Puerto Natales & Torres del Paine, Chile

Hellooooo Chile!

Off to a different part of Patagonia, this time in Chile! The main reason we came to Puerto Natales was to see one of Chiles most famous national parks, Torres del Paine, and Puerto Natales is a good starting point. We took a relatively short bus ride from El Calafate into the small town of Puerto Natales. Our first bus ride crossing international borders was actually pretty uneventful, as it should be. We had to all get off the bus a couple times to get our passports stamped and get luggage scanned but before we knew it, we were pulling into town.

We stayed in a hostel called El Sendero, which was definitely a few notches up from our last one in El Chaltén (as far as looks go). It was really cozy and cabin-like, a stark contrast with the cold weather outside. This will be the closest town to the southern tip of the continent that we will be exploring and we could definitely feel the icy quality of the air. Every morning we had a delicious breakfast waiting for us in the very spacious kitchen. It was a great place to stay!

El Sendero Hostel Puerto Natales Chile Patagonia

El Sendero Hostel Puerto Natales Chile Patagonia

El Sendero Hostel Puerto Natales Chile Patagonia

El Sendero Hostel Puerto Natales Chile Patagonia

Our first day we spent wandering around the port town. It was a little overcast but we could still see the dramatic backdrop of the snow peaked Andes – it really felt as if we were nearing the southern tip of the world. There were many boats scattered around the port, all in different states – in and out of the water, some being used for work, some for pleasure and some being refurbished. Many of them were full of color and life and some were just lifeless, shells of what they used to be.

Boats in Puerto Natales Chile

Boats in Puerto Natales Chile

Boats in Puerto Natales Chile

Boats in Puerto Natales Chile

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Since we were going to be there for only a day or so, we decided a guided tour through the national park would suffice. They would basically take us through the main points of interest in the park – yes, it was one of those hop on/hop off lazy people tours. We wanted to see the whole park and there was just no way to do it any other way.

The bus picked us up at 8:00 AM and it was a full one! Our guide, Gabriela did an exceptional job of keeping us entertained whilst providing us with pertinent information about the national park.  

The first of many stops was the Cueva de Milodon (Mylodon Cave). This cave was first discovered around 1895 by a German guy who stumbled upon some remains of a giant sloth-like animal called a Mylodon, which in fact had already been discovered earlier by some dude named Darwin. They are said to have lived approx 10,000-13,000 years ago! Pretty neat!

Cueva del Milodón Chile Patagonia

Cueva del Milodón Chile Patagonia

 

Jen posing with the life-sized milodon

Jen posing with the life-sized milodon

From here, we started heading towards the park and on the way encountered a real gaucho, herding his sheep with the help of his two best friends, a couple of dogs! The bus had to stop because the sheep were strewn all over the road running in different directions. They had lost their way, if you will. Alas they were recovered safely and we were on our way.

Gaucho herding sheep in Chilean Patagonia

Gaucho herding sheep in Chilean Patagonia

A little while later we saw the famous Andean Condor. It is basically a large black vulture with white patches and can have a maximum wingspan of over 3 meters! It was incredible to see them just soaring above us.

Andean Condors in Chile

Andean Condors in Chile

Another interesting animal that was plentiful in the area is the Guanaco, a type of llama native to South America. We were able to catch them from the bus almost the whole way there. The scenery on the way to the park was stunning.

Chilean guanaco

Chilean guanaco

Guanaco on the lookout

Guanaco on the lookout

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Vantage point over the valley before entering the eastern entrance to Torres del Paine

Vantage point over the valley before entering the eastern entrance to Torres del Paine

After gaining entry into the park and driving for a bit, we could finally see the famous Torres del Paine (blue towers). They are granite peaks that are approx 2,500 meters above sea level. They were partially covered by clouds at first, but later in the day revealed themselves.

Torres Del Paine Chile

Torres Del Paine Chile

As we continued along the tour, there were many stops to see the beautiful lakes, glaciers, and waterfalls along with the different angles of the mountain range. The weather permitted us to take some great pictures that day. We some how keep getting lucky with the weather!

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We stopped here to eat our lunch we packed with us

We stopped here to eat our lunch we packed with us

Suspension bridge on the way to Grey glaciar

Suspension bridge on the way to Grey glaciar

A glacier, just chillin'

A glacier, just chillin’

Granite towers

Granite towers

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Salto Grande Waterfall

Salto Grande Waterfall

Oldest hotel in the park, Hostería Pehoé, dating back to 1959

Oldest hotel in the park, Hostería Pehoé, dating back to 1959

Even though we didn’t have time to challenge ourselves with a grueling trek of any sort, we were still able to capture the essence of this grand national park. We would love to return to do the popular 4-5 day “W” trek through the park.

We said goodbye to the town of Puerto Natales, took a bus ride to Punta Arenas where we slept over night at the airport (which, with so many people sleeping in their sleeping bags looked like a hostel by the way). We had an early flight the next morning to Santiago. From there, our friends picked us up and took us to their home just outside of Santiago, Chile, a place where we could hang out and relax for a little while…

Rock climbing like a pro. Nailed it.

Rock climbing like a pro. Nailed it.

El Calafate/Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

We didn’t want to risk another bus catastrophe so we booked a flight to El Calafate. We were there in a snap!

