Argentina and Peru: Mountain Lakes, Glaciers and Old, Stacked Rocks

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We arrived in Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo, Brazil after a 10 hour flight across the Pacific.  Gotta love those in-flight entertainment systems.   Although our Spanish is limited, we (especially Jim) had been studying up via the Duo Lingo app and he had luck chatting with the cab driver.  Even if we only can speak in present tense, it was nice to at least be able to sort

of communicate.  Spanish speaking people understood Jim better than many South Africans.

La Recoleta Cemetery

We spent the first few day exploring the vibrant city of Buenos Aires and trying to adjust our schedules to not only the time zone difference, but the lifestyle difference—people in Argentina typically don’t eat dinner until around 9pm and many shops are closed from about 1 to 5 for a mid-afternoon siesta.  Highlights for our time in Buenos Aires included exploring both a natural history and science museum, where we scientifically proved that Xander is now officially taller than Carolyn, a city walking tour that included a gory description of the extensive travels of Eva Peron’s body before she finally ended up in equally spooky and charming La Recoleta cemetery, and a wonderful dinner at new Rotarian friend’s house. 

Planning our time in Argentina was challenging because it is so big—over ten times the area of Colorado (our measuring stick for the size of countries) and relatively difficult/expensive to travel around.  Among the 5+ plus regions that we wanted to visit, each involved a 20+ hour bus ride or multi-hour plane ride that cost $600+ one way (for 4 people), so we had to narrow down our choices.  

Jim's fishing spot

Exploring the river near Bariloche

 We spent a week in ski town of Bariloche in the southern hemisphere spring time hiking, boating and driving around stunning nearby national parks and lakes.  Jim even got to go fly fishing.  He (said he) caught a huge fish right when a tour bus stopped above him on a bridge- although he got applause from the tourists, he didn’t get his own picture.   The water is so clear we could see fish 15 feet below the surface.  Next we flew down to El Calafate in Patagonia.  The 116 degrees between Iceland (66 degrees North) and El Calafate (50 degrees south) is the biggest change in latitude we’ll have on this trip and the furthest South we will be.  El Calafate feels like it is truly in the middle of nowhere on the southern edge of aquamarine Lago Argentino, home to many wild flamingos (!).  Highlights of our time in El Calafate included a boat tour among icebergs, and most of all, the fascinating Perito Merino glacier.  As incredible as the pictures are, the sounds are what make the area seducing - groans and creaks sometimes followed by the tremendous crash of an ice sheets calving into the water.  We also met a French family with 3 kids traveling around South America for a year—on bikes—proving that there’s always someone more intrepid (or crazy) (http://www.ernestastrimbal.com/).

 

Perito Merino glacier

Along with the incredible scenery we learned about some of the fascinating economics, politics and history of Argentina.  Although we had heard about it before we arrived, it was still shocking to learn about the “blue market” (black sounds too ominous) for changing money in Argentina.  If you use a credit card or ATM, the exchange rate is about 9 pesos per USD, while if you change cash on the street, the exchange rate is about 15 pesos per USD.  Basically, we “saved” over $1000 by changing the approximately $1500 in cash we had on the blue market-  with the added bonus of Jim getting the exciting experience of being led into the back office for “cambio.”  When the boys and I heard some loud voices coming from the backroom (Jim insisted on looking at each bill) brave Xander squared his shoulders, took advantage of his new lower voice and asked if Jim “needed any help back there.”  Basically, inflation is currently (and historically has been) so high (for example, over 30% last year) that Argentinians have to deal with the reality that any pesos they earn and save are worth less and less.  (Want that $500 ipad?  Saving for a year?  Now it costs $650)  To protect their money, Argentinians prefer the more stable US dollars, but these are extremely difficult to get—add this to an exchange rate kept artificially low by the government, and you get the blue market.  Crazy.

