Argentina with Responsible Adults
Up at 2:30 am for our transit to the airport, Peru’s curse of early mornings reached even to Chile. We had to wait an hour for the check-in desk to open; Johann stood because a stray dog had sprawled out on the remaining seats and was happily snoozing belly up. A few hours layover in Santiago, and by the end of the day we were in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
the dog's little leg sometimes kicked a lil' as it dreamed of chasing things - so so cute [📸 Johann]
Meet our new crew! For this leg of our journey, we were joined by Rachel’s parents and their good friend Lisa. Let the good times roll!
Buenos Aires
Our time in this city was actually split up into several smaller visits, and this is where our Argentina trip began and ended. We had a beautiful time.
First of all, Argentina is gluten free heaven, and Rachel could finally (briefly) quench her thirst for bread (amazing bakeries). We enjoyed several fabulous dinners, a great cup of coffee, and some lovely strolls.
Yes, that shaggy, dishevelled face really is Johann. We think the Bolivian salt made it grow faster or something. [📸 Johann, Carla, Lisa, Grant]
In La Recoleta Cemetery, we wandered among ornate shrines in the form of mini buildings. Some were very well maintained, and we peeked in to see staircases descending into the ground, lined with caskets - many large, for adults, and some small, for children. Others had fallen into disrepair, vines pressed against dusty windows and trees growing from crumbling roofs.
Evita Peron’s grave was nestled discreetly among the others, her remains buried in a fortified crypt so they can’t be stolen (again).
There's a scene in Phantom of the Opera where Christine Daaé goes to her father's grave, a mausoleum just like these ones, to be sad, and then the Phantom appears, starts acting like her dead dad, gets mad, and starts throwing fireballs at her and Raoul (in the musical). And now you're stuck knowing that too. [📸 Rachel]
Another day we visited the hyper-touristic, colourful neighbourhood of La Boca. After a short viewing of La Bombonera football stadium where Messi played, we walked to Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve on the Rio de la Plata. The huge brown expanse of water can be considered to be the largest river in the world; across it lies Uruguay. We saw egrets, a wild guinea pig, and pampas grass in their native habitat!
We also think La Bombonera football stadium is painted like IKEA. There was even a Swedish flag graffitied nearby. [📸 Rachel, Carla]
One evening we passed from golden sunlight into a warmly lit room and took our seats in a ring of tables for two. When the musicians began to play, the room transformed and a woman’s voice poured like honey.
From their seats at a nearby table, two dancers rose and began to tango. Her blue and gold garb flowed around her as she moved with an illusion of effortlessness, her partner matching her artistry and skill exactly. It was the kind of performance that changes the flow of time, if only for an hour.
El Calafate
Located on the shores of glacial-blue Lake Argentina and nestled in the arid steppes, El Calafate was a beautiful introduction to Patagonia.
We had a stunning day trip to the Perito Moreno glacier, where translucent blue ice thundered as it calved off the spiky-haired glacier. Learning more about glaciers the next day at the Glaciarium, we watched an over-dramatized video of glacial collapse where a deep bass rumbled “I enter the final agonies of destruction.” We also savoured sightings of flamingos, Andean duck, and grey fox at the Laguna Nimez reserve.
El Calafate locals take care of the town's dogs as a community, so it was always easy to find a friendly pup to walk with. [📸 Johann, Rachel, Grant, Lisa]
Not pictured: The gale-force winds we fought against to photograph these small birds without our camera shaking. [📸 Johann & Rachel]
Very nice. [📸 Johann & Rachel]
El Chaltén
Driving from El Calafate to El Chaltén across the Patagonian steppes, we saw rhea birds, an Andean condor, and guanaco (wild ancestor of llamas). We all loved the little town, nestled under mountains and between rocky cliffs. We were there with one purpose: to hike.
Many trekking trails start right at the townsite, which is directly next to the national park. [📸 Grant]
A picturesque drive along a meandering river brought us to our first hike. We wandered upwards through the mossy beech forest, emerging on a moraine ridge with spectacular views of the Hummel Glacier cascading into a teal lake.
Every tree and bush was twisted and gnarled, as though growing in Patagonia requires great strength. [📸 Carla, Rachel, Johann]
The next day, we made the trek to Laguna Torre and were rewarded with panoramic mountain views. And since we have no chill, we saved the hardest hike (Laguna de los Tres) for last. Over two days we racked up 60,000 steps!
Legs? Where we're going, we don't need legs! [📸 Carla, Rachel]
On that final big hike, we climbed along an open slope overlooking the river valley before entering a stunted dry forest. Next came a balancing act on rough boardwalks through a wetland meadow, and then a spot of mature forest. Finally, a challenging climb up an exposed scree slope brought us to the top of the glacial moraine and rewarded us with spectacular views of craggy Mount Fitz-Roy towering over still waters.
