Journey to the End of the Earth

By now, we had booked our ticket back to the US, and knew that soon enough we would have to face the reality of our lives as New Yorkers. While excited to return, we did not want to let go of this feeling of adventure that we had become accustomed to in our travels. It was January 8^th, and we had 20 days left before our flight back to NY. We had agreed to meet some cousins in Uruguay on the 21^st, so that left us two weeks without a concrete plan… our last chance for adventure on our eight month trip. We were in Pucon, Chile, not too far south of Concepcion, where the recent earthquakes ravaged the region.

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Chile is a long, skinny country, bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, and to the east by the Andes mountain range. As we had intentions to reach El Calafate in Argentinean Patagonia, we knew that we had a ways to go. We were about 2,000 kilometers away, and we had no intention of flying. How would we get there? We didn’t know exactly, because the Andes mountain range, ice fields, necessary ferry rides, rocky dirt roads were only a few of the obstacles on our journey through the Patagonian wilderness in the south of Chile.space

“If we keep heading South, we’ll eventually get there…” was what we kept saying to ourselves. So south we went. From Pucon, we stopped in Puerto Varas for a night, then made our way to the port city of Puerto Montt. At Puerto Montt, the Carretera Austral, a 1,240 kilometer road, begins and winds it’s way through rural Patagonia. Yet, the word “road” is a loose term because the only way to continue South on a passable road is to take an overnight ferry ride from Puerto Montt to Chaiten. So we booked our passage, and woke up the next morning to the cold rain of Chaiten. We figured we would find a place to stay for the night here, since our guidebook (from 2007) had recommended this as a pretty happening town in this rural stretch.

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Little did we know that in 2008, a volcano erupted in Chaiten, and the lava burnt down half the town. The flourishing 5,000 person community had dwindled to 200 people, as water and electricity no longer existed here. Those remaining in Chaiten, had nowhere else to go, and lived by candle light, and tried to make it through the tough winters. Shipments of water, gasoline, food, and other necessary resources kept them going, but the lack of tourism decimated the local economy. At 9am, we had breakfast at this bar/restaurant that looked as if it could have been a pretty fun place a couple of years ago. We had eggs and hotdogs, the only thing they had to offer us. We talked with the owner, in Spanish, about life in Chaiten. He said that the existing residents are in a dispute with the government, and refuse to turn on the water or electricity because they want the town to be evacuated. The residents don’t want to leave, and so they are stuck there without basic services. We walked around the town, and came across a vast gray deserted area, which was where hundreds of homes were reduced to ashes.

Much of Chaiten town has been reduced to ash

We decided to continue our journey south, and were lucky to be able to catch a bus at 10am, as there would not have been a bus leaving the town for another two days. As we were travelling in the high tourist season of Patagonia, there were buses that left from each town 2 or 3 times per week. In the “off” season, buses run less than once per week out of certain towns. We learned quickly though that buses fill up fast, and if we couldn’t get on a bus in one particular town, that may mean having to spend a week in the middle of nowhere… not a great option when the clock is ticking down on our time in South America.

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Over the next week, we spent one or two nights in the towns of La Junta, Coihaique, Cochrane, and finally in Villa O’Higgins. We walked around towns, stayed in locals’ homes that they turned into bed and breakfasts, and cooked meals (many towns had only one or two restaurants). It took around eight hours to get from one town to another, as most of the roads were bumpy dirt roads.

There was no shortage of beautiful scenery from our busrides along the Carretera Austral

From buses to ferries to buses on ferries

After 10 days of travel, we had finally come to the end of the Carretera Austral, and arrived to the town of Villa O’Higgins. This is literally “the end of the road”. There are ice fields (glaciers) and bodies of water that separate this part of Chile, from Tierra del Fuego, the most southern region of Chile. What do we do now? There were only two options. Option A is to turn around, and go back to where you came from. Option B was to be one of the coolest adventures of our trip.

We finally make it to Villa O'Higgins - at times we weren't so sure...

The end of the road: Hike to Argentina or go back to where we came from?

We heard that there was a passage from Villa O’Higgins, Chile, to El Chalten, Argentina, across the Andes, through a lake, and through the woods. The only way to make it is to take a bus to the port, then a two hour boat ride, then a 24 kilometer hike, then another hour boat ride, followed by a two hour bus ride. When we arrived to Villa O’Higgins, we were told that because of severe winds on the Lake (Lago O’Higgins) the boat ride may be postponed indefinitely until weather conditions stabilized. This meant that we might be stranded at the end of the Earth!

Exploring Villa O'Higgins

Enjoying the beautiful scenery around Villa O'Higgins in the days before our big trek

Hanging around Villa O'Higgins

We had the place all to ourselves

Luckily, two days later, we were able to depart. We packed up our stuff after 2 days of hiking and chilling at the Hostal El Mosco… this was going to be a long day. We were picked up at 7:30am, and headed to the port for the boat to pick us up at 9am. The two hour ride had great views of the mountains, as we cruised through the beautiful blue/green waters. Once we arrived at our stop two hours later, a group disembarked, while other passengers remained on the boat to go see the Glacier O’Higgins, and then to return to Villa O’Higgins. But we had another agenda, we had to hike 24 kilometers to the next lake across the Argentinean border.

