Friday, February 3, 2017

El Chalten Scenes

El Chalten was founded way back in 1985, the gateway to the newly created Parque Nacional los Glaciares. Sort of a West Yellowstone, sort of, only West Yellowstone compares poorly on the restaurant scene. FWIW, Lonely Planet rated El Chalten #2 on its 2014 list of cities you need to know. Anyhow, we will have spent 6 nights in El Chalten, crashing, resting, hiking, repeating. The most striking thing about the place, apart from the occasional spectacular world-class alpine views, is the unceasing gale force wind. Well, it does cease now and then in order to rain.
El Chalten, on a glacial out-wash in the national park














Our nice, relatively new Hosteria El Paraiso; of course,
everything in El Chalten is relatively new, just not so nice

















After a long day and a night on the bus















The bidet is pretty standard issue in Argentina















Part of commons area















View from our window; these are side-bar mountains















A helpful model lights up some of the most popular hiking
routes; they all go up

Where we are















What you come here to see, Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre and
neighbors
















It rained most of our first two days, providing for a much-
needed break--but then it cleared for two marvelous days;
here is Fitz Roy just coming out
















This from main street in town















Local RV















Lots of sculpture for such a young, small town

































Entrepreneurial spirit















Ditto; we also saw kids erecting their tents on vacant lots















Someone's end of hike















Well-behaved if feral pooches















Backapackas everywhere (note tents in vacant lot)















Tiny houses very much in fashion















No lack of RVs















Wind-skateboarding















Lots of construction in progress, not all of it progressing all
that quickly
















No lack of curiosities














No comments: