Torres del Paine and the Cuernos del Paine Massif The Torres del Paine is a granite massif, often covered in snow and shrouded in cloud, that is amongst the world’s most spectacular landscapes. It is a 5 hour journey by transfer car from the Calafate airport in Argentina and a 5-6 hour trip by car or hotel minibus from the Punta Arenas airport in Chile to the Torres Del Paine national park in Patagonia. This is the quickest and most convenient way to get to the park. Most of the journey passes through open bushy scrub-lands and rolling grasslands with the occasional sighting of small herds of Guanacos. But once inside the national park the landscape becomes more dramatic with the Cuernos del Paine massif (and the partially hidden three towers, the Torres del Paine) dominating the surrounding low mountains and lakes like a fist that has punched through the earth’s crust. It is a remote and spectacular region with the feeling of isolation and foreboding heightened by the weather; unpredictable, cold even in summer with overcast skies that part only occasionally and a chilling persistent strong wind that blows from the west. . Inside the park there are two […]
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Boca junior vs River Plate- Football Argentina style Of all the regular football matches, the one that reigns supreme for atmosphere and excitement is the match between Boca Juniors and River Plate at the Boca stadium in Buenos Aires. Both teams were spawned from the same club over 100 years ago, but time has not dampened the passion, for the match is a re-enactment of the initial football game that decided which side would remain Boca Juniors and which side would have to leave and form a new club. To Boca Juniors fans a win would justify the original decision, for River Plate fans a win would reaffirm that an injustice was bestowed on their side. So this is a match of passion and honour rather than one of technical mastery. When I attended the match, I could feel the floor of the packed 50,000 seat concrete stadium flex below my feet from the chanting and stomping of the supporters. There were so many streamers that the goals were hidden and the colour of the grounds was speckled white. Near the end of the match a penalty was awarded to Boca, and many supporters turned their heads away or rammed […]
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Turtle Arribadas at Ostional Costa Rica . The Arribada of Olive Ridley turtles in Costa Rica is one of nature’s great events and is an amazing spectacle to experience. The mass migration occurs during the wet season from May through November starting approximately seven days before each new moon on the black sand beaches at Ostional, a small seaside village located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The first wave begins with a few hundred turtles coming onshore, with the numbers increasing rapidly over the next few days to a peak that can exceed 20,000 turtles per night. The numbers then progressively fall to zero before the new moon. Some of the locals believe that the 60cm uplift of the seashore by the large 7.6 magnitude earthquake of 2012, has changed the timing of the Arribadas. They now appear to start later in the night following high tide and last longer till dawn. However, nature is unpredictable and during a very large Arribada the turtles can start coming onshore during the late afternoon as shown in Fig3. Note that few onlookers are present as this happening was unexpected. Access to Ostional Beach . The beach is open freely to visitors up to the time when […]
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The Iguassu Falls of Brazil, aka Iguaza Falls of Argentina The Iguassu cataracts are the most extensive and by far the most impressive of the three largest waterfalls, that include the Niagara Falls of the USA and Canada, the Victoria Falls of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Situated at the junction of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the most common way the reach the falls is by plane from Buenos Aires to the Iguassu airport on the Argentinian side. There are two major sections to the falls ( see Iguassu map Fig1). The Iguassu Falls fig1, on the Brazilian side and the Iguazu Falls fig2, on the Argentinian side (each country spells it differently). Each side provides a different aspect and feeling. Those on the Brazilian side provide a panoramic view of the cataracts and allow close approach to the awesome power of the Devil’s Throat. The Argentinian side allows individuals to get very close and personal to many of the individual water falls through a series of board walks. Here the path meanders through a forest heavy with mists, and where the roar of the falls can fill the air.The forest hosts numerous butterflies and birds including vultures and Toucans. There are alligators […]
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