El Calafate

This place is Tahoe with a different attraction. It has a giant lake I don't think you can do anything in (drinking water here is unpurified glaciar runoff and highly protected), and is a little flatter around the lake, but with mountains in the distance. But both have there have there touristy appearance with overpriced shops dressed in ornate log-cabin wood finishes lining the street. The real major difference is in the attractions. Tahoe has a big giant lake, El Calafate has a big giant glaciar.

This is one of those must see spots in Patagonia, and unfortunately everyone in El Calafate knows it and gouges you with the prices. Food, shelter, internet, all things touristy, are increased, and an hour bus ride to and from the park costs you 20 dollars, with an entry fee of $1o, which is ridiculous when all that gets you is a walk on the catwalks for a couple hours. That said, the glaciar was impressive. I took a boat ride I regretted paying for, as it was very touristy and full of pushy, trigger happy tourists with their cameras. The walking was the best part, seeing he 55m high and 11km long glaciar from three different levels. The last level gives you a great vantage point to watch the ice fall off the glaciar and crash into the lake below. I could have sat there all day if I didn't have to get back to the bus. I wish there was more to do around there...which there is, but not without paying an arm and a leg. But I guess it was worth the stop off, and it was inbetween Torres del Paine and El Chalten, my two favorite spots I have been to.

On a funny little side story, I managed to lose my bus ticket to the park between the hostel and the terminal. I already had a bus out of town the next day, so it would have sucked to have to come back into town to see the glaciar. So I sprinted back 10 minutes before the bus was supposed to leave to see if I had left it in the hostel, couldn't find it, so sprinted back, to see if I could somehow convince them I had bought the ticket. There was no love there but an Irish mate heard me talking, and he had an extra ticket becuase his girlfriend was too sick to go. So I bought that off him for a little less, which worked nicely for each of us. I got to go and not have to pay full price for another ticket, and he didn't have to end up wasting his ticket either. Anyway, there is nothing like a 2000 foot sprint to wake you up in the morning.

Tourism at its finest.

Torres del Paine

Well, for how cool this trip ended up being, it had a long, boring start. It was a long 37 hour bus ride to a city called Rio Gallegos, then it took another two busses to get to Puerto Natales in Chile, the gateway to the very famous park of Torres del Paine. I left Tuesday at 8:30 from BA, and got to Puerto Natales Thursday night at about 9:30. And while I know a bus trip that long does not need an explanation as to why it was dull, it is worth noting it was all the duller due to the landscape. Driving through Nevada is more interesting than this drive, and for my fellow Tahoeians, that is saying something. We all know how lovely Nevada can be. At least back in those days I had a bus-full of my fellow soccer teamates and the girls soccer team to keep me company. How I miss those days. But this drive I was alone in my seat staring out at an entirely flat landscape for 37 hours straight. Not even kidding. There might have been a 3 foot change in elevation to the horizon, but that was about it. But the last leg brought us close to the mountains surrounding Torres del Paine, so that was perhaps more appreciated after the section before it. We watched four movies on the 37 hour leg, and it is amazing how insignificant 2 hours can be. A movie on a normal day takes up a good chunk of time. But when you just watched your 2nd movie and still have 27 hours left to go, you are just begging for the next one to come on. Puerto Natales was the final destination, and along the way I met a British mate named Darren, and we decided to do the trek in Torres del Paine together, and opted for The W.

(Puerto Natales)

Torres del Paine - The W

The W is the most popular circuit in the park and usually takes 5 days, whereas The Circuit takes about 8-9 and sees more. They told me the pass on one section of The Circuit was closed so I did The W, although I found out that was a nasty lie. It hurt my feelings, but The W was awesome nonetheless. The whole W name thing comes from the relative shape the trail of the trek takes, which is a W. I ended up taking 6 days, to be explained later, and had a phenomenal time.

