Ecuadorian Art

Let’s Go! From Quito. the adventure begins in the comfort of Las Palmeras Inn , a small hosteria in Quinchinche, near the famous Otavalo marketplace. We explore Intag, a remote cloud forest in a private preserve before changing cultures to visit Quito, the capital city and World Heritage site. We journey to Hacienda San Augustin in the Valley of the Volcanoes under the shadow of the stunning Cotopaxi volcano. Then the journey continues to the garden paradise of Hacienda Cusin. We visit the rim of a volcano, see the condor park, explore leather village of Cotacachi & visit the weaver’s home and workshop.

Guayasamin  Painting

This is a larger painting in the collection of the well recognized Ecuadorean artist Guayasamin – a spectacular example of this genre of story telling – acrylic on sheep skin.

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Guayasmin cathedral

At the Guayasamin “cathedral” that he built just before he passed away – one of the best views in the city of Quito!

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Delfin sculpture

Another sculpture by Victor Delfin whose had an uneven reputation during his lifetime – but I keep finding his work!

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Mountain Range

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Ecuador!

octpic14We always enjoy the country hospitality of Las Palmeras Inn www.laspalmerasinn.com. Las Palmeras Inn, is improved each year – the best WIFI ever!

We continue to enjoy the famous textile market of Otavalo, especially meeting so many friends along the way.

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octpic16Maybe we will see the camouflaged Moth? We explore the exceptional hand carved colonial churches in Quito, and look for views of the city.

octpic17Ramelle overlooking the Quayasamin Museum on a clear, dry chilly day… wearing Michael’s alpaca sweater!

Then to the journey down the Valley of the Volcanoes…The same trail covered by Frederic Church, the renowned American artist, and many other explorers who made scientific discoveries right here!

We can stay at Tambopaxi Lodge or upgrade to Hacienda San Augustin, a working hacienda with only 14 comfy rooms – laid out on Inca stone walls

octpic18Here at the base of Cotapaxi volcano, the weather is always changing.
We will bring layers – expect the unexpected!

octpic19Our final string of days will be spent enjoying the abundant activities at Hacienda Cusin: Hike, horseback ride, read, relax, restore, reflect, return with us!
Until then….
Saludos and Happy Trails!

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Ramelle & Michael
ramelle@newviewtours.com
Tel 336 416 2390!

mp@newviewtours.com
Tel 413 717 5459

 

 

Ecuador

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March 9 – 19, 2015 in Ecuador!

After a marvelous visit to Ecuador earlier this year, we are delighted to invite you to join us again.

Gardens and Trails – Otavalo, Quito, Cotopaxi!

EcuadorRefresh and Renew in the High Sierra of Ecuador. We start in Quichince above the Otavalo marketplace; we travel through the ecosystems to tour the Cloud Forest of Intag. Here we are removed from many distractions by a rushing creek to enjoy a quality experience: bird watching, moss covered trails, coffee plantaion and fine local foods.  The we aim for the city of Quito for a day and night. It is on to the southern Valley of the Volcanoes to the fine Hacienda San Augustin, still operating as a working estancia. We are under the enormous Cotopaxi volcano and we hike, as much as you prefer, across the barren beautiful paramo. Our last days are spent on and around the little town of San Pablo at the beautiful Hacienda Cusin, renovated over the last 25 years to be among the finest in the country.

Our small group tours have brought together friends and acquaintances from all across the country. We design the tour based on the interest & activity level of the participants! Walk about or hike a lot! – Let us know! We will adapt for our comfort and activity preferences.

Each tour includes days full of activity, seamless transfers, well appointed boutique hotels, English speaking guides, nights in front of warm fires with friends – at an affordable price -and plenty of options for individual choice along the way.

Detailed itineraries upon request!

La Compania Jesuit cathedral - QuitoQuito, the Cloud Forest and & the beautiful, restored 1602 Hacienda Cusin in Ibarra province of the Andes. A gentle tour with spectacular views of the national parks, octpic3the markets and museums: 11 nights – $3400 per person double occupancy

OPTION:

A Gentle Approach to the Altitude:

We stay 2 nights in Guayaquil on the Pacific Coast, with a day tour & guide, then we make our excursion through unique and changing ecosystems, inland through the farmland of southern Ecuador, finding the valley views to the spectacular city of Cuenca – at 7,000 ft., a World Heritage octpic4Site and beautiful colonial city (and a popular destination for American retirees). Here the temperature and climate are perfect all year. We tour stunning churches and monuments that mark the lines of the octpic5colonial Spanish settlers. Outside the city, small villages feature different crafts; hat making, jewelry, woodcarving, a craft collective, then we make sure to take time to sit back to admire the roof top views of the city between two rivers. See newviewtours.com/gallery

octpic6Quito is a World Heritage City. 

