Since leaving El Chalten four days ago my charted course has been all via bus (two overnights on the bus and two Hostel stops -Mendoza and last night here in Tucuman).
As I have implied before, the most difficult part of traveling in Argentina is the fact there are so few people who speak English and even fewer Americans.
In Ushuaia I met Brenda from San Antonio, Texas whose husband had given this adventuresome lady a gift of solo travel for her 50th birthday. Although we talked for fewer five minutes, I no less relished the conversation.
On the tour to Perito Moreno National Park, I made acquaintance with John Brennan, a New Zealand banker who now calls London his home.
Perhaps, the only ones conversant in English, we enjoyed an opportunity to talk with some degree of fluency and share our appreciation of the spectacular glaciers.
After we returned to El Calafate we made plans to meet that night for dinner.
It was Friday night and the NCAA basketball final four were scheduled to play. I had (earlier) found a bar where they could pull up the game and John kindly obliged me. (Thanks John, if we meet again we’ll do “sushi”).
A couple of days later on the trekking trail to Lago Torre, I met Lee and Youngju (the male) from South Korea and we agreed to trek together. Shortly thereafter, however, we separated; they went east and I went west (or at least in opposite directions). It was friendly departure we just disagreed on the correct trail. As it turned out we were both correct; the trails connected and we met once again to complete the trek (pretty cool!). _______________________________________________
When was the last time you saw a skeleton key door lock? Probably many (most?) of you don’t even know what I’m talking about; but, whatever, they’re annoying as he–. I’m somewhat relieved to find that the Argentineans seem to have as much trouble unlocking the doors with skeleton keys as I do. Probably most of the better hotels (or even the worst) have regular locks, but at $8-$18 a night my hostel is not the Hyatt!
