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| Andy and Ally - ready for the Ruta 40 |
Yesterday at 7am we began our long journey south from Bariloche to El Chalten. The first couple hours out of Bariloche were through beautiful scenery – lakes, mountains, lupins and broom. After our toilet stop at El Bolson, we spent the rest of the day traveling through fields, with the Andes to the West. Some of the road was asphalt while other bits were gravel, making for a bumpy ride down the Ruta 40, where I somehow managed to sleep. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day of clear blue sky, and the truck was warm in the sun. Somewhere along the way there was a small body of water with flamingoes.
We took a lunch break in the middle of nowhere, just off the Ruta 40, where our bathroom option was the hop over the fence and hide behind the bushes. The women were in charge of lunch – chopping, slicing, mixing and peeling. Salami and ham were the meat of choice to add to baguettes with tomatoes, cheese, guacamole and peppers. A very tasty lunch. And given the warmth of the day, eating outside was very pleasant.
We continued down the Ruta 40 (mostly on bumpy road) where I spent time researching other parts of South America, listening to music, writing, looking out the window and snoozing. At 6:45pm, 800km later, we finally reached Perito Moreno, our stop for the night. The hotel was the worst of the trip (so we’re told) and Sameena and I walked in to find three beds with red terrycloth blankets and a shower with a window taped closed. No heater to be found and the wind had really picked up.
A quick stroll through some of town (very outback Argentina), including a stop in the supermarket, and Sameena and I came back to the hotel. Ally had recommended the hotel restaurant for dinner and I shared a table with Nick, Sarah and Kate. Nick was commenting on the intense nature of our trip and Sarah said that she thought the camping would be intense. Then she said, "haha, guess it will be in tents". I'm not sure why but it really tickled me; I must have laughed for a good 10 minutes. In-tents. Haha. The owner of the place was a large man whose shirt wasn’t quite tucked in. Not what you want from the guy cooking your food. From the mostly Italian style menu I ordered spaghetti with cream and tomato sauce. The portions were huge but only slightly warm and Sameena ended up sharing half my dish. It was an interesting evening.
When I got back to the room, it was so chilly that I asked Sarah and Kate if I could shower in their room to avoid the breeze and dust from our shower. The shower warmed me up (if not scalded me a couple times) and I climbed into the warm sheets for bed.
Today was another early start. We loaded Peggy and were on our way at 7am continuing our journey to El Chalten. The Ruta 40 at its most desolate. The only scenery was the shrubs, the Andes in the far distance (only visible in a few places) and some rhea, guanacos and rabbits. With not a building in sight, we made our first toilet stop on the Ruta 40. A hill of dirt provided the perfect shelter for the women, who just lined up on the edge. I was the last to arrive, so I had a bit more privacy in the open air.
For lunch we stopped near the beautiful, bright blue Lago Cardiel. The blue sparked in the sunlight. The only problem was the strong wind blowing during our break, meaning that quite a bit of dust was flying around on the plates and partially in the food. Ally had purchased ingredients for mexicones (as she called them), so we had a healthy vegetarian lunch of tomato, lettuce, cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, and beans rolled up in a tortilla. I have to say that given the circumstances, lunches on the road have been very h-level.
Our next stop was at a gas station 130km from El Chalten. Andy was desperate to refuel Peggy, but it turned out the pumps were empty. So Ally went off in some car to find more gas, while Andy said we’d take off down the road until she stopped. I think my “oh my” reaction got a laugh from everyone. I hopped in the cab with Andy to get a front view of the ride, which was now tarmac (after an almost entire day of gravel). You realize how amazing tarmac is once you’ve been bumping around on gravel and dealing with the noise and dust.
Luckily we made it to El Chalten without problems and were able to refuel on arrival, which was around 5pm, quicker than expected. Given the heavy cloud cover, we weren’t able to see the Fitz Roy range, but hopefully it will clear up for tomorrow. After settling into our rooms and trying to call my dad for his birthday, we went to pay for our day excursions tomorrow. I’m going ice trekking on the Viedma Glacier, one of the largest in Argentina. Considering the crampons come up slightly high, I’ve rented a pair of boots for the day. The forecast looks ok, so hopefully my wind/waterproof clothes will provide shelter from the elements.
After stopping in the supermarket, Kate and I went to find the microbrewery, and managed to walk to the front of town (popping into a chocolate shop) but clearly going way too far. It turned out the place was much closer to the hotel than we realized; we pressed through the oncoming wind and made our way back. Walking into the brewery/restaurant was comforting; a small cozy warm building with friendly waitresses. I tried their beer and Kate, Sarah, Nick, Brad and I decided to eat there instead of continuing on to the steakhouse. Just a spinach empanada was plenty after the popcorn and breadsticks, plus I had a bit of Sarah’s lasagna. A few of us shared a bottle of Malbec, so I’m currently feeling quiet warm and a bit tipsy. At dinner, Kate and I toasted to our dad’s, both of whom are celebrating birthdays today. Wishing my dad all the best in the upcoming year and sad I can’t be with him to celebrate. At least I know next year I should be in California. Tomorrow’s a big day of walking on ice. Night night.
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