El Calafate & Perito Moreno Glacier

Arriving in El Calafate didn’t take long from El Chalten and as it was just turning dusk, we were treated to a beuatful sunset over the mountains. The bus was comfy and not too crowded. On arrival at the bus terminal the light over the mountains had faded leaving a hazy orange glow over the city. On first glance it looked like a fairly large city compared to the smaller dwelling of El Chalten and one could see when entering from up high that this was quite a populous place judging by street lights and buildings. As always getting off the coach, our first priority was to find the hostel and foolishly instead of checking the map we followed the crowds down the steps and through a pretty little artesan passageway to the main highstreet. Having not seen real civilization or any sort of substantial urbanization for a while, it was a bit of a shcok to the system to get to the highstreet and see parilladas and a huge great big casino. It was only after wondering around for a while and asking some directions that we realized we’d gone totally the wrong direction from the bus terminal and we needed to go back up the steps with all our bags and then to make things worse, half way up a hill overlooking the city. This was really hard work but it was a nice view from up there and the sun was still setting over the mountains which engulfed the city in an array of colours. When we finally arrived at the hostel (strangely called iKeuKen), we were greeted by a nice woman who took us through all the details of the local sites, namely the Perito Moreno glacier which we were definitely going to although she tried to sell us the extras such as a boat trip to other glaciers or the walking on the glacier but we just agreed to keep the cost down and just book the trip to see the glacier for 9am the following morning. After settling in with a nice cold Patagonia beer and just missing out on the bbq that they did for guests at 40pesos each, we headed to bed in anticipation for the big day ahead. Steve had confirmed with the woman at the hostel that we had a place on the bus for the next day.

Arriving at the bus station, we had to pay 80 pesos for the 2 hour bus journey and on the bus we were required to pay a further 75 pesos for entry into the national park. This was well worth the cost when you see the superb sites of the lakes and mountains and then eventually the glacier. The weather was just perfect with clear blue skies and the occasional cloud and stopping for photos on the way to take pics of the glacier from a distance allowed for a complete view of the whole thing sliding and winding like a giant slug between the mountains. It certainly was a unique and quite breathtaking sight and most definitely worth a closer inspection. When we reached the glacier we were given the option of either just walking the balconies to get views from different perspectives or to first get close to it on the ferry which the bus driver highly recommended so we all opted to pay the extra 50 pesos for the ferry and then walk the balconies.

The ferry proved to be worth the money as the sight of the glacier from close up was simply amazing and unfortunately no words or pictures can sum up the sheer scaleand beauty of the thing. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves to see good old mother nature at it’s best. Having studied glaciers, solifluction and glaciation a little at uni it was of even greater interest to me although unfortunately I couldn’t remember much as at the time I wasn’t terribly interested in the movement of glaciers but now one was in front of me, it was one of the most amazing natural things I’d ever seen and I wish I’d paid more attention. On close proxitmity to the glacier in the seacat we could see the every detail, every jagged shard and fissure standing there like a giant wall of ice. This was not a stable wall however, it was alive and moving all the time. 

I was shocked to hear a colossal bang at one point and thought it was a bomb going off somewhere but then when I looked, I saw that it was a chunk of ice about the size of a house breaking off and crashing into the water. This occurred frequently and even smaller pieces that came off were as loud as gunshots. It was cold by the glacier but the hot sun beamed down without any cloudcover so the propensity for melt and subsequent breakoffs was high. Obviously we didn’t get too close in the boat for fear of being crushed or capsized by a huge wave from a chunk breaking off but even from the distance we were at one could see the differing shades and textures of ice ranging from bright white to a deep blue (usually the underpart where a chunk had recently come off) and ranging from jagged serrated edges to quite curved and rounded edges. One part in particular reminded me of a giant foot coming out of the water with a shapely big toe and four snmaller ones next to it. 

Up on the balconies one could see the glacier from many perspectives and the paths led higher and higher so you could at first just see the face and then as you got higher you could make out the top of it. I was having a lot of fun getting shots from all perspectives and zooming in on shapes formed by the ice that I particularly liked. This was an immense piece of nature and a unique one worldwide from what I’ve been told according to those who have seen the glaciers in New Zealand you have to hike up a mountain to see such a thing and you certainly couldn’t get a boat to it. 

As well as the glacier, the lake and the colour of the glacial meltwater were something else as well as the beautiful mountain chains in the backdrop of the lake at the other end of the glacier. This truly was a spectacular and awe-inspiring place and I feel blessed to have been able to have seen it especially with such perfect weather as the next day it was grey and raining and the day after it was very strong wind so we were even luckier we picked the right day.

In total we were in El Calafate for 3 nights and on the last day I decided I hadn’t seen much of the place as it was mainly the glacier we went there for but I thought I’d go for a little wander down through the town and to the ecological reserve by the lakes.

This turned out to be a fairly pleasant walk where I saw all sorts of birds including the many flamingos that were there on the lake although unfortunately it was very very windy so I could barely hold the camera still to get any snaps. It was a nice walk around the park but just a shame about the wind. It must’ve all got where it was going as by the evening time we went out for dinner and it was completely calm again!

 El Calafate itself wasn’t anything too special although it did have some nice features such as some nice architecture and colourful roofs and houses as well as nice artisanal markets and gift shops along the main street. Some negative points however were that the quality of food had dropped and we were unable to find a good quality steak house anywhere and there were many stray dogs around that followed you. I had two scares with dogs (not strays) who were a little aggressive when I stepped a little too close to their property and one of them I was sure was going to bite me as it came at me twice but luckily it didn’t. The other was a huge Rottweiler that frightened the life out of me when I walked past but luckily a high fence separated us. Overall we had a good time especially due to the glacier and we met some nice people at our hostel.

Now on the us to Ushuaia, having got the bus at 3am this morning and travelled 4 hours already to a stop off point for an hour (a city called Rio Gallegos), we are now on the final leg of our trip south to the southern most city in the world. Probably another 12 hours including entering Chile briefly and reentering Argentina and a ferry crossing and then we’re there! Looking forward to seeing what the place has to offer having heard lots about it!

Patagonia

Perito Moreno, El Chalten & Journey

Perito Moreno

After about 14 hours on the bus going through what seemed like endless roads of bumpy dirt tracks we finally arrived at Perito Moreno (the same name as the glacier we were going to see near El Calafate) a tiny town with a supermarket, church, hospital and a few houses oh and our hotel. 

This was a real ghost town which seemed so remote and far from any other major city or town that it had been forgotten about by the rest of the world. Needless to say that there was no internet so we had no contact with the outside world although there was signal for our mobiles not that we would use them because of the cost! We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which was quite a good serving of steak and chips and then headed to bed which were luxury compared to the beds in Bariloche although beforehand I wanted to find a pharmacy as my foot was really hurting and I could barely walk on it and it had got worse but I was told by the friendly staff at the hotel that the one pharmacy in town would not be open now and that I should go to the hospital if I needed antibiotics or anti-inflammatory so I walked up and across 2 blocks as directed and walked to the hospital although it looked positively closed when I reached what I assumed was the front door as there was no sign of anyone, the doors looked locked and no lights were on but on walking round to see if there were any other entrances to no avail, I came back past the door and saw two people in the reception so I walked up and found the door was indeed open and on entry into reception, a nurse immediately came out to greet me and asked me to follow her. When I showed her my foot she cringed a little and asked the doctor to come along who proceeded to get the scalpel and burst open the pussy skin and cut the rest off with scissors! She then did the rest putting on 2 different liquids (think one of them was iodine stuff) and some antibiotics that was absorbed onto some bandage which she stuck to the infected area. She cleaned it all up and bandaged it up and said listo ‘ready’ with a big smile. I didn’t need to pay anything and it felt much better so I was very grateful. Getting back to the hotel I just wanted to sleep and the beds were comfy and clean which was such a relief as the most welcoming thing about sleep is the bed I find.

So now it’s morning and we have another 12 hours on the road down to El Chalten, the 2^nd stop before we get down to El Calafate where the glacier is. Unfortunately we missed the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the hands) hand paintings in a cave that are meant to be 9000 years old and are a UNESCO world heritage site but I just didn’t have the will to get up at the time and walk round a cave when I could barely walk as it was and the others weren’t going anyway. Some other time, if I’m ever in this part of the world again! Now perhaps I’ll try sleeping on this cold uncomfy, dirty bus which doesn’t even have a toilet!!

