A Journey to Argentina and Chile – Through the Looking Glass

Buenos Aires

Black slaves, Italian immigrants, prostitutes, drunks, sailors and circus performers. Shady characters and street performers. The colorful cream of the crop La Boca . Colorful like the walls of the neighborhood's houses, which were covered with remnants of paint from painting ships, regardless of the emerging patchwork. Here, Diego Maradona's heart beat faster when he scored goals for CA Boca Juniors.

They go every few days to Plaza del Mayo and then Plaza del Congreso with white and blue flags, holding banners. Sometimes it's a whole crowd, sometimes just a few people. Time in Buenos is counted down by protests, the first, the sixth, the twelfth... and croissants with dulce de leche for breakfast every day. In a country still teetering on a slippery slope, which has already gone bankrupt 9 times in its history, and 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, mornings are the sweetest in the world and smell of milk - of fudge.

Buenos Aires – La Boca

Evita dreamed of adoration. Not of a lover, but of the masses. She came to town in one dress. She lived from chance to trauma, from trauma to chance, until she met Juan Peron, became First Lady, and her dreams of love came true. Argentina she loved her with a mutual, passionate and dramatic feeling. She died at the age of 33. 3 million people said goodbye to her. There are always fresh flowers on her grave in the Cementario de la Recoleta.

Fatigue, jet lag, overconfidence in people being good, crowds, bird poop. Someone wipes us down, someone else hands us a tissue, someone else takes our backpack. And disappears.

Tupungato

It was a red house with green shutters and a porch. It was spring, the trees were blooming and bees were flying. Behind the house stretched the peaks of the Andes, still covered in snow.

 - Make yourselves comfortable. You are not the first, you will not be the last. In the morning, the sticks must be collected from the field.

Yes, we weren't the only ones who ended up here, on a Finca in Orlando, under the Tupungato volcano, stripped in divine Buenos of everything that was important – smiles from people we met along the way and fleeting moments captured in photo frames, and useful things like passports or socks. Let them wear well. Our predecessor, a Canadian, was supposedly left in his underwear. Well, there was no need to wander around the city alone at night. He asked for it. After all, we're in Argentina, not on a beach in Koh Yao Yai. And we were fools, trusting too much.

Patagonia – the Andes in the background

Time passes quickly in the province. Although, she herself looks as if time has stopped. Cars drive here that are so rusty that it is a wonder they still run. Gauchos race around on horses. A neighbor is organizing something like a rodeo. The asado smells delicious. Even a circus has arrived. And we are quickly becoming masters at frying empanadas. And at collecting sticks, too.

- Won't you come to our school? The kids would practice their English.

It quickly turned out that the kids spoke three words in English, their English teacher not much more. We were just getting started with Spanish too. Learning how to make Polish pierogi didn't go any better. Some nightmares were created, we drowned in flour, peeled a ton of potatoes (Russian ones were on the menu), had a laugh... but in the end the cooks still had to cook quick spaghetti to fill the kids' bellies.

The trees have faded. We have collected all the sticks from the field. The children have ended the school year with a ceremonial parade. Floats have been dragged through the streets of the town, and on them there are displays of children's imagination and heroes of fairy tales and films as big as houses, the result of a year's work of little hands. Our new tent has arrived in the mail. It's time for us too.

Argentina & Chile - Southern Landscapes

Buenos Aires, El Chalten, El Calafate, Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas, Santiago - Holidays in Argentina and Chile are an unforgettable adventure at the end of the world!

Tierra del Fuego does not burn

If all people suddenly went on vacation to Mars, the world would look like Argentinian Patagonia. You drive for hours and the horizon doesn't end, and everywhere the same emptiness, as if we were standing still, but we are driving. The only signs of a change of place are the herds of llamas we pass, sometimes a hill, from which the size of the space is even more overwhelming. In the evening, the wind that does not meet any barrier does not allow us to pitch the tent. We spend that night in the toilet at the only gas station in the area. It's good that there is one.

In the morning we hitchhike a truck straight to our destination. Manuel rides in the truck with Teresa. So as not to go crazy alone in these wastelands. Teresa treats us to yerba. She comes from Paraguay and we drink tea like we do, Paraguayan style, with lemon… and sugar. Mate goes from hand to hand. We practice our crippled Spanish. Where are you coming from, where are you going, how old are you, how many sisters and brothers do you have?

– I have 14 siblings. But that's nothing. My mother had 23 brothers and sisters.

Topics run out quickly. We make up for it with a smile. Mate keeps circling. The landscape changes. Tierra del Fuego doesn't burn, though it fires up the imagination.

