March 30 - Valley of the Moon

March 30 Day 43
After the busyness of yesterday we took the morning off, getting tedious things done and hanging out.  We had cooked way too much food so had a big lunch to put a dent into it.  Javiera had to be in town just after noon but we didn't want to get there until an hour before our 3:45 tour, as we knew there wasn't much to do downtown.
Their taxi system was basically someone who Javiera knew stopping by and driving us to town for a set price.  The central square was all abuzz with the food festival with people cooking on the main stage and a dozen restaurants in stall beside it.  Other artisans and microbreweries were also there and most of the locals and tourists seemed to be in the square.  Meg got some subtle ice cream flavoured with a local herb and i had a tasty passion fruit cone.  The cones tasted old but the ice cream was excellent.  As we left, some clowns were doing some lame moving to music activities.  Later on we saw them doing more interesting activities with bubbles but by then we had to move on.
We gathered by the travel agency with our guide until we had everyone for our moon valley sunset tour.  There were about 15 of us and our guide was hugh energy and flipped effortlessly between English and Spanish.  We took a short ride to the entrance, everyone paid theri fees and in we went. 
The valley really looked like something from another planet, as the salt crystals were everywhere and huge sand dunes mixed with craggy, colourful peaks.  We did a slow, 2 hour hike that often involved going along narrow, rocky and extremely windy trails along the tops of ridges.  We weren't that far from many dropoffs and our guide said that if any tourist didn't return he just had to cross them off the trip list.  It forced you to concentrate but the views were excellent and the valley was like the Grand Canyon on psychedelic drugs.
We next stopped at a rock formation called the three Marys, named by a priest as the formation can be seen to have three figures in prayer.  On the way to the sunset spot we saw crowds of people walking along a relatively unscenic stretch of road.  Our guide told us that they were with other tours and had to do something to fill the time up before sunset.
We had a washroom stop and then headed up to a ridge with hundreds of other people to view the sunset.  This was the #1 tour for this area and we saw lines of vans coming to join us along the road.  Thee was a cloud over the horizon which blocked the sun for awhile but it came through just before sinking behind the mountains.  The light on the valley didn't add much colour, but on the far mountains there was a nice strip of red and the sunset itself reflected well off of the low clouds.  It wasn't the life changing experience it was advertised to be, but it was pleasant.
We got dropped off downtown and the festival was in full swing.  There was a good singer performing as I got a beer and Meg and I both had some tasty food from the restaurant that Javiera worked with.  We shared a table with a Malaysian woman who was doing technology stuff for mining companies and had many tales of having her bag stolen. 
The singer turned into dancers whose main point seemed to be showing what was under their skirts.  This was followed by a chef who was doing more talking than cooking so we said goodbye to our Malaysian friend and walked around looking at the stalls until Javiera was free to drive us back.  This happened just before 10 and so back we went for our last night in the Atacama.

The view from a ridge in the valley.

The narrow path we walked, high winds added to the challenge.

The valley at sunset.

March 29 - Geyser tour!

March 29 Day 42
Yes, we got up at 4:30 and our shuttle picked us up just after 5 for our tour to the geysers.  We went around town until we had our 10 members and then had a 90 minute ride in the dark along a very rough road to get there before sunrise.  This is the third largest geyser field in the world and the one at the highest elevation.  The morning air was about -5 degrees so the steam in the morning is much more prominent than later.
We got there, groggily paid the entrance fee and entered the area.  We were warned to stay on the paths as the geysers create underground shafts that can cave in and we were told the cautionary tale of the tourist who toppled in on one and died of her burns soon after.
The field was otherworldly, with high plumes of steam everywhere, strong smells of sulfur, strangely coloured bubbling stuff everywhere and a few large geysers that took in water for several minutes before shooting it up into the air.  Lots of people were there but the field was large enough for everyone to more or less keep out of the others' way.
After walking around a bit our driver got us a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and coffee with a basket of cookies and chocolate bars for good measure.  We had more time to stroll around after the suns rose when the light was better but the steam plumes had definitely settled down a bit.
We packed up for the geyser field and took a nice dip in a hot springs, which was mainly a large tepid spring with everyone gathered around the hot stream that fed the entire pool.  We talked to friends we made from Seattle and Singapore and felt much better after our dip.  The altitude of the place was about 4300 metres so some of our group were really feeling it after awhile.
On the way back we were able to see the exceptional scenery on the way back down.  We stopped at a wetland and watched some ducks build some weedy nests in the middle of the lake.  As we left, some vicunas walked onto the road, trying to join another group that was on the other side of the fence.  They came quite close to us but finally got across once the vans left.
The stopped to look at boring llamas (like looking at some cows) and saw a few flamingos before we took a final stroll along a canyon full of cacti.  They were related to the famous saguaros of Arizona and looked exactly like them to my eye.  The walk was rocky but beautiful and it felt nice to get out of the bus.  By this point we had shed all of our winter clothing as the day had returned to baking desert temperatures.
We piled back in the bus and headed back to town.  We asked for a dropoff downtown so that we could take a 3 pm walking tour.  We were pretty tired but some tasty empanadas cheered us up a bit and we headed to the main square to meet our tour.  We and another couple waited and waited, no tour, so we had more than 2 hours to kill before our pick up with Javiara.
In the square they were setting up for the next day's culinary festival.  We had a few things to buy and so got a local map and tried to get things at food shops.  No place had what we wanted and very few places were allowed to sell beer.  It was hot so we settled down at a nice cafe with coffee ice cream floats and watched the drama of the square.  We picked up some nice chicken and fries to take home and Javiera was right on time.
Back at her place, we ate, planned the next few days and looked at the night sky for whatever we could remember and any shooting stars that were about.  No meteorites were co-operating so we went to bed to collapse under a fan and fight off a few mosquitoes that found their way into our room.