Our list of stops includes La Compania Jesuit cathedral, San Francisco Iglesia and museum, the fine plaza Independencia and Presidential Palace in this bustling capital at 9,200 feet. Under the shadow of Pichinca volcano, the first World Heritage designation was granted in the late 1970s. We will see why!

We walk the historic colonial section of the city on Sunday, a day without cars! We’ll visit the City Museum, the high end shops including Galleria Latina & Olga Fisch. We visit the outstanding Guayasamin Museum and “cathedral” that the artist built.

EquatorOur transfer across the equator follows the newly widened Pan American highway. We stop at the Quitsato monument – in the middle of the world, “El Mitad del Mundo” where the earliest civilizations understood the alignment of the sun and the moon to the earth in perfect balance with the seasons. It is a short, but fascinating presentation: See: http://www.quitsato.org

Next stop this year is a striking contrast: the remote and remarkably comfortable El Refugio de Intag in a private compound quietly developed by birdwatcher and El Refugio Intagenvironmentalist, Peter Joost. The Cloud Forest provides abundant octpic9bird life, many unique animal and plant species that are fascinating to observe. All our meals are included here! We will absorb and appreciate sounds of the stream, fresh produce from the garden and the beauty of the cloud

octpic10We walk trails (or take the 4×4) to waterfalls, bird watching viewpoints in the warm humid climate. (Rubber boots provided – most trails are very muddy!)

Next stop is only a few kilometers around many curves – a morning drive – to the pueblo of San octpic11Pablo de Lago to settle into the renowned 1602 Hacienda Cusin, restored by our host & owner, Sr. Nik Millhouse;! a 30 acre compound of beautiful rooms, small houses peppered with gardens – remodeled over the last 20 years. Always improving, we find each year new standards for comfort and excellent friendly service. Cusin becomes another home! – not so far away!

Day trips keep us on the move to local homes where the family traditions of craftsmanship continue..…! Miguel Andrango the weaver in his new workshop in Agato; And the Music Maker, Nanda Mamachi who will craft a panpipe for you, then demonstrate how he can play every instrument on the wall!

octpic12NOW –  ADD ON AN EXTENSION TOUR!

New View Tours will assist you with:
Galapagos Tours & Cruises
Machu Picchu in the Sacred Valley, Peru
Arequippa, Peru
or try a river cruise in the Amazon Jungle!!

ECUADOR: March 9 – 19, 2015!

Otavalo

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Hacienda Cusin

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Room 22 in the garden

Download the plans for March

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View from my room looking at Mojanda mountains!

 

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Main walkway thru the hacienda!

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Room 2 – tucked in to the historic house

 

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Hand carved “shield” with symbols of dog paw prints, corn, windmill in the shape of the cusin beetle. Perge!

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The original 1602 courtyard of the hacienda

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Garden path to Monastario – always blooming!

 

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We didn’t see any condors this trip, except in captivity at the Condor Preserve! I think I’ll recognize one when the time comes!

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In balance on the equatorial line – again! Best on a sunny day to see the shadow of the sun dial.

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Sculpture by Ecuadorean Artist Victor Delfin….overlooking Imbabura Volcano

 

 

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Lee & Katherine with Peter Joost at El Refugio de Intag

 

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Say Yes to NoNo – a small town in the cloud forest

This little town is only 45 mins from Quito, tucked behind the enormous Pinchinche volcano! After finally leaving the city behind, the road turns to bumpy dirt with potholes; the landscape becomes mountainous and green with patchwork patterns of different crops dotted with livestock and people working. Then it is the town. A new restaurant is prominent: “Tierra del Fuego” run by Marcello, an Argentinian who prepares asado barbecue in the traditional way. Absolutely delicious in his new restaurant he built himself – with the help of his father!

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Marcello’s passion fruit chocolate sorbet – unbelievable!

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soup with potatoes, beans and a sprinkle of cheese cooked for 4 hours!

