Monte Balmaceda
It seems fitting to share this image of Monte Balmaceda now, as we leave it behind to head back to the Patagonian steppes. It was the mountain I saw from the plane - the gateway to the ice cap. I've loved sniffing around the edges of this Southern Ice Field this last couple of days, wishing I had discovered it years ago when perhaps I could have done more than just this brief glimpse.
As we turned our backs to the mountains, we were headed for El Calafate, in Argentina. If we were condors, it would have been a short, 37 mile journey. Instead, for us it is a 133 mile road trip, as we have to loop around to the south and east to get there.
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Guanacos Keep Watch |
Chilean efforts to improve the protection of Torres de Paine and similar natural resources has resulted in the establishing of a new National Service of Biodiversity and Protected Areas project. One goal of this endeavor, is to incorporate privately owned lands into the parks, creating a legal framework to keep domesticated animals out. This will allow guanacos to have sole access to grazing, without sheep and cattle to compete with them.
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Mother and Baby - A Nursing Guanaco |
The likely increase in guanaco population will, of course, also allow the pumas to continue to thrive. Our Chilean guide said 'Chile loves paperwork', so although the project is already 2.5 years old, they expect it to take at least as much time again to be put in place. Nationally, the system of parks and the protections that Chile has already developed covers 20% of the nation and is providing/preserving wildlife corridors for animals to move between parks.
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Andes Condors Have Found a Carcass |
We were fortunate to pass some condors that were enjoying a carcass. It was a still day, with little wind.
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Flap, but No Flight |
These birds are so heavy, they need the assistance of updrifts to fly, so the feasting birds did not fly off when our bus stopped to observe. This one looks as if it has a damaged wing - even with uplifts, it may be not be able to fly.
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Magnificent Bird |
It was amazing to see them within range of my 250mm zoom lens and with the help of Lightroom and Topaz sharpening, you can see some of the details of these magnificent birds.
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Could it be a Barrister? |
They did look rather like lawyers in my opinion, with white collars around their necks and looking almost as if they had a flat headdress.
The Andes condor has also been a beneficiary of Chile's biodiversity and protection efforts. There is an excellent Netflix program called Our Great National Parks. Episode Two is about Patagonia and has superb wildlife videography that talks about guanacos, pumas and condors in some detail.
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Transitioning to the Steppes |
Although we were leaving the dramatic peaks, there was still unspoiled beauty all around.
When we had crossed the border into Chile, we had been warned that our bags would be scanned for fruit (and possibly other contraband they didn't tell us about), and that the bus would also be inspected. If we didn't declare any possibly offending items, we were told there were stiff fines. The fundamental message had been that the Chileans adhere strictly to rules. As we approached the border, there was concern about whether we had our Tourist Card that had to be turned in as we leave Chile. We were not told much about the 'rules' for returning to Argentina
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Igneous Intrusion Through Sedimentary Layers |
I loved travelling through this land where the geological structures were exposed. One could see folding and faulting in the sedimentary layers. This spot showed where molten rock had pushed across sedimentary layers in a very obvious way - the pink granite pushing aside the other rock. This is a small scale version of the intrusion that happened to create the horns of Torres del Paine.
It's a bit of a stretch to compare this geological event, that's frozen in time, to intrusions that have happened in human history, but I did want to be sure that I mention some of the turmoil the Chileans experienced in my lifetime, during the dictatorship of the Pinochet government from 1973 to 1990. It was a bloody coup and during that time, thousands 'disappeared' and tens of thousands were imprisoned and tortured. His rule was ended through a referendum, but we were told that one of the legacies, has been a desire in Chilean society for more freedom of expression and less unquestioning adherence to authority. We were told that exercising their democratic rights through peaceful protests is new behavior for Chileans, unlike their Argentinian neighbors, who have a longer history of expressing grievances through public protest.
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Black Necked Swan
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Again, it's a bit of a stretch to link this bird photo to recent Chilean history, but the black and white coloring of the swan brings to mind a 'Penguin Revolution' that took place in 2019. The term 'penguin' came from the black and white unforms of the students in Santiago who sparked these protests, following a 30 peso increase in bus fares. The demonstrations spread beyond the capital and extended the range of issues to include dissatisfaction with the education system and wider issues of inequality. The protests continued for six months and sparked a push for a new constitution and focus on social justice. (There had been earlier student protests in 2006, which were rooted in some of the same issues.)
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Our Lunch Waiter |
We had lunch close to the border. There is a 'No Man's Land' between the two border posts, as there is still disagreement between the two nations over the exact line of the border, especially in the region of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
(I just put our waiter's face here, as I liked his hat and crimson checked vest!)
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Chile/Argentina Border Crossings |
Our border crossing will be the blue marker at the top of this map, the Don Guillermo River Pass, but I include this here, because I find myself wondering who put the pencil on the map to draw the straight line down in Tierra del Fuego. This agreement was made in 1881 and is said to reflect the division that would have been in place when the area became independent from Spain.
Much of the border was defined by Perito Moreno with a Chilean counterpart in the 1890's. (Moreno is the person who had established the first Argentine national park in Bariloche in the 1920's)
When you consider that this is the third longest international border in the world, at 3,298 miles, there has to be a great potential for jostling! In spite of the 1881 Treaty and Moreno's early efforts, border disagreements have taken place through the years, sometimes spurred by the generals/politicians who hoped to divert their constituents' attention from problems closer to home. There have been times of 'almost wars', but our guides wanted us to know there is good feeling between the people of the two countries and if there are any shared threats from outsiders, Chile and Argentina stand together.
