Torres del Paine

Megan:
After a few days together in Buenos Aires, Molly, Andy, Jon and I flew down south to the small town of El Calafate which would become our transportation hub throughout our time in Southern Patagonia. Except for excellent ice cream, we found little of interest in this town overrun with tour operators and overpriced restaurants.

We did however end up renting a car for a day trip to nearby Glacier National Park to view the Perito Moreno Glacier which was absolutely incredible. Said to be one of the most active and exciting glaciers on earth, the deep blue hued Perito Moreno advances up to two meters per day. We were able to witness its 60-meter high ice-peaks break off and crash into the frigid waters below creating small tidal waves and leaving icebergs floating for miles around - quite a spectacular site.

From there we crossed the border into Chile and spent a day in the small town of Puerto Natales where we were able to stock up on food and supplies to prepare for our first backpacking trip in Torres del Paine National Park.

I have to admit I had some apprehension about all of the trekking we were planning to do in Patagonia. We had mapped out three separate treks of about 4-5 days each with large packs, tents, sleeping bags, cooking gear and enough food for the entire trek. I felt as though the whole month before Molly and Andy arrived I was filled with self-doubt. I was under the impression that everyone else was more prepared for this kind of activity than I was - stronger, more experienced, and maybe more importantly, more mentally prepared. Once we got out on the trail, I was very pleased to discover that almost all of this self-doubt was in my head (as these kinds of things typically are), and that not only could I keep up, but I was able to enjoy almost every minute of it (with a few really steep exceptions).

We spent 6 days trekking along the famous "W" trail where we were blessed with perfect weather (except for a few bouts of the strongest winds I have ever experienced) and spectacular panoramic views of enormous glaciers and snow-covered rocky peaks. During our 6-8 hours of hiking a day we encountered a multitude of glacial lakes, each one a slightly different shade of blue or green than the one before it; watched icebergs lazily float by; witnessed the day's first light illuminate the Torres del Paine (the rock towers for which the park is named); and enjoyed some great conversations.

Jon and I suspected that our time with Molly and Andy would go pretty smoothly, but we have still been pleasantly surprised with just how enjoyable planning the trip and spending large amounts of time together has been. I don't think I've spent this much time with my sister since I was in high school - it's been fantastic. And since Jon and I were packing up our lives at home right around the time Andy and Molly started dating, this month in Patagonia has been our first real chance to get to know him - and what a pleasure it's been.

Our time in Torres del Paine ended up being incredibly rewarding with spectacular natural beauty, meaningful conversations with old and new friends, and a surprising rediscovery of confidence.

A whirlwind update

Megan:
As you may have noticed, it's been quite a while since our last update - this is mainly due to how much we have packed into the past month, but the inflated cost of internet shops lately hasn't helped to motivate us either. In short Jon and I spent the second half of November working our way south through Northern Chile and Argentina in time to meet up with my sister Molly and her boyfriend Andy in Buenos Aires on December 1st. Although a lot of that time was spent on buses, we managed to have some really wonderful experiences in various stops along the way.

Once we were able to get over the completely foreign-sounding Chilean accent, we realized how nice it was to be in a country that is much closer to first world standards. After leaving Peru, our first destination was Arica where we joined a tour to the small town of Putre and the nearby Lauca National Park. We have been making a point lately of doing tours completely in Spanish - a nice addition to just getting an informative explanation. The wildlife in this region of the Atacama Desert was fascinating. We saw llamas and three other related species (vicuñas, alpaccas and guanacos), a large rabbit-like rodent that has a long tail (viscacha), some huge ostrich-type birds (ñandús), an andean condor with a nine-foot wing span, and flamingos.

From there we made our way west to San Pedro de Atacama. Our first impression of San Pedro was that of an incredibly over-priced dusty town that had been stuck in the middle of the desert solely for tour operators and the tourists that supported them. Once we discovered that the next available bus didn't depart for another five days, we decided to give the town a chance and settled in. It took us a full two days to decide that this town had some nice things to offer. As it turns out the only tour we decided to do was fantastic. We began by exploring a geyser field at dawn - an incredible site to witness despite the unbelievable chill that rolls through at that time of day up at 14,000 ft. Once the sun began to shed its warmth, we were able to soak in a thermal pool fed by the geysers. After a number of short stops to become familiar with local flora and fauna, we went on an unexpected hike following a stream into a beautifully sculpted canyon.

After our five-days' wait, we happily crossed into Argentina and stayed at a charming little hostel in the town of Salta. The guys who ran this establishment had a knack and love for cooking and offered to make dinner for whoever was staying there that night. We thought they were making a simple meal of pasta and sauce, but this turned into a four-hour production of making pasta from scratch and a carefully simmering fresh vegetables, meat and spices into an artful sauce. Somewhere in this cooking process, I no longer felt like I had been traveling and without roots for 10 months - I felt like for at least one night, I had come home.

After this delicious home-cooked meal, we slipped away to the quaint town of Cafayate known for its small-scale vineyards and beautiful canyon lands. We spent our first day here attempting to stay hydrated in the heat of the desert red rock as we wandered through the phenomenal layered rock formations. Our second day we enjoyed touring and doing tastings at a few of the local wineries. Our favorite discovery was Torrontes - a crisp white wine exclusive to Argentina - luckily we still have another month in Argentina to continue enjoying this one. We also had the interesting opportunity to tour a local goat cheese factory where we actually ended up acting as translators for the rest of the tour group as we learned about everything from the goat's strictly regimented diet to the classical music they listen to during the milking process - fascinating.

After this whirlwind tour through the north of Chile and Argentina (and a 20-hour bus ride), we arrived in Buenos Aires with a few days to spare before Molly and Andy's arrival. Since we are planning to return and spend the month of January in this bustling cultural center, we spent the last few days of November researching Spanish schools and getting an apartment lined up. While there we also enjoyed meeting up with numerous friends who we had met earlier in our travels and had a great spur of the moment visit from a friend of Jon's from high school.

We were delighted to see Molly and Andy when they arrived safely in Buenos Aires at the beginning of December and spent our first two days together showing them around the city and beginning to catch up. Since then, the four of us have headed south where we've been thoroughly enjoying the Patagonian wilderness. Tomorrow morning we are beginning our third backpacking trip this month, and as you may have guessed, we have a ton of photos and stories that we're looking forward to sharing in the days to come.

Wishing you all happy holidays!