Horse Back Riding in Patagonia

Wow...

Seriously, wow...

I´m in the Patagonian outpost named El Calafate right now and I just can´t explain how incredible this place is but I will do my best.

I may have mentioned this already but I woke up this morning at 7am and headed to the reception desk where Justina, the very sweet and somewhat attractive desk lady began yelling at me having never even met me before.¨"You are in room Maracaibo yes? Your bus leaves in 10 minutes for the glaciers! You must get dressed immediately!" Not knowing that I had made reservations, I ran back to my room and began packing as if there were a nuclear explosion. I had no idea what was going on seeing as I had made no arrangements whatsoever yet but thought that perhaps I was at a hostel that planned everything for you. I sprinted around my room and made it back to the reception area having not showered or brushed my teeth which I´m sure made everyone with clear nasal passages really happy. After sitting there for 20 minutes, Justina came over to me and informed me that she had made a mistake, that it was the room next to me who was supposed to be at the bus and that I should just relax and enjoy myself. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I like to take my time in the morning. I like to have my coffee, I like to read and I like to spend an inordinate amount of time on the throne. Not having been afforded any of those opportunties put me in a grumpy mood but I managed to organize the day regardless.

Justina set me up with a causal 2-hour horseback ride that would take me to the top of some hills that overlook Lago Argentino and some of the surrounding mountains. After napping for a few hours in the living room I was picked up by my cab at 11:15 for the 10 minute drive to the stable.

The stable itself is a bit rundown but it exudes gauchoness. There are horses, dogs and cats everywhere and everyone that works there has the air of someone whose body was forged not from a womb but from stainless steel. The men were hard but kind. After exchanging pleasantries with our gaucho, the very funny and charming Fernando, me and 4 others set off on our trip. Joining me were Mario and Hillary, a newly wedded couple from West Hartford (who we´ll get to a bit later) and an Itallian mother daughter combination.

I hadn´t ridden a horse in years but much like a bicycle, it didn´t take me long to get well aquainted with my steed, I think it´s name was Paquao. We started off heading towards one of the shrubby hills that blanket this landscape and were met with head swivelling views of epic mountains and crystal blue lakes. The omniprescent and sometimes violent wind kept my hands alternating for spots under the saddle while my idle hand held the reigns. Upon reaching one of the many vistas that overlook the town and the mountains we stopped for pictures. It was a remarkable spot that was somewhat compromised by Fernando´s horse rather potent and audible flatulence. We continued onward for another 45 minutes until we reached our intended destination: a bluff that sits about 200 feet about Lago Argentino, resulting in a steep drop into the lake. Many, many pictures were taken and we made our return back. The landscape here is almost martian and no plant grows higher than a few feet. My guess is that the constant wind coupled with apparent nutrient deficient soil makes for poor agricultural conditions. The only economy this place has going for it is tourism which is both a blessing and a curse.

Up until a few years ago, El Calafate was a dusty outpost where Argentines could come to covalesce on the banks of Largo Argentino and perhaps visit the nearby glacier, Perito Moreno. That all changed in 2000 when the municipal government completed the new airport that was meant to service daily flights from Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Ushuaia. With this increase in available capacity comes a need to improve the current conditions of lodging and hotels. The result is a major construction boon that, while bringing plenty of dollars to the region, could ultimately have an irreperable effect on the natural surroundings. One of the joys of coming to Patagonia is experiencing the untamed landscape and harsh conditions that make up the climate in this part of the world. That may all disappear if the government doesn´t take steps to stem construction and cap the number of visitors that come into this town. I don´t have much hope but it´s not too late to make a change.

Mario and I had been chatting for the duration of the ride. He´s from Puerto Rico and his new wife hails from Ireland and having just been married 10 days ago, they were spending their honeymoon here in Argentina. We began talking about the respective places we have been and as the ride wound down Mario was kind enough to invite me for lunch and we took almuerzo in a regional restaurant in town. After a portion of blood sausage, I took my main course of a delicious local trout while Mario and Hillary split a portion of lamb. The serving style here is certainly unique as they don´t spend much time on presentation and instead, focus on the quality of the mean which is sublime. We downed a bottle of local Malbec and parted ways but not before exchanging email addresses and the like. A wonderful couple and one of the many people I hope to keep in touch with when I return home.

I was planning on renting a car and exploring the surrounding landscape but lunch lasted longer than expected so I made my way to the Internet cafe where I type right now.

Observations:

1) The Internet connection at every place down here is extremely slow. So slow that I think their version of email involves an Andean Condor transporting your message from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, only to then have the message put into the computer and sent to its intended destination. It´s somewhat frustrating but I didn´t come down here to play video games and write Javascript so I´ll deal, even if it costs me $2.50 pesos every 15 minutes.

2) This town is obviously a toursit orriented kind of place but still retains some regional charm. I like it and there is a prevailing odor of baby powder that emenates throughout the entire resort. It´s kind of weird but it´s better than having the whole place smell like burnt rubber (ehem...Buenos Aires. are you listening?)

3)Driving from the airport last night was kind of an interesting experience. It´s 14 miles away from tomn and we didn´t see a light until I pulled into the hostel parking lot. If you need any confirmation that you are at the end of the earth, just fly into the airport and drive around for a while. You´ll see nothing more than asphalt, dirt and shrubs. That´s it.

4) Uncle Lammie: I didn´t have time to get your bag, I´m sorry but I´ll make it up to you by having a great time while thinking about you. That´s fair, no?

If you think I took a lot of pictures today the I suggest you hold onto your 1GB memory sticks because tomorrow is glacier time and the Canon SD1000 will be put to the test.

I´m heading back to the hostel and plan on chilling out for the rest of the day. I may do a night post after dinner but I have to be up so damn early tomorrow that I may just wait ´till tomorrow afternoon to get everything out.

One World!
Das Uber Coog