Monday, 24 February 2014
Darncing on Ice
While I lounged around the hostel, Kim was out and about with the girls, looking at animals and the Perito Moreno glacier...
Raindrops aren't falling on my head.
Did I mention that since we arrived in South America the weather has been red hot every day? Bright sunshine in endless skies over miles and miles and miles of dry land, stretching to the horizon in every direction as we click off the kilometres.
Today, after a coffee at a ranch once inhabited by Butch and Sundance, we rolled into El Calafate, a goodly sized trading post with lots of shops selling 'gear'. We're well into serious climbing and trekking country, having just arrived from El Chalten, a smaller Deadwood style 'adventuring' town full of camps, hostels and bars full of sinewy Spanish hardcore types looking for the next big thing to climb.
After twelve nights under canvas, we are being treated to a hostel for a couple of nights. I'm having a couple of hours off while Kim is out for a drink with our fellow travellers.
There's plenty of office politics with a group this size, but I think we are getting along okay, with plenty of laughs and adventures along the way. Michelle was jumped by a two friendly dogs a couple of nights ago outside her tent. Scary enough, but not as bad as having your tent knocked down by a wild boar, as happened to a couple of Germans on our site last week. Never keep grub in your tent!
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| Leaving El Chalten for El Calafate |
Today, after a coffee at a ranch once inhabited by Butch and Sundance, we rolled into El Calafate, a goodly sized trading post with lots of shops selling 'gear'. We're well into serious climbing and trekking country, having just arrived from El Chalten, a smaller Deadwood style 'adventuring' town full of camps, hostels and bars full of sinewy Spanish hardcore types looking for the next big thing to climb.
After twelve nights under canvas, we are being treated to a hostel for a couple of nights. I'm having a couple of hours off while Kim is out for a drink with our fellow travellers.
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| Interesting car No3 : Helados = ice cream |
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| Coffee and cake at Butch and Sundance's place |
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| Cakes and sexy lingerie in one place - I love South America |
There's plenty of office politics with a group this size, but I think we are getting along okay, with plenty of laughs and adventures along the way. Michelle was jumped by a two friendly dogs a couple of nights ago outside her tent. Scary enough, but not as bad as having your tent knocked down by a wild boar, as happened to a couple of Germans on our site last week. Never keep grub in your tent!
Mr Watters
This is Phil. He's a retired solicitor. And Welsh. He is doing a great job of dispelling the stereotypes surrounding both of those unfortunate afflictions.
We love him and his wife Pam. She has a lot to put up with.
We love him and his wife Pam. She has a lot to put up with.
Tia Maria On The Rocks
Last Friday we did a glacier trek by boat to the Viedmar glacier. Four hours scrambling over rocks onto pure blue ice.
The girls melted over one of the guides who, to me, was more a useful version of Russell Brand than heart-throb, but you know what lasses are like on holiday.
Anyway, the glacier was incredible, if scary - sheer ice and blunt crampons aren't my thing - but I recovered after a Tia Maria, served up with glacier ice.
The girls melted over one of the guides who, to me, was more a useful version of Russell Brand than heart-throb, but you know what lasses are like on holiday.
Anyway, the glacier was incredible, if scary - sheer ice and blunt crampons aren't my thing - but I recovered after a Tia Maria, served up with glacier ice.
Nirvana: Unplugged
Nirvana: Unplugged was playing symbolically in the campsite rec room when we arrived at El Chalten.
On Friday we did the Viedma glacier walk in all the gear; Saturday was this 16k walk in the foothills around the mountains of El Chalten, in rather less gear.
Although we haven't seen loads of wildlife yet - some guanacos (llama-like beasts), rhea (like emus), birds, butterflies and a thousand sleeping dogs, it is fair to say the landscape itself is heaven on earth, and best seen rather than described by me.
I'm still trying to sort out my connectivity (rubbish wifi), so will post photos when I can. Let's give it a go...
On Friday we did the Viedma glacier walk in all the gear; Saturday was this 16k walk in the foothills around the mountains of El Chalten, in rather less gear.
Although we haven't seen loads of wildlife yet - some guanacos (llama-like beasts), rhea (like emus), birds, butterflies and a thousand sleeping dogs, it is fair to say the landscape itself is heaven on earth, and best seen rather than described by me.
I'm still trying to sort out my connectivity (rubbish wifi), so will post photos when I can. Let's give it a go...
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| Some mountains and us |
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| Lunch break at Laguna Capri |
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| Over El Chalten, waiting for a tan |
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| Steakhouse-cum-climbing wall |
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| No two buildings are the same |
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| Over Rancho Grande? I'll never get over Rancho Grande |
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| El Chalten - Deadwood for mountaineers |
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| 20 minutes from El Chalten |
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| The morning after tequila. It was the landlord's birthday = free pizza |
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| Cool cars No1 : Little Miss Sunshine. |
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| Coming down to El Chalten, with more mountains |
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