Another amazing thing we learned about in Argentina was the Association Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a group of mothers who marched in front of the Casa Rosada (Pink House of Evita fame) in Buenos Aires to try to learn what happened to their children who were “disappeared” during the Dirty War of the military dictatorship in the mid 70s to mid 80s.  The plaza is circled by paintings on the ground of the white kerchiefs the mothers wore on their heads (the kerchiefs white cloth represented their children’s diapers) when they marched in silent defiance of the government state’s terrorism intended to silence all opposition.  The related “Grandmothers of the disappeared” have found over 100 children born to mothers who were imprisoned and killed during the Dirty War and subsequently illegally adopted.  These children have largely been found due to DNA testing.  Amazing lesson in history that occurred during our lifetimes and a real world application of Liam’s desire to be a genetic scientist when he grows up. 

We truly enjoyed our time in Argentina learning about its history, seeing some beautiful sights and filling our bellies with empanadas, yerba mate, steaks, and wine.

Next we headed to  Lima, Peru.  We explored some pre-Incan ruins in the city before heading to Cusco (the “belly button of the world” and center of the Incan empire).  We had planned to go Puno to see the reed islands, but got waylaid big time by altitude sickness (see previous post).  Once we get over the trauma of the two kids in the hospital at once we can joke that the whole thing was a kid conspiracy to avoid the long bus rides we had scheduled. We were thrilled to meet Tracey (Carolyn’s sister) and Scott in Cusco.  We had a nice afternoon walking (slowly) through the city and marveling at the astounding Incan architecture and puzzle-like palace walls that have withstood earthquakes that reduced the Spanish churches built on top of them to rubble.

The next day we toured the Sacred Valley where we visited Ollantaytambo and Pisac ruins from the Incan empire and learn about the amazing architecture that is designed to shine beams of sun on the temple throne on solstice days.  It’s mind boggling to imagine how Incans transported and fit together the huge stones without wheels or mortar.  On the way back we stopped to get cuy (aka guinea pig), a common Peruivan food, from a stand at the side of the road.  Liam said it “tastes like chicken.”

No trip to Peru is complete without seeing Machu Picchu, so we took the train to Aguas Callientes, the base town for Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu, although way more touristy than when Jim and I visited via the Inca Trail over 15 years ago, still maintains its mysticism and magic.  The Spanish never found the site- which isn’t surprising considering it took a 4 hour train ride from Cusco and a 30 minute drive up gasp-inspiring hairpin turns to get there.  We agreed with the “worldwide internet poll” that named it one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” (along with the Coliseum and Great Wall of China).   

By far the best part of the day was when Scott proposed to Tracey on a secluded terrace overlooking the ruins and the mountains!  Definitely worth a jump for joy J Scott had told us about his plan to propose back before we left in July, so we were excited to finally get to see the plan play out and happy for Scott to be able to let his backpack out of his sight once he gave the ring to T.  Hooray! 

To make the most of our stay the next day we hiked up Machu Picchu Mountain.  The original plan was to hike up Huanynu Picchu (the mountain behind the ruins in all of the pictures) but now they only have limited tickets per day that we didn’t get soon enough.  Machu Picchu Mountain is on the other side, and somewhat to our surprise, quite a bit harder/higher, but ultimately worth the 2 hours walking up steps for a stunning view of the ruins peeking out from the drifting clouds.  The kids also got the chance to prove that they were over their altitude sickness, as they easily beat up to the top of the ~3000m (10,000 foot) peak.  No rest for the weary in this crew (sorry Scott!).

We got to visit a few more Inca ruin sites full of “old stacked rocks” before heading back to a long layover in Lima, a stop in Houston (where we almost missed our plane due to some customs issues over the ostrich egg souvenir we carried since South Africa) and finally home to Colorado.  The 10 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures were a bit of a shock to our follow-the-summer, wear shorts every day bodies, but more than worth it to see family and friends!

We’re enjoying catching up with everyone, drinking tap water, and speaking English.  It’s nice to know where we’re going, and be comfortable with what we’re doing for a change (and oh, the amazing grocery stores) —but we can’t wait to get back on the road to New Zealand right after Christmas.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already completed the first half of our trip-- A wonderful experience for the family where we have all learned a lot about the world, the joy of living light, and how to adapt to whatever happens.

