Patagonia

I just got back from an absolutely incredible 2-week trip around Patagonia to Ushuaia, Calafate, Chaltén, and Puerto Madryn. So much has happened, and it's an experience that I will never forget. Now I can say that I've been to the southernmost point of civilization, walked with penguins, stood in front of glaciers, and hiked through some of the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen with some really amazing friends. Here are some of my most exciting moments:

Ushuaia: November 11-14
Our flight managed to avoid the volcanic ash from Chile and made it to the southernmost city in the world! The town is a perfect blend of old-world fishing village and up-and-coming center for tourism, it's hard to imagine that not too long ago with was a penal colony for Argentine criminals. We stayed in an adorable bed & breakfast at the base of the Andes Mountains, with a view of the city at our feet. We got to explore Tierra del Fuego National Park, where we did some trekking and took a "fin del mundo" train ride along the same tracks that prisoners used to take to do manual labor. Another day we took a boat tour of the islands beyond the end of the continent, including the Isla de los Pájaros, Isla de los Lobos, and a lighthouse island. It was amazing to see penguins and sea lions in the wild! On Monday we did a 6-hour trek to Martial Glacier, drank fancy hot chocolate, then got a special stamp in our passports for making it to the end of the world. On our last night we went out for cordero, lamb that is a specialty dish down south.

Calafate: November 15-16 & 19
The 19-hour bus trip from Ushuaia to Calafate was an absolute mess! First we had to be at the bus station by 4:30am, then on our way north I was stopped at customs in Chile for having fruit in my bag. I had to fill out a ton of paperwork in a little side room and was charged the equivalent of $300 for an apple & orange. Luckily, I was friendly and the boss said I seemed like a good person, so he issued me an official pardon. A good start (and end) to my international smuggling career. At the next rest stop, I dropped & broke my camera. Then about an hour later one of my friends fell down the stairs on the ferry back to Argentina. She busted her lip, chin, and front teeth, and ended up spending the night in the hospital. We were all scared for her, but the next day she was back & able to finish the trip, thank goodness.

Once we finally got into Calafate, things were much more relaxed. We took a walk along a lake and got to see wild horses, sheep, and birds--including flamingos (which I was really surprised about). We also sampled some calafate-flavored ice cream, made from the berry that the town is named after. It was amazing, and coming from someone who only likes chocolate ice cream that's saying something. We made family-style dinners at the hostel, and it was a lot of fun to be able to cook again. On our last day in town we went to Perito Moreno Glacier, made up of 97 square miles of ice. We took a boat up to one of the faces of the glacier, and I couldn't believe how incredibly huge & tall it was. When chunks of ice fell into the water it sounded like rumbles of thunder. We also got to walk along suspended bridges to get a better view of everything, it was amazing to see gigantic spikes of ice stretching out as far as I could see.

Chaltén: November 17-18
On our first day in the hiking capital of Argentina, we did a 3-hour trek to a lagoon with a perfect view of Cerro Fitz Roy, a mountain over 11,000 feet high. The path we took looked like something out of a movie, the mountains were covered in dandelions and the trees were twisted and wild-looking, absolutely beautiful. We also found a boulder that looked just like the one in the Lion King. The next day we took another long hike along the "sendero de los condores" (path of the condors) to an eagle lookout point, where we had an amazing view of the city and Cerro Torre, another famous mountain in Chaltén. These two days were some of my favorites in Patagonia, it felt great to be outside in the fresh air, and after one of our hikes we went to "La Waflería" for some waffles covered in calafate jam, which was almost as good as Waffle House.

Puerto Madryn: November 20-23
After checking into our hostel at the end of another 20-hour bus ride, we spent some time on the beach, even though it was still cold out it was fun to sit on the sand and look out at the ocean. On our second day in the city we went to Punta Tombo, which is home to a huge colony of penguins. Getting to walk with them was so exciting! The penguins were literally close enough to touch, and we could see their eggs and little fuzzy babies in the nests they built in the bushes. They weren't afraid of people at all, they just waddled around us like it was nothing.

The next day we were supposed to go kayaking with sea lions, but it was too windy so it got cancelled. Instead we went four-wheeling to different places along the coast. The wind was stronger than anything I've ever felt before, I almost got blown over every two seconds haha. We got to walk on sand dunes, climb on rocks along the ocean to see crabs & other animals in the water, go to the edge of a cliff to look out at the Valdés Peninsula, and explore a site filled with marine fossils. Riding in the truck was like a roller coaster, I was surprised that we made it up & down some of the insane mountain slopes, but it was a lot of fun. Later that day, we started our final 20-hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires and got there just in time for me to to skype with my family for Thanksgiving. I can't believe I have just 2 weeks left in Argentina!