Day 10 – Mechanical Problems & Wild Animals
El Calafate, Argentina – Torres del Paine, Chile
Today dawned mostly sunny at our hillside hotel (Hotel Los Barrancos) in El Calafate, Argentina. Our moods, however, soon turned grey, as we discovered that our support vehicle would not start. There was a problem with the ignition, and the key would not turn, so after a visit by a locksmith, Roberto and Jeff set about working to hotwire the car. In short order they had safely bypassed the keyed ignition, and the SUV started, with cheers all around. Although we started out with a delay of nearly 1 1/2 hours, we were delighted to find out that our route today was rather short, and that we should arrive at our destination hotel near the Torres del Paine National Park by early afternoon.
The drive was rather uneventful, and the flat, vegetation-starved plains gave way to gently rolling hills and verdant slopes. We approached the Chilean border, and crossed at Rio Turbio, where the Argentine flag flew proudly in the strong breeze. Alexandra, daughter of one of our motorcyclists, managed to find a hen and her chicks just behind the border patrol station. From the picture displayed here, you can tell that she is very photogenic and probably destined for a career in show business, as she is not camera-shy at all.
A short drive further and we were at the Hotel y Posada 3 Pasos, a delightfully safari-themed lodge with all modern creature comforts. For the next 2 days we have the entire establishment to ourselves. The charming living room is warmed by not only the blazing corner fireplace, but also by the attentiveness of the staff, and the hearty Argentine wines, pisco sours (a local drink of Chile and Peru), and the many cervezas (beers) that were sampled.
I also found some four-legged friends here: There is a bouncy trio of 4-week old border collie puppies, apparently without names. I have dubbed them Larry, Moe and Curly. Their parents are also here, and they protectively watch over the pups.
While nosing around and following these puppies, I also managed to find tomorrow’s dinner. Well at least the outer part of it, hanging alongside a puma skin.
Tomorrow we will be driving from the hotel to the nearby Torres del Paine National Park, to observe the jagged mountain peaks and formations created by wind erosion over centuries and centuries. We managed to catch a glimpse of some of the peaks in the distance as we approached the border crossing, and I can only imagine how impressive these peaks will look as we get a much closer vantage point tomorrow.
Hasta pronto,
- Bob
Today dawned mostly sunny at our hillside hotel (Hotel Los Barrancos) in El Calafate, Argentina. Our moods, however, soon turned grey, as we discovered that our support vehicle would not start. There was a problem with the ignition, and the key would not turn, so after a visit by a locksmith, Roberto and Jeff set about working to hotwire the car. In short order they had safely bypassed the keyed ignition, and the SUV started, with cheers all around. Although we started out with a delay of nearly 1 1/2 hours, we were delighted to find out that our route today was rather short, and that we should arrive at our destination hotel near the Torres del Paine National Park by early afternoon. 
The drive was rather uneventful, and the flat, vegetation-starved plains gave way to gently rolling hills and verdant slopes. We approached the Chilean border, and crossed at Rio Turbio, where the Argentine flag flew proudly in the strong breeze. Alexandra, daughter of one of our motorcyclists, managed to find a hen and her chicks just behind the border patrol station. From the picture displayed here, you can tell that she is very photogenic and probably destined for a career in show business, as she is not camera-shy at all.
A short drive further and we were at the Hotel y Posada 3 Pasos, a delightfully safari-themed lodge with all modern creature comforts. For the next 2 days we have the entire establishment to ourselves. The charming living room is warmed by not only the blazing corner fireplace, but also by the attentiveness of the staff, and the hearty Argentine wines, pisco sours (a local drink of Chile and Peru), and the many cervezas (beers) that were sampled.
I also found some four-legged friends here: There is a bouncy trio of 4-week old border collie puppies, apparently without names. I have dubbed them Larry, Moe and Curly. Their parents are also here, and they protectively watch over the pups.While nosing around and following these puppies, I also managed to find tomorrow’s dinner. Well at least the outer part of it, hanging alongside a puma skin.
Tomorrow we will be driving from the hotel to the nearby Torres del Paine National Park, to observe the jagged mountain peaks and formations created by wind erosion over centuries and centuries. We managed to catch a glimpse of some of the peaks in the distance as we approached the border crossing, and I can only imagine how impressive these peaks will look as we get a much closer vantage point tomorrow.
Hasta pronto,
- Bob
posted by Robert Sette at 8:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home