Buenos Aires and the only way to travel to Iguazu Falls

So I've been in South America just over 2 weeks and already spent nearly $800 on flights, this luxury will have to end if I am to maintain my budget. The option not to bus it up to Buenos Aires probably saved me 2 - 3 days and is a route uncommon for most backpackers. After checking in to Estoril hostel, my intention for a quiet night was quickly abolished after I found myself wearing another Aussie blokes jeans before we even made introductions, also the fact that a litre of vodka for less than $4 probably didn't help either!

Being in BA on a Sunday is a great chance to visit the market street, a single lane lined with stalls that stretches around a kilometre through the city. This unfortunate event for somebody who does not want to collect souvenirs so early in the trip, sells a huge variety of goods from local crafts, clothing, food and drinks, there is also plenty of street performances to keep one entertained. Another street along the way had some sort of Chilean festival, the Terrimoto stand that I had spotted was sold out by the time we made our return journey, just my luck!

In BA you are also able to take advantage of the black market exchange rate for USD. All you need to is wander along Florida Av in the city centre, where every few metres somebody will be calling out 'Cambio' which is Spanish for exchange. Once approached they will indicate the rate of the day and either perform the transaciton on the spot or lead you down a side ally to a small office. Don't worry it's all legit and I have not herd of anybody being ripped off.

The Breaking Bad fever was in the air as everybody attempted to make Mexican food and dress up somewhat for the series finale, something I had to avoid at all costs only watching up to series 2 so far. If you don't know what I'm talking about then I suggest you open a browser right now and download a few episodes. I decided on booking my bus to Iguazu through the hostel who were able to print the tickets on the spot at a discount rate, encouraging me to go the full deluxe Cama class.

My final morning in BA was spent wandering the city, the most impressive find was this huge catholic cemetery.. you may not be able to take money with you when you die but you an certainly build an impressive grave. The structures were generally looming statues indicating ones superior importance, with an internal room that in some cases descended deep in to the ground, plenty of bunk space for generations to come. It covered a considerable area in the city centre with endless streets full of these tombs that you could spend hours exploring.

In Argentina you have 3 classes of bus that offer varying degrees of seat reclining; Semi Cama which is 120, Cama which is 160 and Deluxe Cama which is 180. The Deluxe Cama (ok maybe its called something different, but the name is fitting) offers a few extra benefits like personal video entertainment system and a slightly better quality of food. For the journey which in my case was 18 hours you have a hostess who not only serves your food and makes sure you receive your blanket and pillows, they will also serve you wine and whiskey while your watching the latest blockbuster, far more impressive than any plane I have ever been on.

Initially I had planned to see Iguazu over the first afternoon and then a full day following, but upon arrival I was informed that 1 day would be plenty. Instead I walked down the river for a viewpoint T-junction in the river with Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil at each corner. Back at the hostel a bunch of Kiwi lads were making their best attempt at getting a BBQ going.

For me Iguazu was to be experienced from the Argentinian side which allows you to get closer to the bottom of the falls. I decided to skip the Brazil side and the associated Visa hassles for Australian although apparently it offers a great panoramic view. I spent the morning walking around with a young German who has spent the past few months doing volunteer work in Bolivia and we explored the lower and middle paths. At one point you can get so close to the roaring water that after a single photo you are completely drenched.

These falls which are split amongst almost 300 falls over 3km and up to 80m high, are an extremely powerful example of natures ability to impress even the most seasoned traveller, its a shame that I will struggle to be impressed by any other falls from here on. I didn't take much convincing to book a boat ride that drove literally underneath the falls and lets you get an up close experience of the water hammering down, especially for the lucky ones who sat up the front of the boat.

After an enormous buffer lunch I took the short train ride up to Devils Throat, a walkway that leads along the top of one section of the falls. The water is gushing down with such force that huge mist clouds rise and falls like the breath of a giant beast. Apparently they used to run boat tours in the early 1900's until one guide couldn't paddle fast enough and his boat was swallowed by the falls, none survived.

Argentina's premier trekking destination

A quick 3 hour drive up the road from El Calafate is El Chalten, Argentina's premier trekking destination. Unbeknown to me I had booked at Rancho Grande hostel which was undergoing maintenance, so all guests were moved to the Poincenot Hotel next door, offering extremely good value as the price of the rooms remained the same. A group of Americans from the glacier trek also showed up for a similar few days trekking.

