Tag: Argentina

At the End of the Americas: My Time in Patagonia

It was not exactly what I was thinking of when I think of Summer Break. Most of the time I get visions of hot weather, lying on the beach, and roaming around the world. Of course, most of the time when I think of Summer Break, this happens during the months of June, July, and August, not January and February. Then again, I had never lived in the southern hemisphere, and never really thought of this time of the year as the summertime, so when I got to my first Summer Break, I thought of the one place where I could visit that would let me experience the travel fun of Summer Break, but give me a little chill that I have become accustomed to this time of the year, and the place that was closest to me where I could achieve this goal was Patagonia, the very southern tip of South America where summer does happen, but more like I would see if I had visited Alaska, or some place in Scandinavia.

When I thought of going to a place where the sun set for only a couple of hours a night, and the weather of summer does not reach as well as some other place closer to the equator, I had visions of my time spent in Iceland. It was amazing, but it is also a hard place to stay in. We had encountered a lot of rain there, and the wind can be brutal. I was pleasantly surprised to not see the same thing in Patagonia though we did have some rain, and one day of brutal wind. It was so bad that things would just blow off of us and disappear over the mountain ridge. Also when renting our car, they showed us how to open up the doors to prevent the wind catching them and blowing them off the car.

Despite the possibility of harsh conditions, life is still able to find a way. I know I should not have been surprised by all of the wildlife that I would find out there, it still shocked me. The animals varied from guanaco, a large relative to the llama, to the fox, to the condor, and even puma which we were not fortunate to see. Still, almost every day out there we encountered an animal that was living its best life despite the fact that they also had to contend with the wind, and rain, and probably even harsher conditions when it is no longer summer.

Even though we had some amazing days, it still did not feel like summer. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that we had to always carry layers of clothes with us wherever we went. At any time the weather could go from sunny and warm to windy and cold, and if I did not have a rain coat with me at all times, there was the possibility of getting drenched in a torrential downpour. It just meant that we had to do a little extra planning every day before we left our place to go and adventure out into the exciting things we could find at the tip of the Americas.

And the surprises came from many places other than the natural beauty that we came out there to see. I will be honest that I did not have grand expectations for the food. It is not like Chile and Argentina are either known for their cuisine, and coming from Peru meant that there would probably be a step down in the quality of food. This was not always the case. I was able to have parrilla which is a grilled food where you see whole animals slowly rotating over an open fire, and that was spectacular. But I was also able to find great seafood, bar-b-q, and some sandwiches that were nothing like I had ever had before. I still do not know how to describe the cuisine in Patagonia, but I can tell you that there are some places, especially in Puerto Natalis, that are delicious, and can compete with many other countries out there.

I also thought that the language would not be that big of a barrier considering that I am starting to pick up a little Spanish. I would even go as far as to say that my Spanglish es muy bueno. Spanish is the main language used in this part of the world, and I was able to get by okay when reading it. It was when I had to interact with the locals that my limited Spanish did not do so well. I have gotten used to the Peruvian accent, and the Chilean and Argentinian accents are dramatically different. I have to really concentrate on what people were saying, and I still could not get it because of this barrier. Still, it is a big tourist destination, and there was plenty of English spoken in the region, so it never prevented me from having a great time.

I was also surprised by the amount of German I found there. I am not talking about German visitors because that happens everywhere in the world. I am talking about the German influence that can be found in this part of the world. There were German towns filled with German architecture serving German food. I was not aware that the German people were also some of the ones who immigrated to this part of the world, and I knew that after World War II that some Germans came out here. But I never thought that I would see their influence in the towns, and people.

After a while, I started to look closely at all of my surroundings, looking for those surprises. They started to pop up all over the place, one part familiar, and yet at the same time exotic enough to remind me that I was in a different place, experiencing a season during the time of the year I was not expecting it. The whole trip became another moment of wonder and made Patagonia one of those places that I will carry with me wherever I go.

Of course, the real attraction to this part of the world is the natural beauty. It seems as if Patagonia is one of the untouched places left in the world. Yes, there are the towns filled with restaurants and hotels, but they are a ways from the natural attractions that can be found out there. Tours do come through to drop off a bunch of tourists. Still, if you plan your time right, you can find yourself in some spectacular locations where it feels like you are the only ones there.

It did not take me long to adjust to the change of seasons and accept what I was seeing as part of my Summer Break. I got into the groove of the towns and forgot that my family living on the other half of the world was enduring a cold, and bitter winter. I do not think that I will have a problem making this adjustment as I continue to live in the southern hemisphere. Jus like the dogs that we ran into in all of the places we visited, I start to become comfortable with my surroundings and enjoyed them for what they had to offer when they were willing to offer it.

Until next time, enjoy those seasons whenever they are given to you.

Kayaking to Moreno Glacier – El Calafate, Argentina


There are two big attractions outside of El Calafate, both of which are for the outdoor enthusiast. The bigger of the two, or the one that I am told is the most visited sight in Patagonia is the Moreno Glacier. There are many ways to experience this glacier. There are treks that will take you out on the ice. One is more of an adventure than the other one, so depending on your hiking level, you find the one more appropriate to you. There is also a ferry like ship that people can book passage on and it will give them a tour of the lake, getting close to the glacier so people can see it calf. Many people load up their cars and drive up to the main visitor center where there is a walkway that will take them to many great viewpoints where they can still hear the rumble of the ice as it falls into the water. And there is the option that we took which is to put on some wetsuits, grab a paddle, and push a kayak off from a sandy shore two kilometers from the base of the glacier.


