Date Of Entry: April 4th 2016.
Date of Writing: May 22nd 2016, Blue House Hostel, Sao Paulo
After several days relaxing and not doing much in Calafate other than allowing my body to get healthy again since I’ve been asking a lot of it, I finally get on a early afternoon bus bound for El Chalten (370-420 ARS 35-40 CAD), The Argentinean Trekking Capital. It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, since my friend Natalie who I met in Chile last year posted the first pictures of iEl Chalten – Mirador De Los Condores y Los Aguiles, and since then everyone I’ve met whose been there raves about it. Many prefer the hiking her to Torres Del Paine, and while I have a hard time imagining that, a boy can dream right.
The bus ride is about 3 hours and costs a hefty 370 ARS (32 CAD) pesos with Cal Tur. After about three hours we come to a stop just outside of Chalten at the National park office where I wake up from a fairly deep slumber to an absolutely ridiculous view.
Much like in Torres del Paine the mountainous formations here are not just beautiful but quite unique, the two most famous being Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. We’re lucky because as we arrive the clouds are high and we can see the entire line of mountains backing the sleepy little valley town of Chalten. Everyone piles of the bus and takes lots of photos before being herded into the national park office where we are explained the rules and some basics of the trails. One advantage of E Chalten is that most traditional treks can be done as a day trip or paired with others for those looking to camp. Of course there’s harder ones like Paso De Viento, a 4 day trek alongside the Patagonian ice field, but this is for experienced trekkers and feels a bit beyond me. Either way, regardless of your fitness level, Chalten offers tons to do, as you’ll see in the coming entries. Anyway here’s the photos of my first welcome to Chalten.
Eventually we get back on the bus for another 5 minutes before being dropped at the bus terminal. I’ve made no reservations so I shoulder my pack and wander off searching for a place to stay. There’s lots to be had in Chalten (even at the end of the season like this) and for whatever reason I search through about 5 before deciding on Hostel Viajeros which is run by an adorable Bolivian family. they charge me 180 Pesos per night for a 4 bed dorm after a little negotiation. And as I’m led to the dorm I’m in for a pleasant surprise, because as I open the door there’s Ellie, and Amandine is just in the shower. We’re all quite happy to see each other though sadly they’ll be leaving tomorrow. Still it’s awesome to see them and I also meet Brahm , another young Canadian on the road. We chat for a good long while, claiming the dorm room for Canada all four of us and then head out for a delicious dinner at a place just up the street. The girls have come back from a 3 day hike in the mountains and impress me by out eating me! I can’t help but feel a little ashamed.
The diner is great though it’s interrupted by the appearance of some truly stunning clouds. Later tonight I’ll see my friend Matt from Antarctica posting a picture of the same cloud and we’ll meet up tomorrow, ahh the wonders of the internet.
After dinner we head back to the hostel, share a few videos I’ve luckily downloaded (internet in chalten is existent but very very slow) and then head to bed. The next morning we wake up for the sunrise which becomes a habit for me in the next week here, and is down right beautiful even if Mount Fitzroy is shrouded in an annoying cluster of clouds.
After a quick stop at a bakery and a nice breakfast back at the hostel we say goodbye to Brahm whose off on another big hike while I stick with Ellie and Amandine for a short little walk up to a few miradors above the village. They have a bus in the early afternoon so there’s no time for a bigger hike, still the miradors are enough for me since I’ve seen nothing here yet, and both mirador Condores, and mirador Aguiles are an easy walk up from the national park offices, about 20 minutes and 40 minutes respectively.
We also run into Antarctica Matt who is trying to hitchhike out of town heading north with little luck so late in the season. After a quick conversation though we continue on up to some very impressive views.
I frustratingly forget my camera, but have my go pro in my bag so you still get a few photos to whet your appetite of all that Chalten has to offer.
We head back down to the hostel, eat some lunch quickly in the kitchen and then I head to the bus station with Amandine and Ellie to say goodbye. I’m a bit sad, but we’ll hopefully see each other in buenos aires.
Once they’re gone I’m planning on heading to a waterfall but as I’m walking through town I run into Matt again and he is having some money issues as Chalten makes a habit of saying they accept credit cards and then not accepting them at all. I pay for his breakfast then we go to the two atm’s in town and struggle to make one work. Get money before you come to chalten, at best you’ll be able to get 1000 per time at banco la nacion and pay 90 pesos in fees each time, at worst you won’t get money.
Either way Matt has abandoned his hopes of hitchhiking and buys a bus ticket north towards bariloche at the station where I am shocked to find a man who looks almost exactly like a younger version of perhaps my favourite television character ever, Rafi from the league. for those who don’t know him he’s a twisted but charming psychopath who is just.. actually watch this clip. It sums him up effectively.
So yeah i met this man, in the form of a friendly guy named Necati originally from Turkey but living in Germany and working as a corporate headhunter. (not an assassin). He’s traveling with a very friendly guy from Israel who he insists on calling Shalom, and as it works out this turkish man is almost as crazy as the tv character. Somehow, my plans to walk to a waterfall just outside of town get cancelled and we spend the 7 hours until their bus in two different bars, the three of them getting day drunk (rafi quote that almost happens: I am day drunk get ready to se my dick), me just amazed to have met a Rafi doppleganger. Pleasantly enough all three guys are great and i walk them to their bus too as they buy some bus wine before boarding. truth be told I’m almost sad I’m not on the bus. Oh well.