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Chef Marcello, our chef, and his bride! (I ate the entrée so fast I forgot to take the picture!

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Morning Walk through Cuenca

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Santa Lucia hotel is a classic colonial home – converted

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Judicial building

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The church really lacks its steeple from this point of view!

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Church with steeple 2 blocks away. Service in full swing at 7 am Saturday – full house.

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Modern Christian art – hand carved here

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This near life size angel looms over the entrance. Carving details are refined. She is beautiful.

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Another church

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Market will be back and bustling here in three hours

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A view of St Anne perched over the crack in the new cathedral – started in 1880’s and finished about 10 yrs later

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The new cathedral model in wood with towers

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Kids, maybe 8-10 yrs old walking to church this morning. All traffic is quiet, streets perfectly clean. Cuenca was isolated until very recently. This is a little drop back in time.

 

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Discover Cuenca

Cuenca is a colonial city with lots of church steeples, a mix of indigenous and mestizo peoples, and a few US ex pats running around in blue jeans and sneakers!

New Cuenca Cathedral

New cathedral of Cuenca

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Gold leaf baroque altar modeled after the Vatican – they say!

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Classic Colonial

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How to protect your Panama hat in the rain – they are all made in Cuenca.

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Historic area just outside old city limits.

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By Luis crespo Ordonez d 2004

Cuenca Art

By Luis crespo Ordonez

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Ortega hat factory

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Johnny Depp chose the one on the right

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Hat Machine using same process

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Hats drying.

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Variety!

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Straw from the coast is woven in the countryside

 

 

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Flower market outside the Carmelite church

Beautiful flowers!

Beautiful flowers!

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The new cathedral

 

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Don’t miss the March Tour!

We will have to close the March Tour this week – Hope that any of you who are “on the fence” will take the plunge and join us! Check out this amazing trip on the website.20150119Ramelle

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Quito Churches

The interiors of the churches in Quito are hand carved wood, painted in gold. It looks like REAL gold! The carved shapes are the local flora and fauna of Ecuador. The finish is naturally well preserved at this altitude where humidity tends to be less. Join us in March – let’s explore – right on the equator!

Quito Churches

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Planning for new views in 2015…

DecemberMap

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Travel Note from Ramelle

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January, 2015

Dear Friends,

As we settle into the new year, let’s take the time to dream of explorations – and make commitments to…GO!

Yes, it is the time to sign up for the March High Sierra Tour of Gardens and Trails in these beautiful mountain regions of Ecuador! We travel March 9 – 19: it will be a small group trip designed for artists, gardeners, flower arrangers, photographers, writers, and their friends! While I will accompany the tour, local guides will bring new views to you offering local perspectives and enriched experiences. An itinerary and reservation form are available: ramelle@newviewtours.com.

We take pride in offering trips with flexibility to accommodate your interests and activity levels – each day. Join us for part of the trip-we will prorate your payment accordingly.
Single traveler? Please don’t hesitate to sign on! (Single supplement will apply.)
Reservation deadline for is extended to Wednesday, January 14!
(Hacienda San Augustin has only a few rooms, so we need to know your intentions now)

Our next tour is planned for September 2015 – thanks to artist friends in the region who have advised me on details for a fascinating exploration of the caves where the first artists created masterpieces of prehistory. Consider Castles and Caves from September 8 – 19. The focus is on the art as well as the architecture and lifestyle of the earliest artists and builders in S. France & N. Spain.

Your Reservation is appreciated as soon as possible as this is a popular time of year and we will pre purchase all tickets to avoid lines. Our guide in Les Eyzies is the author of Stepping Stones. Catherine Desdemaines Hugon is a respected leader, guide and authority on the region of the Dordogne valley. With a guide and private driver, we continue our travels driving by van to cross the Basque region and the Pyrenees mountains into northern Spain!

We are going! So just let us know if you might be able to join us. Find all the details in the pdf attached!

January 2016 will be a return to Patagonia, Chile. Several of you have expressed interest. This is a spectacular part of the planet. Be sure to add your name to the list now so we will design an experience tailored to your preferences! Early details will be ready in the next week!

As I am staying warm in the chilly Berkshires, I am also wishing you and yours many
Happy Trails!