Geysers at sunrise.

Vicuna identification.

Nice cactus landscape.

March 28 - Exploring the Atacama

March 28 Day 41
We opted to have the morning off and do a tour with Javiara in the afternoon.  Meg plotted our time out on paper and Javiara got us a spot at Space's night sky tours, which you usually have to book well in advance but because she was their neighbour, she seemed to be able to do stuff others couldn't.
After a leisurely morning organizing, eating and unpacking we headed downtown.  While Javiara did some errands, we booking the next few days tours at the organizations she recommended.  We also got some cash at the one ATM in town, which had a long line but for the cashier, not the ATM fortunately.  We asked one of the tour bookers where the best empanadas were and she steered us to a local place which did not  disappoint.
We munched our empanadas as we headed back to Javiara's place to pick up the snacks that she had bought for our trip.  We then headed out in her truck over dusty roads into drier and drier land.  We had lots to talk about and she played excellent music as we drove so the time went by quickly.
The first place we stopped was at a series of salty lakes where we could look at a few from a distance but couldn't approach or swim in them because of flamingo nesting.  Javiara told us that admission used to be $6 but was now $30 and at one point was $60 so the locals would often complain about the managers of the land, who were mainly natives.
The lakes we could swim in were salt-lined but had steep drop-offs and were surprising cool, which felt great on such a hot day.  They were super salty and you could easily float on them so we splashed around two of them, careful to keep the water out of our eyes as the salt in it really stung.  Since we were on a private tour, there were only a few other people around and we were told to finish before 4 pm, when the tour buses would begin to arrive.
After a proper bout of lounging, we headed back in time to see a few vans start to pull up.  We didn't feel any sharp salt underfoot but as the water dried on us we could see and feel the itchy salt and were glad for the cold showers to get the stuff off.
Our next stops was to two round pools in the middle of nowhere which were too small and weedy to tempt us to swim in them but had calm water that made for some nice pictures.  Also, there was currently no charge to see them and they were along our way to the next stop.
The final lagoon was larger but we were told that a lot of the path wasn't usable and to not go beyond the pilons.  The heavy rains had expanded this lagoon recently so some was blue and the new parts were murky brown.  We could see a few flamingos off in the distance but our path didn't go anywhere near them.  The walk really felt like a desert one with barren ground on one side and unappealingly coloured water on the other.
We reached the pylon and headed back, taking the lower trail when we got to the fork.  This choice turned out to be a good one, as the other side of the lake led us close to a pair of feeding flamingos which we watched for awhile.
Back at the shady shelter, Javiera had sweets, grapes and a local herbal tea which tasted nice.  We sipped, munched and talked at the first of the vans started to show up, as apparently this lake was a popular one for sunset, which was about an hour away.  We left before it became crowded and headed back to her place.
Our hostelmates came back after a day of sandboarding and horse riding but didn't really use the kitchen and so took off around dinner time.  We ate, enjoyed the surroundings and then got our warm clothes on for our night sky tour, which started at 9 pm close to where we were staying.
Javiera drove us there, explained how to walk back in the dark and then stayed to talk to friends once we joined the tour.  We followed the people off the bus from town to a dark spot by the small house and had a very animated and interesting description of the southern sky with a group who was mainly from the northern hemisphere.  When one of her descriptions was interrupted by loud barking our guide told us that the dog in question was a neighbour's beast and not the SPACE dog.  Of course, it was Javiara's dog, Malala (named for her poor behaviour, not the famous woman) but we didn't speak up.
Our guide used a laser pointer to show us starts, galaxies, constellations and planets.  Much of the information didn't stick but we were able to recall quite a bit of it the following evening.  I saw a half dozen shooting stars which we looked at the sky but Meg missed them all.
The second part of the tour involved hearing descriptions of important parts of the sky and then taking turns looking through 8 or so powerful telescopes.  Without the descriptions the views would be little more than random patterns of dots but when you knew what to look for they were more interesting.  Our guide and her helper (Javiara's friend, also the wife of the astronomer who set the place up) kept having to readjust the telescopes as tourists bumped them or the sky shifted.
At the end we had hot chocolate and a q and a.  Everyone else left on the bus but us so we chatted with the guide a bit more as we walked back to our place.  We were let out of a different gate than we came in on but managed to find our way after a few stressful moments as we weren't allowed to use our headlamp until we were off SPACE property as the light would mess up their work.
We got to bed around midnight and set the alarm for 4:30 for our early tour.  Groan.