(view back to Glaciar Grey)

Day 1 - A 10 hour stroll

So despite leaving Puerto Natales at 7:30 for our two hour bus ride in, it really took 5 hours to get to our stop (the last stop of three) where we were going to start our trek. This is a pretty important detail when you have planned on walking 9 hours in the first day. At least the days are long, with enough daylight to hike until about 10 to 10:30. It was a beautiful drive though, and you get a good view of the Paine Massif mountains on the way there.

(somewhere on the trail)

We started off in the wrong direction following a few people on the road back the way we came. Rule 1, never ever follow someone else, especially when they arrived on the same bus you did, having about as much knowledge of the land as you do. I checked the map to see if were going in the right direction and it looked right, but still, we shouldn't have followed them. Half an hour later a ranger drives by and says we are heading back to the park entrance, so we had to turn around and had now lost time, distance, and strength from that little detour.

(Lovin' Trekkin')

The rest of the trip went well, and it was a beautiful walk in, albeit a long one. We were pushed to rush due to the daylight factor, which was annoying since we were up at 7:30 ready to start the day. But we got to camp, set up, and crashed in our tent after the long day. We ended up doing around 36 km in one day, or 21.6 miles, with our little detour and long road in, and we would end up paying for it.

Day 2 - Age catches up with us

(Glaciar Grey)

The day started out fine, with a visit to the impressive Glaciar Grey, which slinks down into the lake Lago Grey and is split by an island in the middle. It was a cool scene, especially for my first glaciar sighting. It was then back to camp to get our heavy packs for day two, and we were feeling it from day one. 10 hours was too long to start our first day, especially on the first trek in some time for either of us. At some point in your life your age catches up with your will, and no matter how much you might want to be able to do something, your body has another idea. Usually it didn't matter when we were little, but that slowly changes. 1 hour in to our second day and Darren couldn't hardly walk on his knee, and we had 5 hours ahead of us, and 2 1/2 to the nearest camp and way out. After it became clear he had to just get back to camp and take a boat out of the park and he couldn't continue the trip, I loaded up as much of his weight I could and lugged my pack back to camp, then went back to get what was left of of Darren's back and legs. It took him nearly twice the time to hobble that section of the trail as would be normal, but I think his spirit was more hurt than his leg. He had planned on doing this trek for 5 years and now had to head out. It ended up he is still hurting after 2 weeks, and definitely still bummed, as most of the featured activities in Patagonia are the hikes. He didn't even twist his knee or do anything adrupt like that. It was simply an aggravation from the weight, distance, and rough trail we had been walking in.

Day 3 - Flying solo

Darren caught the boat out in the morning, and I headed off to the next campsite, only 2 hours away, deciding to take it easy that day after the two days before, from which I was definitely feeling the effects. It ended up being a good day to chill out, as it rained lightly on my walk there, stopped briefly when I got to camp (so nice for setting up the tent), and then poured for the next 6 hours. Patagonia has some savage weather, and is the catch that comes with the beautiful landscape and setting. I have been lucky in that I have only had a couple bad days, usually there are more, but everyday is one of rapidly changing weather, with no day (minus one or two) that ended the same as it started. Most of this day was spent in the tent or shack where you could cook and eat in shelter, and I pitied the people arriving late, who had to set up in the muddy, rain soaked campsites.

(Valle Frances)

Day 4 - A piece of heaven

(rickety bridge over a rushing glacial river)

I dropped the big pack for a hike up into the Valle Frances (French Valley) above camp, a great lookout onto the lakes below surrounded by cool glaciar covered mountains. They day was amazing with it being one of the few that was warm and clear the whole way through. I changed camp sites to a Refugio below Los Cuernos, or horns, a set of horn looking mountains that are very cool in their shape, colors, and setting. This refugio is one of a few that nice-ify the wilderness setting, allowing people to have warm beds, hot showers, cooked meals, and other comforts on their trip to the park. One can also get away with carrying a day pack everywhere if they are staying at these sights. You have to pay for the campsites, and get access to the shower (I protested and didn't take one) and can pay (way to much) for their meals. The campsite was amazing though, and I took a short walk to the lake shore for dinner and couldn´t believe where I found myself. Here is what I wrote in my travel journal for the day. (And it is a journal, not a diary. I am way to manly for the latter. FYI)