Peace,

Ramelle

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Trips to Ecuador

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Gardens & Trails – Ecuador, January 20 31, 2015

Equator12 nights$3600pp

This January we embark on a new view of Ecuador entering from Guayaquil on the Pacific coast for 2 nights; then it is a day long journey through the southern Loja region for a gradual introduction to the altitude. Cuenca is a beautiful classical example of a fine colonial city; Panama hats, fine jewelry, Parque Cajas national park, as well as fine restaurants.

It is a short flight to Quito to explore the World Heritage capital city. We journey on the PanAmerican highway to the 1602 Hacienda Cusin for our tour in the high country, living among volcanic mountains and the large indigenous market of Otavalo. Ecuador is modernizing rapidly – past stories and pix at our gallery.


High Sierra Tour – Ecuador, March 9- 19, 2015

Hacienda Cusin11 nights – $2400 – with group of 12

From Quito. the adventure begins in the comfort of Las Palmeras Inn , a small hosteria in Quinchinche, near the famous Otavalo marketplace. We explore Intag, a remote cloud forest in a private preserve before changing cultures to visit Quito, the capital city and World Heritage site. We journey to Tambopaxi Inn in the Valley of the Volcanoes. (or upgrade to Hacienda San Augustin). Next it is Hacienda Cusin. We visit the rim of a volcano, see the condor park, explore leather village of Cotacachi & visit the weaver’s home and workshop.More time? Let us help you plan add on tours! Galapagos Islands? Amazon Jungle? Peru?

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August Travel Note from Ramelle & Michael

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August Travel Note from Ramelle & Michael

Dear Friends and Fellow Travelers,

Summer is in full swing here in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. We are checking our calendars daily to keep up with the summer performance schedules here: dance, music, theatre and art are all in abundance. Life is a bustle in the village every day.

With only a few short weeks left, we are looking ahead to two Ecuador tours in 2015: just click on the calendar section for details!

Wishing you and yours the very best,
&
Happy Trails,
Ramelle & Michael

Ramelle Pulitzer
New View Tours, Inc.

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El Refugio Cloud Forest

On the upcoming September 2014 tour, we return to El Refugio in the Intag Cloud Forest – on newly paved roads! Enjoy the link!  http://elrefugiocloudforest.com/ … this retreat will be an option on the March 2015 tour – absolutely beautiful.
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May Travel Note

nvtlonglogoGreetings Friends and Fellow Travelers;

Even as an experienced traveler, each of us can find packing is a puzzle – sometimes fun and other times simply overwhelming! I looked to Independent Traveler for advice, and wanted to share a few notes on what one should WEAR and NEVER WEAR when traveling abroad. To keep you and your belongings safe, this author has a variety of suggestions; including:

  • Avoid carrying backpacks and heavy hanging cameras;
  • Keep clothing simple, neat, without excessive color or any logos;
  • Find a café or quiet place to stop if you are in need of directions.

Read the article in its entirety for more great tips and tricks for a safe and comfortable travel experience:

(http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/passports-and-international-travel/10-things-you-should-never-wear-when-traveling-abroad)

And here we go again! Can you join us?

UPCOMING ECUADOR CUSTOM TOURS: 2014 – 2015

September 9 – 19, 2014 – Cotopaxi to Cotacachi, Ecuador

Sightseeing and day hikes – join us before prices go up in 2015! It is a “quieter” season in September. Beautiful weather!

January 20 – 31, 2015 – Cuenca, Quito & Cusin, Ecuador

A gentle tour with spectacular views of the national parks, markets and museums. We start at low altitude and gradually climb, leaving time to adapt.

March 9 – 19, 2015 – High Sierra & Cloud Forest of Intag

Gardens and Trails: Refresh and revisit the High Sierra of Ecuador. Tour the Intag cloud forest, practice yoga daily, and enjoy this custom quality group experience. A tour for those who prefer days full of activity, nights in front of warm fires, and plenty of options for individual choice along the way.

Look forward to hearing from you. For a draft itinerary, just ask.

If you prefer to travel on your own, we will be glad to book these arrangements at your convenience – just for you.

Happy Trails,

Ramelle

PS Hope you enjoy the new logo!

Ramelle Pulitzer
New View Tours, Inc.

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Patagonia Camp

Day 6, 7 & 8

Our days at Patagonia Camp consist of excellent meals, attentive staff, good drivers, good-luck weather, and interesting travelers who have also chosen this remote hotel/camp. Each night we pick what we would like to do the next day. An assortment of activities are organized!

