The Road to El Chalten

Nov 112008

Two Cabins with a View

It is 8 in the morning at the bus station in El Calafate. Outside, it is pitch dark and we are rubbing the sleep from our eyes.

This bus station is like any other bus station in the world. Glass-covered counter windows, orange and yellow flyers with rates to glamorous destinations, sleeping bums and dirty toilets.

There are seven of us. A German, two Irishmen, and four Americans, including Kelly and myself. There are others, but we’re not sure who they are yet. Later, there will be a Frenchman, a Spaniard and a couple of Danes, and a few others whose nationalities, much less their names, we won’t remember. There are some Argentines who aren’t traveling to the destinations on the flyers for glamour. They are the quiet ones. Just a few hours ago, none of these people existed.

El Chalten in Photographs

ARGENTINA

Nov 102008

Selections of Flickr photographs of El Chalten, the small mountain town in Southern Patagonia that gives access to the world famous Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre mountains in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.

Click on any photograph to comment or see a larger version on Flickr.

All photographs by Tanveer Badal.

Patagonian Fields at El Chalten

Due to the increasing popularity of Patagonia, El Chalten went from nonexistant to one of the most popular hiking towns in the country. Our visit occurred during the offseason, where half the town was already getting ready for the high season by building new homes and roads.
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A Gluttony of Views: The Fitz Roy Hike

ARGENTINA

Nov 092008

Orientation: Not Borientation.

A few kilometers short of El Chalten, the bus stopped at the Visitors Center of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares where we met, perhaps, the nicest ranger in the world. Slim, toned, approaching late-middle-age but at the same time refusing to give into time in a way only park rangers and spirited mountain men can do, Octavio entered our bus and asked our permission to step out so he could tell us a bit more about the park and what we’ll find there. The locals remained inside while we tourists gladly obliged.
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Fitz Roy in Photographs

ARGENTINA

Nov 082008

Selections of Flickr photographs from the Lago de los Tres trail and the majestic Fitz Roy mountain, located in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Patagonia, Argentina.

Click on any photograph to comment or see a larger version on Flickr. All photographs by Tanveer Badal.

Fitz Roy, Patagonia

Desolation Chalten: The Cerro Torre Hike

ARGENTINA

Nov 072008

The Curious Frenchman

And in the morning, I felt fine. I had expected the Fitz Roy hike to leave me sore. But after the steak frites the night before, I slept hard and woke up ready for another adventure. I grabbed the last breakfast bars I had been surviving on (other than steak, of course), and sipped on a cup of coffee in the hostel’s dining area. The room was lit with sun and most of the wooden picnic-like tables were empty. Only a Frenchman who we’ve been crossing paths with here and there was scarfing down a plate of eggs and toast while flipping through Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia.

In a country where maté was king, the coffee had generally not been great. I had failed to develop a taste for the local morning beverage of choice, so I dealt with my American drug addiction. But the coffee at Rancho Grande was surprisingly good. Justin, who had been traveling a lot longer than me, later confirmed that it was the best coffee he had in Argentina. I was waiting for Kelly and the other two Americans, Alex and Allison, so we could embark on the Cerro Terre trail. But at the moment, I felt content to be enjoying the morning quiet with my hot beverage.

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