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Landscape Near the Border Posts |
After we'd turned in our tourist cards to the Chilean border post, we switched buses, drove the few miles to the Argentinian post, walked up to the customs window and got our passports stamped. There was little fuss and we didn't get warnings about fines. Mind you the unfortunate Argentinian workers at this very remote border crossing have very poor living conditions. It is far away from anywhere and can be very cold and windy. They live in a fairly ramshackle building with no running water, and work in shifts of days or weeks at a time before rotating to have a break in their home town, possibly Rio Gallegos, the provincial capital, which is 1.5 hours away.
We were encouraged to smile and be gracious to brighten their tough days!
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La Esperanza - From the Bus |
Esperanza is a desperate little town we drove through. It has 135 inhabitants, although only 34 are registered, and none are children. It has a hotel, a health post and a gas station. It's name means 'hope' - which doesn't look as if it was realized here! The reason it's noteworthy, according to our guide, is that it is the coldest continental place in Argentina. Temperatures of minus 48 degrees Fahrenheit have been recorded here. When strong winds are blowing, your cheeks will freeze instantly.
Wealth is beneath the feet here. The majority of the population in Esperanza are seasonal/temporary workers in the mining industry. The area has oil, open pit gold and silver mines, as well as natural gas which is piped to Buenos Aries.
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Santa Cuz Province, Route 40 |
We are now in Santa Cruz Province, which is the size of California, home to 300,000 humans and three million guanacos! The road is Route 40, the same one we traveled on when we went through Villa La Angostura when crossing the Andes, 1,000 miles north. This road spans the entire length of South America from the Strait of Magellan to Bolivia, zig zagging 3,246 miles. Our guide called it 'the highway of the crazy people!' This iconic highway showcases a great variety of landscapes. Here, as you see, we are truly in the steppes - the mountains to our west have taken all the moisture from the air. It is difficult to survive here - it's windswept, lonely, cold, dry in the summers. Any soil that might form gets blown away by the winds. In the winter when weather conditions are severe - gusts of 100 mph winds for example - the police will close the highway down, as it is too dangerous to be out in it.
Nearby sheep ranches produce high quality merino, and this area was a significant supplier of wool for the European troops during the First World War. The introduction of synthetics fibers in the mid 1900's greatly impacted the economic viability of sheep ranching, resulting in economic downturn for the region.
I could have been in the Australian Outback!
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Shrine to Gauchito Gil
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As we turned on to Route 40, we saw a small red structure by the side of the road, with people sitting on blankets, having a picnic. We learned later that this is a shrine to an Argentine folk hero, Antonio Hill, known as Gauchito Gil. He was a soldier in the mid-1800's, who fled to Uruguay to avoid capture, and became a Robin Hood type character, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. He was eventually captured and hanged. However, prior to his execution, he found out that the hangman had a son who was ill. Antonio told the executioner that he would heal the son from the other side, after his death. Of course, that's what happened - the son got better and word got around. People started coming to his grave with petitions. For those who couldn't travel the distance, these shrines became created all over Argentina, People came to leave a gift (often beer) for Gauchito Gil, and to ask for help. He is regarded as a saint by many Argentinians, but the church does not recognize him as such.
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Back to the Ice Field |
Happily, the barren land was not the final destination for our day. Having traversed our loop, we were headed back to the west, to be greeted by the same ice field we had just left. The body of water you see, is Lago Argentino, the largest body of fresh water in Argentina. The waters are fed by 13 glaciers, resulting in icebergs and water temperatures of 40 degree Fahrenheit.
Our destination, El Calafate, is the gateway to the Perito Merino Glacier and Mount Fitz Roy, both very popular tourist destinations. In the 1990's the Governor of Santa Cruz had a summer home here and he became tired of driving, so he pushed for an airport to be built. The town flourished after it was built in 2001, growing from a population of around 6,000 to 30,000.
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Mount Fitz Roy in the Distance |
Before we came down off the plateau, I was teased by the sight of Mount Fitz Roy off in the distance. I had read about it before I came and regretted that our journey would not include a closer look at this famous landmark. Unlike Torres del Paine, it is a single peak, with a scenic lake at its base, and its infrastructure for visitors is probably not as well developed. I will keep it on my list if I ever manage to get back this way.
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Hills Again - Looking Back Toward the Patagonian Plateau |
We have ben travelling on a plateau that ranges from two to three thousand feet above sea level. At one time, it was just like the ice fields to our west. El Calafate is in a valley carved out by glaciers, and is only 650 feet above sea level. As a result, it does get some shelter from the wind and has somewhat warmer temperatures due to the moderation of the large lake.
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El Calafate |
The fall colors of the poplar trees greeted us as we arrived in El Calafate. The name has nothing to do with the word 'caliphate'. It is the name of a blue berry which is slightly smaller than our blueberry and with more of a sweet sour flavor profile. It is made into syrups and jams. We were introduced to it in a drink called 'Calafate Sour', which was a cocktail made with calafate and pisco.
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Hotel Driveway - An Old Ranch |
It had been a full day of travel, so it was lovely to arrive in this colorful, frontier-feeling town. Our next blog will share a visit to a small estanza nearby, a wander through El Calafate, then, leaving the best to last, we'll visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. One of the highlights of the trip for me.
We're almost done!