Dr. Farmer Tries Hand At Travel Writing

Once in a while I have to write about where I’ve been and what I’ve seen. My son was a missionary in Buenos Aires, Argentina for two years. We decided to meet him at the end of his mission and show him parts of the country that he didn’t see while serving as a missionary. We were joined by our daughter and son-in-law.

Torres de Paine. First we flew to El Calafate close to Lake Argentino in Patagonia. The lake is a bright turquoise blue from the air and is surrounded by a desert landscape of dull browns and bright blue rivers.

In El Calafate we rented a car that could accommodate all of us and, beginning in the early afternoon, drove to Puerto Natales, Chile. From there we headed north to Torres de Paine, a Chilean National Park which National Geographic has on its list as one of the 50 most beautiful places in the world.

It was a bright clear day which offered spectacular views of mountains. As we approached the mountains, each view seemed to get better and better. I’ve been to the Grand Tetons and the Canadian Rockies, Yosemite and along the Na Pali cliffs on Kauai. Trust me, these mountains were other-worldly beautiful with their stunning, rugged and unusual shapes. Maybe there are mountains more beautiful in the world but I haven’t seen them yet. It reminded my wife of the scenery in "Lord of the Rings."

We stayed at a hotel on an picture perfect island on Lake Pehoe with a breath-taking view of the multi-hued Cuernos with a turquoise lake mirroring the mountains. We were up at dawn to capture the sunrise on the mountains.

The next day we took a hike past a roaring waterfalls, grazing guanaco, to another lake at the base of the mountains. Wow! A perfect hike with perfect weather. Everything was green and lush. Later, we drove to different sights around the park, seeing the mountains from as many perspectives as we could.

Perito Moreno glacier. This glacier field is accessible by car about an hour and a half from El Calafate. It has jagged spindles of ice at the peak of a 60 foot high glacier wall 3 miles across and 20 miles deep. The glacier wall calves (sheers off major chunks of ice) into a river that ultimately empties into Lake Argentino. The viewing area is close and dramatic.

We enjoyed a two hour glacier hike with an organized tour complete with guides, crampons, and instructions on climbing, descent and balance. The guides were crucial to our safety, keeping us away from crevices, sinkholes and weakened areas. The colors of crystalline blue ice defy description. Of all the things we did in Argentina, this was one of our favorites, if not the best.

Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Norte. The third leg of our journey in Patagonia was to the mountains on the Argentine side of the border. Mount FitzRoy is described as the "perfect" mountain.

The town of El Chalten is situated at its base. It took a long drive to get there but again, the journey was worth it. Trekkers from around the world come here to enjoy the scenery. Unlike Torres de Paine, the weather didn’t cooperate and the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds. Some of us took and enjoyed a hike that wound by a lake close to the base of the peak. We made it back to the airport in time to catch our flight back to Buenos Aires.

Iguazu Falls. After a day of attending church, meeting our son’s friends, and enjoying great meals and hospitality, we flew to Puerto Iguazu in northeast Argentina near the Argentine, Brazilian and Paraguayan border. This is the site of Iguazu Falls.

These have to be the best waterfalls in the world. They say the best panoramic pictures of Iguazu Falls are from the Brazilian side but this required an expensive Brazilian visa to cross the border. We chose to spend two days on the Argentine side.

Imagine Niagra Falls and then imagine two or three Niagra Falls side by side with many thinner falls, each majestic in it own right, forming a curtain of falling water in almost any direction. The walkways and overlooks brought visitors right there and provided fantastic views.

Another experience was riding in a 30 passenger speedboat on the river for photography shots in front of the falls. The culmination was, with everything including cameras, stowed in watertight bags, two runs under the falls in the speedboat with everyone getting drenched. What exhilaration!

Once in a lifetime. It is hard to compare the places we saw on this trip. Each were unique. The things we did were unique. If you want to see our ten favorite pictures from this trip, I can provide them by email at val@valfarmer.com.

There I got that out of my head, now back to work or whatever else I have to do.