On the days surrounding my trip to Antarctica last January, I carved out time to visit Ushuaia, El Chaltén, and El Calafate.
Ushuaia is a scenic port town on the southern tip of Argentina. It’s nicknamed The End of the World, perched on a hill and known for its intense winds. This little town felt like a slice of magic. Bustling with live music, mountain views, and welcoming people. Argentina had just won the World Cup, and the energy surrounding that was hard to describe (scroll to the bottom for a video.) I made some friends from the Buenos Aires flight and we exchanged numbers when we realized we were all going to Ushuaia. It was a ton of fun exploring the area with them! What made me love this town even more was the fact that it would connect me to Antarctica. You can see some photos of that trip here, and I’ll have to write up a blog post on that soon. It was the experience of a lifetime and a place I still think about when I close my eyes. After arriving back, I spent more time in Ushuaia with the friends I had made on the trip and it was a fantastic couple of days.
The next leg of my trip was a bit different than I expected. I was recovering from being sick and catching up on A LOT of sleep. I came into El Chaltén expecting I’d accomplish some long solo hikes, and I left with a lesson in the importance of listening to your body. (And the age-old reminder that sometimes the universe has different plans.) Instead of rigorous hikes, I spent most of my time resting and exploring the village. I got to know all the local dogs, and I visited a new ice cream shop every night. I skyped Dan and Ollie from afar and felt a little closer to home. By the time I got to El Calafate, I had regained a lot of my energy, and I was able to join a glacial hike at Perito Moreno Glacier. This day was stunning, and I even made some friends from the U.S. and the Netherlands. At the end of our time together, we all watched a massive piece of the glacier calve in awe….scroll below for the photo, it was truly insane! I hope to make it back to El Chaltén and complete those bucket list hikes someday, but for now, I am so grateful for the views and experiences I got to have in this beautiful part of the world.