The salt lake before we floated in it.

The third lake gave us some nice reflections.

Us with the second lake.

March 27 - to the Atacama

March 27 Day 40
Up early, taxi was there, no problems with boarding passes or security and onto the entertainment and food-free plane we went.  Had our lunch with coffee in Santiago airport and made it to Calama worry free.  Everyone was touting us to go with their company as we exited but we headed straight to the desk of ExpressVIP which Javiara recommended and got into our shared van for San Pedro De Atacama.  on the way we talked with a British/Italian/Brazilian couple who worked for British Airways and were very entertaining in spite of Meg bringing up Brexit, which they said they were trying to escape.  The driver had a hard time finding their place and went to the wrong one at least twice.  We were supposed to meet Javiara around 4 and got to town at 10 minutes to but it was 10 to 5 by the time he dropped us off.
The town was tiny with mainly dirt roads and adobe buildings that reminded us of Egyptian villages.  She was there and helped us get some groceries before heading back to her place.  The shops were tiny, no supermarkets here, and so we had to get the ingredients that they had and improvise the rest.
Her place was 15 minutes outside of town on a very rough road.  It was fenced in with round adobe buildings, an assortment of hammocks and lounge chairs and 3 dogs and 2 cats.  It  was in the desert with great views of the mountains and a big sky for star gazing.  Another couple from Maryland were there drinking wine and watching the sun set but we wanted our dinner and so got cooking.
Javiera was friendly and knowledgeable and went over our tour options in detail while we got our food sorted.  A fine dinner was had with wine and fresh salad and so we could being to relax.  The milky way was clearly visible above us but we needed our sleep and so retired to our room.  It was nice, more homey that most hostels with the adobe walls and carpets and artwork.

Dusty but unique San Pedro De Atacama.

Meg and pooch at Javiara's.

Another view of Javiara's desert abode.

March 26 - Penguins!

March 26 Day 39

Penguins going for a swim!

Penguins walking around!

Penguins and me!

We got up at our own pace and served ourselves breakfast.  We headed downtown to the agency with the penguin tours and they suggested we use a share taxi to get to the penguin port.  With some time to kill we found a shop that had great postcards of the indigenous people dressed for ceremonies and had time to pick up a nice coffee before figuring out how to get a share taxi.
The share taxis all have numbers and destinations on the signs on their roofs, but you have to know which number you want of what your destination is called.  They wouldn't stop for us by the main square but a woman told us to look for them on the previous block and we got one.  The 15 minute drive cost us about a dollar each and the driver was very friendly.
The port office was full of tired looking backpackers and skewed heavily towards 20 year olds and females, which must be the core penguin audience.  Once on the boat we grabbed front seats, which turned out to be a mistake as the splashing made the front windows useless for looking at scenery (minimal anyway), we were over engines so we couldn't hear the announcements and we were forward of the video screens.  Fortunately, there was lots of space on the ship so we got a table at the back and were entertained by a video about ecotours offered in Tierra Del Fuego.
On the island, tourists have to follow a loop path to the lighthouse and back with no leaving the path, eating food or using a flash.  The Magellanic penguins were there in their holes, which reminded me of a whack-a-mole setup but Meg didn't like this comparison.  We were told that the penguins there now were all 5 years or older and waiting for their feather to molt so that they could follow the younger ones north to their winter home.  A few were by the shore, some going into the water but most were hanging out on land, either in or out of their burrows.  Many were fuzzy with old feathers and you could see tufts of them blowing away as they groomed themselves.  We talked to the ranger who was stationed there and was about to have his season end and look for work elsewhere.  He was very friendly but had to rush off occasionally to get a tourist to turn off their flash or put their food away.
An unexpected feature was the number of seagull corpses on the island.  Apparently a predatory bird, called a skua, keeps the population down by eating penguin eggs and juvenile seagulls who haven't learned how to fish for themselves.
We saw many penguins and they didn't care much about us, we were told that in December there were three companies that each came three times a day and so the penguins were quite desensitized to people.
After an hour of watching them mainly standing or gently grooming it was time to get back on the ship and this time we were entertained by videos of other trips we could take with the company.  One of them made tiny Puerto Eden look like a real destination, which it wasn't.
On the way back we had no problem getting a share taxi and headed to the naval museum which was supposed to be open for another hour but wasn't.  A group of Chileans wanted to visit it as well but a local storeowner told us that they close when the feel like it.
We walked to the main attraction in the city, which strangely was their cemetery.  At the main entryway was a map with notable tombs pointed out and a displayboard with the times for funeral services for that day.  In a sideroom was a large area like an airport lounge for mourner to wait their turn to go in to the funeral.  One things that no one could explain for us was the presence of people in traditional clothing who seemed to accompany most funeral parties.
The trees were immaculately groomed and we found a tomb that was a scale model of one in Rome.  The place was huge with a wide variety of many family plots.  At the edge was a wall with 4 or 5 stories of little boxes for more modest tombs.  One area seemed to be reserved for children, with toys and stickers in the boxes, but many were for adults as well.
We walked back, mailed postcards, picked up our laundry and headed back to our place.  Our new hostelmates were a British couple.  The owner didn't come in until mid-evening and we e-mailed him as we hadn't paid and we needed a taxi booked for early the next morning.  He made it and we chatted for awhile, with him telling us that Chileans were much more reserved than Colombians or Argentinians.  After that, we had to pack again and get to bed early.

