As our rental car began to drift atop a layer of windblown sand, I grabbed hold, down-shifted and noticed the hills around me were swirled in a peppermint twist. All those Ruta 40 signs in Argentina finally delivered on an implied promise: you’ll be impressed, and what once captured your imagination will now claim your full attention. But it wasn’t the fabled Route 40 of Patagonia that would provide the exclamation point on our time in Argentina. It was a week-long road trip across the quebradas of Northwest Argentina, where chilies dry in the midday sun, llama comes served with wine pressed just down the road, and gauchos hold harvest festivals in the hills.
Continue Reading »
- Road Trip Northwest Argentina: Where Gauchos Go To Party
- Three Vignettes: Beautiful Everyday People of Northwest Argentina
- Audio Slideshow: Northwest Argentina, Road Trip Style
Filed Under: Argentina, South America, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll
18 Comments | 21 July 2010
On the topic of trekking in Patagonia, the two names most bandied about: Chile’s Torres del Paine and Argentina’s El Chalten. Although their hunks of uplifted granite are similar enough, the prevailing style of hikes they offer are quite different.
Whereas the “W” and Circuit treks at Torres del Paine are mainly about the long haul, El Chalten’s strength: its day hikes. On the edge of Argentina’s Glacier National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares), El Chalten also offers the thrill of nature at a lower cost than its Chilean neighbor — with the added feature of a microbrewery on the way home from the hills.
In other words, two Patagonian trekking centers; two rather different experiences. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 22 June 2010
Audrey and I have a complicated relationship with waterfalls. They are one of nature’s finest features, and in just about every nook and cranny we’ve visited, one is recommended to us: “Beautiful…impressive…you really have to see it.” But as pleasant as those recommended waterfalls often are, most don’t qualify as must-sees but rather as nice faucet-trickles.
Not so Iguazu Falls in Argentina. This is one serious collection of waterfalls and a sight truly worth a visit.
As we dug through our 360-degree panoramic photos from Argentina, the following panoramas seemed to capture a slice of the aerial aquatic immensity that is Iguazu Falls. In the words of one visitor, “These make Niagara Falls looks like a water fountain.” Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Panorama, Photography, South America by: Daniel Noll
22 Comments | 31 May 2010
There we were at the end of the trail in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. We had completed the “W” – 60 miles, fully laden – and were basking in the warmth of the Patagonian sun. In the process we had become proficient at assembling our tent in strong winds, cooking wondrous meals with packaged pasta, and securing our stuff from mice at night. We appreciated nature in full: not only the beauty of its rainbows, glaciers, condors and granite towers, but also the wrath of its hurricane-strength winds.
At the end of our journey, the feeling of camaraderie amongst our fellow trekkers was palpable. We all shared an accomplishment. In the soft grass at the trailhead kiosk, we indulged in overpriced potato chips and cracked open celebratory beers.
But something was missing. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Chile, Perspectives, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll
12 Comments | 5 April 2010
Wondering why we’ve been quiet recently? Here are some clues as to what we’ve been up to. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Chile, Panorama, Photography, South America by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
12 Comments | 26 March 2010
Things move more slowly in Latin America.
We tended to believe this. That is, until we were urged to inhale a three-course meal in ten minutes, courtesy of our first long-distance bus trip in Argentina. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Food, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 28 December 2009