El Chalten

After another grueling 15 hour bus journey on what felt like the longest and bumpiest road ever and several stops at tiny little shacks for foo, to help pull a car out of a ditch and for repairs to the bus (it took quite a battering from all the rocks!), we finally arrived at our destination of El Chalten. 

On arrival outside what we thought was our hostel, we were told our hostel Los Nires was about 9 blocks away still! Just what we wanted to hear at 1am with a backpack weighing more than your body weight! When we finally got there, we were greeted by a nice woman and man perhaps husband and wife who showed us to our room and the man even showed us how to adjust the bolier in case we were too hot or cold at any time. It even had wifi (albeit very slow) but this was the first contact we’d had with the outside world for the last 3 days so it felt like luxury! After some painfully slow browsing and some juice I headed to bed which was extremely comfy and perhaps the best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages!

The next morning I woke at around 8am but decided to stay in bed a little as breakfast served til 9 and we were in no hurry as we weren’t leaving til 6pm. After breakfast and booking our bus from El Calafate to Ushuaia (the most southerly city in the world), we decided to explore a little. As for the town, there wasn’t much to see, a few roads with some shops, restaurants, cafes, hostels, hotels one ATM machine and a bus terminal. This place was learly built on tourism judging by the amount of hotels and hostels and tourists around and you could clearly see what the attraction was just by looking up and around. Despite my foot still bandaged and in pain I wasn’t willing to miss out on the views of the beautiful surrounding mountains even if it meant breaking through the pain barrier! On arrival the previous night I had seen the silhouettes and outlines of jagged mountain ridges and peaks in the darkness but had not anticipated the sheer beauty of what was on display this morning and so after lunch (surprise surprise they had steak but I had omelette for a change) Lee and I decided that we would take the hike up to Mirador de los condors (Watchpoint of the condors) which was only 30 minutes and an exhilarating walk it was too! Behind us were the famous snow capped jagged peaks which were now much clearer than they had been in the morning due to the heat of the day lifting the clouds and due to the fact that we had gained altitude. 

Unfortunately we couldn’t see all the peaks but it was still an exquisite site that was well worth hiking for. I say hiking but it wasn’t too strenuous and we both did it in jeans and trainers which perhaps was not advisable (every other person on the mountain had proper hiking gear and boots) but it wasn’t like we needed it, we did just fine. Once we had reached mirador de los condores, we agreed to go to the higher summit, Mirador de las aguilas (Watchpoint of the eagles) which was a further 30 minutes walk and again was well worth doing, we saw some amazing flora and fauna including bright orange butterflies although they wouldn’t stop for long enough for a photo and eagles hovering overhead which also were too quick for a shot. When we reached the mirador de las aguilas we were awestruck at the view as we had walked far and high enough to gain a view of the other side of the valley which was huge plains as far as the eye could see with exception to a huge lake to the east. Again from here you could go slightly higher to another peak which we did and took in some of the best views I’d ever seen for sure and I think the same would apply to Lee although he has been to many more places than I including the grnad canyon although he said it was certainly up there! I just couldn’t get enough of the jagged snow capped peaks, they were so distinguishable, some pointing out like shards of glass in a broken window! I just couldn’t take my eyes off them! The way back was much easier than the way up and I was almost running down at one point with the music in the ears and wind behind me. My feet suddenly had a new lease of life and I didn’t even notice the right one being dodgy. On return to the hostel, I just removed the bandage, cleaned it, used some antiseptic wipes and put a plaster on it. Hopefully it will heal ok now. Anyway enough about my feet, I’m sure no one wants to hear about them! So that was great, very much an enjoyable and exhilarating experience, just breathing in the fresh mountain air filled me with energy! Being up there having just finished my book made me think back to the reference of the book talking about being in places of extreme natural beauty are huge sources of energy and can fill you with energy which I could actually relate to up there!

Now on the way to El Calafate on the relatively short 4 hour journey where we will stay for 3 nights and where we will take the excursion to the amazing glacier (Perito Moreno) which I’m really looking forward to! This bus is luxury compared to the last one we were on for 15 hours; it even has a toilet and a TV!!