March 25 - Crossing the Border

March 25 Day 38
Our pick up didn't come for us until after 6:30 and was confused, not looking for Meg's name directly under mine as the second person from our hostel but asking about someone named victor.  He often stopped to look at maps to figure out where we were and spent long periods of time looking confused and staring at his list.  We spent more than an hour in the shuttle, including stopping for 15 minutes at a hotel and not finding anyone to get on the bus.  We arrived an hour late to a bus full of tired looking passengers and Meg heard him complain about heavy traffic in town.  Right.
The road back to Puerto Natales was as desolate as ever but it was more involved at the border crossing.    The Argentinian side was quite straightforward but at the Chilean side we had to unload all of our bags off of the bus and declare pretty much any food product we had, with everything being x-rayed.  People had tried to being potatoes and avocados across the border and they were all confiscated.  Fortunately, they weren't interested in our sandwiches and we didn't mention our dried fruit since it was bought in Chile.
Back at the bus, our company asked if we were going to Puerto Natales or Torres Del Paines and put our bags in the corresponding compartments.  They waited until we were back on the bus and 2/3 of the people were on a washroom break to tell us that no one was continuing on the bus and we had to pick everything up again and go on a shuttle.  The shuttle had no luggage space so the passenger seat, the overhead compartments and and spare floor space were covered with bags.  At least we got there, but this bus company seemed to specialize in confusion.
We picked up tickets from the company we wanted ( their drop off point was very close to where we were staying in Punta Arenas) and killed 90 minutes at the surprisingly nice cafe there.  Meg tried to drink a serving of mate but regretted her decision, while my hot chocolate was excellent. We were both reminded that for some reason all of the restaurants in Puerto Natales place cover version playlists, and the cafe was giving us white reggae versions of 80s hits.
We had a stress-free trip to Punta Arenas and a very windy walk to our hostel.  It had no sign at all so it was good that we had the full address.  The man running it was very friendly and talkative.  We had full use of the kitchen and he only had one other room in use.  He told us where to do our laundry and food shopping and off we went.
The guide books are not kind to Punta Arenas but the trees there are robust and well-groomed and there were many nice buildings in the downtown.  The vibe was good, as this was a city that existed on its own, not just for tourists.
The supermarket was well stocked and we walked back along a street which had vendors just packing up and some homeless people that gave the city a bit more of an edge.  We made a nice sauce and chatted with he other couple there who were young and planning for their own hikes.  Our room was cose`y and, once the loud dance music outside died down at about 10, we slept well.

Punta Arenas gave us the opportunity to revisit Patagonia's past.

March 24 Perito Moreno Glacier

March 24 Day 37
We were the first ones on the bus which got us at our hostel and so had front seats for one of the least scenic drives we had been on.  When we picked up people at the bus station, one couple had tickets with our seat numbers on it.  No one else had numbers on their tickets and the driver said "free seating" so we were not displaced.  It reminded us of the agencies we dealt with in Laos where promised made to us turned out to be false once we actually got onto our bus or boat.

Tourists and glacier.

Just after a large piece cleaved off.

A glacial iceberg.

We were picked up at 8 but it was 10:30 by the time we paid our park fees and went through long, winding roads through Glaciers National Park (South), whose main attraction was the Perito Moreno Glacier.  You get a glimpse of it from viewpoints we didn't stop at and then arrive at the main park.  From that point we bought tickets for a 3 pm boat ride and took a shuttle to a higher point with a smaller restaurant to start our tour. 
The park has a maze of several different walkways, all metal with railings and steps, that have a series of viewpoints of the glacier.  We went to a far end so that we could gradually work our way back to the most popular parts and only encountered a few people.
The glacier itself is amazing.  It moves at 2 metres per day and so you have this wall of ice in front of you that you can trace back into the mountains and pieces are cleaving off every few minutes.  The place is of such a scale you can barely wrap you head around it and the expectation of spotting falling ice and watching it crash into the water keeps the tourists' attention.  We were able to eat the lunch we brought and gradually move to the more crowded areas, which did have a superior view of the glacier.
There were information plaques along the way and some professional photographers trying to make money, but in the age of the selfie, who pays to have their picture taken anymore.  There were many people there but you could still get a space at the railing in almost any viewpoint and watch for falling ice.
Of course it is a glacier and the wind off of it made me wish I had brought my tuque and glove.  We both retreated to get some hot chocolate and then went back to watch some more and gradually work our way to the boat dock.  The boat before us got to see some huge chunks come crashing down so we were hopeful that we would get the same.
At th beginning everyone had to go inside the boat for some safety instructions but then we all moved out to get the closer look that the boat allowed.  It was well worth it, as we had some cleaving but just getting close enough to the iceberg and to see ice caves not visible from the shore made the trip worthwhile.   A little light rain didn't deter anyone from staying outside.  We found out later that our beret-wearing captain was from the Falkland Islands.
The boat docked, we found our bus and headed back into town.  I went to the supermarket to get some more ingredients and Meg headed back to the room, which was left unlocked and open by the cleaning lady.  Our host wasn't too concerned, which didn't seem great to us but what else could we do?  Since we were leaving early the next day, he said he could leave some breakfast stuff in the kitchen so we wouldn't go hungry, so it wasn't all bad. 
We had dinner, repacked and went to bed early in preparation for our 6 am pick up.

