10 days in El Chalten

We arrived in El Chalten to introduce the boys to trekking. 

Patagonia, not a bad place to cut your teeth, although I think the boys' interest in a stunning glacial view is probably more transitory than ours, unless there is something extra, like a huge chunk of ice falling from a glacier, in which case their undivided attention is assured.  

We’d passed by La Leona on the way, where Butch Cassidy is reputed to have stopped during his bank raids in Southern Argentina with the Sundance kid. We made a note of that being a film to show the boys. (select "Read more" below to continue)

Back to basics in beautiful Cabo Polonio

Expectations were running high for our trip to Cabo Polonio although precisely what we were expecting was hard to pin down.  Our primary reason for going there was for Louis to have an adventurous and memorable 9th birthday.

You read about how there is no internet, no mains electricity or water and no roads, so you can only reach Cabo Polonio by a dune-riding 4x4. But in some way, focusing on what isn't there is a distraction from its real value.  People are there because they love being there, and its easy to see why. The two beautiful sandy beaches are joined by a rocky point, marked by a lighthouse and home to one of the largest sea lion colonies in South America.  The beaches are set at about 45 degrees to each other, so you are never far from the sound of crashing waves. Small colourful shacks, no two the same, dot the grassy landscape, seemingly in random positions, with the exception of those alongside the sandy path that passes as “main street.”  They all have a rustic and dated feel to them thanks in part to the Uruguayan government forbidding new builds. 

Cabo Polonia from the lighthouse

"Main street!"

The locals here - about 70 apparently - exude a certain calm and contentment. You hear varied stories of how people ending up here.  For example, someone who used to visit as a child and always yearned to return; a lawyer who jacked it all in mid-career and set up a charming little restaurant with pasta sauces better than we've ever tasted; a surf teacher who has lived and surfed all over the world but prefers to live and surf here; passing backpackers who decided to come here and set up a hostel of their own; and people born here who just never found a good enough reason to leave - everyone has a story to tell. 

And at this time of year, at least, it is peaceful and quiet - high season doesn't start for another month, so quite a few places are still closed. There's just one little convenience store, thankfully with a green flag fluttering high above it so you can orientate yourself, where you can get fruit, veg, water and other essentials for preparing your own meals.

Hostels on the beach

Cosy room with sea view!

We stayed at Cabo Polonio Hostel, a quaint, charming old place on the beach, some hammocks outside and an assortment of memorabilia to attest to the years of backpackers passing through. The small TV set on the sand dune in front is a reminder that this is indeed, "something completely different." There is a laid-back feel to the place, and the long wooden table outside encourages conviviality and sharing of travel stories amongst backpackers and staff alike. Somehow the gas-powered shower is all part of the charm, even though you irrationally fear it might explode at any moment when it’s lit. 
There is a tiny primary school with one teacher serving the five primary school age children that live here. Watching our boys writing their journals at the table in the open fronted hostel, occasionally looking to the sea for inspiration or distraction, gave us a momentary insight into the appeal of school here. 

The safari style 4x4s

We’ve not seen more than half a dozen people on the beach at once, perhaps less a reflection of the weather and more an indication of how few people there are here, even including those passing through.  The exception is when the big 4x4 safari style trucks occasionally rumble onto the beach, the occupants waving and cheering when they pass you, reminiscent of a school outing for some very lucky children. 

It has been a special five days for our family here. Ambling along the beach on long walks together, some lazy hammock time, some homeschooling (even in Cabo Polonia, sorry kids!) swimming and jumping in the waves, enjoying surfing lessons and sand-boarding, climbing - and drawing - the lighthouse, watching the sea lions play, whilst getting to know new people that both come and go as well as reside here. 

The highlight was Louis’ 9th birthday. After waking in our double bunked-dorm, and wishing Louis Happy Birthday, followed by a dozy rendition of the song, we opened a few small presents we’d picked up in a store in Montevideo.  Luckily, Sebastian, who worked at the hostel, had been able to arrange both a sand-boarding lesson and a surfing lesson, as we’d hoped.  Louis surprised even himself by remaining on his feet for much of both. To cap it all, the lady next door even managed to bake a lovely peach and chocolate cake for Louis at a day’s notice.  The candlelight rendition of Happy Birthday that evening as we brought Louis the cake at the table outside is one of his many happy memories from the day.

Louis’ memorable and adventurous birthday had been achieved, and he is busy writing his version!