bogota
now in colombia! it wasn’t really on my trip radar until a few months ago, but since EVERYONE who has been there has only said incredible things about the country, i decided to spend the next half of my trip here.
central bogota is really busy with crazy mini-buses that emit incredible amounts of gas fumes, pigeons, and people. these mini buses are crazy because 1. they barely stop for the people getting on. 2. look like power ranger mobiles. the busyness is reminiscent of la paz and as much as i didn’t want to, found myself speed walking through the streets. i can’t help it when i can’t breathe! the altitude has something to do with it as well-2640km compared to that of 300 at el bolson. the mountains we were climbing were not even this high!
my hostel is in the la candelaria area. hostel posada del sol. super chill AND WITH PROPER MATTRESSES! yay! 2 dvd rooms and even a hammock in the inside sitting area. go party in your friend’s hostel and keep low here. good people too :)
the neighborhood is cool because every building (they are all connected on the block) is painted a different color. some match, some don’t. who thinks salmon pink/brown goes with purple and brown? wtf? well, it adds to the artsy feel of the historical centre anyway…
so far, so good!
mendoza
eeew. after being in small towns and refugios for the last month, mendoza seems super crowded and busy. i didn’t remember any of it from the last time i was here but i do remember liking it. this time, not so much. there are cars and people everywhere! i can’t stand the exhaust fumes i have to breathe in while i walk down the sidewalk. get me back to el bolson!
since it was paddy’s day, i went out with a few people to an irish bar named “believe.” ya, that’s right. “believe.” the other option was “heaven.” ta-cky. it was super busy and people were overflowing into the street, but they still only had one cashier. you basically had to order and pay, then find someone else to pour it. arrgh so inefficient! because of this a lot of people ended up going to the kiosk next door and buying drinks there. on top of it all, out of nowhere it started raining, and then it POURED for 20min….mendoza gets like 4 days of the year and it had to rain when we are all out! haha. to make matters worse, the streetside drainage was all blocked and causing mini streams. as it goes.
the next day we did a wine and bike tour with the company mr. hugo’s. i don’t think the company matters much since all they do is give you a map and send you on your way. we had the bike for a few hours so we went to a few wineries but ultimately stopped off at tempus alba for wine and their much-talked about cheese plate. yum! oh, say you’re allergic to peanuts and you get more sun-dried tomatoes and olives! their steak sandwhiches are amazing as well…an actual hunk of meat topped with carmelized onions. mmm.
el bolson (refugio natacio/hielo azul)
i made it back in time for a hike to some refugios! we started in wharton, el bolson to head up to refugio natacio and we all pretty much agree it was the worst hike ever. 4 straight hours uphill on gravel with no trees to shade you. nothing but miserable in the heat! i guess when you look back the view is pretty but is nothing special. the refugio is alright but nothing much to do…the water in front of it is nice but is brown when you go to jump in. nothing like el motoco. however, the caretakers made a nice dinner…beer-soaked chicken and rice! it was genuinely delicious but because we complimented it so much during our first serving, the people gave us seconds…then thirds. we passed it over to poor jon when they weren’t looking and it looked like we ate everything and he was eating slowly. so we got to watch him stuff himself as not to waste food while he looked like he was gonna explode. muwahaha. it’s 40 pesos to spend the night.
there was no hurry because it is only 45 min to the hielo azul refugio and this hike was a bit better. a nice little forest and a bit hilly. nothing intense like the day before. this refugio must be one of the better ones in the area! it’s actually got running water AND the toilet flushes! the shower was a sorry drip tho-included in the price of 40 per night so i attempted it. we were permitted a campfire as long as we collected our own wood, and i must say our fire got going pretty good.
now on to the hielo azul glacier trek. it’s treacherous. DON’T attempt it on a windy or rainy day. there’s markings that you follow but sometimes it’s better to decide for yourself…it’s big rocks you have to scale along with loose gravel all on an incline of about 60 degrees. we weren’t expecting this at all but hey, we were already up here. once you get to the top, the other side to the glacier is easier to descend. also, you aren’t on the glacier so no need for cramp-ons!
el bolson-el bariloche bus
whew! glad to be back! there are buses every two hours from bariloche so i caught the 9.30 one and was back in el bolson by noon. it usually takes a bit less than 2 but the one at this timeslot stopped at like every random corner…almost like a regular bus than a long distance one. the prices are the same tho-23 pesos with via bariloche.