The town, which feels like is half under construction ahead of the looming tourist season, caters predominantly for trekkers wishing to visit the Fitzroy mountain range and the surrounding area. The Fitzroy range itself is somewhat similar to TDP, although in my opinion not as impressive. I quickly checked in to my room grabbing few pointers off another Aussie bloke who had spent a few days in the area and headed off to squeeze a 6 hour hike in before sunset.

With the goal of reaching one of the two main viewpoints, a frozen lake and glacier at Lago Torre, I made my way through the forest making the most of fresh patches of snow to substitute my lack of water. A few groups of trekkers making the return route had vastly different ideas of how far I was from the lake, yet they all seemed to be walking at the same pace. This strange knocking sound through some stages of the trail turned out to be woodpeckers furiously smahing their beaks against trees and fallen logs, the little fellas were more than happy for me to come up and grab a few snaps of my first encounter with such animal since watching Woody as a young fella.

Eventually I reached the lake after passing further through a grassland and along a glacial stream, Its icy surface looked inviting at parts although a few rocks hurled from above indicated that I probably should not risk a very cold bath. The glacier at the end would have been more impressive had I not experienced Perito Moreno the day before, though it still made a great view none the less.

Back at the hostel we had planned to go and check out the local micro brewery, much to our disappointment it was not opening until the tourist season in a few weeks. I had to settle with a big juicy steak and a magnum of red from the local supermarket which managed to fill the gap nicely.

The next and final day in Chalten involved a roughly 8 hour hike up to a viewpoint of the Fitzroy Range at Lago De Los Torres. The hiking itself was very similar to the day before until around 45 minutes before the mirrador(viewpoint), where a steep icy hill loomed before us. I had caught up with the Americans at this point who were in an encouraging way, trying to talk themselves out of it. Clambering over the snow and ice, making very slow progress, I eventually made it to the top for a great view down across the lake lands. then carefully manoeuvring my way across an ice hill (with one wrong step sliding you down over the edge to the unknown) and up another small hill, provided a magnificent view of the Fitzroy rocky pillars and the frozen lake below. Trekkers from earlier that day had mad a snowman and a big rock provided for a breathtaking and dry position to enjoy my bag of pasta lunch before heading back down to town.

The other Patagonia

Feeling awe inspired after the TDP trek, I hopped on an early morning bus for the 5 hour journey over the to Argentinian side of Patagonia, including a very painless border crossing in between. Luckily the evening before a couple of Aussie girls informed me that I needed to pay a $100USD 'recipriocracy fee' online before reaching the border, something that could have resulted in a considerable delay had I not made the payment.

Arriving in El Calafate and checking in to the America Del Sur hostel, with  fantastic views across the lake and mountains, I was then introduced to the world of the black market Benjamins. Due to the country being locked out of international markets and an unhealthy inflation rate of 25%, the government has attempted to prevent capital flight by making it virtually impossible for Argentinians to exchange local pesos for the US dollar, unless its on the black market. This is where the international tourist with a pocket full of Benjamins is in a great position to almost double the official rate of 5.5:1, boy was I happy to have brought all my backup cash in USD. It was then off to a local bakery to try the countries pastry wrapped specially, Emponadas.

There was one thing which everybody recommended when visiting Argentinian Patagonia; the Perito Moreno Glacier. Having never even seen a glacier in my life, let alone actually trekked over ice, I was dead keen to check this out. You have a few options for visiting the impressive structure including taking a bus to the viewing platform, a boat trip along the front ice face or booking a tour through Hielo Y Aventura.

Quickly making my way down to the office to book a trek for the following day, I was presented with two options; 'mini trekking' which included around 1.5hrs of ice time towards the front of the glacier and 'big ice' which was a 4hr trek much deeper in to the glacier. I filled up the second last spot for the next day and was offered an irresistible exchange rate of 10:1, making the trek price $120USD.

Perito Moreno Glacier is famous for being one of only 3 glaciers in Patagonia that is actually growing, amongst only a handful in the world. The suggested growth rate is apparently 2m per day! This impressive structure located in the Los Glaciers National Park, covers an area of 250sqm and our guide suggested an ice depth of 400m to the rocky bottom and the tallest point. The national park was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1981.

Our early morning departure started at 7am when the bus first took us to a the viewpoint, consisting of wooden platforms at various heights that boasted an up close experience, with large cracking sounds and big chunks of ice smashing their way in to the water before floating downstream. We then took a ferry along the front of the glaciers magnificent blue wall, to a rocky beach where the real adventure would begin.

