We are now back in Argentina after an enjoyable crossing from Chile. From Villa O´Higgins, we boarded a ferry for a three hour ride across a huge glacial lake. Disembarking from the ferry, we got our Chilean exit stamps on our passports from a funny little Chilean Carabineros outpost. Posted truly in the middle of nowhere, these military folks spend their time visiting pobladores for mate sipping sessions and driving back an forth on their 15 km long road in their lone vehicle, an old green John Deere tractor. We rode up the Chilean´s road to the border (past several washed out bridges) to the border, where the road changes abruptly to a trail, which we descended with some difficulty (due to deadfall and eroded sections) to Lago Desierto and the Argentine border outpost. We spent the night camped on the lake, caught a ferry across in the morning, and rolled downhill with the wind at our backs all the way into El Chalten, of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre fame. We celebrated our arrival with a wonderful dinner of parilla (barbecue) with a bunch of cycling friends we met along the way - a Swiss, a Dane, an Italian, and three Brazilians.
Since I was here eight years ago, Chalten has ballooned in size, quite a shock to see. It now has dozens of restaraunts, scads of hostels, internet access, a new park visitor center, upscale shopping... Back in 2001 it had one lone hostel, one restaraunt/bar, with nary a cyber-cafe to be found. Pretty impressive for a town founded way back in 1985! My next visit I fully expect to find a super WalMart and a couple Starbucks. Actually maybe the Starbucks wouldn´t be so bad, as we are back in the land of foul coffee, which the Argentines toast with sugar to give it a distinctly chemical taste, yum. We suspect it is a conspiracy headed by the mate industry, but who knows?
Anyhow, we are now showered and fed, and plan to hike around for a day or two before heading south (of course) out onto the windy pampas. We keep hearing all sorts of nasty wind stories from northbound cyclists, so it is with some trepidation that we leave the sheltering confines of Chile´s deep valleys. So wish us luck.
Oh yeah, and finally some photos, enjoy:
All the best,
Ty
4 comments:
Hey Rose!
I've been following your progress from the beginning. Thanks so much for posting the Awesome photos and the great stories. I feel like I've been on this trip with you in spirit.
Kate (ann marie's friend)
Hola Rose and Ty,
Avoiding to be forgotten in the huge group of all your daily comments, I'll just skip the comment, and instead go buy some wine and get back to the campground, the guitar and the good company!
Hey Ty & Rose,
Great to read about your two wheeled adventures! Great stuff. Hope you are both doing great.
Dave
Hey guys,
Thanks for leaving us a note! It´s so great to hear from our readers. Stay tuned,
Rose
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