March 23 to El Calfate

March 23 Day 36
The sun was just rising as we walked to our bus and the morning light on the mountains over the town was something to see.  We had an uneventful trip to El Calafate and picked up our ticket to Puerto Natales before leaving the bus station, which was a long way from the rest of the town. 
We were staying at Las Cabinitas which had a cool collection of little a-frame cabins but unfortunately we were in a normal cabin.  We had a nice lunch of empanadas made on the spot, not the normal reheated ones and ate outside. 
A short walk downtown took us to an ATM (our hostel was cash-only), a travel shop to get our tickets to the glacier the next day and talk to a very entrepreneurial agent and to a supermarket to get ingredients for our first home cooked meal in more than a month - our beloved pasta puttanesca.  The town was easy to walk around and had a nice feel to it although the main strip was still more aimed at tourists than locals.
That afternoon we headed out to Glaciarium, a multimedia museum about glaciers, focusing on those in Patagonia.  There were displays on how they were formed, several instruction films in cluding one in 3D, time lapse films of glacial movement, names and histories of glacier exploration and cautionary research on global warming.  Everything was well presented in Spanish and English and visitors of all ages seemed occupied.
After finishing the museum we bought tickets for the glacier bar.  This is a bar made of ice in a freezer area.  You can put on a silver poncho and gloves and stay for up to 25 minutes and have as many drinks as you want in your ice cup as you listen to generic dance music and play around with ice chairs, ice people, ice tables and a mini-igloo.  Quite fun but 25 minutes was more than enough ad it made us wonder if staying in an ice hotel would really be all that exciting, as even with an animal skin cover, those chairs were cold.
We got back into town and headed back to our hostel.  We used their kitchen, had a fine meal (after I had to run around and find some cooking oil, the dark container we bought with olives on the label turned out to be vinegar) and tried our best to keep the owner's dog away from our food.  We hung out in our room and Meg had to have a trickle shower as the hot water only came in drops, which didn't get fixed until the next day.

The view from the Glacierium.

El Calafate from a distance.

Meg and I in the ice bar.  Note the sober expressions.

March 22 El Chalten

March 22 Day 35
We got up feeling fine and checked the forecast - today was the day the range warned us that the weather would be bad.  The internet couldn't make up its mind as one site said that it was already raining (no) and other saying we might just have some showers at 11 am of 1 pm.  We figured that we'd go for it, bring our rain gear and hope for the best. 
The trailhead was closer and we were feeling more confident after yesterday's successful hike.  There weer several groups ahead of us but we didn't catch up with most of them during the hike.  The first few kilometres were the toughest at elevating but the path was very wide and easy again and we made good time.
The first lookout was over the river that eventually runs through town and Meg got excited because it was called the Margarita Lookout, which is her Spanish name.  Further on the trail went up over a few rocky paths which would be tricky to go down on our way back if they became wet with rain. 
The first major lookout gave us a panoramic view of a series of mountains with many glaciers visible.  The tops of the highest ones were covered in clouds but the scene was still impressive.  Many groups turned around at that point but we continued on to our goal of 2 hours each way unless the rain got bad.
The trail went through some woods then along a rocky valley, with many people still to encounter.  At two hours we were just before a ridge so we walked 5 more minutes until we got a nice close up of the mountains and ate our lunch.  5 1/2 km as opposed to yesterday's 4 km, we were improving.
On the way back some light drizzle began to develop but it didn't amount to anything.  We talked to a few people before we met Roland, who we had encountered on the Navimag ferry as well as the W hike.  We caught up and made plans to grab a drink later on.
We made it back to town with more than 11 km under our belt and so celebrated by trying a vegetarian restaurant in a quiet part of town.  The place was small so we shred a table with a German couple in their greenhouse.  The couple were going to do some back country hike that wasn't even on our map that involved getting zipline harnesses and pulleys for two of their crossings, well beyond what we were prepared to do.  The food was really tasty and it was the first time I'd had a turmeric latte, nice but no substitute for the real thing.
We got back to our hostel about 15 minutes before the rain picked up.  Meg had a nap and I got our bus ticket for the next day, which was well timed as the ticket seller told me that they were the last two tickets for that particular bus.  Score!  To celebrate I picked up a beer and a new flavour of chips- onion and ham.  They were tasty, but no competition to the King Crab Coconut Curry flavour I had in Asia.
Meg wanted to have the vegetarian burger that I enjoyed for lunch but the vegetarian place was having pizza night, which wasn't tempting.  We ate in a place that looked like a hobbit hutch made out of oddly shaped logs.  The food was better than expected and the furniture inside was made of the same eccentric wood, plugged into an overall setup that resembled Kelsey's more than anything out of Tolkien.
We met Roland for a drink and found that he had taken two Spanish courses and was pretty good.  meg asked the bar owner who he was beside in a picture on the wall and it was a very drunk Lionel Messi.  The owner had a friend with a bar in Buenos Aries and called him when Messi showed up with a bunch of drunk friends so that he could get the picture.
We finished our drinks, said goodbye and went back in the rain to get some sleep before moving on once again.