We take a “half day” excursion to a private ranch where steep cliffs rise up from the flat river plain. We stride up the gentle side of the hill to peer off the edge of the precipice where the condors live and nest. See the pictures below.

Another day, the choice is not to drive anywhere. We decide to stay around the camp, hike the nearby trail to find good fishing in the glacier lake.

Another choice is to take a van for the afternoon to “miradors” that are view points simply spellbinding vistas. On the crystal clear day that Michael and Joan went, their photos are the best of the entire trip.

And at another time, Joan and Paul decide to take a hike along the desert mounds and plateaus to see wildlife: herds of guanacos; puma tracks, carra carra birds, calafate berries, traces of cave paintings, and finally rheas. A rhea is a small brown ostrich like bird that blends into the landscape.

And, as a finale, I joined 6 others from Patagonia Camp for my second trek to the base of the Torres and back! 11 kilometers each way! 12 hours was good time!! After I finished that trek, I know that I can do it again. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. The next photos are the best way to describe the beautiful days and nights at the Patagonia Camp – and how l will end this saga of 36 days of travel.

 Park entrance to Torres Del Penne - southern gate

Torres Del Penne Park entrance, south gate

 Hike to the Cuernos - The Horns

Hike to the Cuernos – The Horns

 Hike to the Cuernos - The Horns

Hike to the Cuernos – The Horns

 Condor cliffs

Condor cliffs

 photographing a condor in the cliff below!

photographing a condor in the cliff below!

 Here he is!

Here he is!

small tufts of vegetation survive winds and snow here

small tuft vegetation survive wind & snow

 thorny mounds where insects and small birds live

thorny mounds where insects & small birds live

Michael on the other condor cliff

Michael on the other condor cliff

 reverse view of the valley

reverse view of the valley

Ramelle

Ramelle

sheep farmers build fences here in the middle of nowhere

sheep fences in the middle of nowhere

brown fox sunning himself

brown fox sunning himself

Group of 9 who I climb with to the base of the Torres Towers

Group of 9 who I climb with to the base of the Torres Towers

 

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Perito Moreno Glacier – WAM!

Day 4
February 19, 2014

The Hotel Quijote wasn’t bad at all. We actually slept. Note to self: need more research and development on surviving tourist town – or avoid El Calafate completely.

Thinking we will need a picnic of some kind (as we did when we were here 3 weeks ago) I headed out with Joan to the bakery to find sandwiches before the 9:00 am pick up. The good bakery didn’t have sandwiches, but we could buy two small cubes of white bread with a bit of cheese and ham in there – pretty rude to the gluten free taste, but it was ok for the rest of us who might be hungry! With a little time left, we continued the search, hiking up to the main drag, Ave. Liberator, for a look around. One mini market had some long rolls in the window, so we bought one of those. They made it this morning, she said. (What “it” was became the question of the day!)

Joan and I are back in time to meet the bus. A warm welcome is offered from a young woman who will be our guide. The tours of Perito Moreno glacier are run by the Argentine national park service, and we find that they are done very well. We will hear Lilly all day – in English and in Spanish. As we pick up the other members of the group, we turn out to be only 9 of us – a couple from Spain, a single traveling guy from the US, and two others.

The long straight drive crosses again along Lake Argentina. The bus is quiet, but our guide does a beautiful job keeping the information flowing. The lake is the largest in Argentina; then comes Titcaca and then Bariloche. (Michael and I have been on all 3.) This one is 100 kms long and 20 kms wide. It is filled by glacial run off in a dry landscape and it doesn’t freeze because of the climate and because of the sediment from glacial run off. The lake is deeper than sea level at 300 meters here in the valley. It has perch and moyen and trout.

2 hours on Rte 11 is 80 kilometers. This road to the glacier opened in the 1960’s. The area became a world heritage site in 1981.

A water tank drives by leaking water all over the road. The moisture evaporates instantly. White sheep, black matella shrubbery & occasional guanacos & rheas dot the flat landscape. Above, enormous thick clouds blow into wild stripes that signify the wind up there – not the weather down here. Here, it doesn’t rain! Nonetheless, somehow, the road has a natural border of flowers lines the road. There are small white ones that are whipping about in the wind, and rows of red leafy grasses that make their distinctive undulating patterns. The wind keeps it all moving. It is flat and it is moving.

