Patagonia - Perito Moreno Glacier and Cerro Fitz Roy Dec 16-20

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The next day we head off at 7am on the bus from Puerto Natales (Chile) to El Calafate (Argentina). It takes 5-6 hours and is fairly pleasant, border crossings included. I sleep and Ariel starts studying Portugese. He looks very devoted quietly annunciating the new phrases he is learning. Annette zzzzzzz. Annette´s cough is picking up and coughing spurts seem to last forever. Feels like we are moving fast on this part of the trip and it I (Annette) is doing 1 of 3 things; walking, sleeping, making logistical arrangements. And a bit of Spanish!

The small town of El Calafate is pleasant, a bit more developed than Puerto Natales, and we find lodging, enjoy lunch (milanese = shnitzel and it´s my first!) and pass a quiet day. Annette tries to rest as the cough is persistent. The next day we head to the infamous Perito Moreno glacier. A lot easier this time as we go all the way by bus.

We are in Los Glacieres N.P., a large stretch of national park across the Arentinian-Chilen border with numerous high peaks and glaciers. This is the most famous glacier. When we see it for the first time it seems to have come from nowhere. What does that mean? It surprised me. Here is this massive presence, extraordinary blue, tall, towering peaks of ice like narrow waves across the top. You can see the blue intensify and glow as you get a view into the crevices.

We take an hour boat ride along one edge and the driver of the boat seems very relaxed and the boat simply lingers about 300 m from the terminal face (edge). It´s very beautiful and people are taking loads of photos. How to best be present in the face of such an awesome sight? The boat lingers at various locations and we take it in. It comes very close to a big iceberg and gently butts the boat against it. I am wondering, was that intentional? People reach out to touch the iceberg.

We return to land and then get taken to another terminal face of the same glacier. This side a bit more dynamic as the glacier breaks off in thunderous chunks and there is a massive crashing in the water. As soon as we arrive at the lookout a huge chunk falls off and we watch in amazement as it thunders down and then pushes other submerged icebergs up out of the lake. It´s extarordinary to hear the sound and then see an after effect of other icebergs rising up out of the water. Even when a tiny part of the glacier breaks off it makes a huge noise. You feel it´s immensity.

I (Annette) have sadness about the glacier breaking off, and that it is no longer advancing. Global warming and I feel my bearing witness, whilst no doubt a beautiful place, is also sad. This is somewhat contrary to most others who love seeing it break off and cheer. Ariel assures me that even an advancing glacier breaks off at the terminal face and this is normal. It´s a spectacular sight and we stay there for over 2 hours.

The next day we take another very early bus to El Chalten, a town further up in Los Glaciers N.P. On route we stop for tea and cake at a gorgeous house. It feels idyllic. The mama bakes a range of incredible cakes, papa serves coffee and tea and in the garden is a baby calf and a baby huanaco a local animal like a lama. The calf seems tame and nuzzles at my legs! It´s very sweet!

Arriving at El Chalten is a bit disorienting as the town is still being built and is all dirt roads and a bit hard to orient ourselves. The dusty roads are swept up by the roaring winds, which seem to never give up, and walking along the street looking for accommodation is an effort. But we find a lovely place and then realise, whoa- there´s no bank or ATM and we have limited pesos. We spend the next 3 hours trying to solve this problem and finally change some travellers cheques, thank goodness!! The weather is grim but Ariel is committed to walking to a waterfall so I soldier on in the wind and rain. It is worth it when we arrive but I know my body needs to rest as my cough is still quite bad.

The next day we decide to do a big walk, up to the main attraction, Cerro Fitz Roy, and across the mountain range to the next main attraction, Cerro Torre. The weather is great and once we leave the town the winds settle. It´s a pleasant walk up and our first main view of Cerro Fitroy and her accompanying mountains is unreal! Again we marvel and swoon, there is an extraordinary shaped semi circle of amazing and diverse peaks around the glorious tall peak. The sky is clear and the clouds move across quite quickly. The clouds are sometimes shaped like orbs, small ufo like shapes. Perfect small ovals and unreal in their own way. We are grateful for the clear sunny weather and in a place like this, gratitude is necessary. We spend the rest of the day walking along small lakes and then leaving via the next valley, where the clouds have moved in obscuring the views. We are so grateful for the feats we had at Cerro Fitz Roy and her accompanying mountains that we feel well satiated, and ditto after another traditional argentine meat dinner. We´ll sleep well tonight, that was another 8 hour walk.

Annette v glad to leave next day the town with the awful winds, and this marks the end of the Patagonia trip. We take buses for 11 hours (and sleep back at our beautiful hospedeje Dickson where we drink beer with us at 1am, even tho´we have a 7am bus the next day, oy vey!) and say adios to Patagonia via a gorgeous plane ride over the Andes where the mountains last forever, it seems.

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