Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - In the middle of nowhere - Bajo Caracoles

Moving back North on the Ruta 40 in the Santa Cruz Province, we stopped at Bajo caracoles that´s a small Patagonian settlement in the middle of nowhere, next big City is Perito Moreno (Not related to the Glacier).In between both lies "La cueva de las manos"

This cave is 40 clicks off the main highway on a gravel road. This paintings were made by the local cavemen thousands of year ago, even though they look like they were touched up a little.

In passing snapshot - Patagonian sunrise

Really, to be able to catch gorgeous sunrises on the road, the trick is to drive all night, cuz otherwise if someone wakes u up, you{ll be grumpy and sleepy and will take too long to reach the bloody camera and set it up.
I don´t know where exactly this is except that it was Santa Cruz province heading north on Ruta 40.

The trip toTandil - El Mundo del Dulce de Leche

If in Tandil, DO NOT MISS OUT, for all you DDL fans. "El mundo del Dulce de Leche" is a store dedicated exclusively to DDL products.

Be it the creamy version, or solid bars. or liqueur, or candy, you can find it there. But you can argue that there are many places like this in Argentina and even Uruguay.

The catch is that here they have the Crafted country style versions that you will not find in the big cities, the ones that come in a cardboard tub by the kilo.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - El Chalten

"El Chalten" is a City in the Santa Cruz province located 213km north of "El Calafate" on the Northern tip of the Parque Nacional los glaciares.

The city itself founded in 1985 is composed of a series of outfitters, hostels and pubs, basically a backpackers haven. But the surrounding areas make it a must on any Patagonian excursion.

Ideal for hiking and biking. the "Chorillo del Salto" waterfall and the mirador Fitzroy are fantastic for a one day stopover.

The trip toTandil - Renzo´s Helados

Now Tandil has a very good epicurean selection, one of them being "Helados Renzos located at Gral. Rodriguez 792.

Renzo´s is a local Ice cream parlour that has traditional home made Italian style ice cream, it even boasts original flavours like the Baileys Irish cream, and of course the dulce de leche made with local DDL.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Torres del Paine - Take 2

I thought before moving on I would share some more pics from torres del Paine, since it yielded so many great shots.

At the "Buenos Aires celebra Irlanda"

Yesterday I had the chance to visit The "Buenos Aires celebra Irlanda" on occasion of Sat. Pats. It was held in central Plaza San Martin in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.

Even though there are many Irish descendants in Argentina, the fair was not that big and the kiosks sold all sorts of mismatch items, many not related to Ireland, and above all they did not have any Guinness beer, nor cold beer for that matter.
Even though they were following city legislation, they only had warm bottled beer which was a disappointment, since the day was warm enough for a cold beer.

In passing snapshot - the sleeping mut

This puppy was taking a siesta right in the midlle of the intersection during one of Buenos Aire´s summer fairs.

The trip toTandil - Hostel Serrano

If your looking for a nice place to stay in Tandil you might want to check out the Hostel Serrano, located at Colon 1514, not far from the downtown area, and with very reasonable prices and service.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Camping in Torres del Paine

In Torres del Paine National park, there are plenty of places to stay, be them Hotels or campsites.

If your on a budget you might want to consider camping, and among the camp sites, the cheapest ones are those located outside the park itself.

We stayed at one that was just outside the Serrano entrance towards the south, Called Camping Serrano, and it was very comfy and cheap.

The Trip to Tandil - Epoca de quesos

If you go to Tandil you must try their cheese and salamis, Since the city is located in the heart of the Buenos Aires province, everything made out of milk is superb, hence its great cheese and Dulce de Leche.

There are many places that see good quality goods at a fraction of the price you pay in Buenos Aires. Epoca de quesos is  store-restaurant where you can either buy by the piece or sit and eat.

I must warn you that the prices are high since its the best in town and they will charge you 30 to 50 bucks for a platter with cheese and cold cuts. Nevertheless the quality and the service are very good.

In Passing snapshot - The Patagonian man

As you may imagine, Patagonians are a quite tough breed. The same as people from Northern Canada or Siberia, they live in one of earths most desolated regions.
This chap whose name I will omit, is a tow truck driver which helped us out in a moment of need during our trip, and was kind enough to show us around the Buenos Aires Lake.
Born an raised in Patagonia, he was as most of them, very generous and helpful to anyone in need. Here we see him picking up some driftwood to take home.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Guanacos gallore

I have discovered that Guanacos roam basically all over the Ruta 40 from top to bottom, besides neighbouring Chile and Bolivia.

The Guanaco belongs to the same family as the Alpaca,llama and Vicuña, being the llama the more domesticated version used in the Americas as transport before the coming of the Europeans.

That said I have to warn you that the Guanaco is more reluctant to friendship and it will spit you if you come too close. So bring your tele lens and enjoy from afar.

The Trip to Tandil - Tandil and its Architecture

Since Tandil was always a prosperous city due to it being a hub for the surroundig "Estancias".

There are some samples of classical Arquitecture in the neighbourhoods and in its public buildings.

The Cervantes theatre allong with the Moorish Castle at the Parque Independencia are in Andalucian style.

The downtown area also boasts beautifull buildings such as the Cathedral and the city Hall.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Patagonian Beasts

When I talk about "Patagonian beasts" I´m not referring to the many dinosaurs found there, nor to the guanacos that populate this vast extension of Land.

This post is dedicatted to the vehicles that are brought from all over the world to ride through patagonia and the rest of the Americas.

Be them Land Rovers or Benz, even some overkill all terrain trucks that would fit right in at the Dakar Rally, they are fine examples of all weather wheels that will do the job.

The fundación Cassará and its Terrace

The Pablo Cassara foundation is located on Av. de Mayo 1194 in the building occupied by one of the old hotels that use to sit on that important thoroughfare.

I will not get into what the foundations goals are, but into the event they organised on March 9th, which was to open its premises to visitors.

They gave a tour of the building and its terrace which holds an excellent view of all the other fine constructions on Avenida de Mayo, which is one of Buenos Aire´s richest architecturally speaking.

From its renovated deck-terrace we could get an excellent view of all the adjacent building  along with an historical explanation.

Exploring Patagonia - Southern Chile - Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine is Chile's most southern National Park, at least the largest, most southern, it is a must on your bragging rights list.

It spans 242242 hectares, for Chile that is quite a lot, it is located way south on the 50th parallel and is visited mostly by wealthy foreigners. If you continue 300 clicks south you will reach Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams which are Chile's most southern cities located in Tierra del fuego.

"Torres del Paine" sits on the other side of the border parallel with "Los Glaciares"in Argentina.
no need to say that the scenery is breathtaking. You can spend from 3 days to a week in the Park and still leave some spots behind.

The entrance fee for non Chileans is around around $35 American, but will last you for the whole stay. The lodgings in the Park range from expensive Hotels to basic campgrounds with all the basic amenities.