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Patagonia, Argentina



Upon leaving BA, we re-entered the magical world of the sleeper bus and travelled to Puerto Madryn (20 hours south). Here the Atlantic sea meet the Pacific Ocean and a David Attenborough style wonderland exists as a result.

We crawled on our bellies right up to sun-baking elephant seals (the guide told us if they made a move for us to just run as fast as we could), walked amongst a penguin colony and rode our bikes 28kms out to see a nearby sea lion colony (which almost killed our American friends, whom we had convinced to come with us).

I hadn't expected to find a place like this in my travels and I must say, it was magical. I was in heaven.


Males being Males. Sea Lion Colony just outside of Puerto Madryn




Lazing around on the beach with these guys...
Our American buddies in Puerto Madryn
Guarding the newborns


Next stop: "fin del mundo" or "end of the world". We reached Ushuaia after two border crossings, a ferry ride and another long boring bus ride. At our hostel we met lots of Argentinians escaping the heat in BA and had a fantastic time in Ushuaia with them hiking and practicing Spanish.




The ferry to Ushuaia
The end of the world!!
Tierra Del Fuego NP, Ushuaia

We seriously considered buying a ticket for a cruise to Antarctica (it's only 1000 kms from Ushuaia) but at US$4800 per person, Scrooge McDuck reared his ugly head again. We spent Australia day here, drinking Argentine beer in the southern most Irish Pub in the world - teaching the locals the Australian way.



No Antarctica this time!
Our buddies from Ushuaia


Back on the bus, a few more border crossings (Brad's passport is fast approaching maximum capacity, a second passport really comes in handy...) another long bus ride and we were visiting Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate.

We spent 5 hours sitting and watching it, while bits of ice cracked off making impressively loud noises as they crashed into the lake below. It's unlike anything we've ever seen before and very bizarre for a place that doesn't seem cold enough for a giant glacier!!! It was surprisingly hypnotic, even for someone with Hancock impatience....(Brad told me to write that Trevor, I swear!)



Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares NP
250 square kms and 30 kms in length!



Here we snatched up Khanh, our new Aussie friend, who was to become our much loved hiking and drinking buddy for the next 3 days in El Chalten. Here, you can walk down the main street and continue straight on to amazing day hikes in and around Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in Parque National Los Glaciares. We walked 52 kms in two days with Khanh and enjoyed many a hot meal, wine, beer and hot chocolate with him. In fact, when he left, so did our motivation to go hiking. Come back, Khanh!



Khanh and Brad at Cerro Fitz Roy (El Chalten

We made it to the top! Glacier lake under Cerro Fitz Roy
So many different shades of blue.
El Chalten
El Chalten
Bird's Eye View of El Chalten
Vulture gliding across El Chalten


After El Chalten, we finished up our time in Argentina at Bariloche. A few more hikes, a few more artisan beers and a few more days with that beloved Andean wind blowing through our hair and we were ready to head back into the heat of Brazil.



View from our hostel in Bariloche


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