Burning tires in protest 

Our drive back into the west of Argentina became a little more exciting when getting gas became a problem. Apparently Argentina has a fairly constant issue with its gasoline; companies want to increase prices but the government will not provide subsides, so to make sure they have as much control over the market, companies limit the amount of gas available by producing the minimum allowable amount. We both thought the remote region just had less gas, but that was definitely not the case. When we got to Trelew on our way out of town it was decided that desperate times called for desperate measures: we would camp at the gas station and wait until the fuel truck showed up. Luckily, the truck came about an hour later but we decided to camp the night there anyway. It was actually a fantastic idea because a) they had hot showers that cost $1.50, b) there was wireless internet c) they had real coffee and practically a restaurant in there. The following night we stayed at another YPF and had another great experience camping alongside the truckers.

Camping at the gas station

Glaciar Perito Moreno

Next, we made our way to El Calafate to see Glaciar Perito Moreno in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. This glacier was by far one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen, and well worth the admission fees. The park had a great walkway and many places to sit and listen to the glacier calving huge icebergs into the lake (a sound similar to thunder). It was also declared the eighth wonder of the world by Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO. We liked it so much, we decided to stay the night, unfortunately this isn’t allowed and we got kicked out in the morning. L We considered walking on the glacier (one well recommended company by Lonely Planet is Hielo & Aventura: www.hieloyaventura.com) but decided in the end it was too expensive.

 

Illegal camping

After the glacier we made our way to El Chalten, a town a few hours north of El Calafate. El Chalten has gotten a lot of hype. I heard about it several times, and decided it would be worth exploring while in Patagonia. To be honest, I think Christmas was not the best time to go. There were tourists everywhere which I found irritating even though I am one. This is mainly to do with the trekking scene: El Chalten is home to Fitz Roy and some world class mountaineering which draws hardcore, skilled, and bad-ass climbers to the area who are attempting to do some pretty insane ascents. However, it also draws everyone else that kind of wants to be hardcore (and who look it), but aren’t really doing anything all that special. For example, it must be trendy to wear bandanas around your neck (even though Iain and I were both baffled at what purpose they served) and to use trekking poles. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate if you are older and have a balance issue they might be a great tool to keep you moving with a little extra stability. But generally, they were totally unnecessary and actually caused more damage to the trail than anything else.  I will make a comparison to explain:  using the trekking poles on this trail is similar to using trekking poles on the millennium trail. I think I mentioned the horseflies in an earlier post, and let me tell you, they were out in full force during our time 

Laguna Torre

there. I felt like a bee keeper with bees swarming everywhere around me, the downside being they were actually horseflies trying to bite and there was no honey at the end of it all.  Regardless of all of this, we checked out Laguna Torre and spent the night then went to and Laguna de los Tres the next day and they were both beautiful. The mountain scenery was spectacular and I hiked up a bottle of champagne for Christmas Eve. When we got back into town Christmas day we had one of the best meals we’ve had so far at El Bodegon Cerveceri, the highlight being the best vegetarian pizza ever.

 

Fitz Roy 

Merry Christmas