Hours later, in the national park, we stop at a Mirador! Just like the guidebook! The glacier is beautiful. It is moving 2 meters a day in the middle and 50 cms a day on the edges which means ice is falling off the massive cliffs with thnderous crashes all the time. This is called calving.

We learn how young Moreno, an expert climber, came here at age 25 in 1877. He didn’t see the glacier! but he was honored later for his work marking the borders with Chile that were established by 1902. (Barros Arrano was the Chilean representative).

IMG_2317This is the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It is in a huge depression surrounded by the Andes. 30% of this is in Argentina. Like Upsala Glacier, it snows most of the year here.

Onward to the most spectacular mirador where we walk on balconies built on an entire hillside for viewing the glacier from various angles. The longer we watch, the more fascinating it becomes. There is even an elevator to take us to lower levels if we prefer to avoid the ramps or the stairs. WAM!

There is a cafe here and a gift shop. The food line is enormous. We eat our sub sandwiches. It looks like shoe leather. We called this “lig” when we were served similar stuff at school. We weren’t hungry. And we didn’t get sick!

We appreciated our guide, our day, and by now our other co-travelers as we weave back to our hotel.

Perito Moreno Glacier from the Mirador (outlook)

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These peaks will calve at any moment

These peaks will calve at any moment

The glacier is moving towards us-faster in the middle section

The glacier is moving towards us-faster in the middle section

 Impossible to walk on These surfaces - larger than Buenos Aires in area

Impossible to walk on These surfaces – larger than Buenos Aires in area

Joan & Paul watch the ice as it calves!

Moreno Glacier is crawling toward the land mass!

Moreno Glacier is crawling toward the land mass!

Lenge tree starting to change color for the fall!

Lenge tree starting to change color for the fall!

Lake Argentina is the largest fresh water lake in the country

Lake Argentina is the largest fresh water lake in the country

Torres del Penne Peaks in the distance - that is Chile

Torres del Penne Peaks in the distance – that is Chile

Clouds!

Clouds!

More clouds!

More clouds!

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Upsala Glacier from Estancia Cristina

Day 3
February 18, 2014

A Estancia Cristina for our second day! The landscape is beautiful here. Only those who come to the ranch will see this glacier, as there is no other access.

glacierThe excursion this morning begins at the relatively reasonable hour of 9 am after a lovely breakfast. Three 4 x 4 pick up trucks are filled with 10 passengers: 5 each in the back, 5 in the front. This is our group for the day. Some will make it a round trip in the vehicle. Others can take the downhill walk back through the Fossil Canyon to the estancia – about 4 hours round trip.

We bounce along a very steep and rocky dirt road for almost an hour, clutching the roll bar that runs the length of the truck bed. As the last guy near the back window, I share the view with one of the guides, Pill is her name. It is so noisy, I can’t hear what she is saying. Miguel, our guide from yesterday, is also with us in the other van. These two are extremely knowledgeable guides. Miguel will give us a perspective on the life of a glacier that is the best I have heard on the whole trip.

We reach a metal quanset hut brought up here 50 years ago – somehow – to provide a way to watch and study the glacier that was then this far down the valley.Now it is back on the other side of a lake. All the bare, scraped rocks here are brand new to the air – in geologic time! Inside the hut, we are out of the wind and can hear each other. Miguel explains the layering of snow, the movement of the ice, the balance of this environment. Some glaciers are receding, some moving forward and some are in stasis (Perito Moreno). While more are receding now, not necessarily all of them are; there are various signs of global warming, but some glaciers are healthy ones!

It is another 50 yards to the top – a breathtaking magical majestic expanse of rock and ice across the valley. Wow! The glacier looks like it hangs off the mountain.

Why are there glaciers here? Because It snows on these eastern slopes 300 days a year. The snow packs down into ice. The winds from the Pacific ocean blow over the peaks and keep it moist and cold all year. The snow mounts up to 1000 millimeters which is so heavy that it packs down into ice. Ice is clear with no color. The white is crystals, like snow, where air is still embedded; blue ice is when the air has been compressed, the molecules are dense and turning into water.

The wind is so strong here we can’t stay long, but we can stand up. Sometimes, they say, we would not be able to be on this outlook at all.

The Belgians are having a blast. Paul is recruited to be their photographer for the group picture. It’s pretty fun.”Click, click”

Joan borrows Paul’s raincoat to keep her warm, as he will be heading down in the 4 x 4 for a welcome afternoon of rest. Joan will hike in her latest new style of windproof walk wear. She is wrapped up with dark glasses, a tube scarf, several layers of fleece and down, and now a black raincoat! “Click”.

