Archive

Perito Moreno Glacier When people say that something moves a ‘glacial speed’, I’ve never really known what to imagine. Obviously it means something is moving slowly, but how slowly? The expression conjures up images of cold and unrelenting progress that, although gradual, is inevitable and unstoppable. When people talk about this kind of speed, it’s ...

Argentina’s gauchos I heard the cheering before I saw its origin. It was strange to hear such a loud noise – or any noise for that matter – after so many hours walking in the mountains around El Chalten. There had been a serenity in the forests. At the trek’s zenith, I had reached an ...

Hiking in El Chalten The road to El Chalten is now paved. It wasn’t always this way, but there reached a point where there was no denying it – word had got around and the travellers were coming here. What was once the quiet commune of the slow backpackers and serious trekkers is quickly becoming ...

Cueva de los Manos “This is the bit where everyone likes to take photos,” my guide tells me as she points to the hands on the cave wall. “This is the most famous part.” In some ways, it is an unnecessary comment. There is no doubt that this is going to be the highlight of ...

Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina Baby seals frolic in the surf where the small waves meet the sand. A rocky outcrop at one point on the shoreline creates natural pools where they play in groups. Small, black and shimmering in the sunlight, the pups look like they’re in a nursery. Nearby their mothers keep a watchful ...

Parque el Desafio, Gaiman, Argentina For almost two decades Joaquin Alonso collected the scraps that others regarded as trash. Things destined for the dumps were hoarded and cared for, given a new lease on life. From the rubbish of others, the Argentine created works of art. He collected bottles, can, scraps of metal – anything ...

Punta Tombo, Patagonia Why is it so hot? I thought penguins were supposed to live in the cold, on snow, surrounded by icebergs. Instead they’re standing in the dunes, far from the water, in direct sunlight on a 40 degree day. They’re panting in the heat. So am I. This is not what I expected ...

Hitler in Bariloche, Argentina There is a rumour oft-repeated that Adolf Hitler did not die in that bunker in Berlin. As the story goes, he and Eva Braun fled to an idyllic Argentinian town after the Second World War and died there of old age. They spent their final years on a farmstead, watching the ...

Crossing the Andes by bus When the combined Argentinian and Chilean armies crossed the Andes mountain range into Chile into 1817, it would lead to the downfall of Spanish control and independence for the country. When I did it, it would just lead to another stamp in my passport. Oh, and a bunch of nice ...

Mendoza wine, Argentina Wine is my mistress. When it comes to beer, we have a long relationship – at times turbulent and damaging but nonetheless comfortable and reassuring. But wine is an occasional flirtation, a dalliance with something more dangerous and exotic. It feels salacious, brings on urges I’ve tried to repress and reminds me ...