Those who had chosen the Big Ice trek were split in to two groups, English or Spanish speaking guides. We trekked an hour along the side of the glacier before strapping on our crampons, devices that improve mobility on the ice by adding metallic spikes to the bottom of ones shoes. We then had a small instructional session about how to incline, decline and transcend the ice, with stern warnings about watching out for snow covered crevasses which are difficult to spot on the bright white surface. Our guides carried rescue ropes which could be later attached to our harnesses should we happen to fall, the effectiveness is doubtful given the depth of some of these portals in to darkness.

As we progressed over this alien landscape, it wasn't difficult to imagine oneself being on another world. The ice itself is changing shape and texture so often that as you progress along the surface, your constantly rewarded with new and exciting outlooks. Our group had a main guide who led the single line formation (reducing ones risk of a quick end to the tour) and a spotter who used his wealth of experience to run around testing the path with his ice axe and positioning himself below the slopes incase we fell.

Adding to the absolute must do experience was the chance to have lunch in the middle of the glacier. I had prepared a huge meal of pasta, steak and veggies in a zip lock bag which made most of the group jealous while they munched down on packs of biscuits or chocolate bars. Once thing I would recommend is maybe bring a bag to sit on as my non waterproof pants literally left me with a frozen ass after chilling out for half an hour.

The highlight of the day (apart from the whole thing being probably the highlight of my entire travelling career) was when the guide located an ice cave. This thing boasted shades of electric blue that would usually only feature in ones most vivid dreams At first our group was a little apprehensive of exploring this ice cave, that literally went straight through the small glacier hill.. was it worth the risk of filling ones shoes with freezing cold water, of course! Unfortunately the guy behind me struggled to take a picture that could do the moment justice, it was mind blowing how surreal the experience was. Of course my shoes ended up full of an icy slush, maybe I was too excited to care or maybe they had just gone numb with cold, either way I hardly seemed to notice.

Our group consisted of a decent range of trekkers from early 20's to late 50's all of whom were grinning from ear to ear by the end. Without actually experiencing the Mini Trekking, I would have to recommend forking out for the Big Ice Trek. At one point we spotted the other group who looked like tiny ants scurrying across the ice in formation. By the end of the day we all had tired, sore legs and topped off the adventure with the ultimate gentleman's drink; A glace of scotch with a rock shaved fresh off the glacier.

Patagonia

Getting up at 6am following the detailed instructions from the enormously helpful staff at my hostel, I managed to navigate the subway and connecting train connecting with my flight through Puerto Montt, on it was down to Punta Arenas in the far south of Chile, landing in the wild Patagonia, an area between southern Chili and Argentina. It was on the flight that I was dealt a hard lesson about forward planning after sitting next to Bruno and his bodyguard who were on tour for his concert in Punta Arenas, he insisted I come along and join the all inclusive after party but unfortunately I had already arranged my transport to pick me up from the airport en route to Puerto Natales, to begin trekking Torres Del Paine. He has invited me to crash at his place and check out Mexico City once I make it that far north, quite the lady's man due to his late teen stardom as a famous singer, a decade on girls came running up for photos as we departed the plane.

The 3 hour journey up to Puerto Natales was my first glimpse in to the wild world of Patagonia, its vast grassy landscape surrounded by the tail end of the Andes mountain range, such a remarkable sight for somebody who hasn't seen snow more than a few times over my 28 years of existence. Everybody on the bus was asleep by the time it had made the detour to collect me from the airport, however I could not keep my eyes off this amazing landscape on the long road to adventure. Puerto Natales is a small town located on the opening of the Ultima Ewperanza Sound that caters little else to tourism apart from those who come for fishing or trekking, the most famous being Torres Del Paine which I had come to explore.

At Singing Lamb Hostel the staff consisted of a group of mates in their mid 20's who have filtered down from America to work during the upcoming tourist season. The lads made for excellent hosts, going out of their way to make you feel right at home. A quick stop at Erratic Rock hostel for the daily information session, confirmed the advice I had been given from a couple who had recently completed the trek. I ducked over to Nina's hostel to rent a set of hiking poles to assist with the last section, apparently still laden with icy snow. Due to the cost of meals and accommodation in the park itself, I rented a stove and purchased 5 days worth of food from the towns supermarket, the tent and sleeping bag would have to be rented from a refugio(hostel) each night as my 34L day pack was already bursting at the seams.