We got lucky yet again with a super awesome AirBnB host named Ezequiel. He’s actually a tour guide and had plenty of good tips for us. We stayed in a guest house on his property on the edge of town, and spent a little time with him and his family talking about our trip over tea. We could see the beautiful turquoise lake (Lago Argentina) from our front window. The lake was dotted with pink flamingos and swans with black necks. There was even a hammock in the living room! It was a lovely, relaxing place.

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The main attraction and reason for our visit was to see the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier. The ice formation is approximately 97 sq miles and where it ends – the part we view – the avg height is about 74 meters (240 ft). That’s a smidge taller than the height of the Drop Tower (formerly Drop Zone) at Great America! It’s also only 1 of 3 glaciers in Patagonia that is continually advancing. Neither of us had ever seen a glacier in our lives so we were pretty excited to see one, especially one so grandiose!

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It did not disappoint. We spent hours at the park, first on a boat taking us slowly along the face of the glacier, then afterwards we walked for hours taking in the enormity of it. You could hear the flowing water within the glaciers rivers and waterfalls. We waited patiently for pieces of ice to fall and then listened for the big booming sound each piece made as it hit the water. The pieces falling looked small from where we were standing but in reality, they’re the size of cars, houses, and some even bigger still.

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Here’s us having lunch at the park ((CLICK TO WATCH))

You’d think a full day of staring at a block of ice waiting for it to melt would be boring but we could barely take our eyes off of it in time to catch the bus back to our house. It’s not something we will soon forget.

Biking Buenos Aires

Biking Buenos Aires

Because Buenos Aires is so big, we thought that doing a bike tour around the city would be fun and informative at the same time. We covered many points of interest and learned a lot about Argentina’s oftentimes tumultuous history.

Our guide, Taylor, who happens to be from Colorado, took us through different parts of the city that we would have not otherwise gone to or learned about on our own. He is very passionate about history and helped us all to understand some of Argentina’s past and present.

We travelled from the oldest – and now bohemian – barrio of San Telmo to the newest and most expensive area called Puerto Madero where the likes of Lionel Messi stays when in town.

Throughout our ride, we took photos of some of the most famous sights in BA including Teatro Colón, El Obelisco, Floralis Genérica (the giant aluminum and steel hydraulic flower), El Caminito (in La Boca), and of course the famous Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Perón lies.

We cruised by the world famous La Bombonera Stadium (the chocolate box) where the Boca Juniors football team plays. The Boca Junior fans are known for being very aggressive – so much so that last year they pepper sprayed the local rivalry, River Plate, and the game had to be suspended! We wanted to go see a game but maybe it’s better that it is off season right now.

We took a nice break midway through the ride where we stopped for a delicious lunch at a food truck in Puerto Madero called Parilla mi Sueño. On the menu was a huge pork sandwich called a Bondiola and a sandwich with chorizo that we shared. There were lots of toppings we could choose from including chimichurri sauce which is an Argentina original.

Later that night we met up with our new Aussie friends from the bike tour and went to an awesome show called La Bomba de Tiempo (the time bomb). It includes a whole team of percussionists that follow up to 70 different signs given by a director. It’s all improvised and every show is different!

And what better way to finish off the long day than to have a fine piece of Argentinian steak for dinner. They’re not shy about the serving sizes either! Our group ordered several different cuts of meat and they were all top notch. Argentina knows how to cook a steak!

The bike tour (a first for both of us) proved to be enlightening, fun and we were able to get a workout all at the same time! A day well spent…

Getting to know Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in South America and we are constantly discovering how unique it is every time we turn a corner. Every barrio (neighborhood) has something different to offer whether it be art, museums, music, cafes, and let’s not forget – the Argentine tango! It’s known for its European style architecture and has a lot of Italian influence as well, which means pasta and pizza are the main staples here. Oh yeah, there’s the steak too.

We are lucky enough to be staying in the Recoleta neighborhood, which is centrally located to some of the city’s most famous points of interest. We’ve hardly scratched the surface since we’ve been here, but we still have a few days left for more discoveries!

Relaxing and hanging out at our apartment (we got a great deal at $23/night!) has been a nice break from our hectic travels. We’ve been cooking lots of pasta! Here are some shots of our humble abode

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Temperatures have been hovering around 85-90 degrees here! It’s great for strolling around the city and passing through some of the many local parks.

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We went to see the famous Casa Rosada (the pink house), which you can think of as their version of the White House. It is rich with hundreds of years of history, and is the location where important political events take place in the city. This is where many Argentine leaders, including Eva Perón have given speeches to crowds of thousands of people. We walked around the Plaza de Mayo and imagined what it might look like during times of political turmoil, and also what it might have been like to see Eva Perón inspire so many people.

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The Bicentennial Museum located under the Casa Rosada detailed the history of the architecture and politics of Argentina. It also houses many artifacts from the the late 18th century until around 2010. Talk about a time warp!

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One of the many cultural staples here are the multitude of artisan street markets. The San Telmo Féria was one of the best ones we have ever been to! The beautiful cobble stone street called Calle Defensa was lined with bohemian style arts and crafts including leather goods, gourds used for making Yerba mate, paintings, jewelry, accessories and anything else you can think of! We were even lucky enough to catch a tango show in the Plaza!

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So far BA has been so culturally enriching and we’re excited to see what else it has to offer!