El Calafate - Argentina

After out hiking trip in Torres del Paine (see blog) we headed to El Calafate which is a little town in southern Argentina on the shore of Lago Argentino and serves as a tourist center for 'Parque Nacional los Glaciares'. We rented a car to visit the park, more specifically the Glacier Perito Moreno, one of the few advancing glaciers in the world thanks to 'global warming'. We walked down the touristy path to a point that said no trespassing but of course climbed the fence and continued down to the shore. The glacier is over 3 miles (5 km) wide and over 200 feet (60 m) high. The amazing part is how alive it seems to be (and is). It's constantly moving with huge pieces exploding and calving off into the river as the sun warms the advancing edge. It sounds like gun shots as huge block crash inside the ice canyons. When the sun hits, it begins to glow this amazing aqua blue. At one point we were standing on the shore and looked up to see this huge chunk the size of large building break off right in front of us. We were in such awe that we couldn't move at first but soon realized that the water was receding from the edge gearing up for a mini-tsunami so we all headed toward higher ground. Fortunately, my buddy Andrew was filming a documentary at the time and got most of it on film.

Soon after this trip we went mountain biking in Bariloche and I ended up breaking my collarbone (see Bad Travel Experiences blog) and had to fly home to heal before heading off to Europe for the Running of the Bull in Pamplona (see blog).

Torres del Paine - Chile

At this point I was traveling with four Canadian guys that I met in Ushuaia, Argentina (see blog) and we decided the next stop was Torres del Paine, Chile. Nothing prepares you for the spectacular beauty of Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. It's known for its challenging treks and 15 peaks over 2000 meters (6,500 ft). The park has four main glaciers that feed vividly colored turquoise lakes filled with wind sculpted icebergs and set in granite canyons. At the center of the park there's a set of pink granite towers. We packed tents, food, and cooking stuff, etc over 110km (70 miles) for 5 days through all kinds of weather including a few snow storms.

This was one of many places on the trip where I found myself standing somewhere so big that it surrounded me and I try to gather it all in through pics to show friends and family. Every direction you see views of dramatic peaks, ice fields, and lakes that change with every step.

The last night of the trip we camped in a refugio at the bottom of Glacier Grey, the largest glacier in the park, and hung out in the lodge with other campers. We got to know this young couple (Leo and Esther) from the Netherlands who had met a few years ago while traveling. This was their last trip before going home to get married. We went to bed around 2am. Around 4am we woke up to a loud crack followed by a girl screaming. A huge branch, that could've been a tree by itself, had fallen on top of the Leo and Esther's tent right next to ours. We lifted the branch and my buddy Andrew crawled inside to help. Somehow the branch had missed Esther but hit Leo in the head, knocking him unconscious. So Andrew gave him mouth to mouth, we pulled him carefully from the tent, transported him on a door to the nearby lodge, and called for assistance. The last we heard he was in a deep coma but stable. The reason for this story is not sensationalism but because it was near the end of my trip in South America and I walked away with a sense of closure. Nature is truly amazing and bigger than all of us. We're not in control of whether we live or die. I try to live each day like it's my last and if I wake up tomorrow morning it's a gift.

After TDP we headed off to El Calafate to see one of the only few advancing glaciers in the world (see blog).

Ushuaia - Argentina

On March 24th I finally made it to Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world. It's 18,000 km from Alaska and only 1,000 km from Antarctica and the only place where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. The town itself is surrounded by surreal scenery with snow capped mountains descending into the Beagle Channel. Originally I came here hoping to catch a last minute boat to Antarctica but missed it by 4 days. No worries, I made the most of it can caught a boat into the channel to check out sea lion and penguin colonies, went trekking up to the glaciers and found an ice cave, and then hiked in the world famous "Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego".

I met four Canadian guys at the hostel who were going the same way and getting ready to do a five day camping trek in Torres del Paine, Chile so I decided to tag along (see blog),

Iguazu Falls

After Rio (see blog) I took a bus to Iguazu Falls which are the most magnificent and overwhelming in all of South America. They are four times wider than Niagara and fall into both Brazil and Argentina from an altitude of 70 meters (230 ft), forming some 275 waterfalls with a length of 2.7 km (1.68miles). They're easily accessible and no trek is required.

After Iguazu I headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina and then Ushuaia (see blog) so that I can hopefully catch a boat to Antarctica.

Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

I took a train from Bolivia (see blog) into Brazil and spent some time in Sao Paulo before heading to Rio de Janeiro to spend the next two weeks to see Carnivale, Rolling Stones and do some hang gliding over the city.

The good stuff: Rio is gorgeous! The buildings and streets are molded around tumbling cliffs and wooded mountains that serve as an incredible backdrop to the numerous white sandy beaches of Guanabara Bay. The people (over 10 million) are amazing and have a great sense of national pride. We were there for the Carnival festivities and the Rolling Stones concert on Copacabana beach which was one of the biggest concerts in history with over 2 million people (see pics). I spent two weeks here going to football games at the world famous Maracana Stadium, boat excursions through Guanabara Bay to secluded islands, hang gliding over the city, block parties in the streets until dawn, a cable car up to Sugar Loaf for the panoramic views, and a visit to Corcovado – Christ the Redeemer. Ipanema and Copacabana beaches are very touristy but still amazing. The hang gliding over Rio lasted 25 minutes or so and I highly recommend it.

The NOT so good stuff: I wish I would've had more time to visit the rest of Brazil but I spent most of my time in big cities that are expensive relative to the rest of the country. Crime is an issue in Rio, especially at night in touristy areas like beaches and large gatherings (true for any big city). During the Rolling Stones concert there were many stories of pick pockets (including myself) and people robbed at knife point. Don't let this discourage you – just use common sense when going out at night.

After Rio I headed to Iguazu to see the widest waterfall in the world (see blog).

Bolivia

After the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru (see blog) we headed through Lake Titicaca to Bolivia.

The good stuff: This is an amazing country with the most geo-diversity of all my travels so far. The prices are the cheapest and it is easy to get by on $15 to $20 a day including transportation and excursions.

The NOT so good stuff: Some of the roads are very dangerous and most are unpaved. On our journey from La Paz to Rurrenabaque the bus in front of us went over the side of the road and 20 people died (see List of Bad Travels blog for more). Of course this road is considered the “World’s Most Dangerous Road” (see pics below) and there were heavy rains the night before. We decided to fly back to La Paz.

Where to go: We started at Lake Titicaca where we stayed in Copacabana and then went to La Paz where we caught the a bus to Rurrenabaque and took a 3 day jungle tour through Pampas. This is an incredible trip –with pink dolphins, monkeys, alligators, piranhas, turtles, colorful birds, and amazing sunsets. Then we went to Salar de Uyuni which is the world’s largest and highest slat flat. We did a 4 day trip that included Laguna Colorado filled with flamingos and flaming red algae colored water with shores crusted with arctic white gypsum salt. Then we saw Laguna Verde which is a bright turquoise green due to the arsenic and other minerals. Then we cruised across huge expanses of desert with amazing views. From here we made our way to the “mines” of Potosi where we did a tour of the mines and blew some stuff up with dynamite from the local roadside stand (seriously). Then we made our way to Santa Cruz where we were too tired to do much anything and just caught a train to Brazil (see Rio blog).

Machu Picchu & Choquequirao - Peru

After Colombia we headed through Ecuador where spent a week checking out volcanoes and beaches. After that we headed to Peru spending a night in Lima before going on the holy grail of Machu Picchu (MP). MP & Choquequirao are the two most famous Inca ruins in South America, both of which are in southern Peru. Like many of the other treks in South America trying to capture it in words and pics is completely futile. There are only 500 trekkers a day allowed on the Inca Trail – this includes porters and guides. It’s 4 days of high altitude packing through the Sacred Valley. We had an awesome group of 14 people not including the guides and porters who did everything from cook meals to set up our tents. As usual I won’t get into all the particulars of the history, etc – plenty of stuff online. For me MP was a little overrated and extremely touristy but it’s one of those things you have to do while in South America.

The day after the Inca Trail a group of us proceeded to Choquequirao which is larger than MP but only 30% has been uncovered. This was the last refuge of the Incas fleeing from the Spaniards, secluded in a strategic geographical area between Andean mountains and the edge of the jungle makes it difficult to access and much more arduous than the Inca Trail. Although only limited excavation has yet been undertaken, ample evidence exists that Choquequirao was continuously inhabited and that construction continued after the arrival of the Spanish to Peru in 1532. Choquequirao appears to have been abandoned undiscovered by Spanish authorities. By 2008 they’re expecting to have it fully uncovered and working trails from MP.

After this we headed to Bolivia (see blog) to see some of the most amazing sights in South America.