Cruising on the icy seas

Windy and cold but the scenery was unforgettable

Part one of the big journey

We were lucky though, because after we passed a customs checkpoint, we hitched a ride with a local who had a pickup truck that drove us the first 10 kilometers through some mountains, until the road ended. Throughout that ride, I was sitting in the back of the pickup truck with two other guys, while Lauren was inside the car. We were bouncing all around, hoping that we didn’t fall out of the truck and over the cliffs that the truck was zipping around. It was an uncomfortable ride, but only at the end did I realize that this was so because I was sitting on a chainsaw the whole time (do those things go off by themselves?)!

View at the start of our hike

Once the truck stopped, we took our packs and had them strapped to several horses that met us at the edges of a river bank. The guy who drove us assisted the gaucho who would, on horseback, guide our bags through the rest of the 14 kilometer journey. But as they were putting the bags on the horses the horse kicked the driver then bucked all the bags off him, and then galloped away. Good thing we were hiking and not on horseback for the rest of the trail, as we had the option to do. The driver was in severe pain, but it seemed like he would be ok.

The horses arrive to assist us by taking our bags

Packing up our bags on horses

The horses took off with the gaucho, and we were left to find our way for the next 14 kilometers. We befriended the other guys that were in the pickup truck with us, and one of them had hiked this pass several times before. Since there was no trail, we would have had no idea where to go. Our friend was a much faster hiker, though, and before we knew it, he was out of sight.

The trail was pretty awesome. The views of the mountains and lakes were pretty stunning, and our hike through the forest jumping over creeks and branches was pretty fun too. At one point, we got lost and stuck in a couple of feet of mud and vegetation. We found our way back again, and made it to the end of the 14 km hike after a few hours, stopping for lunch.

Crossing the actual border, leaving Chile and entering Argentina

Moments later we arrive to Argentina

The horses catch up to us midway through our trek

Bridge made of tree branches and trunks - we trekked through some dicey terrain!

We finally approach the lake on the Argentina side

Patagonia in a snapshot

Then we went through another customs checkpoint, and waited 2 hours for the boat to arrive to pick us up. The boat finally arrived and took us across another lake, which was then followed by another bus ride that finally arrived in El Chalten around 10pm. This was literally the longest day we had ever experienced, since in El Chalten it didn’t get dark until 11pm! We had finally made it, to Argentinean Patagonia, where we would have some of the most fun hikes in the next few days.

Waiting for the ferry to the bus that will take us to El Chalten. An unforgettable adventure!

New Year, New Region

On New Year’s Day, we woke up weary-eyed from the night before, packed up and said goodbye to the place we called home for our wonderful month in Buenos Aires. It was a new year and we were off to explore a new region of Argentina.

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Later that morning, we took a quick flight south to Bariloche where we would spend a few days with Dave’s parents and sister Sarah and then continue on with our adventures when the family flew home to New York.

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Bariloche, which is surrounded by lakes and mountains is situated in the foothills of the Andes mountains. While the city is probably best known as a skiing destination in Argentina’s winter, it is also a popular tourist destination during the summer for sightseeing, trekking and relaxing by its many beautiful lakes.  We immediately were captivated by the beautiful scenery on the 45-minute drive from the airport to our hotel. The sun was bright and the lakes were glistening and the snowcapped mountains in the distance provided a truly perfect backdrop. As we got closer to the center of town, we were surrounded by evergreen forests and adorable chalets lined the roads. It sort of felt like Switzerland in the middle of Argentina.

The famous Llao Llao resort in Bariloche

Dave and I shed our backpacker personas for just a few more days and allowed ourselves to get really cozy, as we were staying in a really nice boutique Art Hotel, in which each of the rooms is decorated with works from different Latin American artists. We got pampered with massages and enjoyed relaxing breakfasts with the family each morning by the lake soaking up the crisp, fresh country air that we had missed as city dwellers in BsAs for the previous month.

Hanging by the lake at the hotel

Getting pampered

Our days in Bariloche were relaxing. We took a boat trip to a few islands for some light trekking and sightseeing and enjoyed our hotel, chilling at the pool which was situated right on the lake. At night, we discovered that the casino in the Bariloche town is one of the only casinos in Argentina (of the many casinos we would visit in the coming weeks) that has a Texas hold-em game so naturally we sat at the table for hours as Dave took advantage of some inexperienced players.

View from the ferry

We also indulged in some of the most delicious meals we’d had in a very, very long time!  I mean, not to be New York snobs, but we had had some pretty bad ones on this trip…but I suppose that’s to be expected when you’re pretty adventurous on that front. On our last night with Dave‘s family, we ate at an adorable little restaurant situated right on the lake with panoramic views and watched as the sun dropped into the lake. So beautiful! We had a delicious 4 course meal featuring a trucha (trout) ceviche and some delicious Patagonian lamb. At the end of the meal, stuffed, we decided to go for the gold and ordered all five of the unique and delicious sounding desserts on the menu so that we could rotate them around the table and decide which one we liked best. The waiter, shocked that we would actually have room for any dessert, let alone all 5 of them, was like “En serio??” – we responded, in unison “En serio!!!”