Meg on the path to the mountains.

The clouds move in.

El Chalten from a hill.

March 21 - El Chalten

March 21 Day 34
 We spent the morning catching up on stuff at the hostel.  Wifi was only available in the common room and so everyone was there but there was barely any talking, all the people simply glued to their devices.
 The weather was too nice to stay there so we picked up some empanadas for lunch and headed off to find a trailhead at the end of town.  The first bit was the hardest and many breaks had to be taken before the trail levelled off.  We had great views of the river and valley beyond the town and for some reason there were huge numbers of French people on the trail.
 Our plan was to go around a loop at the 4 km point of the 8 km trail and get it done before our 7 pm dinner reservation.  The path was wide and easy to hike, you could have ridden an elephant up it.  Kudos to the people keeping the trails clear in Glaciers National Park, they were excellent.
 The weather was clear and sunny and the trail was easy with many excellent views down the mountain.  We easily made it around the loop and Meg's energy was doing much better on this hike.  We passed a group of school kids and got our first view of the mountains beyond Lake Capri.  They were snowy and clear with glaciers visible along them and even our little camera couldn't take a bad picture of them.
 As we rounded the loop we met a group of Americans and Canadians who said that they spotted the rare deer that lives in the range.  We kept our eyes out while we hiked but weren't as lucky.  The viewpoints on this side were of the mountains and they were all postcard-like, stunning views.
 After dawdling and enjoying being there, we headed back and met two Chilean women we had spoken to the day before.  One had lived in the town for decades and had never seen a deer and so was very surprised.  On the way down we paused and spoke with two separate Argentinian couples who were slurping their mate tea and taking in the scenery.
 We got back down in time to freshen up at the hostel and head out to our restaurant.  As our food was served, we spotted our Canadian friend who had driven his motorbike down from Ottawa and so we talked with him for a long time and got his contact info for the next time we're in Ottawa.
 The pasta was good but the sauce was meh.  We headed back after dinner and headed to bed, no partying tonight.

The river and valley beyond El Chalten.

Fitz Roy in all its glory, the closest we got to it.

Looking way more comfortable than in Torres Del Paine.

March 20 - Into Argentina

March 20 Day 33
 We got up, had a good breakfast and took a cab to the bus station.  We found our bus and the Chinese-American group we met on the trail was on our bus, so we said hi.  We took the bus through to El Calafate passing through Chilean and Argentinian customs.   This meant lining up but they weren't looking for trouble and everyone got stamped quite quickly and we got on our way.

