Buenos Aires to El Calafate

---

We had some more time in Buenos Aires before our flight to El Calafate in the afternoon. We headed over to the Recoleta Cemetery. I was expecting a Central American style of cemetery but this one has many ornate tombs and mausoleums. It is the final resting place of many of the wealthiest and important historical figures.

Just outside we saw a paseador de perro, a dog walker, walking many dogs for wealthy Rocoleta families. Not too far away at the United Nations Plaza is a large metal flower sculpture, Floralis Generica, that is solar-powered and opens and closes depending on the time of day. There was a link to Facebook online. Out of curiosity I checked it out; only 6 people like it so far.

Something that I thought was ingenious – in-your-face street advertising – people with advertising signs go into crosswalks when traffic lights are red; naturally you are drawn to the sign while waiting for the light to change. Not sure how effective it is in real life.

Apparently the exchange rate is better after 10:00AM. Thank goodness I didn’t need any more peso at the time because there were many people line up at pretty much all the banks shortly after that time.

On our flight to El Calafate, I had the first of many jamon y queso sandwiches. El Calafate is situated on the southern shore of Artentino Lake, the third largest in South America (1st Titicaca, 2nd Carrera). Originally land of the “Tehuelches”, It was named after the fruit that grows in the area. It started as a place of shelter for wool traders in the early 20th century, before it began to grow after the creation of the nearby National Park Los Glaciares.

The main street of El Calafate has the look of a ski-resort town and rather touristy, and a large casino stands out like an eye sore. Our place was near the outskirt of town, near the Reserva de Avifauna Laguna Nimez. It has a walking circuit of about 2.5km long, with many species of birds, including flamingos, black neck swans, Chimangos and many others.

A legend says that anyone who eats a Calafate berry will be certain to return to Patagonia. I had some calafate ice cream that night; we’ll see if ice cream works.

---

Photos

10
Reserva de Avifauna Laguna Nimez