Each one of these options allow you to explore the glacier in many different ways but they limit the amount of people that can experience any of the options except for the walkways by the visitor’s center. Because of these limitations, the excursions have a tendency to start to book up, so I would recommend to book them at least a month in advance, or if you are trying to play the weather game to look for a good day to enjoy the glacier, no later than a week earlier. If you do wait until later do understand that some options might not be available. This is what happened to us, and part of the reason that we ended up kayaking instead of doing one of the treks.

This is not to say that kayaking is a bad option. I love kayaking, and though it does not get you as close to the glaciers as the big boat will, it still gets you close, and the perspective you get from being low on the water makes the glacier look the most impressive. It towers over you and a couple of times, we actually felt the waves created by the glacier shedding a cathedral-sized hunk of ice from its edge. My issue was seeing the glacier this way was that I have visited a couple of glaciers by kayak, and I really want to try voyaging over one some time in my lifetime.

Still, the company, Patagonia Chic, we went with supplied us with the perfect day to go out and do this. It did require an early morning as they came by our hotel with a bus to take up into the national park. On the ride up, a guide talked to us about the area and some interesting facts about it. My favorite was where the name of the town, El Calafate comes from. There is a berry that grows on wild bushes in the area that is called calafate. It looks like a tiny blueberry, and people pick them to eat or turn into a jam that you can find all over the town.

After an hour and half ride, they dropped us off with the kayaking company. The company supplied us with wetsuits, kayaks, and two guides. There was a little talk about how to operate a kayak which is always nice to have, especially for those that have never kayaked before, and our guide was so good that he gave me a couple of pointers that I have never heard before making my kayaking experience even better.

We had a beautiful day to go out to see the glacier and explore some of the recently birthed icebergs. The weather was 21 degrees Celsius which I am told eight degrees warmer than the typical temperature during this time of the year. I am also told that they do still go out in adverse weather conditions, but they do go out with two expert guides to educate and help people guide themselves through choppy waters. The also have a Zodiac boat that follows a safe distance away so as to appear as if it is not there at all. This is mainly for those times when some capsizes their boat so they can pull them out of the chilly water as fast as they can. Not that we needed it, but it was nice to know that the company took safety very seriously.

The whole experience on the water lasts for about an hour and a half. Patagonia Chic gave us a couple more hours to enjoy ourselves at the visitor’s center. There is a cafeteria style restaurant for food if you are hungry but you can also bring your own food and enjoy it at one of the park benches close to the walkways. It also gives you plenty of time to explore all of the walkways at a leisurely pace allowing for more pictures of the glacier from many different angles. It makes for a long day, but one that you will not soon forget. I also like the many options that are available to explore the glacier. Though I did not stay out in El Calafate long enough to try another excursion, I now live close enough that I am now thinking about doing a different excursion if I ever find myself out in this area of the world again.

Until next time, I hope you are able to find those experiences that are amazing, no matter how you get to enjoy them.

Laguna Nimez – El Calafate, Argentina

I have made it to the tip of the Americas, and it is here that I have found another frontier that is free of people and big on beauty. It is a big portion of the continent that spreads out over the countries of Argentina and Peru and is known as Patagonia. People do make their way to this part of the world to explore the wonders of nature and enjoy one of the places left where you can feel as if you are not fighting through crowds, traffic, or the annoying barrage of modern society. It presents itself with a calming Zen like atmosphere that I feel I will enjoy as I explore the area over the next couple of weeks.

The people that make their way out here are usually looking for the adventures that the mountains and expanses of wilderness have to offer, and I have made some plans to make sure I participate in this, but I first needed to acclimate myself to the area after a long day of travel to get down here. I wanted to get out and explore the area, but not do anything too strenuous to start off. The obvious choice came from a wetland preserve on the edge of El Calafate called Laguna Nimez.

The preserve is a avian sanctuary where numerous types of birds find themselves at home. There are many types of sparrows, finches, ducks, swans and other birds that hide among the tall vegetation, swim in the lakes, or hunt along the sandy shores. Most people make their way here to see flamingos as they graze in the wetlands, and take pictures of the beautiful landscape along the way.

Though we spent time looking for these colorful birds, we did not find any while we were out there. We were told that they are in town year round, but the prime viewing times happen in the spring or fall months. We were hoping to get lucky, but it just did not happen. Still, we saw many ducks, and other kinds of birds to satisfy our curiosity about the place.

And what we did not see with birds was made up for by the bounty of nature that was blooming all over the location. The fields of wild flowers was just as beautiful to look at as did the landscape of mountains and blue waters that were all over the place. It no longer was about the birds as we strolled through this area. Instead, we just enjoyed the scenery.

The walk was not that difficult either. The whole path is three kilometers long, and basically flat. Most of it follows a wooden boardwalk that they would like you to stay on so that you do not disturb the fauna of the region. Even if you tire out, there are many benches along the way that you can sit down and enjoy the relaxing views while you collect your breath, but that was not necessary for someone who spends a lot of their time outdoors. But for those who struggle with longer walks, this is a great one to take because it is not too strenuous and has a lot to see at the same time.

There is even a place where you can pop out of the wet lands and go to the sandy shore of the lake. It would be a wonderful place to spend an hour or two and the tickets for the location allow for access to the sight for ten days. So if you go down to look at the birds one day, you can come back the next day and enjoy the beach. It is a nice ticket to have if you are spending a couple of days at El Calafate.

There are many things to do in the town of El Calafate and most people spend that time up in the hills and the glaciers, but Laguna Nimez is a nice way to ease yourself into the business that will happen when you start to explore these other places. It is a nice way to get out in nature, and enjoy what this part of Patagonia has to offer. It is definitely worth an afternoon to stroll around the place, enjoy the birds and the scenery.