el bariloche
ok so i really didn’t give bariloche a chance, but as soon as i got here i had the urgency to go back to el bolson. the hostel patanuk is gorgeous and from most rooms have a fantastic lake view but it doesn’t compare at all to el pueblito. the town’s alright but really touristy with lots of chocolate shops. no me gusta por nada. i basically walked around town one day, went to playa bonita the other, stayed up at some irish bar called wilkenny with delfina and then hopped on the bus back to el bolson. whoo hoo!
el bolson (rufugio motoco)
there are lots of hikes to do from el bolson, and motoco is by far my favorite. it’s about 6.5 hours to the motoco refugio and every bit worth it. on the way you have to cross indiana jones style bridges that sway with missing planks and swat annoying flies that bite you through your clothes…all the while walking along the clearest river i’ve ever seen. the water was almost as light and clear like the fijian ocean. just bring a small water bottle and keep filling it up along the way. food, on the other hand is scarce so bring your own for the duration of your stay.
the refugio is basic-with a kitchen and common area downstairs and the sleeping area upstairs. mattresses are lined up and you just claim one by putting your sleeping bag on it. however, the setting of motoco is absolutely incredible. luis has built everything in the area, from the bridges we crossed to picnic benches next to the river. it’s so serene! there’s even wild bulls that roam the area. we were eating breakfast when we noticed one right behind us munching on grass. it is their land, afterall. at night it was pretty to see the stars and the the moon rise above the mountain range and illuminate the surroundings….ooh i could go on forever about motoco.
el bolson
so el bolson is my new home…changed my tix 3 times now and don’t want to leave…i love it here at the el pueblito hostel. super clear river, hammocks, puppies, waffles topped with dulce de leche+strawberries+raspberries+chocolate syrup+powdered sugar and ofcourse a great crew….aaah what a chill spot
el chalten (lago torre ice glacier trek)
i figure while i’m here, i might as well do as many things as i can…so glacier trekking here i come! we tried shopping around for prices but all the companies offered the same price…unless you have a ‘get south’ book with coupons. mention the book at mountaineering patagonia and they will give you a 5% discount. we chose the laguna torre ice glacier trek for 285 pesos. not bad considering everything you get to do.
a group of 7 eager trekkers and 3 guides met up at 6.45h…the hike wasn’t so bad until we got to a spot where you have to cross the water by hooking your harness to the cord and pulling yourself across upside down. i got to the middle and realized i couldn’t pull anymore…probably due to years of not working out. it looked so easy when everyone else went! i grunted and put forth all my energy and finally at the shore one of the guides had to come down and pull me over. how embarrassing. i blame the backpack that was weighing me down. haha. from here we could see the glacier but our guide informed us it was still another 3 hours…
the view was incredible the whole way, but nothing compared to the view when we finally reached the edge of the glacier. with the cerro torre in the backfround, we could see cracks and holes where rocks had been moved to reveal untouched glacier. here where the water pooled, the color was so pretty. clear turquoise.
we attached claw-like spikes to our shoes so we could walk on the ice and finally started our adventure on the glacier. if there was a little hill, our guides carved out steps with their tools so we could follow. walking on the glacier was easy-at least with the help of the claws. after a short walk we were at our spot where we would try glacier wall climbing. it was also lunch time! it was really cool to look around and be surrounded by glacier walls as we ate.
the guides set up our safety ropes and in no time were calling us down. i’ve done wall climbing but this wall looked daunting because it was flat. but it wasn’t too tall…about 25 feet. you’re harnessed anyway and the guide gives you just enough tension so i wasn’t scared of falling. i’m sure he could’ve pulled me up from where he was standing at he bottom. the spikes we attached earlier also helps you climb, but this took a bit of getting used to. basically, you have an ice pick in each hand that you stab into the ice, and pull yourself up as you push down with your weight on your feet. i was surprised at how much weight the claws could hold! done correctly and the claws at your toes are strong enough to hold your weight. the guides scaled the wall like there were footholes. once you reach the top, coming down is like rock climbing where you just rappel down bouncing against the wall. what an incredible experience…i would so recommend it to anyone that has a chance!
el chalten
hikes, hikes, and more hikes…el chalten is within the boundaries of los glaciares national park so there are heaps of possibilities everyday. they are also free! so that is basically all i did here…hikes to see fitz roy and glaciers ;)
the loma del pliegue tumbado hike is easy and pretty short-12 km and a few hours one way. the viewpoint was really windy but provided a great view of fitz roy and the laguna torre glaciers i was to climb the next day.
poincenot hike was only about two easy hours for a diferent angle of fitz roy. i also found that the time the reference point gives you really overestimates your pace, so this was good news. just make sure you bring lots of water…there aren’t any fresh water supplies on the way.