Our walk back through the morraine weaves us through patterns of rock scraped and polished and brushed as recently as in the last 100 years by ice. The fossil canyon contains, spiral shells and fish like forms from a distant age when when this area was covered by the ocean. Fossils of large shells and thin fish spines are left in clear relief. The glaciers came later to smooth off the surface of the rocks revealing these remnants of life along the ocean floor.

Sunbursts of living orange lichen explode on the rock surfaces. The dormant ones turn black, but they could regrow again as lichen.

In the lower elevations, we are in the lenge trees. Some have “false mistletoe” growing in them that is a mass of yellow, green and red spores. It can kill a part of the tree. Then there are the dead branches that sprout out of the green leafy parts of the tree trunk. This is where the trees are so old (+200 years) that select branches start to go dry and die while the rest of the tree continues to flourish. Looks like a blight, but it how they are.

As we make the 4 hour hike back downhill to the estancia, we chat with new friends who I will not see again, including the Belgian folks along the way. Fun folks who take trips together each year. The cheerful, chatty human energy is in contrast to the solitude of this place. The colors, the variety of rock, the patterns are completely unusual.

After a few WOW’s, we have to make up a new expression…for now it is BAM – beautifull, amazing, majestic!

On the last stretch of our hike, we follow loosely formed pathways formed by roaming cattle to a lake to enjoy our box lunch and salad. The soft ground cover is very prickly making us jump to our feet and move to the softer gravel beach. Plenty of time here to get a good nap after lunch. Siestas in Argentina are the best!

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Estancia Cristina

Day 2
February 17, 2014

Estancia CristinaEstancia Cristina was built a hundred years ago to be a sheep farm. It is at the edge of Upsula Glacier in the Patagonia National Park.

Our pick up is again early. We have seen on-line the location, the types of food and especially the daily offerings and look forward to it. Nonetheless, the long transfer is long, but we are good at long bus rides and long cab drives and long boat rides! The views turn out to be spectacular!

 

Estancia Cristina on Lake Argentina

The catamaran to the Estancia Cristina is very comfortable. Every seat is taken! Some people are going to the sheep farm for the day. We will spend the night.

Our seats are to the front in the reserved section on this crowded crossing.The boat hardly pitches, although the wind is strong enough to create big waves that side swipe us across Lake Argentina! A full arching rainbow is created from the spray of the water off the whitecaps

We “sail” by icebergs that are bright blue odd-shaped blocks that calved from the main glacier and have unique shapes formed by the wind. The boat circles around the shapes enabling pictures and extending the crossing to three hours.

orientationAfter a brief orientation on the megaphone, we shuffle down the plank to the penninsula that feels like an island. Several guides welcome us into the backs of 3, 4×4 pick up trucks retro- fitted with roll bars and seats in the back under camper domes. There are 20 rooms here in 5 cabins.

A troupe of 22 Belgian friends are laughing over lots of jokes. One of them is a politician. Their English is excellent. We chime in with some of our own political comments about what brought him here to the end of the world! Looking for one more vote? Is he holding a committee meeting?

We walk from the boat landing across a field and up to the estancia. It looks fresh with green rooftops shining across the expansive fields and nicely arranged outbuildings/ cottages. A central octagon house is the main dining area. We happily find our well appointed and well heated rooms a short walk from the main hall. Lunch is waiting – a buffet with at least 20 salad choices and three hot dishes. Drinks are included including beer!. Life is good.

waterfallWe have a short orientation by a guide in our language. Our first tour is one of our own choosing. It begins at 2:30 today with Miguel. Joan and Paul join Michael and I on a beautiful walk to the cascada, the waterfall, across fields to the North Mountain. We look for views of Fitz Roy. The calafate berries are gone from the bushes by now. The lenge tree and its cousin the nerre dot the hills. The wind varies, puffing uneven strong blasts. It is not cold, but I am glad to have the “tube” around my neck to buffer against it.

We reach the waterfall in an hour. The glacial melt from the warm weather last week makes the stream water run very fast and high. Water tears through the rocky ledged landscape to the 7 km (short) river that connects two fresh glacial water lakes. They are the color of milky turquoise because of the magnesium from the glacier scraping along on the peninsula – it is a dramatic mini landscape! The colors are very unusual to my eye and it feels like a magical place.