 They didn't sell tickets for El Chalten in Puerto Natales so we had to buy them quickly in El Calafate.  The problem was that El Chalten was known for having no ATM so we had to quickly get Argentinian cash, our tickets and hopefully some lunch.  The info desk told me there was an ATM at booth 10, which was wrong.  Several fellow travelers said they were only in town, which was 2 km away.  The next bus out was five hours later, so we quickly got the last 2 tickets for the bus from a vendor who assured me that El Chalten has an ATM now.  With all of this rushing around the bus station, it was really annoying how so many backpackers are unaware of what's on their backs.  They block lines, thwack other when they turn and are otherwise pretty oblivious to how wide they have become.
 The trip to El Chalten was about 3 hours and during that time we saw maybe a half dozen farms that weren't deserted.  The land was uniformly rolling hills with brown grass and bushes with very little signs that people existed other than the road and some fences.  Every once in awhile a yellow SOS post was visible, I guess for people who are lost in the desert and need to signal for help.  The road went beside a wide river, but the expected greenery around it wasn't there.  Other than a few extra bushed, the land didn't seem to benefit from the presence of this water.
 We stopped at a restaurant about an hour into our trip, but they had empanadas and I had an American $5 and so we ate.  The place had a history posted on the wall, and apparently Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came through here, followed a little later by the authorities asking about some gringos.  I didn't realize that they made it so far south.
 As we headed into El Chalten we had a clear sunny day to see the mountains in front of us and many of our fellow riders walked down the aisle to take a picture of it through the driver's window.  Before getting into town, the bus stopped at the Glaciers national Park office for a mandatory talk by a ranger.  This turned out to be really useful, as he went over all of the hiking trails, park rules and the fact that today's sun was rare so we should take advantage of it.
 We arrived in town and sought out the ATM at the bus terminal.  Whoever designs these things needs to kicked upside the head - it kept cancelling transactions and not telling us the problem, which turned out to be that you couldn't take out more than 4000 pesos (About $140).  Once that was solved, we had money and so went to find out hostel.
 It turned out to be a nice place, sort of felt that the building had past grandeur but the woman running it was really friendly and we had a large room with an ensuite bathroom.  We caught our breath there but heeded the ranger's advice that clear days in Chalten were rare and headed out to the shortest hike on the map, Condor Lookout.
 It was only a 30 minute hike but it was mainly uphill (100m elevation)  and Meg was still feeling the effects of her sickness.  We made it, though, and it gave us an excellent view of the town and the mountains beyond.  A few people were up there with mega-cameras awaiting the sunset but we just climbed around and enjoyed the scenery.
 The climb back down was much easier and we got to see an armadillo in its den, not really caring about the tourists taking its picture.  Back in town, Meg needed chicken but the place recommended in Lonely Planet didn't exist (we later found out that Lonely Planet just got the address wrong).  We stopped into a pasta place and bumped into our British friend from the W hike, xxx, who was dining after completing one of the most strenuous hikes El Chalten had to offer.  The wait was 40 minutes, so we booked the place for the next night and continued hunting.
 Most places are pizza and burger joints and many advertise the fact they sell beer and wine above anything to eat.  A place at the corner was mainly promoting beer but we saw people eating what looked like tasty food inside.  the menu confirmed that they cooked chicken, so we were in.  Meg got two huge pieces and I had an Argentinian stew that tasted like Quebec split pea soup with a ton of bacon and chorizo piled into it.  Hearty.
 After that it was back to our room for a solid sleep after talking with the evening clerk about rock climbing in BC.

The Fitz Roy peak which overlooks El Chalten.

Our armadillo buddy wasn't too worried about us.

The town with mountains above from today's lookout.

March 18 and 19 - Recovering in Puerto Natales

March 18 Day 31
 Meg was pretty sick so we extended  our stay at the hostel an extra day because it was nice.  The breakfast included our first fresh fruit since the ferry so we were happy.  While Meg rested, I bought upcoming bus tickets, some groceries and dropped off our filthy hiking laundry.
 For lunch we went to a tasty crepe place with huge servings and art deco posters of Patagonia that Meg really liked.  It was a cold day so we didn't stroll around too much.  We caught up with reading and writing and split one of the huge sandwiches that the hostel sold.
 We had ongoing problems paying for our room so we got to know our host.  She said that she ran one of the first hostels there years ago when there were only a few.  Her ex-husband still runs their former location and she runs the new one.  Her son, Namaste (she must have been a hippie to name him that) was our server at dinner.  She'd seen a lot of changes, with a population explosion a few years ago to a calmer time now that the government has put limits on the number of hikers able to go to Torres Del Paine.  Fewer hikers mean fewer tourists than there are hostel beds in town so she predicts that many of the cheaper ones will probably not survive.  Tourist town politics are quite fraught.

March 19 Day 32
 Meg was feeling a bit better and we had out laundry back so things weren't too bad.  Good soup for lunch, postcard hunting and repacking our bags after our hike filled most of the day.  We dined at a supposed Patagonia/African fusion place which was good but not astonishing.  Not too exciting but good for sickness recovery.

Our room!  Exciting, huh?

March 17 Day 5 of the W hike - hiking AWOL

March 17 Day 30 Day 5 of the "W" hike.
 Today would be the day that we finished the "w" by hiking up to Torres Lookout.  We didn't.  While others got up in the rain and headed out at sunrise we slept in and headed over to our luxury breakfast.  Our W would be shaped in a squiggly, sad way but today we would be comfortable.  Meg had started coming down with my cold, so it was best not to push things too far.
 Some luxury.  Most of our hostels had better breakfasts and the staff kept forgetting to bring the food to our end of the table.  We lingered in a lounge at the lodge afterwards and heard a guide lay out the day for a group of Chinese Americans who were hiking our hike from yesterday in reverse.  We also chatted with a Brazilian doctor and sat on cushions and read our books.  He was supposed to be hiking with two friends who had been planning the trip for 7 years but one passed away so the other two were completing it in his honour.
 The rain stopped mid-morning and I saw a fox and a flock of parakeet-like creatures while we packed up our tent.  Hikers coming back reported a few wet hours and one gave up 15 minutes before the mist lifted at the top, but most found the journey worthwhile.
 We got onto our shuttle bus at a very modern station behind the lodge and painlessly transferred onto our bus back to Puerto Natales.  On our way back we saw a few flamingoes at the far end of a lake and had to stop to allow a skunk to cross. There were a few farm animals grazing and the occasional group of llamas.   Otherwise it was barren, semi-arid desert with almost no people or houses to be seen during the two hour trip.
 Back in town we walked to our old hostel, dropped off our rented gear and picked up our bags from storage.  it was about 10 minutes to our new hostel and Meg was fading so I took two trips bringing the bags over.  Puerto Natales had no rain but had gotten very cold so keeping warm was an issue.  Once I got there the second time, Meg was tucking into a big bowl of pumpkin soup.
 After our hike we had calories to replace so we went to a place nearby for empanadas and fries.  Meg set up next to their heater and we were well fed.   Back in our nicely

Our tent and wet stuff.

