Wow, what a beautiful place this South western part of Argentine patagonia is! Havent updated as I´ve been so busy.

On Sunday, I went to see the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier...bretahtaking. 3 miles long across the lake, 100 metres high, and it stretches 30miles back into the mountains. It was sooo blue, and jagged. And you could hear it "thunder", as chunks of ice crashed against each other (the thing is moving). I had the fortune to see a whole column plummet into the lake, it created a mini tidal wave and the sound was deafening! The most amazing thing I´d seen, until I walked on it! We took a boat across the lake, past the glacier and onto a small beach to meet our hiking guides. We then put on the spike boots and went onto the ice. It was literally out of this world...I couldnt have still v been on earth. Like nothing I´d even seen before. Oddly, very quiet on the ice. It was eerie, all these mythical, strange ice formations and shapes and deep blue holes, it was amaizng. We walked over it for about an hour, before finishing off with whisky (scotish!), served up on the ice, with ice from the glacier. A nice, quirky way to end the event. We got back at 10pm (it was still light, this place is sooo far down it stays light till late). It is cold down here though, it´s very windy too. But, breathtaking hills. Unfortuantely its a bit of a small hub, so no much in the way of nightlife, except the hostel bar.

Monday...spent the morning chilling in the town, trying some of the local chocolates and sorting out my passage onto tierra del fuego (coming up!)...and then for the afternoon went mountain biking on a mountainouse estancia (argentine ranches)...I love estancias, the people are friendly, its always a cultural experience, and, naturally the beef id always suuuuuperb! I will miss Argentine meat, beef will never be the same again! So this estancia was average in size, of 57,000 hectares...which is huge! But, by Patagonia standards is small. A very tiring mountain biking trip over the mountains, but some great views of mountains, lakes and valleys. And, except the wind, it was silent. Love the tranquility of patagonia.

Tuesday...wasted a nmorning, as rented a bike and went round the lake, but left my camera in the hostel! Then spent the afternoon going for an intensive trek up Mount Clafate...amazing views, but we had to climb up ropes to get there. Again, on an estancia. No beef this time, but our guide brought mate (argentine herbal drink, as big here as tea is in the uk) and tortas fritas (a patagonian speciality, basically bread cooked in animal fat, designed for when the gauchos go out to herd their cattle, which takes days on the size of their estancias, so the animal fat stops the food going off)...very rewarding. Washed down in the evning with a milanesa baguette (breaded steak).

Today, went to a nearby Hiking Mecca to see some mountains and more amaizng scenery, a place called El Chaltén, a small village in a valley, amazing secnery. Unfortunately it pissed iot down with rain, and I saw nothing!

I´ve really, really enjoyed Patagonia...even though some of the scenery reminds me of places in the UK (snowdonia, the highlands etc...), theres a lot of space here, a lot of wild, untamed wilderness, the gauchos and their estancias, the amaizng glaciers, blue lakes and national parks. Theres a lot to do in the way of connecting with the outdoors, such as biking and hiking. I´ve enjoyed.

Tomorrow as 3am, I´m heading off to a city called Ushuaia, the world´s most southernly city on the archipelago of Tierra Del Fuego, within touching distance of the antarctica and cut off more or less form the rest of the world...cant wait!