Most of what we saw of the Patagonian flatlands was from the window of a bus as we followed long straight roads, over featureless brown expanses, which ended abruptly against a steep wall of mountains.
Much of it seemed empty, even lifeless, but every now and then we would pass a man, a horse and a couple of dogs...
or an isolated building, with a water source and a wind powered pump.
As so often in our travels, we were heading for the mountains, in this case the southern Andes. In them we found some of the most spectacular peaks that we have ever seen. We felt proud and grateful that the most beautiful mountain of all (in our view!) is named after Vice Admiral (or as he was when he visited Patagonia, Captain) Fitzoy. It is a worthy monument - what a pity his own people could not have shown the same respect for his outstanding achievements. Mount Fitzroy soars like a cathedral.
We stayed at its feet in the tiny Argentine frontier town of El Chalten. With dirt roads and only 300 permanent inhabitants it was one of our favourite places, not least because of the wonderful walking trails that led up into the surrounding mountains.
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The area around El Chalten is a National Park and the wildlife is quite unafraid of people, so we were able to get incredibly close to these young woodpeckers.
We were surprised to find that a species of parrot (the austral parrot) thrives in these extreme southern climates. We watched them taking their morning bath...Brrrr!! Chilly!!
Not far from El Chalten is the Perito Merino glacier, one of the few advancing glaciers in the world. It is vast....10 miles long, with a total area of 97 square miles.
The colour of the ice is incredible...
and the glacier constantly creaks and groans and then calves great blocks into the lake at its foot with a mightly crack, like a cannon shot.
Near Bariloche the mountain tops were eroded into exotic shapes that looked to us like fairy castles and ancient watch towers.
The name of this river made us feel others might have had the same thought.......
Near Uspallata some of the mountains look as if they are still emerging from the earth's crust.
while others look like the work of a highly imaginative artist