Senses:

Carolyn-  The glisten of the rain on the streets of elaborate tombs in La Recoleta cemetery while I peek into the dingy windows that reveal staircases descending into the spooky abyss; The little brown bird hopping through the brush chirping while we walk through the Bariloche Chicco Circuit forest dwarfed by towering  cinnamon colored Arranayn "bushes" and their smooth peeling bark; The swirling shadow circles dancing gracefully on the bottom of the river bed, created from mini whirlpools on the clear surface of the turquoise river; Listening to  crack and groan of the seemingly alive peaks and valleys of the Perito Merino glacier, waiting to hear the thunderous sound indicating a new iceberg plummeting into the aqua lake below; Happy tears wetting my eyes as I witness Scott propose to T on the terrace overlooking the stunning ruins and surrounding magical mountains of Machu Picchu.

Jim- The stark differences from crypt to crypt in design, quality and upkeep in the Recoleta cemetery; The bitter earthy taste of mate savored through my silver mate sieve straw; the wonderful taste of sweet breads and coffee to fuel the day walking around the city and learning more about the history of Argentina; The sharp tooth-like peaks edging out above the snow and glacier-capped Andes mountains over the town of Bariloche; The cooked brown skin of the cuy sizzling around the spit confirming without a doubt I was not hungry for Guinea pig.

Liam- The pitter patter of the rain falling on my umbrella as we walk through the maze like streets of Buenos Aires looking at somewhat old historical buildings and learning about the complex government and money of Argentina; The elaborate twists and turns of the treelike red and orange "bushes" that grow nowhere else in the world stretching out creating a vast canopy above me; The cold ice cup freezing my lips and mouth as I took gulp after gulp of fanta, sprite and lemonade at the unlimited drinks ice bar inside the glaciarium; The hoard of teenage girls swarming around me d snapping multiple photos of my beautiful face as I stand there frozen in horrified shock; The waitress coming out with a computer-sized metal platter heaped with all different types of sausage, chicken and mystery meats as Scott and I stare in awe at what we ordered for dinner

Xander- The familiar numbing of snow I grab from a snow patch at the top of  a dusty, almost vertical hill as I look down on a sky blue lake and matching cloudless sky above Bariloche; The aqua blue water reflecting snowcapped mountain peaks and revealing a school of trout many feet below; The cool wind rushing across my face as I stare mesmerized by the vast andes mountain range as I ride the boat in the turquoise lake near bariloche; The rough sand paper texture of the pumice rock as I grabbed it while it floated down the small creek leading to the esperco chico (mirror lake); The intricate smooth grey puzzle-like Incan stones overshadowing  the Spanish colonial church built above them

Lessons Learned:

• Argentinians drink mate (tea) out of sieve straws everywhere

• There are lots of stray dogs wandering around in Argentina
• Good Argentinian steak is cheaper than a bag of pretzels
• Arranyan trees are really bushes and are only found near Bariloche
• Eva Peron's body had a long and sordid journey after her death, including being embalmed and displayed, being stored in a basement, a government officials office, and in a septic tank and being transported to Spain
• In Argentina, you can change your family, you can change your religion, but you can never change your futbol team
• Argentina has a lot (potentially the most) dinosaur bones
• Buenos Aires architecture is a  juxtaposition of mismatched styles
• In Bariloche a "small trout" is 18 inches
• Most of the world's glaciers are in Antarctica; Africa is the continent with the least amount of glaciers
• What's the difference between snow and glaciers?  Density.
• Glaciers appear blue because blue wavelength light travels the farthest
• The Earth’s “snow zone” is about 35degrees N and S in latitude, although higher elevations may have snow
• In Argentinian grocery stores, milk (and many other liquid substances) come in bags, the stores don't have any bags to put your purchases into and eggs come in pallets of 30.  If you ask for fewer eggs, they tell you to put them in a bag (!)
• Many stores in Argentina are closed from around 1 to 5 pm, and aren't open on Sundays
• The tourist ticket (aka “tourist tax”) is typically at least double the local entrance fee
• There is always someone more adventurous than you, and there's always a way to do things more luxuriously or cheaply
• Pass on good travel karma
• If you want to buy something, get it the first time you see it because you probably won't go back
• Travel insurance is worth it
• If your kids end up in the hospital, you really slack off on recording lessons learned
• It's great to be home, but even better to know you're going back out