The misty Torres from far below.

Some of the birds that were squalking at our campsite.

laid out room, we got help with the Spanish instructions for starting the heater and settled in under our comforters for a well-deserved return to civilization.

March 16 Day 4 of W hike- the longest hike day.

March 16 Day 29 Day 4 of "W" Hike
 Here was the day we'd been dreading.  A 2 hour stretch to the next camp followed by a 4 1/2 hour hike to Camp Centrale.  Considering that we'd been hiking an additional 50% on to their estimates, we were figuring on up to 10 hours of hiking.  To make things even more interesting, the rain was still coming down hard at 6:45 so we'd have to have breakfast and strike camp in steady rain.  The tent didn't do a great job and so our pads and the bottom of my sleeping bag was wetter than they should have been. 
 We had one option to get out- we could rush back to Paine Grande, an easier hike at about 4 hours, then get the catamaran to the bus stop and be back in Puerto Natales by about 4 pm, plenty of time to find a room.  We decided to press on, Meg largely because she didn't want to pay another peso to the overcharging catamaran people.
 Only our Swedish friend was ahead of us at the dining shelter and we waited for our food together as we had both left ours in the office, which we were told would open at 7 am.  The rainclouds meant it was still as dark as night and I was glad I got a good headlamp before leaving Toronto.
 We took turns using the washroom and packing our backpacks in the tent until the office opened at 7:30.  We had the last eggs, cheese and used the last of our bread for making lunch pbjs.  After eating and washing we packed our wet tent, put the covers over our backpacks and set off on our way.
 The first section was 3km to Cuernos Camp but timed at 2 hours, which meant it would be tough.  We were braced for the worst and got our boots wet at a river crossing where there was a rope to hold onto but all of the stepping rocks were below the water, probably because of last night's rain.  The rest of the trail was fairly normal up and down and for the first time on the trek, we pulled into our destination 20 minutes under the allotted time.  By this point the rain was down to a sprinkle but between the rain on the outside and the sweat on the inside we were soaked through.
 This was cause for celebration so we had coffees in their large modern restaurant and ate our sandwiches when they weren't looking and tried to warm up.  The building was new and very nice, with clean washroom and a water refill station.
 After a solid break, we were off again.  The rain was light but never really ended in spite of the forecast predicting dry weather between noon and 9 pm.  We also had our first real trip casualty during this hike as one of my gloves fell out of my pocket.
 The next bit was fairly straightforward with up and downs and a long uphill slog in the second hour.  A lake with glacier-scraped hills across it lay on our right with the mountains on our left peeking out behind clouds all day.  We chatted with other hikers and took our fair share of breaks for water and snacks.  We crossed another boot-wetting river and then hit a fork that was very close to the camp on the map but 5 km away according to the post.  The damned post turned out to be right.
 At 4 hours since lunch, we figured we had anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours to go.  We then caught sight of a roof and figured we were only about 20 minutes out of camp.  Unfortunately we were going across a bare valley so things weren't as close as they looked.
  Once we got to the buildings, we found out they belonged to a fancy hotel and we had to keep going through another campground, some rancher fields and so on until we arrived at the campsite a good hour after spotting the roof.  Still, we completed the hike in under 7 hours and so felt good about ourselves (if not so good about the accuracy of the maps.)
 We were told to set up our tent anywhere, so we chose a spot under a tree and close to the washrooms.  This meant that we got an occasional septic breeze but it was otherwise very convenient.  We were worried by the sounds of a distant drum that we might be serenaded into the night but that didn't end up being a problem.
 We set up our tent and were glad that not everything was as damp as we were.  The washrooms had hot showers all of the time (no waiting for the mad rush when they opened!) so we both scrubbed the past day off of ourselves.  The showers were kind of weird, as the floor was thick with mud from boots (don't drop anything!) and people had left various bit of clothing hanging all over the place, so that when you took a shower there was underwear and socks draped over the stalls that had nothing to do with you or anyone else currently taking a shower.  The hot water was just as advertised, and I was able to change into my last remaining clean clothes.
 I walked over to the spotless, new dining hall to pay $25 each for breakfast the next day.  Our dinner was served out of boil in the bag offerings in the cramped dining shelter which had 2 picnic tables and another table, all rocky.  The Koreans came in as we were eating and knocked some of our things onto the ground as thanks for us letting them have some table space.

 After dinner we retired.  It was hard to sleep as a local refugio was washing up and the washers played music at the sink while they banged cups and plates in and out of sinks and bins.  Other than that, people were okay and our tent was able to keep out the rain that we had overnight.

The mist begins to lift from the mountains behind us.

Meg lets us know how she's feeling today.

At least this river crossing had a bridge!