2 a 10 Marzo, de El Calafate a Ushuaia, Argentina

Hi again.
I´m back from my week trip around Patagonia. I have seen so many nice places and such beautiful things that I really have no words to describe all these.
I will try to resume my experiences since the last blog. I´m afraid I cant upload any pictures, I will try tomorrow from Puerto Montt, Chile.
I started my tour with a welcome dinner in El Calafate with some of the members of the same trip. We were only three, myself and a really nice brazilian couple, Aleixandre & Daniela. They are from Salavador Bahia, so probably I will meet them there in April. The day after I met the rest of the people. Sascha, a londoner that used to live in Barcelona so spoke spanish perfectly and she was my best friend for the next 10 days. And I also met Glen & Karen, a mature american couple. I dont know how to describe them and dont sound rude, but well, they were the typical conservative-Bush-american couple... quite annoying. The tour already began 4 days before me, starting in El Chalten (I did it myself) and by the time I started the tour in el Calafate Sascha already couldnt stand the americans. The guide Nico, was very nice and the rest of guides that we met on our trips were really nice too, so I´m very happy of having done this package tour.
3rd March they took us by bus to Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile, so we had to cross the border again. In there we spent 3 days doing only trekking and sleeping on tents on a camping site. First day we tried to do the Torres route, but we were not very lucky with the weather, was raining a lot and was very foggy and cloudy, so at half our way we decided to return as it was not worth finishing without being able to see the Torres. That was a shame as was the best way to see the Torres del Paine, but well, we had to forget about it.
On the following day we did an 8 hour hike to see the Grey Glacier. Was fantastic. From that day, the clouds dissapeareed and we had the most wonderful weather ever. Sunny and no clouds but it became really cold. Grey glacier was amazing, and the whole route too. The day after we did the French glacier route, again a 6 hour trekking trip. I never ever have walked so much, but I quite enjoyed it. The shame was doing it in group as we had to wait for the rest all the time.
There are no words to describe this National Park beauty. The mountains are so nice, and the lakes are a perfect blue, turquoise, that seems completley unreal or that have been worked out by Photoshop!!! Sascha told me that english has not so many words to describe nice or amazing things so she started to number the "amazing" views, being the top a "Fucking amazing" view. And really, everything was Fucking amazing!!!!
Sleeping on tents was fun until we woke one day at -8 C. You have no idea the pain to put your clothes on on that temperature! So cold! Since then I have a small cold that I'm trying to avoid taking medicine all time.
After spending those 3 days in Torres del Paine, we spend almost one day on the bus again. We crossed first the argentinian border and we head to Tierra del Fuego. We crossed the "Estrecho de Magallanes" by ferry, and we arrived to Tierra del fuego, the southern province in Argentina.
The landscape started to change, and we end up in one of the typical Argentinian Estancia. That was so nice! they were waiting us for dinner and gave us such a wonderful lamb! that was a good dinner after 4 days in a camping site. We ordered wine and we had a very nice meal. Almost at mid night they gave us some champagne. I was very touched as I thought it was because the day after was my birthday, but the truth is that they were celebrating the "International working women's day"!!! hahahaa
The 8th of March was my birthday. In the morning they showed us how to take the wool from the sheep in La Estancia. that was very intresting and after that we took again the minibus and they took us to a really nice lodge were we left the bags before doing a small trekking of 3 hours in Tierra de Fuego area. It was a very nice walk and after that we had another walk to see all the beavers (castores) in the area. That was very intresting too, and funny to see a beaver just crossing in front of you being in the wild. Tierra del fuego has a big problem with beavers as they were introduced here by the coloners and they are changing all the landscape in the area.
That night we celebrate my birthday with very good argentinian wine. That was very nice and different from all my other birthdays!
Yesterday, 9th March, we arrived finally to Usuhaia, the southern most city in the world, at the end of the world. We had again the most wonderful day, sunny, warm and no wind. The "Estrecho de Beagle" was very calm and the surface of the water was flat as a mirror. During the morning we did another hike to the Tierra de Fuego National Park. That was very easy and relaxed walk, and on the afternoon we took a small boat and we did a small tour through the Estrecho de Beagle. That was so fucking amazing again! I think the weather was so perfect! the water was so flat, and just reflexed all the landcsape around us. Unbelieveable! We saw Sea lions, pinguins and cormorans. 4 hours in that boat was sooooo worth it! I have taken so many pictures! but really, I think you need to experience it to realize how nice is everything.
On the evening I went for dinner with Nico and Sascha. Was our last night, today everybody is heading in differents ways. After dinner we went for a drink with the brazilians. I´m sure I will see Aleixandre and Daniela in Salvador Bahia and Sascha when I'm back in London. And no, I dont thing I will ever go to washington State to see Glenn & Karen!! LOL
This afternoon I'm flying to Puerto Montt, Chile and I'm intending to see the Chilean Patagonian on the next days. I will see on my way as maybe I decide to arrive before to Santiago Chile again and spend few days with my friends there.
Thanks for all the e-mails for my birthday, being on the other side of the world and knowing people stills remember you is very touching!