Oh NO I think we needed those legs [📸 Rachel, Carla, Johann]
Ushuaia
The (very) southern city of Ushuaia is many things, including being a historic penal colony as well as a major port for Antarctic expeditions. And there are PEAT BOGS! We had some beautiful romps through the woods and around wetlands. The lichen in the forest was so neon bright that some trees looked as if they were wearing safety vests.
(passerby, on phone:) "And there were peat bogs!" (stranger, into camera:) "Oh my goossshh there were peat boggss??!?" [📸 Carla, Rachel]
We spent a stunning day on the waters of the Beagle Channel. Penguins bobbed on the water hunting fish while sei whales sent up plumes of mist. Heavy petrels slapped the ocean with their wide feet as they took a running takeoff.
We traversed out to The Lighthouse at the End of the World (everything is 'at the end of the world’ in Ushuaia). Sea lions yelped and played on tiny rock islands, alongside numerous cormorants and a family of massive Andean condors. Huge columns of kelp descended into blue waters.
The entire trip boat ride was stunning - our eyes were constantly glued to the surroundings. [📸 Rachel, Carla]
We saw quite a few sei whales - fortunate, given their proclivity to swim deep and fast. [📸 Johann]
Terns, penguins, and other sea birds were plentiful. [📸 Rachel & Johann]
The sea lions have SO MUCH personality. Just be thankful that we can't make you smell or hear them :) [📸 Rachel & Johann]
Turning around, we passed by small islands of (much quieter) seals before docking at Bridges Island. A quick jaunt took us through a shrubby wonderscape resembling the vegetation of the high Andes due to the windy and extreme conditions in the Beagle Channel. Once again we met our dear friend, the cushion plant yareta (English name: balsam-bog). Rachel was VERY excited.
Lots of the yareta seemed to be acting as a host substrate for other plants, such as the ones producing these beautiful pink berries! [📸 Rachel & Johann]
Another day, we explored the national park and took The Train at the End of the World, a rebooted section of the old railway which had taken prisoners out to log the forest. We passed through fields of stumps which had never regenerated, and by ruddy coloured raised bogs. Johann deeply shocked the Argentinian rail staff by eating dulce de leche on an apple.
Dulche de leche is REALLY GOOD on apples, and Johann refuses to apologize. [📸 Rachel, Carla]
Some of the best seafood we've ever gotten to eat! [📸 Rachel]
Puerto Iguazú
Puerto Iguazú is set in spectacular jungle, meaning the weather was spicy and wet. The humidity almost did us in, especially at 35 degrees Celsius, but Iguazú Falls (the largest waterfall system in the world) was very much worth it!
Walking through town to the bus stop, we bought our tickets and rode to the park entrance. From there we took a slow train to the end of the line, Rachel being squeezed in with a lovely group of Italians and cobbling together a conversation with bits of Spanish, French, and English.
Disembarking, we walked roughly a kilometre on boardwalks stretching over a huge expanse of slowly flowing water, broken up by small slivers of volcanic land. The Devil’s Throat waterfall complex is beyond description, with a vast pillowy cascade of brown water framed by many tall waterfalls and shrouded by mist.
The mist felt like a surprisingly warm shower. [📸 Rachel]
We spent the rest of the day hiking to various viewpoints throughout the jungle. The diverse plants, butterflies, birds, and coati we came across fascinated us, along with the volcanic geography and rumbling waters. The ginormous orb weaver webs seemed designed to catch people; Johann LOVED the big spiders[1].
[citation needed] ↩︎
One of the biggest constants throughout our trip is that monkeys are really smart, and will always figure out how to steal fruit. You've been warned. [📸 Lisa & Rachel]
Another highlight was a tour via jeep, then boat, up the river to right below part of the falls. In one place, we were tossed about in the misty fringes, receiving what they call ‘the best shower of your lives.’ It was indeed quite refreshing.
That water really did fall. Like, a lot. [📸 Rachel & Lisa]
The town itself was vibrant, with live music, tango, and salsa dancing in the streets. Right on the border with Brazil and Paraguay, we had a lovely meal overlooking the rivers where all three borders meet. Our last hurrah was to try mate in a local shop (you know it’s healthy because of how it tastes).
We do not want to be part of the yerba mate club, Mr. Creepy Cut-Out Guy. [📸 Rachel & Lisa]
And on the high of one last batch of gluten-free medialunas (Argentinian croissants), this leg of our trip was over. Flying through Brazil, by the next day we were in South Africa.
One trip more! Can you hear the lions roar, singing the song of angry cats? If you can’t, then just stay tuned for our next blog post and we’ll help you out. See you next time! That is if we can resist the urge to pet the big kitties.