"I am writing from one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. In front
of me is Lago Nordenskjold [a neon green lake that glows in the sunlight], with
green, shrub covered hills across the shore to the left, whose rock formations
create stripes diagonally up the hill. The right side of the lake opens up and
has a few small islands with snow covered peaks in the back drop. Even further
right is Cerro Paine Grande, a jagged mountain partly covered by a white and
blue glaciar and dusted with snow. Behind me are the Curnos del paine, or horns,
an awesome formation...and nearby a small glaciar waterfall drones in the
background...I keep looking up at the scenery, trying to burn it into my brain,
as a photograph can't do justice to this awesome panoramic view." That was the
coolest thing about it I think, just being entirely surrounded by such dramatic,
beautiful, and different scenery on everyside. I didn't want to leave.

(Some of the views that day)

Day 5 - You know you are there when your jaw hits the floor

(Los Cuernos)

I changed locations to a free campsite beneath the base, although without a view, of the Torres del Paine. These are the highlight of the park and dominate the pictures you will see of this place, and rightly so. I think they receive too much hype, diminishing other aspects of the park. Glaciar Grey is very impressive, Valle Frances and Los Cuernos as well, and a 5 minute walk from where I stayed on day 4 gives you a killer view of which I just spoke of, especially at sunrise. To see the Torres at sunrise you have to get up at and start walking in the dark an hour before the sun comes up to hope that you get a cloudless view of the sunrise (rare occurrence). But that said, they are quite impressive. I was amazed by them. Someone in the base camp asked the ranger there how you knew when you arrived at the lookout for the Torres, and he said, "you know when you go like -" and without saying a word, very animatedley opened his mouth wide and made a facial expression of total shock. It was quite funny, but how true those words were, as I felt that feeling when I reached the lookout. The whole way up you see nothing really, but right at the end the Torres come into view in dramatic fashion, rising out of a green glaciar lake. This day I had a nearly clear, blue sky as a backdrop, so they were amazing. I wasn't planning on going up that day; it was quite a long climb witht the big pack to get to the base camp, but you learn quick that if you have a clear day, you take advantage. I was quite happy, as my pre-dawn climb the next day ended up being cloudy. I sat up at the lookout for maybe an hour and a half, just taking in the scenery, which was spectacular. Just unreal. My manly journal entry for this place was this: "Epic. That is what the Torres del Paine are. Epic." 'Nuff said.

Day 6 - Rewards where you least expect them

(Freezing at the lookout, waiting for sunrise)

(perched in the clouds, the pre-dawn hikers enjoy their view)

I got up to do that pre-dawn climb I mentioned. The goal besides a beautiful sunrise is to see the Torres turn a deep red, a very, very rare phenomenon, but always possible. I almost didn't go up though, as it was very lightly raining and cloudy, although the clouds did look high and had a break on the horizon where the sun was rising. That was enough for me, and so I made the one hour scramble up a very steep boulderly hill in the dark. I was one of the first up, and headlamps dotted the hill as I looked down. The Torres were indeed covered in clouds, but the lake was visible as well as the canyon where you hike in, which was between me and the rising sun. The sunrise, although not the one we were hoping for, was still amazing. It lit up the clouds and canyon beautifully, and part of the rocks to the side and below the Torres. The coolest sight for me was another peak off of the Torres range that got that pink alpineglow on it, then had a rainbow shoot out the top of it while it was pink for about 5 minutes, arching to the rocks next to the Torres. It was unreal. I took a picture, but it doesn't do justice. I have learned to accept this fact though. 90% of the pictures I take don't do justice to where I am. Sometimes I can't get the color or angle or whatever, butusaully I just can't make it fit, either because it is too big or more often because the effect comes from all that is arround you. Just 360 degree panaramas that will blow your mind. Patagonia is a land of amazing proportions, and the best views are those that don't just occur in front of you, but surround you.

