THE PATAGONIA!!!!!

This post is going to be about my entire Patagonia experience which was unlike anything I had experienced and I had such a wonderful time. 

It started with me leaving Costa Rica! Reese and I took the bus from Tamarindo. It stopped in Liberia to drop Reese off and also stopped in San Jose at the airport for me. In Liberia I got off the bus to say goodbye to Reese and give him a hug. When I tried to get back on the bus, the driver told me that I couldn't. He said when I got off the bus, that is when my trip ended. I still had my backpack and luggage on the bus and we went back and forth about whether or not I could continue my trip. I was literally begging the bus driver; I had my hands clasped together and was saying "por favor." Eventually he conceded and let me get back on the bus. Just a crazy situation! But then we eventually got to the airport, and I got to go into an airport lounge. I spent several hours in there and ate lots of free food which was so excellent. My first flight was overnight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Sao Paulo, Brazil. My layover was short in Brazil and then I flew into Buenos Aires, Argentina. The customs were super chill, and I got an Uber easily to take me to my hostel. I got to the hostel around 1:30pm and then went to Recoleta Cemetery because it was right outside of my hostel. I also walked to El Ateneo Grand Splendid which is an old theater that got turned into a bookstore. I got dinner but then went back to my hostel and laid down around 7:30pm because I had to get an Uber at 1:30am because my flight was boarding at 4:30am. That early morning flight was from Buenos Aires, Argentina to El Calafate, Argentina. And finally, I had arrived in the Patagonia!

 

I got picked up by a shuttle in El Calafate and we drove about 3 hours to El Chalten, Argentina. It was an incredibly beautiful drive, and my hotel was really nice in El Chalten. That afternoon I walked around the town and got some empanadas. All in all, I ate 4 empanadas this day. After that, I just relaxed after all of my crazy travel and got prepared for my big hike the next day.

For my only full day in El Chalten I did a full day hike. This is the town with the iconic Fitz Roy hike but I was not really prepared to do that one solo so I did the Laguna de Torres hike. This one ended up being 14.6 miles and took me about 7 hours to complete. I started around 7:30am and it was such a beautiful hike. I think that this possibly was the best hike of my life because the views were so incredible and the hike itself was pretty nice. Like it was not all up on the way there and then all down on the way back. It was flat in parts but also steep in others. Overall, incredible. The only downside was that I got pretty bad blisters from my new hiking boots. I don't regret wearing the boots because they were so great in the way of traction and ankle support, but they did give me some yucky blisters.

The next day after my big hike, I took a shuttle from El Chalten back to El Calafate. My hotel was a bit out of town so I spent my first afternoon shopping and just hanging out in the center. I was trying to find a water bottle because I lost my emotional support Nalgene and I was also trying to find something to help wrap my blisters. I did not find either. I also went to a grocery store and got some snacks for my adventure the next day.

One of the main things to do in El Calafate is to go to the Perito Moreno Glacier. I got picked up by my tour group and we drove to Los Glaciares National Park. While we were driving, the guide told us about the area and the drive was really nice. Once we got to the park, we all went our separate ways and walked around. I walked down to the glacier and took it all and also ate some lunch down by the water. The glacier was so beautiful and it was fun to just sit and watch the glacier because big sheets of ice were just sliding off and splashing into the water. Then my group met up again and we went down to the water and got on a boat. We got to go on the boat and get down close to the glacier. It was fun to get close and be in the water. This glacier had been stable up until 3 years but has been shrinking since. This was such a reflection moment for me because I am so lucky to be able to see the Earth right now and things are only going to change more and more as time goes on and climate change contributes to alter the planet. I felt so lucky to be able to experience this wonderful day.

The day after the glacier, I went by bus to Chile. I left El Calafate in the morning and was on a double decker bus. I got to sit in the front row on the second level so the views were incredible. The drive was really nice and relaxed. The border crossing was also so chill which I loved. On the bus, we drove down a dirt road and pulled up to a random office in the middle of a field. That was the exit from Argentina. Then we drove a little bit more down the dirt road and got to another office. This was the entry to Chile. I didn't get asked any questions and got approved for 3 months which was really nice. I wish all border crossings were as easy as that. Then just a little bit into Chile, we arrived at Puerto Natales which is where I was going to be for a little bit.

So, for my only full day in Puerto Natales, I got picked up by my tour company at 6:30am. We were doing the Base del Torres del Paine hike! I was so excited about this hike because it is a big deal and one of the most famous of the region. We had to drive to a national park and then we started from the visitors center. My group was really cool and the guides were really great. The hike was pretty challenging and it took about 9 hours from when we left the visitors center to when we got back. The hike was 14 miles in total and it was an out and back. The part closest to the top was a scramble but was fun! On my hike was a group of people from Mexico, a woman from California, and a family from Chile. I loved this hike and the views that came from it. I didn't get back to my hotel until 9:30pm after all the driving, hiking, dropping off gear, and picking up dinner. It was a long but splendid day. 

I got picked up the next morning from my hotel and went to the airport in Puerto Natales. I was flying north to Puerto Montt. Then I took a $5 shuttle to Puerto Varas which is where I am staying for the next week. I went and hung out by Lake Llanquihue yesterday and it was so nice. I am happy to be here and to finally be in Chile! I have been so interested in visiting Chile since I started studying the country during high school. During my dad's Spanish class we had to pick a country to study and to learn about and I chose Chile and just became so intrigued with all of the natural beauty and variety throughout the country. I am planning to travel all the way up the country. I started pretty far down south in the Patagonia and I will end by going to Peru for April! The Patagonia was such a big deal and such an incredible experience, I fear I don't have the words to describe it. I feel so fortunate for all of the support that I received to make that a reality. I plan to go back some day and spend more time there because 1 week did not feel like enough. But for now, I got a taste of one of the most beautiful places that I have yet to experience. The world is so wide, and I feel lucky to get to explore it.