Just briefly, to update you on recent events, Ryan came and visited me for the past two weeks. While he was here we traveled together down to Patagonia, in Southern Argentina, to a town called El Calafate. From there, we were able to see the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the most famous glaciers in the world because it is in equilibrium, meaning that the glacier is being made at the same rate that it is melting. Check out the picture- it is a stunning view.
We took a boat ride on the Lago Argentina, the largest lake in Argentina, to see the Eastern face of the glacier, then we walked the balconies to get a view from above the glacier. It is a relatively small glacier, and still the size is incomprehensible! The second day in Patagonia Ryan and I went to El Chalten, about a three hour bus ride north of El Chalten. We spent the day hiking the Sendero Fitz Roy, where we got a gorgeous view of the famous Fitz Roy mountains. (see pic below)
The third day we spent in town, buying chocolates and drinking maté (an argetine custom, it's basically tea made with yerba mate, served in a round cup called a maté.) In the afternoon we went horseback riding with legitimate gauchos, which caused us to almost miss our flight back to Bs As! Thankfully, since nothing in Argentina is on time, we made it!
The second trip I took was to Tilcara, a little town outside of Jujuy in the NW of Argentina. I went with my study abroad program. First of all, can I just say, my program is AWESOME. Although they aren't the most punctual or able to stick to a schedule, they take care of us students very well. Anyways, we stayed in these cabanas at a Hosteria outside of the town. I lived with Maureen and Melanie, and Rob and Tim were right across the way. We did not stop laughing all trip long- that's probably a sign that we had a good time. We saw a typical puntacara, which is a reconstructed fortified town used for keeping out the Spaniards and other invaders. The view from the top was amazing. The climate in the north is so different than that around Buenos Aires. Tilcara is a lot more dry/arid, and there are big mountains made of different shades of earth. Here is a view from the top of the mountain:
We also went to see Las Salinas, or the salt flats. I had no idea what to expect, but what I saw was way cooler than I expected. There is a literal layer of white-ish salt covering the ground. I mean, it literally looks like a salt desert! However, as we learned, the salt that is used commercially has to be dug out from a couple layers below the surface because it is more fine. Although the salt flats are at a pretty high altitude, when you are standing on the surface it is a lot warmer than one would expect because the salt acts as a mirror, reflecting the sun's rays upwards.
We did a lot of trekking and hiking on mountains in surrounding areas. It was a great trip, and a worthwhile place to visit if you are coming to Argentina.
Ok, that is all for now folks!
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