Ushuaia is example of Hitchhiker’s Funnel. It’s easy to go there because cars from whole over the world is run down there, but it’s extremely difficult to leave that place because there is only one road. Road where on distance 300m is a lot of hitchhikers like trees who put down roots. Car by car I moved forward for example with major of Argentinian army who spend one year in Antarctica! Our talk went only to one: “You NEED TO run toilet at time, because if you will make things under you, you will need to scratch it with your skin”. Other time, when some closed guy from Lithuania, took best place, I warmed up near chimney from gas oven. Maybe that wasn’t so clever but there wasn’t rain, wind and was quite warm. And that I felt little dizzy is different story 😉 in windy Rio Gallegos I threw anchor in some patrol station which was a meeting point of whole groups of backpackers who are going south. I met there couple from France, Lithuania and Germany, and with last of them I camped on the other side of that patrol station near a trail of some guys from Argentina whoa are working with telecommunication antennas (did you know that highest this kind of towers can have even 300m?!). We spend so good evening together that they gave me not only food and drinks but almost job 😀

Last pic from Ushuaia and proof that end of the world is beautiful. Because when you have that kind of view on the other side of window, do you need TV?

Major with frozen smile after one year in Antarctica

Gerrman couple of backpackers…

… and argentinian guys from telecomunication. That night was soooo looong 😉

Next time I’m rolling to police control point where one from police man is calling me. “You can sit here, we will find you a car”. So I sat with Matej, guy from Czech Republic, who also used help of them, and we waited together 5 hours and our police mans stopped every car and asked if they are going in our direction. In Europe is almost impossible 🙂 Another night we spend near some patrol station in village (where is living around 100 persons) with name Esperanza – Hope. And only hope made that we survive there and wind didn’t cut our heads. And here also is starting our story with legendary Ruta 40. This road have around 5000km and is going through most beautiful parts of Argentina, from south to north. Together (Road 40, Matej, and driver of car carrier who tie our backpacks in clever way to hook), we came to El Calefate where we met all van of friends of my Czech.

We can wait and police will catch for us cars. Great!

Hope. Only this we had when we search cover for wind near sign 🙂

“Keep calm, everything will be ok”. Yhm.. but even that we looked in mirrors to watch that our backpacks are still there

Few words about them. They are group of guys from Czech Republic and Slevenia who are going for one month expedition to Antarctica! Matej promised me to send me stone from there 🙂 And how is with people from Czech republic – we even didn’t came to car in witch we wanted go together to National Park see giant glacier, they opened beers, cheese and pate, and whole car was fulfilled by “Ahoj!”. I felt like in Czech Republic 😀  Entrance to park cost 330 pesos! I gave that bills wet from my tears but I didn’t had to because nobody controlled our tickets! And I could just wait when they will “close” gate. But we paid and we saw giant glacier which want to melt but he can’t do it. It’s incredible big, you just want to take a little bit and make drink 🙂 When sun is going through him is looks like inside in some magic power. He’s grunting, cracking, crepitating like he will stand up and go somewhere. All the time is working, crushing and huge parts are falling into water with thunders like during storm and with moans of crowd.

In El Calafate there is absolutely nothing to see beyond huge mountain which is throwing shadow on all city. I didn’t though to much (really I didn’t) and I jumped on that mountain like dog on jam 🙂 I had plans to take professional equipment and bottles with oxygen but finally I took only plastic bag with meat can, bread, water and cookies. I didn’t want to pay 50 pesos to lock my backpack so I just threw it just into bushes and I went on azimuth. There is some trail but I found it on half way back, so I looked – mountain so let’s go! I almost died there 😀 I had death in my eyes. When I came back girl from tourist information told whole city watched how I climbed and they bet up if I will fall down or not. And she lost 20 pesos 😀 Nobody remember that any moron came on that wall there 😀 So you can write in Wikipedia – first reaching of that mountain on side from city! That was time to leave city. City where I slept 3 night on main square of city and nobody said nothing. I stand on the end of 300m queue of other hitchhikers and calm waited.

Oh no! He’s going to hike in sneakers!

And because I didn’t had a lot of calmness I quickly changed my position to city center from where took me taxi driver for free! Normally I needed to pay 550 pesos for that road (20 km!). On other cross roads waited 3 guys from France with ukulele, with who I came to El Chalten, Argentinian capital of trekking. ANDEAS! I wanted to walk there! I don’t know that mountains, I see high peaks and I wondering if I can do it. In race to socket guy with face of person who spend half of life in mountains, was faster, because as he told, he will go for two days into mountains and he need to charge everything. Ok I think, if you say so, maybe there is so difficult. I see equipment how people have here and I wondering what need to be up there if everybody have newest goretex, membrans, glasses, compasses etc. First I chose most easy trail. I felt there like in road into so small mountain so I chose most difficult from difficult which is necessary to report in office of National Park. That wasn’t so easy, I flashed a lot of sweat, but I made it in sneakers!

Best team from France ever!

When you’re going up than 3000m you need to plan your trip. With beer of course 😀

This is Miranda Bursztyn. Someone from her family was from Poland. But what is most interesting till we met she didn’t what her surname means! And “bursztyn” is one from most beautiful and expensive stone on whole world! And mostly u can meet them in Poland 🙂 she’s real Stone on Travel 🙂

There were traditional dances till sunset…

… and empty shelfs in shops at morning when tourists bought whole cans 😀

Tourists who had a lot of equipment and they looked like Terminators

Maybe I will be a little clever, but El Chalten is a giant vanity fair. People have all that things only to show it. I met group overdressed like on trip on K2 who waited in front of mud because they didn’t wanted to dirt theirs boots (500euro per pare). Me on sneakers (5 euro per pare) jumped on some wood, stone, skull of dead cow and I was on the other side. And they waited there I don’t know for what. And what is a moral from that story – it not equipment but man Is hiking 😉

In El Chalten I met a lot of people from Poland – Adam & Zosia, who are going through South America 6 months already, and Grzesia, who want to go around the world in one year. But the best from the best was Kasia and Andrzej who I met on camp in mountains when Kasia saw my polish t-shirt. They bought van in Chile and in one year they want to go through 3 Americas. We went together from mountain to theist vehicle where we ate some polish soup and drink magic rum which was a real vodka. In some way I came back up, I made laundry in lake, I took a bath there and in another day I climbed on most difficult peak.

Zosia & Adam after 6 months in South America

Grzesiek in road around the world

Kasia, Andrzej, traditional polish soup and cups with fire water

With my funny polish couple I met once again down, we came together to cross road, took last picture and said goodbye in Poland! We live 30 km to each other 🙂 To Chilean border I came with my first in my life camper! That was old bus changed for camper which is burning 20 l/100km 😀 That family is travelling exactly in the same places to take pictures in the same places and in the same configurations 😀 great idea!

On Road 40 I made more than 1000km so now I want to jump on the other side of border and go to Chile to meet legendary Caretela Austral. “I will come back here, I will not left it like that” how one from polish band is singing, so to Argentina I will come back to put back my first stone 🙂

I FOUND THAT ON ROAD: