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Published: February 21st 2012
Pampa Sunset
Sunset over the endless pampas on the bus ride to El CalafateWe embarked on our 20 hour bus ride from Puerto Madryn to El Calafate at 7 pm. The double decker bus moved similar to a large boat, swaying with the wind and road. Equipped with our iPods and semi-camas (large seats reclining 150 degrees with a legrest), we bounced along; sleeping for about 7 hours through the night. As a girl who is slightly closterphobic and hates to not have control of her transportation, Chloe did surprisingly well. It wasn´t until the 17th hour that she began to have issues. Regardless, after endless hours of boring pampas, we arrived to El Calafate by 3 pm, greeted by sweeping views of the turquoise colored, glacier fed, ginormous Lago Argentina and snowcapped mountains behind it.
The town itself seemed to thrive on tourism and an alpine element. Everywhere there were offers for bus and boat tours, outdoor clothing and equipment stores, built with a classic log cabin fascae. Defintely a pricey place, but we had been warned that sourthern Patagonia had a reputation for jacking up the prices, especially in tourist destinations such as El Calafate. Our hostel was located 10 minutes from the center, on the crest of a ihll overlooking
the town and the vast lake and mountains in the distance. As we walked in, I heard the Flaming Lips, Matt & Kim, LCD Soundsystem coming from the speakers and knew immediately this was going to be a cool spot. The receptionists were definitely hip, with funky haicuts and sleaved up tats. They were super helpful, booking any tour or bus, answering any question and giving guidance to the area. The hostel also offered an all you can eat buffet parilla every night for 70 pesos, which I vowed to partake in at least 1 night. The rest of the day we wandered around town, bought lunch and dinner groceries, and went to bed relatively early.
At 6:30am, my alarm went off and we got up and ready for the glacier boat tour we had booked. The hour long drive out to the dock was nothing like the boring bus ride we took to get to Calafate; the beautiful lake and mountains kept me transfixed as we passed pink flamencos and guanacos, anticipating the windy boat ride ahead. The large ferry type boat, driven by an Argentinian Navy captain, departed the dock and entered the open lake, where the
ferocious winds created 5 4 foot waves. As we charted through the lake, everytime we would drop over a wave the boat would dive, sending water gushing over the bow and spraying the captain´s window and the 2nd floor deck. We were fully protected and safe inside the main passenger deck, but it was still impressive. With every wave, all the German and French tourists would exclaim, ''Uoooo!!'' like Julia Childs. Chloe on the other hand, would grab my arm and look at me with the most frightened look on her face, asking repeatedly, ''This isn´t normal, are we safe?!'' Eventually, we made it through the main channel, entering calmer water with mild wind, whereupon we were allowed to roam the boat freely, accessing the 2nd floor deck to check out the icebergs floating around the lake. As we got deeper in the channels, the icebergs got bigger and more impressive. We passed the Upsala Glacier from a distance of a few kilometers, not really being able to appreciate the magnitude of the 60 km long, 6 km wide glacier. It has been receding rapidly due to global warming, clogging the channel with big and small icebergs, impossible to navigate.
However, we were able to pass the Spegazzini Glacier from a football field distance, admiring the crazy cool formations that glaciers make, watching big chunks of ice fall from the face, making for an amazing spectacle. As we headed back, I was on the top deck taking pictures of the stunning panorama, when we dropped over a large wave, immersing the bow under the water, popping out through the next wave, Chloe had been warming herself inside the main deck, and thought that by the force of the drop, I may have been tossed of the boat. A few minutes later, I came down to warm myself and saw Chloe´s concerned face relax. I hadn´t felt anything abnormal, I guess the deck on the captain´s level rides much smoother. 8 hours after we had left the hostel, we returned, suprisingly tired even though we hadn´t done anything strenuous.
The following day we got up early again, this time with a glacier trekking tour booked. We drove a similar route as the day before, but veered east for the last 30 minutes to reach the boat we would take to Perito Moreno. As we wound around the coast approaching the
dock, dipping through old cyprus and oak forest, the view cleared, allowing us to see the vast blue beauty of the glacier. The size and clarity of Perito Moreno became real once we crossed the calm, but windy waters to the foot of it. The guides greeted us, gave us some background info, and began to direct us through the forest and beach leading to where we would commence the trek. At one point, while we were on the beach facing the glacier as our guide explained how glaciers move and work, a 25 foot chunk of the 40 foot face broke off, crashing into the lake below with a loud BOOM reverberating off the wall, sending waves in all directions. It was simply spectacular to see, but I guess it happens all the time, since the guide paused for a moment, and continued on with his schpeal. Soon there after, we walked to the cramp on station, where they strapped us in and explained the basics of how to walk, use, and trust the spiked platforms. Before we knew it, we were trekking along the glacier, up and down the steep faces, stopping periodically to check out the view,
drainage holes, or drink from the deliciously fresh and cold streams running down. Standing on a glacier, looking along the plain of jagged ridges, peaking down deep drainage holes and seeing every shade of blue imaginable, then looking back at Lago Argentina and the green goast surrounding it are images and experiences I will never forget. Simply breathtaking. To finish it off, back towards the base of the glacier, the guides busted open some bottles of Jameson, chipped some ice off the glacier, and served us one of the finest glasses of whiskey I can remember sipping. Once off the glacier, we had onver an hour to relax, wander through the forest trail, eat some food, and watch small pieces of ice fall from the glacier.
After ferrying across the channel, we boarded the bus again and wound up the hill, arriving to a panoramic view of the enormity that is Perito Moreno. The infrastructure they have created is amazing itself - boardwalks made of metal grate floor and wooden railings - stretching for a few miles along 3 different levels, allowing for various perspectives and proximity to the glacier. The closest level stood even with the top of
the face, about 200 meters away. Although we desperately tried to will a giant chunk to break off in front of us, our time to leave came too soon, and we would have to suffice with what we saw on the beach earlier. Regardless, the view from the boardwalks was simply spectacular; seemingly endless glacier, rolling up mountainsides, carving deep valleys. I can only hope my photos can capture the vivid images in my memory. By the time we bused back to town and walked to our hostel, we had been gone for 11 hours. Quite an incredible day to say the least.
Our final day in El Calafate was pretty uneventful when compared to the previous few. Planning more of our trip, walking through town, and trying an awful local brew were the highlights of the day. The lowlight of the day was a crusher - Chloe had acquired a case of bedbugs. She had been attacked from head to toe, and over the next few days we would count over 60 bites, many concentrated on her neck, shoulders, elbows and hands. Regardless, we were pretty excited to get to our next destination - El Chalten, the trekking
capital of Argentina Patagonia. We just hoped the bed bugs would leave sooner than later...
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