Bariloche

3 meals, 3 movies and a 20 hour journey later, we arrived in beautiful Bariloche in the heart of Patagonia. The views during the drive had been wonderful with lowland plains of pampas grass giving way to progressively larger and larger mountains as we approached the foothills of the Andes. For those who haven’t a clue about the geography of Argentina or simply can’t be arsed to look at a map, we had travelled west from Mar del Plata (on the east Atlantic coast) all the way across country heading south west to Bariloche which is beautifully located between huge mountains and lakes. On arrival here I was pretty taken aback by the whole place and would probably say that it’s one of the most naturally exquisite places that I’ve ever been. Taking a short cab journey to our hostel the Marcopoloinn the driver told me that the weather was quite changeable and the winters always brought snow but the weather we had was perfect, the sun was shining and there were no clouds in the sky although when the wind blew it was a little chilly. Marcopolo was a fairly good hostel with the added incentive of free dinner and it’s own bar and pool table we didn’t think we could go wrong although the free dinner turned out to be pretty gross and so we mostly opted to eat out anyway!

When checking in we were asked to tick boxes regarding activities that we might want to do whilst in Bariloche with options such a white water rafting, kayaking, horse riding, trekking, mountain biking, paragliding and I just ticked them all as this was our first opportunity to get out and experience the great outdoors although in reality we had neither the time nor the money to be doing all of it. After debating the idea of doing rafting, the guys decided they weren’t going to do it as it was a full day and it was 360 pesos which isn’t much in sterling but when you’re on a tight budget travelling it’s a lot so unfortunately I had to decline also despite hearing rave reviews from all the other guys in the hostel who had been. Instead we decided on the kayaking on our first day. Kayaking was great fun, after a short drive in the minibus we were there at a great big lake and after a short induction we were ready to go. I got paired up with a guy from the US called Sam who was apparently my American twin although I couldn’t see it. Luckily during our short induction we had been taught what to do if we capsized which I didn’t pay too much attention to as the water looked calm and I’d been before with my sister and we hadn’t capsized then. I even boldly said to the girls who looked nervous, don’t worry it’s nearly impossible to capsize on this water and you guessed it, the only ones to capsize it were Sam and I! I still blame the photographer who was positioned right in front of us, blocking our way along the shore as we’d been asked to stay as close to the shore as possible so in an attempt to avoid him, we both leant left while desperately paddling to the right to avoid him and in we went. Although it was freezing cold, it was a quite refreshing and we were pretty much at the shore already so we didn’t have to swim too far. I would hate to have tipped it in the middle of the lake that’s for sure! So we were the bait of the jokes when we finally caught up with the rest of them having been leading up until this moment. During our tea break some of the others (all natives) began jumping in off a log which I thought was brave since having been in already by accident, we knew just how cold it was ( this was glacial water after all!) 

It was a nice experience overall and the instructors were very friendly and really nice guys too. On return to the hostel, we discovered the poor quality standard that was dinner and we also moved rooms so that we had 3 separate beds rather than Steve and I having to share a double for any longer than one night as his snoring really did not go down well along with the uncomfortable bed and one lumpy pillow! The room we moved to was worse as it was another one of those with the shower head just pointing down into the bathroom so to have a shower you had to get everything soaking wet whereas at least the last one had a bath in it. Anyway enough moaning about the room, the hostel was quite nice and the staff were generally very friendly and helpful and actually arranged the next part of our trip down south doing us a package for the travel and accommodation down to El Calafate.

The 2^nd day we all agreed to do mountain biking which was fantastic due to the amazing views although it was quite tough going up some of the mountain roads but worth it on the way back down.

I’ve done a lot of cycling in my time but I’d say this was by far the most beautiful place I’ve ever ridden, I just couldn’t get enough of the place and the weather too was perfect! We even stopped in a small town in the heart of the mountains called Suise Colonia which was great as the place was buzzing as they had a festival going on and they had a band playing, entertainment, toffee apples, popcorn, markets, beer tents etc so we enjoyed having a deserved break from the cycling to immerse ourselves in the town festival. On arrival back at the bike hire place (the last part was all uphill) we were all pretty exhausted having cycled probably 35kms in mountains but we were determined to see the 1^st point of call which we had apparently missed called Cerro Camponario. This was a place that Sam my kayak buddy had told me about because it had amazing views in all directions from the top which you could get to either by hiking or taking a ski lift.

Unfortunately on arrival we found out they had just closed so we decided to return the next day. On the way back we experienced the horribly cramped bus situation, it seems that from 18km where the bike place was to the centre everyman woman and dog wanted to get this bus so I was literally squashed like a tinned sardine, I’ve never been on such a packed bus, it seemed the driver was determined to squeeze as many people as possible onto it and no matter how squashed everyone was, he was going to keep stopping and letting more people on until eventually it was so full the doors wouldn’t open! Later we realised that this wasn’t a one off and these buses were always rammed to the rafters so you just got to deal with it and get comfy while you can!

The next day we decided to just have a chilled day and after wandering around the town centre for a while and eating, Lee and I decided to get on the beers and go and sit out on the balcony at our sister hostel as it was a lovely day. Bariloche is not terribly big and once you’ve seen the civic square and it’s nice clock tower and nice wooden designed buildings (unfortunately not in keeping with the rest of the city) and the cathedral, that’s pretty much it for sights to see in the city so we headed to the balcony to have a few beers. This was by far the best view I’ve ever seen from a hostel balcony although you do have quite a climb of 3 sets of steps to get up there but it’s worth it when you finally reach the top. It pretty much looks out on the city but the view straight ahead is across the huge lake and to the mountains in the distance. To top it off just inside where you can still see out, they have a large plasma screen tv and sofa so this is where we went to watch all footy games. On this occasion we met Stav, a nice Israeli girl who asked Lee where he got his tattoo (which incidentally he’s having removed or trying to) as she wants the same one on her back. After chatting with her for a while, it turns out she was travelling alone so we invited her to tag along with us for dinner (as we were sick of the tripe being served in the hostel) or rather she invited us as she apparently had found the best steak house in town and had eaten there for lunch and dinner every day! So after a day drinking and enjoying the sun, we went for steak and indeed it was one of the best steaks we’d had and Lee even said it was the best restaurant he’s ever been to so special thanks to Stav for introducing us to the place.

Having eaten well there was a glimmer of hope that we might sleep well too but no chance of that in this hostel. I even got my sleeping back out and used it as a pillow for extra comfort which didn’t make a great deal of difference but seemed to help me sleep a little. Apparently I too had been snoring the past couple of nights but I think I’d put this down to the fact that I had and still have a terribly sore and inflamed throat. Poor me hey! Oh and my foot has swollen the size of a football due to the new blisters and cuts I seem to be acquiring every day (think the cut on my heel came from capsizing the kayak and cutting it on rocks) but anyway I should just get some antibiotics perhaps or at least some soothers for my throat! So after another night of disjointed sleep we got up and decided to go to Camponario and check of this view that had apparently been voted by the national geographic as in the top 10 best views in the world so it had to be done! Unfortunately the weather had changed and it was slightly cloudybut the view was still amazing and the ski lift up was a fun and worthwhile experience too. Once up at the top, there are amazing panoramic views from all angles and you can see for miles. There is also a good selection of wildlife with birds of prey hovering just above and lizards all over the rocks as well as brightly coloured orchids and flowers. Just a beautiful place of nature and well worth seeing for 30 pesos there and back. This was our last day in Bariloche and so we thought we’d have alast supper our newly discovered steakhouse. First we went to the balcony hostel to watch Milan v Man U in the champions league where we met Graham, a nice Welsh guy who also was travelling alone (had been teaching English as a foreign language in BA) so we invited him to tag along too which he agreed to. So we all went for dinner together, had good steak and a good laugh and afterwards we went for drinks in the hostel bar. It was nice meeting 2 new friends who were genuine nice people and I’m sure we’ll all hook up again at some point. Well Stav is flying down to Calafate today which is our destination but we’re bussing it so we’ll be delayed but if she waits which i think she will then we’ll meet again. Graham is going to Brasil but will be in Colombia at some point so maybe I’ll go and meet him there since I’ll be on my own too. Steve has just confirmed he is nearly broke so he’s booked his flight back from Santiago so we don’t have much time left with Steve unfortunately and then after Paraguay, Igazu falls, Lee is heading back to Rio so I’ll be left alone L unless I go with him but I feel I have more to see and wouldn’t mind doing Machu Piccu!

Anyway so now we head south of Bariloche on a 12/13 hour bus journey through the beautiful Andes the heart of Patagonia towards El Calafate although we have a couple of stops on the way. It’s getting colder! Soon we’ll be reaching the glacier and all the lugging my big waterproof anorak will seem worth it I’m sure!