Off-Track Backpacking » Argentina

Drinking Coffee Around The World

Tanya C — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:07:12 +0000

If there is one thing I look forward to when I wake up in the morning, it’s a cup of ‘cafe latte’. I prepare my italian coffeepot with espresso, put it on the stove, heat up my milk in the meantime and then mix the two together. Yum, yum, yum! It’s only obvious that I’ll try the coffee of every country I visit. Here are my top 3 countries:

Italy, Italia, Italie: The land of espresso!

Source: espressoplanet.com

Venice, Rome, Florence are all great cities in Italy but my highlight of Italy is drinking coffee! I was never a coffee addict until I lived in Torino for a few months. I turned into a coffee junkie after that… the rest is history! I do limit myself to one coffee per day but I have a few rules:

- It has to be espresso coffee (no filtered coffee)

-It has to be a latte. I spoil myself on weekends and make some foam with the milk

-It has to be Lavazza coffee

Lavazza coffee is a popular coffee brand in Italy, especially in Torino where it’s manufactured. As someone who lived in Torino, it’s only normal I grew fond of that brand. So every morning, I prepare my café latte, with Lavazza coffee. It’s truly a piece of my experience in Torino. It followed me all the way to Canada!

Argentina: “Little Italy”

What more to say about drinking coffee in Argentina? It’s almost like being in Italy. Buenos Aires is such a great city because it’s mix of South America in Italy. What did I do in the city? Sip coffee on terrace’s around the city and of course, eat Freddo ice cream. I must admit, it’s close to gelato!

Brazil

If you’ve visited hostels in Europe only, you’re used to very simple breakfasts and cheap coffee (for the most part). But things are different in Brazil. Breakfasts were all about exotic fruits and good coffee. Ok, so it wasn’t espresso, but it was so good, I literally looked forward to waking up in the morning so I could drink more of that great coffee.

Tanzania

The last thing I expected of Tanzania was good coffee but I must admit that I was really impressed by the coffee when in Tanzania last winter. I’m not a big drinker of filtered coffee but I actually enjoyed a cup of coffee every morning by the beach in Zanzibar. Most places offered Africafe, a real taste of Africa

Source: tzgoods.com

A Hiking Paradise for Backpackers: El Chaten, Argentina

Tanya C — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:42:56 +0000

Fitz Roy

What better than hiking in the Andes? Beginning your hike from a small backpacking town called El Chaten. For all you backpackers who may sometime feel like no one understands you when you’re home, El Chaten will make you feel normal to be a backpacker and a hiker! This small village, a 2.5 hour bus ride from El Calafate, is paradise for backpackers. The village was created in the ’70s to protect Argentina from Chilean invaders looking for land. El Chaten attracts most backpackers because of hiking and climbing opportunities in the area. There is only one ATM machine in the entire village so make sure to have cash when you arrive. There is one HI hostel, called Rancho Grande Hostel where you can stay at if you don’t plan on camping.

Laguna de los Tres, Fitz Roy. This is the most popular hike from El Chaten. Beginning your hike at El Chaten, you’ll be going up a difficult flight of “stairs” but then get a break by walking on flat land for a few hours. The view is out of the world. The most difficult part of the hike is the last stretch where you’re going up a steep rocky area to get to the Laguna. Well worth the effort and the view is incredible from up there. You can easily complete this hike in less than 6 hours if you’re somewhat in shape. You can hike it within a day but for more hardcore backpackers, you can hike up with all of your backpacker gear and camp overnight. The trail becomes much more difficult when carrying 40lbs on your back. Well worth the experience though!

Laguna Torre, Cerro Torre. This was my favorite hike. It was a 12 hour hike on the moutain with a guide. The hike began at 7am and we got back to El Chaten sometime in the early evening. It’s a more difficult hike than Laguna de Los Tres. We caught every type of climat. From sunny, to rainy, to windy, to cold, to snowing. There were a few steep areas where I thought I was crazy to even be attempting hiking this. The last stretch, right before arriving on the glaciers, was brutal. It was a hill with small rocks. Going down to the glaciers wasn’t so bad but going back up while your foot in sinking in the rocks and at this point it was a good 8 hours we were hiking already, I just wanted someone to carry me! It was definitely a physically challenging hike and well worth the price we paid for the tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and once again, the views were awesome. The first thing we did when we got back to El Chaten was get a beer at the Cervezeria. A tradition for most hikers after a tough hike!

El Chaten was definitely one of the highlights in Patagonia. If you plan to travel to Ushuaia, El Calafate or Bariloche, I recommend you make a 2 day stop in El Chaten. You’ll remember this little town for the rest of your life, garanteed!

A Beaver Story

Tanya C — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:50:35 +0000

While I was traveling in Patagonia two years ago, I found myself in the lovely town of Ushuaia. During one of the tours I took when exploring the region, I was told a story. A story about our Canadian friendly animal- the beaver.

For those of you who don’t know what a beaver is, the beaver is Canada’s largest rodent. Beavers have a thick fur with a flat tail. They live near slow-flowing streams where they construct dams out of logs, debris and mud. This animal was once considered most valuable for its fur during the fur trade in the 16th century.

This being said, in 1946, the beaver was introduced for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere when beavers were shipped to Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). 50 beavers were on their way to Patagonia because some greedy businessmen wanted to setup a fur trade in the area. There was one problem though: The beavers did not have predators in that region and so, the beaver population exploded. And now what? There are more than 50,000 beavers wandering around in Patagonia. And the consequence? The beavers are destroying the forests in the region. Dams are obvious when hiking in the region of Tierra del Fuego.

Lesson to be learned: This is what happens when humankind messes with nature to make money! We have no business moving animals accross the world to make money off of them. They’ll just come back and bite you in the bum for doing so!