When I got back to the guard station at the entrance to catch the bus, it had been 6 days without a shower, and the cloud of flies swarming me made me feel like a dead animal. But all the trekkers were the same. It definitely seperated us (in hygiene and pride) from the day trippers to the park. The long smelly bus ride back was one of sweet memories of spetacular views and surreal settings. I left on a high, and have basically been planning my trip based on treks ever since.

(That is "Dubwa" for "I done licked da Dubwa")

Travel Update

So I last left you in Montevideo, Uruguay, a cool little city that I spent a couple days in. Photos of the place can be viewed by clicking here.

I then headed over to Colonia del Sacramento. It is an old colonial town that was fought over by the Spanish and Portuguese for a time because of its key location on the River. The place is pretty well preserved, but also a little done up in the tourist atmosphere. I have noticed there are some places that are tourist attractions because of their natural draw, interesting simply because they are interesting. Then there are the other places that usually started out this way, but due to early success, have now tried to make themselves all the more attractive by catering specifically to tourists. I personally don't like it, because rather than seeing the place for what it is, you get caught up in this whole other fabricated atmosphere that wouldn't have otherwise occurred if the tourists hadn't started showing up. Not to put this place down too much, it is a pretty cool place to pass through, but in a day you have seen all that is offered. lick to view pictures of Colonia de Sacramento.

It was then on to Buenos Aires via a ferry boat, which was pretty fun since it was windy and we did some of that stomach churning up down action on the waves when first starting out. BA has tons to offer and has many unique and interesting sections. Mostly all I did was walk around the most frequented areas, which is really only a slice of what BA has to offer. But since I am trying to save some money, and spending way too much just walking around everywhere, I limited myself to this type of experience.

Downtown (click for pictures)

Tons to do here, and lots of attractions, from great big plazas, government and historical buildings, and busy avenues full of shops, street shows, and people.

The Recoleta (pictures)

Famous for the cemetery with lots of above ground graves (more like small, very expensive looking houses). The surrounding neighborhood is upscale and has some cool buildings, as well as an art museum and plazas.

La Boca (pictues)

A little touristy for my taste, but colorful buildings and tango dancers line the main part, and the stadium for the Boca Junior soccerteam is nearby. It is a little rough around the edges though, and kind of sketchy to walk to and from. I spent the day here with some Brazilians I met where I am staying, so it was a great day. Brazilians in general are very animated, fun loving people. I love the fact that they are unafraid to be themselves no matter what or where, and they are just fun to be around. It was also cool to brush up on some portuguese, and while I started to get back my listening skills, I spoke a lot more portañol than I did portuguese.

Puerto Madero (pictures)

Ritzy new part of town being built on the old port. Beautiful buildings, parks, and attractions, as well as a river-like port and boats you can explore.

San Telmo (pictures)

The old city and where I am staying. the streets are closer, and the atmosphere is pretty cool. Sunday there is a big antiques fair, and antique shops are all over the place throughout the neighborhood.

All in all Buenos Aires is a pretty cool city with a lot going on. I am pretty sure anyone could find something they would want to do or to see without much problem. There are also lots of travelers here, and as a result, some cool people to meet. I spent most of my time with my brazilian friends or with an Australian traveler I met, swapping stories and sharing in adventure. I am glad I came to see the place, but at the same time, I have been in and out of the cities for a little more than a month, all the plazas and statues and museums and streets are starting to blend together. The pollution here is also getting to me, and I have trouble breathing from time to time. I leave tomorrow for Patagonia, and welcome the break to city life. I do however have a 36 hour direct bus ride to one city, where I will have to find a connection to a city another 6 hours away. Prayer for safety and sanity would be much appreciated. I hope all are doing well and have a very happy Thanksgiving. Eat lots of turkey for me.

