Patagonia 2017: The Plan & Día Uno – 2/8/17
Cathy and Rick brainstormed an adventure in Patagonia. Sharon and Carol signed on for the ride. Now, where is Patagonia? There is no “exactly” but on a map of South
America it straddles the border of southern Argentina and Chile kind of like this:
Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago de Chile are the
gateway cities and all travelers pass through one or the other to get to
Patagonia’s regions. Our points of
interest are in the regions called Southern Argentine Patagonia and Magallanes
(in Chile).
Hiking the “W” circuit in Torres del Paine National Park was
the initial inspiration for the trip and the Fitz Roy range in Los Glaciares
National Park was a close second. In my
mind, visiting the two is a little like visiting Yellowstone NP and Grand
Tetons NP (not quite as close together, but they are kind of a package deal
when traveling such a great distance to get there).
We met a couple of times to determine our list of add-ons
and work out the logistics. Taking a
rental car between Argentina and Chile is difficult, so we organized our
itinerary around some bus transports so that a car was only necessary for a few
days in Argentina. Rick took on
responsibility for the car rental while Cathy masterminded accommodations and
bus transportation. Carol and I offered
moral support and gratitude.
The plan:
· Fly to El Calafate, Argentina
·
Travel to El Chalten, Argentina
·
Dayhikes in Los Glaciares National Park
·
Visit Perito Moreno Glacier
·
Cross the border to Puerto Natales, Chile
·
Hike the “W” circuit of Torres del Paine National
Park, Chile
·
Travel to Punta Arenas, Chile
·
Meet the penguins on Isla Magdalena, Strait of
Magellan
·
Carol meets hubby for a 2-week
cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago via Cape Horn
·
Rick continues on for 14-day trip to Antarctica
·
Cathy and Sharon return to the U.S.
On a chilly day in February 2017 the fab four met at the
airport for a series of flights from Charlotte to Miami to Buenos Aires to El
Calafate (and a bus ride between airports in BA). A mere mind-numbing 26 hours later, we claimed
our rental car and cruised into town.
El Calafate is a gateway town to Los Glaciares National Park
with its (small) international airport and plethora of accommodations, food and
services for exploring the southernmost areas of the park and its star
attraction, Perito Moreno Glacier. It
sits on the southern edge of enormous Largo Argentino.
A 15-minute drive took us all the way through town on its
main thoroughfare, Avenida del Libertador, to our first overnight Air BnB, a
bungalow at Cabanas El Amanecer with one bedroom, one bunkroom, one bath, a
kitchenette and a sitting area [$26 per person]. We dumped our stuff and went exploring.
First order of business was stocking up on food for
breakfast and lunches for the next several days. We roamed among jewelry and crafts shops,
some touristy and some authentic. Kept our eyes open for quirky art where least expected.
It was
a bit early for some restaurants to be open for dinner, but we found a
gem: Cervecería Artesanal. The server brought us samples of some of
their homemade beers as we waited for our food.
This is where I was introduced to their version of “locro,”
a traditional stew of corn, white beans, squash, chorizo, potato, and chunks of
beef and lamb. The fried egg on top was
over the top!
The beginning of a traditional nightly toast to our
great good fortune of health and happiness and the opportunity to explore Patagonia
We took the scenic route back to our bungalow along the
shore of Lago Argentino. Wait, what are
those pinky-white things floating in the water?
Lago Argentino
Flamingos
Stuffed and exhausted, we charged phone batteries, took
turns with showers, and repacked stuff to head into the interior of Los
Glaciares National Park tomorrow. ZZZZZZZ
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