The story is that it was a Brit who came to Argentina with his wife in 1900. They had two children when Joseph Masters decided to bring his young family settle here in what is now Los Glaciares National Parque. The Masters Family had two young children by the time they came in 1914. The daughter, Cristina, died of pneumonia when she was 20 years old. She loved this place as we can see from the black and white photo of her on the wall of the sheep sheering barn. Her father named estancia after her. Because the family had no more heirs, the Cristina property is now a part of the national park. The family wanted to adopt a child who would continue the ranch, but the request was denied. We learn that a private company has a concession for the hotel (I can’t find a company name anywhere?)

The family’s belongings are set up in the old tin roofed sheep shearing barn that has a small sign “museum” on the door. Their original wooden house was destroyed by a fire years ago. A guide opens the building for us. There is a long sheering machine, a work bench of tools, and remnants of the family’s furniture that were left after the family house burned down.

 estancia crisitnaHorses are corralled nearby in a stable. They are released and let free in the winter to fend for themselves out here! A colt named Miracle roams the grounds, grazing on her own. She is growing up and may have to be constrained since she is starting to buck when visitors pat her!

With only an overnight bag here, the welcome shower is a pretty simple story – a change to a clean shirt- not much to notice! But MP and I agree that it is the best shower we’ve had “since we left home”!

estancia CristinaMichael and Ramelle

 

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Patagonia Redux

Day 1 of Trip 3
February 16, 2014

We are planning a trip to Patagonia to see the Chilean National Park to experience the mountains, the lakes and the glaciers on these long summer days on the 50th parallel at the tip of South America.

flyingWe fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, a small tourist town. Here we meet our friends and fellow travelers Paul and Joan Kopperl from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. In a few short hours, we are on the landing strip of the farthest southern point I can imagine! El Calafate airport has a mural map depicting the complex geography of the national parks, the lakes and the long straight roads that connect this small town to the other towns, trails, boat landings, glaciers, and camps. Camps here can be any level: from primitive tent compounds to expansive five star hotels. Stay tuned – more to explore!

transfer

A driver is waiting with a small van that we fit into nicely. Off to our hotel down the straight, unadorned open road without curves; it is a barren landscape of windswept desert. It is mid-summer here. These plains must be snowy cold in a few months! We see a few guanacos (wild llamas) and a rhea (small ostrich) across the pebbles, blending right into the landscape. There may be a carra carra bird, sitting along on the ground. There are sheep, herds of sheep that look like the large white river rocks against the dirt. There is Lake Argentina, the largest lake in the whole country. And there are large patterned clouds floating against bright blue sky. Analogies to Texas or Nebraska might be reasonable, but here there are no phone poles, no markers by the road, no guard rails, no green signs with white reflective lettering, and no exits. It is oddly soothing.

We know that El Calafate is a tourist town; the place for transfers, barbecue or lamb stew dinners and tourist supplies. I pick up another trekking pole (I left the first one right by my suitcase in the lobby at the hotel in BA).

We settle in to our hotel, and take a welcome walk into town a few blocks away. We wander the main drag, Avenue del Liberator, enjoy calafate berry ice cream – a bit like blueberry. (They say if you eat the calafate berry, you will return!)

museumWe continue our walk to the small museum. There is an informative video about glaciers and a history of the Patagonian peoples. In the museum, huge dinosaurs’ bones of the maladon (we saw the maladon cave last time) loom in one back room with plenty of examples of flaura and fauna. Michael orders a matte tea that comes in a traditional round cup with a straw – very bitter tasting to me – but the popular drink among locals.

 

Matte is a drink or more a custom begun by the indigenous people of Uruguay, that took a while to be accepted in Patagonia. Now widely accepted as a communal activity, with a singular host who fills the cup up and offers the warm tea like drink, one at a time to those around him. The receiver is expected to finish the cup and return it to the host who will refill the cup and pass it along. This sharing continues and if one is done and doesn’t want to receive the cup he again, he or she politely says “thank you” when returning the empty cup to the host.

We find a delicious dinner at El Cucheron (“the ladle”). Wait staff is friendly, menu features a lentil dish, a lamb stew (called locro) a fish dish and several other choices. White wine is only sauvignon blanc, as usual, and the red wine is malbec, as usual. All very tasty.

Patagonia rainbowbeautyglaciersmore majesty

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