Skipping Rocks

There is this rock I have with me right now that would be perfect for skipping on some glassy water. It is one of those cirular, rounded, and flat rocks that seems to fit perfectly into your hand. I have always loved skipping rocks. I can become completely lost in that moment, trying to get the perfect spin, ark, and placement to achieve to most hops possible. I have lots of good memories of skipping rocks. Usually they are just of me and some friends, passing the time, hanging out and tossing some stones. Sometimes it is just me as I ponder the important questions in life, like meaning, purpose, God, love, and what is for lunch. My earliest memory of skipping rocks is with one of my best and oldest friends, Evan, giving me the break down on rock-skipping basics. It was somewhere in Tahoe, the lake or a pond or stream, I don't remember. The location isn't really important. It is more about the company and state of mind.

Being a lone traveler on the road, I have a lot of time to think, and being so far from home, my thoughts usually find there way back there. When I left Asunción, there wasn't going to be anybody else waiting for me on the other end, no friendy faces to take the edge off the new surroundings. Travelling alone in Paraguay is truly traveling alone; alone in language, alone culture, even alone in just being a traveler. There weren't any wandering travelers to talk to on the bus or at the hotel. That leaves a lot of time to think. I think when you are lonely and lost in thoughts, the people and places and memories that come up most are the ones that mean the most to you.

The rock I have with me now I picked up on the central coast in Montaña de Oro on a walk with my dad this last spring. We spent the morning just walking along the coast, and that stretch is beautiful for those who don't know it. It was sometime in the middle of my last quarter of college, with finals and senior project and graduation looming in the distance, but that day it had all faded to the background. That was a good day. The rock is a good reminder of all that I have waiting for me when I get back. Even though I am traveling all around the world, having once in a lifetime adventures, experiencing other cultures, and seeing all the wonders this world has to offer, I still find myself longing to be home from time to time, with the friends and family I love. I am having the time of my life right now, but I look forward to the day when I cross the border back into the States and will be able to see some old friends and dear family. We can catch up on old times, talk about some South American adventures, and maybe, if we are lucky, we can even skip some rocks.

Photo Updates

Hey everyone. I finally got my photos uploaded onto facebook, and you should be able to view them, even if you do not have an account with them. Bellow are the links with the location they reference. Click here, and then on the picture that shows up on the next page. Then you can view all the photos. God bless!

Asuncion, Paraguay

Around Asuncion

Parque Ybycui, Paraguay

Trinidad, Paraguay

Encarnacion, PR and Posadas, AR

Travels Update

So I guess my parents, and possibly friends, have been busy giving out the blog address, so welcome to all the new readers. Hopefully I can keep you relatively entertained with my entries. Just wanted to give you all a quick update on what I have been up to lately. And due to some recent confusion my parents recently experienced (well, they experienced the other persons confusion...they werent confused) when they received a package from me and the subject matter of this post, I just want to inform everyone that there is a country called Paraguay, it is not imaginary, and you can find it on a map if you look in the middle of South America. It is not Portugal. Never was. Never will be. All good? Good. =)

Asunción to Ybybuí - Pretty uneventful bus ride spent looking out the window at some pretty green and beautiful scenery. I arrived at the "terminal" in Ybycuí at about 10, which is really just a covered area with some benches, a hole in the wall (and I almost mean that literally) for an office for a bus company, and couple other holes where you can sit and wait for a bus and buy phone cards. I could rave on and on about Paraguayan hospitality, so I found it ironic that the most serious, unfriendly man of very few words that I have ever met in the world, also happened to run the bus terminal, and was my source of information for incoming and outgoing busses. Awesome.

Ybycuí - There is a city, and then about 12 miles away, a national park. When I arrived I had missed the bus to the park I was planning on taking, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. There is only one bus to the park per day, and the lonesome road to the park has about 3 people that travel on it per day, so getting back would have been a problem. I ended up hiring a taxi to get me there and back. Also, no one was really there when I finally ended up getting there, so it would have been a long, lonely night camping. I ended up checking into an hospedaje, paying $5 per night for a room, and then since it was all of 10:30 in the morning, went to look for something to do. I took a walk through "downtown" where locals sat out in front of their shops or houses drinking terere in groups (typical Paraguayan style) in the 100 degree heat. I came for the park attraction a few miles away, but that day, I was the attraction. Ever want to feel uncomfortable? Take a walk in rural Paraguay and see how many conversations stop and heads turn. The rest of the day passed slowly as I read my guidebook, but at the end I got to talk to a Mexican traveler and also share some terere with some traveling business men, so the day ended pretty good.