Ushuaia

Ushuaia. How do you imagine a city at the end of the world? No, polar bears don't walk the streets here. Although in the morning we shook the frost off the tropics. All in all, people here live normally, go to school, work, die, they don't live in igloos and don't feed on seal fat. Only the ships in port and the snow-covered peaks remind us that this is the gateway to the coldest continent. And sometimes a guy will pass by on the street, on whom it is obvious that he has poured water from more than one bilge and eaten his teeth on the oceans.

Andreas invites us for fries and salad on his boat. There's also beer. We don't refuse. He can't offer us a lift to Antarctica, dinner will have to suffice.

In the port, ropes are being straightened, sails are being mended, and sailors' languages ​​are mixing. One of the boats has a hole in its hull from a close encounter with a humpback whale. Too close. Adventure is here, rather than anywhere else. It's where the waves come from. Not for us this time.

Buenos Aires & Patagonia

Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia, El Calafate, Iguazu - First the passion and energy of Buenos Aires, then the natural commotion of Puerto Madryn - colonies of sea lions and penguins.

Patagonian giants

When Ferdinand Magellan arrived at the southern tip of America in 1520, he met giants dancing on the shore. He was so amazed by them that he wanted to take two of them to Europe. Unfortunately, the giants did not survive the expedition. In order to leave a trace of his discovery, Magellan named the discovered land Patagonia, or the Land of Big Feet. There is much to suggest that both he and later explorers came across the Tehuelche Indians, who, like other inhabitants of colder areas, were distinguished by their solid posture. However, real giants in Patagonia do not need to be discovered in any special way. They are at every step. The mountain peaks of the Chilean Torres del Paine National Park, the majestic Fitz Roy, Cerro Castillo, mighty glaciers and endless spaces. These are places where nature inspires deep respect and fear. And it is overwhelmingly beautiful. Perhaps that is why, apart from the issue of personal struggles, people climb to the tops. To discover what is primal in us, this ancient bond with nature. It cannot be felt anywhere where man has left his mark. It cannot be understood.

Perito Moreno Glacier

It broke off as big as a house, falling into the water with a crash. A piece of ice. And it became a floating island. The sea of ​​ice is pinkish, sometimes turning purple, in full sunlight it blinds with white interspersed with blue tears. Standing in front of the glacier Perito Moreno Glacier, you can hear his stomach growling, how it crackles and talks. You can almost feel him living, moving and growing. Did you know that Perito Moreno grows about 3 meters every day? He is an exception among his brothers.

We camped over Lago Roca. To keep an eye on him. Just us and him. He stayed on the horizon, wetting his long tongue in the lake. He'll be there in the morning, and next year... and let's do everything we can to make him stay there until the end of the world.

Villa O'Higgins - where the road ends

Strong winds blowing over the Andes and the Argentine pampa create unusual clouds called lenticulars. They look like UFOs preparing to land. They often choose the peak of Fitz Roy as their base. It is because of these clouds that the town was named El Chalten, which means smoking mountain in the language of the Tehuelche hunters.

The small mountain village has become a mecca for trekking maniacs. The roads lead to many interesting trails. One of them leads towards Chile, and precisely to Villa O'Higgins, the southernmost village on the famous Carretera Austral route. 60 km of road through the heart of Patagonia, crystal clear lakes, mountain and forest paths with views of snow-capped peaks. The route is covered on foot and by ferry. You can also partially by bike, although you have to be prepared to carry a two-wheeled steed under your arm in some sections. You also have to carry a tent, water and food, because there are no supermarkets or McDonald's on the way, in fact apart from the wonderful nature there is nothing. And everything would be beautiful, if not for the fact that the ferries do not run every day, and when the wind is too strong, which often happens, they do not run at all. And so from 2-3 days of the route, it can turn into 6 days (as it was in our case) or more. Candelario Mancila, where the ferries depart from, is a settlement on Lago O'Higgins. One family lives here, border guards are stationed and travelers camp there waiting for a boat. If the wait is too long, you can buy or work off a meal from the hosts. But if the wait is longer, there is not enough food for everyone. If you are planning to take this route to Chile, remember to have enough supplies! Alternatively, you can drive from El Chalten to Villa O'Higgins, but the road makes a loop... about 1000 km. and you lose the chance for adventure.

