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Hola!
Had an excellent last couple of days in Buenos Aires. Hooked up with Paul Calcutt (my friend from Brighton), who is based in the city as he works as a tour leader. Got mucho plastered in San Telmo with Paul and his buddies, left relatively early though as had been clubbing the night before. Buenos Aires is a serious party town.
Hooked up with Paul again the next day at his place. Ended up watching Arsenal v Wigan, getting the empanadas in and inviting friends round. A very English day on the opposite side of the world!
We lucked out on the last day in Buenos Aires as the Dakar Rally (held in S America this year instead of Africa) was finishing in Palermo, about half an hour`s walk away. Checked it out with a couple of guys from the hostel, a great way to waste a few hours before my 20 hour bus ride to Barciloche. Finally leaving this crazy city!
So Barciloche - its like Switzerland but with more steak. The town was made popular by Nazi´s on the run following WWII, and they took their beer brewing and chocolate making with them. The town itself is picturesque, set on the Nahuel Huapi lake. Got a great hostel and hooked up immediately with Simon, arranged a mountain bike trek for the following day. Went for some beers in a cool micro brewery bar and met a brother and sister team from Southend, ended up playing tonsil hockey with Carolyn, first success of the trip!
The surrounding Nahuel Huapi National Park is better known as The Lake District and is simply stunning - check the photos! Simon and I took a couple of bikes and hit the trails, making pit stops for empanada´s and swims along the way. Simply the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. Took it easy that night as we had arranged some white water rafting for the following day.
White water rafting on the Rio Negro - exhilarating and scary in equal measure. There was about 50 of us, 7 or so to a raft. Very professional operation who gave us a full safety brief before we got going as most people there had never rafted before. The first set of rapids were relatively easy (Grade 3 out of 6) but when we hit the grade 4 and grade 5´s things started getting mental! On one grade 5 we tipped the raft, I twatted my head on something giving me a nice souvenir head gash for the day. The expedition ended on the Chilean side of the border, where we were picked up and taken for an Asado (BBQ). Perfect day!
That night we hit some good foresaken raggae bar, about 10 or so of us. Got chatting to a local guy who tried to set me up with his female friends, but alas the language barrier got the better of the situation. I REALLY have to learn some half decent Spanish. I´ve decided to find a Spanish teacher and get some hours under my belt when I get back from Patagonia.
So here I am in El Calafate, a small town that´s a bit of a magnate for outdoor adventurer´s down here in Patagonia. Lucked out on the bus down as met a great Belgian called Bruno who had been in Bs As covering the Dakar rally (he´s a journalist). We are staying at the same hostel and teamed up yesterday to visit the Moreno Glacier 50k away. Another fantastic day out - the glacier is one of the few in the world that is advancing rather than receding. Huge blocks of ice fall from the glacier face creating mini tsunamis, incredible spectacle! Made some food back at the hostel last night, then sat around with Bruno and Denise from Istanbul putting the world to rights until 0400 this morining.
Having a day off today to catch up with emails, laundry ect. Just bought a ticket for the next town along, El Chalten, where I´m going to hike up to the Mount Fitzroy base camp, and no doubt other trecks to follow. Will be there for 2 or 3 days before setting of for Puerto Natales in Chile, stopping off point for 5 days of trekking / camping in the Torres Del Paine national park, the most stunning on the continet!
Again, it´s taking forever to upload photos, will have to add them when I´m on a better computer!
Take care x x x
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