I decided to delay the departure for another day as the tell tale sore throat sign of an oncoming cold has set in that morning, most likely the result of running around in a t-shirt in Santiago. It was also the national independence day and I was excited to try the festive speciality 'Terrimoto' which translates to Earthquake, a litre of special wine with a big scoop of pineapple icecream on top. Apparently it will leave the ground shaking underneath you and can be back up with an aftershock, which is the half litre version. Much to my disappointment the actual festive holiday was little more than a few stores and a tiny carnival in town, no Terrimoto in sight.

After the essential carb dose of fresh home made toast at the hostel I boarded the bus for Torres Del Paine to begin my 4 days of trekking, the original intention being for 5 days, however I was advised to skip the Grey Glacier as I has one far more impressive coming up in El Calafate. Sunrise cast a splash of gold across the peaks of the snow capped mountains as we approached the national park and Guamaco(looks similar to a Llama) basked in the morning warmth. We were required to register and pay a small fee at the park entrance and then sign in at the administration building further in to the park, where most of the half full buss occupants were starting off the first day with a 17km hike across predominantly grasslands.

The forecast for the next few days was looking decent and I set off with a couple of Chinese that I'd met at the hostel the previous night, quickly pushing on from their slow pace I teamed up with a Polski Pawel, for the second half of the day until he continued on to Camp Grey. Given my lack of tent I was forced to stay close to refugios that could lend me a tent for the night, limited to those who had opened days earlier and a month prior to the official season. Refugio Grand were gearing up for the season and offered me a discount room inside the dormitory for less than the price of camping, perfect opportunity to sleep off this cold.

Up early the next morning to enjoy a golden sunrise across the lake, it was great inspiration to gear up after a huge bowl of powdered milk and muesli. The trail curved around Lago(lake) Pehoe and Nordenskjold, through the very evident trail of destruction that has wiped out much of the  vegetation when a careless campers toilet paper burning got out of hand in 2011 and burned around 150sqm of the park. Signs are now erected offering serious jail time if people light fires outside the designated areas.

Arriving at the Italian Valley which is officially closed, I was able to make it about half way up to a panoramic viewpoint before the snow and ice became too thick to continue.  All the way up this valley you can hear the sound of small avalanches and rock falls, their echos amplified by the mountainous enclosure. A couple of Spanish girls appeared from the depths of the snow covered forest and joined me for lunch before they continued on the opposite direction for the circuit.

Filling up on the fresh glacier water that trickled its way down to the lake, I pissed my name in to the snow and threw a few snowballs before continuing on towards the nights accommodation. One thing I had not expected to come across in this park was a beach, certainly no comparison to the coast back home, though small waves lapped up to the stone shoreline, not far before Cuernos where I spent the second night. Charging $40USD for a set up tent with sleeping bag and mat is certainly not cheap by South American standards, especially when I had to insist they include a pillow from the barely occupied hostel. Luckily I had been clever enough to include a bottle of Amaretto which was a significant comfort to a very cold evening in a sleeping bag which wasn't even big enough to be fully zipped. A midnight bladder ease literally had my jaw dropped at an incredible performace in the night sky, which held more stars than I have ever seen, one of those moments where the money spent on Lazik eye surgery was worth every cent!

The winds really started picking up the next day as I rounded Cuernos Del Paine for my first trekking view of the Torres Del Paine peaks. Still no sign of the infamous Puma, I pushed on through forest hills and on to the rocky outcrops, to the final camp destination, Torres Central. These guys were meaner than the previous night as they refused to include a pillow with my tent kit, I would of had to fork out $70USD for a dorm bed to get one and that price didn't even include blankets.

In order to see the famous peaks at sunrise meant setting off at 4am as this was the closest point I could stay to the Base Los Torres lookout. Moving quickly with all my gear back in the tent, it was such a surreal feeling as I made haste over the snow and ice covered forest in the eerie dull glow from the almost full moon. The plan was to meet Pawel who had been able to camp much closer and set off a few hours after me. Given that I have zero experience navigating over ice (especially in the dark) I

was so glad to have taken the advice of other trekkers back in Puerto Natales a hire poles. By 7am the morning light began to creep over the mountainous landscape and I only had one last very steep 45 minute climb to make it to the base, unnecessarily powered through due to my fear of missing the climax sunrise.

Pawel didn't make it up until 8:15 at which point I was at the mercy of icy winds that had been forcast at 80km/hr. Nothing could dampen our mood that morning as the sun rose, illuminating the big pillars of rock that stood at the edge of the frozen lake that stod before us. We raced around snapping photos and being absolutely blown away at how lucky we both were to be the only two people here to enjoy nature at its finest.