Lake O'Higgins

Villa O'Higgins - this is the end or the beginning. The Carretera Austral is 1240 km long. It stretches through an area inhabited by only about 100 people (half of whom are residents of the city of Coyhaique), Andean pumas and trout. You can't count on luxury here, but raw, primeval nature is available for free, and as a bonus you get one of the most stunning and inspiring experiences of life sweetened with Polish chocolates... yes, yes, you can get them in village shops at the end of the world.

Cerro Castillo

It rains on this side of the Andes. Sometimes very often. The effect is a mirror world, which, in contrast to the emptiness of Argentinian Patagonia, bursts with life. Nature is striking in its freshness, greenery, and wildness. If it weren't for the awareness of where we are and the omnipresent Spanish language, we might think we're riding through the wilderness of Alaska. The wooden houses we pass could easily be used as a place for gold prospectors to stay, and Jack London could write more than one novel. Through the wet windows we watch two cyclists. They're colleagues from Candelario Mancilla. Real tough guys. It takes about 3-4 weeks to ride the Carratera Austral, and several months to reach the other end of South America. The guys chose the latter option.

Chile – Cerro Castillo

We come across a campsite right in front of Villa Cerro Castillo. We look around for the owner. The area seems deserted. We enter one of the huts. This will be our hotel for today. We find a small package of lentils. It will be perfect for dinner. Almost like in an all-inclusive facility. We light a stove in an old cast iron "goat". We boil some tea. We pitch a tent in the middle of the room. The weather is not cosy and it can be quite cold at night. We hear a horse neighing. Someone is standing outside. We ask about the owner. Maybe he will come tomorrow.

- Can we stay?

- Of course. You'll find wood in the shed.

We stay for three days. It doesn't stop raining...

Using a weather window, we climb Cerro Castillo. The views are a reward for the effort of the hike and the bad weather. At the top, it wants to blow us straight into the unearthly space that stretches around us.

It soon turns out that all our troubles, soaked shoes and clothes are a piece of cake. Due to the constant rains in the village on our route, a hillside collapses. Fortunately, no one dies, but several houses are completely destroyed. Unfortunately, the road is also destroyed. The only one. It quickly turns out that the sea route cannot become a rescue option due to the strong wind. The only solution, i.e. returning by the same route through Argentina, is out of the question for us. Fortunately, we meet a good man who shows us an alternative. There is a boat. It seems to take only locals. We get on. As if nothing. Sometimes it is better to pretend that you do not understand anything.

Argentina & Brazil Exclusive

Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, El Calafate, Iguazu, Rio de Janerio - "Paris of the South", or Buenos Aires - the city of passion, wine and tango. Then Patagonia, the legendary land of lakes, with the most remote corner of the world at the forefront.

Merry Christmas

Knock, knock... with a wooden axe El Trauco marks his presence. If you are a man, do not turn around and run away. An angry El Trauco can maim you out of jealousy. If you are a woman, do not be tempted by his seductive power. He will throw himself into a sweet sleep and take advantage of you. That is what the locals say. If after 9 months a child is born and the woman does not know where it came from, then it is definitely El Trauco's doing. Although the island of Chiloe is full of legends of strange, deformed creatures and sorcerers, of sirens and ghost ships, its inhabitants stand firmly on the ground. They are great builders and sailors. They were the ones who settled Chilean Patagonia and it is to them that we owe the wooden architecture of the region with roof tiles on the walls instead of the roof... such a Patagonian construction variation.

Chiloe Island in Chile

Does Christmas Eve have to be a vegetable salad and a Christmas tree decorated with a star on top? What if you could get on a horse and gallop through flowery meadows? Will such a Christmas Eve be worse? We checked. It was perfect.

Does New Year's Eve have to be filled with the sound of gunfire and the champagne flowing freely? Can Las Vegas sleep on the loudest night of the year? Maybe! If it's Las Vegas near the Patagonian Puerto Montt. At 12 midnight - quiet, deafening, dark. We enter the only shop open that night. Although it specializes in alcoholic beverages, today it's empty. We ask why is that? We hear that supposedly the residents drank too much and the authorities have banned loud parties. We don't investigate how much truth there is to it. We go back to the campsite. We light a fire. We roast a large salmon on a stone. The sky twinkling with stars is better than all the fireworks in the world. Instead of firecrackers, pine cones are popping merrily in the fire. Feliz Año Nuevo!

Chile & Easter Island

Santiago, Valparaiso, Atacama, Easter Island - This tiny piece of land stretching for thousands of kilometers combines in an almost magical way the enchanted forests and waters lying at the foot of massive volcanoes, soaring mountain peaks and lakes full of salt crystals, and the barren, driest desert in the world, over which the brightest stars in the world shine