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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 25, 2016 - 08:09pm PT
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... Travel guides, maps, etc. for climbing, trekking, and other adventures. National parks, wildlife, weather, and assorted other resources.
Is the "Patagonia Handbook" by Lucy Cousins any good?
How about Lonely Planet's "Trekking in the Patagonian Andes?"
How about "Patagonia on a Budget" by Matthew Morgante?
Other personal favorites, especially threads here on the TACO.
Jim Donini: Please chime in here with your personal recommendations and/or links.
Thanks so much!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 25, 2016 - 08:15pm PT
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First necessity is to read In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin.
Nothing else compares.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 25, 2016 - 08:41pm PT
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BooDawg! Of course, Patagonia is a huge area, but here is a link to my ST post on our hiking adventures around Barioche in northern Patagonia.
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Patagonia-Treking-becomes-a-Fritz-Adventure-Bariloche-Argentina/t10612n.html
I would also enjoy seeing more info on hiking adventures in southern Patagonia, that can be structured to what folks in the group want to do?
My best shot of a condor. They were always in sight, waiting for the weak to die.
And of course, with our minor skills at speaking Spanish, we very-much enjoyed the culture and the great food.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Aug 25, 2016 - 09:21pm PT
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Jim Donini: Please chime in here with your personal recommendations and/or links.
Donnini is climbing a 6000 meter peak in the Himalaya, so you ara not likely to get a response anytime soon.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2016 - 10:59am PT
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Thanks Reilly! I'm on my way to the library to see if I can get the book.
Fritz: Thanks for the photos and the link to your adventure.
johntp: Thank you for the info on Donini; I can be patient.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 27, 2016 - 11:40am PT
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I would add that since you're going that far take a little extra time and
visit Tierra del Fuego. It's very special in its own way and further off
the tourist beat. Besides, besides S Africa its the easiest place to see
pinguinos!
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2016 - 06:49am PT
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Thank you, Fritz for the links and for your maps; they help a lot.
Thanks, Reilly, for your advice on penguins; what a cute photo! I did get "In Patagonia" from the library and I'm enjoying it immensely.
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Sport-o-land
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Aug 29, 2016 - 07:43am PT
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I am assuming you are aware of Rolo Garibotti and Dörte Pietron's excellent guidebook and website for the Chalten region? If not you can check it out here. pataclimb.com
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 29, 2016 - 08:46am PT
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What nobody has mentioned is getting there and, more importantly, getting around within
Argentina. You have good options for getting to BA but after that it goes downhill fast.
DO NOT BE TEMPTED by the seemingly good deals on Aerolineas Argentina's web site.
It's the worst airline I've ever flown although I admit I've not flown Egypt Air or Wow. AA
flies clapped out MD-80's and to say their on-time record is spotty is a back handed compli-
ment. On a flight into Iguazu, that had been canceled without explanation the night before*,
our pilot did a couple things that had this pilot cringing. In speaking with a friend who flies a
private B737 down there I learned our pilot's shenanigans were probably not even legal.
Your alternative to AA for in-country flights is LAN/Chile. They fly MUCH newer equipment
and I can guarantee they have far fewer cancellations. They also offer packages of flights
there (and back!) combined with flights within Argentina.
*(quite possibly because they learned at the last minute that Boeing's Minimum Equipment
List for the MD-80 specifies TWO functioning engines)
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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Aug 29, 2016 - 09:46am PT
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It's pretty easy to get around down there, depending on what you are up to. I use Lonely Planet for nuts and bolts travel info. I flew LANS Chile and other random SA airlines and didn't have any problems beyond typical airline stuff.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Aug 29, 2016 - 10:16am PT
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Most important thing is that you bring all American cash
The exchange rate is twice in the real world what you get in the bank.
what does this mean?
are you saying bring American cash to spend in-country or to exchange for Argentine pesos in-country? I guess the latter
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Aug 29, 2016 - 10:51am PT
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I think you have to have a blue camalot.
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yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:19am PT
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Aerolineas has improved since Cristina left and her "cepo" that created the blacket market dollar in Argentina was finished with when Macri became president. The "Banco de La Nacion" in the airport in Buenos Aires will give you as good as an exchange rate as you will get anywhere. Be sure to bring your boarding pass and passport and expect to wait in line if you want to exchange there. Also, Americans no longer have to pay the 200 dollar visa reciprocity fee to enter the country, so that helps a little.
Have fun!
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yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
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Aug 29, 2016 - 12:15pm PT
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By the way, climbing equipment and stuff like tents, sleeping bags, etc. are outrageously expensive here (for example, a three person Marmot tent I recently bought on sale at Mountain Gear in Spokane for about 180 dollars plus tax costs over 500 dollars here). So there is the possibilty of selling your gear when you leave and getting enough money to replace it with new equipment when you get home. This is especially true for equipment like the blue Camalot (so bring it and sell it). Since the "cepo" is over, you won't have any problem changing your pesos back to dollars when you leave (when Cristina was president, this was not possible except on the black market).
Cheers
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2016 - 12:39pm PT
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Thank you, Mikey, for the recommendations and for the link to pataclimb.com.
Thank you so much, Radical, for the GREAT PHOTOS, for the offer to talk (I'd love to talk with you, but today isn't a good day), and for your travel tips!
Thanks so much, ontheedge, for your GREAT PHOTO, and for your travel tips.
Ghost: do blue or other colors of camalots have barter value? Or are there other reasons for taking them? OK, I got the answer down-thread.
Yanqui: I so appreciate your responses and advice.
Anyone: Where are the best places to get decent maps of various areas and the overall region? Any oarticular maps that are excellent for the overall region or for specific areas?
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Aug 29, 2016 - 02:43pm PT
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BooDawg, A resource that we've used often is to review travel itineraries of guided tour groups particularly if you have specific areas or destinations in mind. You can also glean from them travel logistics between locations, places to stay, eat etc., all very helpful for making your own self guided trip.....enjoy!
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2016 - 07:04pm PT
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Radical: Did you just want to send it to me? Or do you want $50 for it?
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john hansen
climber
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Aug 29, 2016 - 08:13pm PT
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You heading down this winter?
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2016 - 01:27pm PT
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Thank you SO MUCH, Radical! Since your P.M. on this site is disabled, you can send it to me: Ken Boche, P.O. Box 2312, Mariposa, CA 95338.
Hi John! I'm in a planning phase. It'll be summer down there, such as it is. For a tropical trip, perhaps Cuba for a month, before Christmas. Maybe Patagonia after New Years. We'll see...
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