren and I both managed to avoid barfing with a little help from our friend Gravol. Many passengers were not so lucky!  When we went down for breakfast on the first day of the passage, there were ropes tied from post to post in the dining room. The few passengers who actually left their rooms were staggering around like  bunch of drunks as the ship lurched from side to side.  The rope helped us to stay upright as we navigated our way through the breakfast buffet.

Fortunately the seas started to calm somewhat and by the second morning, most people were up and about.  Still not quite calm enough to run on the treadmill though….tried that and it didn’t end well! 

We are now enjoying our transit and eagerly anticipating the first landing in the next day or so. 

Our home for the next 10 days….