The park itself was pretty. All it really had was the ruins of an iron making factory destroyed in Paraguays war with the triple alliance and a couple of small waterfalls. The place was very peaceful, especially since no one else was there, and it was nice to stroll around the area and take a short hike to one of the falls. Good little get away from the chaos in Asuncion.

Ybycuí to Encarnación - From Ybycuí I ventured down south to Encarnación, transferring at the bus "terminal" in Carapegua. Apparently in Paraguay terminal can mean just about anything, and here it meant some bus stops whose signs were lost amongst the clutter and signage of local businesses and shops, and where the three major highways meet. Once on the crowded bus, I stood for half an hour, until finally getting a seat the rest of the way. All in all, it was 6 long hours on a bus without air and full of people. Sweet. But the countryside of Paraguay is pretty, almost always green except for the rare farm field that is a golden brown, which might be wheat. But I am not a farmer, so I cant be sure.

Encarnación and Trinidad - Checked into a little hotel run out of the house of the owner. His living room is one of the common rooms of the hotel, so it has a little homy feel I guess. Encarcion doesnt have a lot for the traveler, and I was there mainly to see the Jesuit ruins in nearby Trinidad. The ruins were pretty cool. There wasnt a lot of information posted and I didnt want a guide. But I walked around awhile under the sweltering sun (I dont think it ever gets below 85 here...ever) looking at the architecture and taking some pictures. I can now say I have visited the least visited UNESCO sight in the world. Check.

Encarnación to Montevideo - Oh boy, this was fun. Want to know how to make a 16 hour bus ride even more exciting? First, buy the bus ticket for an intermediate pick up point, not the point of origin. That way, you do not really know when the bus will arrive, but have more of a window...and in Latin America, windows involving time can be big. Furthermore, the bus only runs once a week...so if you miss it...well, just do not miss it. Next, misunderstand that the bus will be arriving at your location at 12:30. Really, it is leaving Asuncion at this time, and will be arriving 5 hours later where you are, which is the border crossing between Paraguay and Argentina. Having to check out of your hotel at 10:00 also helps. That way, you can arrive early at the border control in plenty of time to catch your 12:30 bus (which, as we all know now, arrives at 4:30). Finally, make sure it is raining, meaning there will be road delays, and now the window just got bigger. Yay for big windows.

So what does this break down to? I got to the border at 10:15 in the morning thinking my bus would be there around 12:30, but it really got there at 5:30. That is about 7 hours of sitting at a border control office without seats. More fun happens getting into Argentina, where there is about an hour long line. Then, finally, when you have got through all that, then, and only then, do you have the privelege of taking your 16 hour bus ride.

Montevideo, Uruguay - Ahhhhhhh, order. The chaos of Paraguay could not contrast more with this city. I loved Paraguay, but also love it here for completely different reasons. There are beatiful, wide-open plazas, great architectural buildings of modern and historical eras, and just an all around cool atmosphere. Plus, I have to wear a sweatshirt here. I dont know if you can understand how happy I am to do this. It is refreshinly chilly here. I have been spending my time with some friends I made on the bus ride here, all south americans, so they are pleasant and friendly, plus I get to practice some Spanish.

- - - - -

So that is the quick (sort of) and dirty version of what I have been up to. I hope to write more later, but it has been hard to find time to use a computer. Hope all of you are doing great, and feel free to drop me an email anytime. Much love.

Last Words

So I am dying. Of what? I am slowly melting to death. No seriously. I am. I can feel it. My skin molecules are being slowly broken down, leaving a sticky feeling all over my body. Water comes out from inside my body and soaks my skin...I think maybe I am boiling inside. I drink about a gallon of ice cold water everyday to counter act the process, but it is no use. It is an uphill battle. It is just too hot. I am throwing in the towel. I don't know how much longer I will last. All I know is that I really, really want a snow cone.