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The next day, Dave and I said goodbye to his family and took a taxi to San Martin de los Andes. We had been invited by a friend of Dave’s to stay with him and his wife, who is from Argentina, at their family’s campo just outside of town. We chose to take the long route known as the seven lakes so we could enjoy even more beautiful scenery. Little did we know that the previous night’s festivities at the casino would take its toll and we’d be dozing on and off throughout the entire trip. Sorry taxi driver!  It was actually quite a challenge to find the campo as there is no address associated with it, so we followed a series of detailed directions given to us by Dave’s friend including things like “drive about a kilometer passed the main town until you see a small dirt road on your left hand side which has about 50 meters down it a narrow green bridge and cows grazing on the lefthand side” or “ as you drive along the windy dirt road and up the hill, you’ll notice an old turquoise house on the right side that looks like it is about to fall off the cliff on which it is situated and that is how you will know you are on the right track”.  Somehow  we were able to find the campo and we were pretty impressed once we arrived.

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We were welcomed by Dave’s friend, his wife and their 6 month old baby and immediately were introduced to several other friends and family members who were staying in the campo’s 3 houses that week. We settled in and took a nice trek around the property which covers almost 1,000 acres and includes a horse stable and a river and some trails. It was really a beautiful  and serene place. That night we enjoyed a nice big group dinner in town and met some Norwegian friends of theirs who invited us to a cabalgata and asado at their estancia a couple of days later.

By the river on the campo

On the dock - self portrait, can you tell?

Great view of the campo

Hanging at the stable

The cabalgata was an incredible experience.  First we got suited up in our finest gaucho gear. The boots, the hats (either a boina which is the traditional gaucho hat or a cowboy hat), the works.  We rode for about 3 hours around the property, up and down steep hills, sometimes across water which was somewhat challenging enjoying the beautiful scenery.  It was really liberating!

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There were about 8 of us on horseback and we escorted by about 6 of the ranch’s dogs.  Every now and then one of the dogs would spot a rabbit in the field and the dog would take off at the speed of lightning to hunt it down and the other dogs followed to assist. It was intense…I’d never seen anything like it.  But this was nothing. The guy who owned the ranch was telling us stories about how these dogs (that I initially, and naïvely, thought were cute pets) are instrumental hunting wild boar. The dogs will basically spot and surround the boar from all angles to keep it in its place. Once the boar is centered among the dogs, this tactic enables the gaucho (cowboy) to safely come in with a knife for the kill. This was very fascinating to me. I could not believe what I was hearing!

Such a gaucho!

The ride begins

Already a pro

Dave in action

When we got back to the house, we were covered in dirt. I was another shade of skin color and looked like a chimney sweep, in fact. Inside the house, the asado was already underway with a whole lamb (cordero) cooking over the fire. The lamb was delicious and the weather was perfect.  It was a great day.

I looked like a chimney sweep after the ride, no one recognized me

A traditional Argentinean asado serves up cordero

The feast

Gaucho y gauchita

We also liked the town of San Martin a lot. It was a little bit more upscale and had a more charming feel than Bariloche town, we agreed.  We had initially had planned to head directly from this region to El Califate which was much further south. But at some point during our time in Bariloche we had begun to discuss the possibility of adding yet again another country to the mix. We were pretty close to Chile and thought we could visit the city of Pucon and potentially figure out a way to make our way through the south of Chile as opposed to going south through Argentina.  So we booked a bus across the border to Pucon and bought a guide book with really detailed information about the southern Chilean region. At night over dinner we strategized about how we would make it to Califate which was our ultimate goal. Because the land is broken up by so much water in this region, and buses and ferries run much less frequently in more populated areas, it was actually quite challenging to come up with a route given our, now dwindling frame of time.

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Pucon, we both agreed was a perfect combination of the outdoor activities that are offered in and around Bariloche combined with a really quaint town with nice restaurants and shops just like San Martin, yet less upscale feeling.  And of course, a casino.  The biggest attraction in Pucon is the Villarrica volcano which, on a clear day, provides a surreal backdrop to the town.

Villarrica volcano

Unfortunately, when we arrived, we found out that there had been an avalanche on the volcano a few days prior in which, luckily, no one was seriously injured or killed. So the volcano was closed to tourists for the time we would be there. So we took a bus to a nearby national park known for its hikes and took a really long hike through he mountains and around some beautiful lakes.  It was time to get active once again burn off those extra pounds we’d put on with all of the steak dinners and malbec in Argentina!

Chillin' by the lake after a long hike in the national park

Sleepin' by the lake after a long hike in the national park

From Pucon we will move on to Puerto Varas and begin our interesting journey further south along the Caraterra Austral…more from there!