To the Other Side -- El Calafate

After spending 3 days in Chile's side of the Patagonia, we drove across to Argentina. A 6 hours drive took us to the Argentina's side to El Calafate. In the southern most part of Argentina, we got to see the Glacier Moreno. One of the biggest glaciers in the region. I know, we got the weather. Unfortunately, we didn't get to walk on the glacier (which was the part I was most looking forward to).

On the first day in Calafate, we spent the day on a boat. The boat took us around the Los Glaciares National Park where we saw three glaciers- Upsala, Onelli and Glacier Moreno. Glacier Moreno was the biggest one of the three. Though the sky was dark in the morning and there was rain, we still managed to get good shots of the landscapes. There were many glaciers along the way. The boat took us pretty close to the glaciers and we managed to see bits of the glacier falling at times.

 Glacier Onelli. 2nd stop on the boat ride.

 Sorry, my father doesn't really like to take photos. haha

Glacier Moreno from the lake. 

Chile- Patagonia (Puerto Natales)

After spending time in the blazing heat, we travelled down to the very tip of the country to Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales is the heart of the Patagonia in Chile. We spent three days at an all inclusive hotel (my mom calls this an adult hostel). The hotel provided a guide for the three days and all three meals, which was extremely convenient. Since it was winter in South America, there were not too many people near the tip of SA.

Much of what is to enjoy in the Patagonia is the landscapes and scenary. We went on several hikes (since my dad refuses to horseback ride or ride a bike). Torres Del Paine, the Patagonia national park of Chile, was beautiful. Because it was so windy at the park, much of the trip was a car trip. Wind speeds in Puerto Natales and its surrounding area could go up to over 100 mph. At night, I could hear the wind guzzling from my room.

The weather wasn't the greatest during out stay there. On the first day, our guide took us on a trail which started at the devil's chair to the milodon's cave. A mildon is an extinct giant sloth that lived in the Patagonia around 10,000 years ago. They lived the beginning of civilization in south America. Our hike took around 4-5 hours and it was pouring that day of. I was completely drenched from head to toe within a few hours. Because of the rain, we were extremely cold. I thought my toes would fall off.

We visited Torres Del Paine on the second day. Torres Del Paine is basically three giant pieces of vertical rock. Because of the strong winds, we didn't do as much hiking as we would like.

On the third day, we took the eagles cliff trail. We climbed atop a limestone cliff where we saw the eagles very closely.

Here are some pictures-

 Torres Del Paine.

Eagles eating roadkill. My father insisted that we capture this moment.

 

 The Devil's Chair Hike. It was raining badly.

  

An eagle.

  

  

 

 Guanacos. They are part of the Llamas/Vicuna family.

 

 It was so windy that even trees were bending.

 About to fly off the balcony.

 Giant trees along the trail.

At the peak of the eagles cliff.