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Published: October 6th 2009
I arrived in El Calafate at 1pm on Monday 14 September and checked into iKeuKen hostel. I was in a 4 bed dorm but since the hostel was not busy, I would have the room to myself for my 5 night stay. Late afternoon, I walked around the small town and then went for lunch/dinner in Casablanca where they were showing the final of the US Open tennis. This great match was won by the Argentinean del Potro who beat Federer in 5 sets to the delight of the locals. I went to bed at 10pm as I had to wake up at 6am for a glaciers tour the following day. On Tuesday, I was picked up at 7am and the coach drove for 50 km alongside Lago Argentino until we reached Puerto Punta Bandera. We all paid the National Park entrance fee before boarding our catamaran and departing for our tour of the glaciers. Our Captain guided us past floating icebergs as he navigated the various canals as we admired the mountain ranges on either side. We slowed down as we passed the large icebergs and whenever we reached a glacier we would stop for a while to take pictures.
The largest glacier was Upsala, a huge wall of compact snow. However, the final glacier we saw, Perito Mereno, is the most famous as it is one of the worlds largest active glaciers. It is constantly growing and then breaking up at the same rate, giving people a spectacular show if you are lucky enough to witness the snow breaking off the glacier. Our boat got back to port at 4pm and then the bus took me back to my hostel. After a couple of hours sleep, I went to the local supermarket for some food supplies and then went out for dinner. Then I walked along the main street and popped into the casino for a while. Wednesday morning was spent researching the Southern regions of Argentina and Chile and trying to decide my travel plans for the next week or two. In the afternoon, I went for lunch at Casablanca and watched the Inter Milan Vs Barcelona match. Then I went back to the casino to win the money back that I lost the previous night. With my winnings I went shopping and bought a wind proof jacket which I clearly needed. Back at the hostel, I booked
my trip for the following day (Torres del Paine - Chile, see blog posting) and then went to bed at 9.30pm.
On Thursday night I went for dinner after being dropped off at 10pm from my day trip to Torres del Paine. I was so tired by the time I got back to the hostel and got to sleep around midnight. After a nice sleep, I spent the morning on the internet and planning my next trips. I booked a trip to El Chalten from Saturday to Monday and also booked a flight to Bariloche for Tuesday. I went for a late lunch at La Lechuza Pizzas and then walked down to the lake to see some of the different birds. The evening was spent packing and on the internet. I woke up at 6.30am on Saturday and went to the bus station for my 8am bus to El Chalten (see blog posting).
I returned to iKeuKen hostel on Monday night and after a light dinner I went straight to bed. On Tuesday morning I went for a final walk around the small town and had a delicious crepe for lunch. Then I returned to the hostel to
check out and catch my bus to the airport for my flight to Bariloche.
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