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Published: February 7th 2011
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Having heard so much about Argentinean steak we were keen to try one as soon as we had crossed the border into Los Antiguos. We found a nice restaurant and I had a steak which was delicious after the somewhat bland food of Chile, but nothing to write home about in terms of size or quality.
Being such a small place, it was a bit difficult to find accommodation so we settled on some dorms. We were fortunate that our bus driver for the next leg of the trip was staying at the same place so we didn’t have to go far to catch the bus the next day. But we were unfortunate to have to share the dorms with a group of noisy Israelis arriving at 2am! With dorms, you expect some noise as people come and go, but these 4 guys and 2 girls decided not to go straight to bed as quietly as possible, but proceeded to have showers which were in a not fully disclosed ensuite set-up to the dorm. The girls were laughing and carrying on in loud conversation while showering and one of the guys started doing push-ups and calisthenics before going to bed despite
the 3 of us ‘already’ asleep.
We awoke at 6.30am the next day to catch our bus. Call me petty, but it was quite satisfying to hear their groans as our annoying alarm went off and we made as much noise as possible getting ready. I wasn’t going to shower as I had showered the night before, but I thought I may as well. That coupled with my loud morning flatulence, I’m sure I left as much impression on our rude guests as they did on me.
We begin our journey on Ruta 40, which is Argentina’s version of Route 66. You certainly don’t get many kicks on Ruta 40 as it is a long, long, boring drive through some of the flattest, most desolate terrain in the world.
You can be driving 12 hours through picture-less terrain along route 40 when all of a sudden, through a glimpse in the distance, you feel like you're approaching 'Mordor'. Argentina has pockets of dramatic peaks. At the end of the road, is El Chalten. Seeing the mountains of Patagonia rise out of the plain is something we will never forget. We arrive just before sunset and the scene was straight out
of Lord of the Rings, with the giant peaks representative of Mount Doom in Mordor. Very dramatic and awesome.
El Chalten is Argentina's trekking capital and by some, the world’s trekking and mountain climbing capital. We stop to explore the peaks of Mount Fitzroy. We're not experienced for the technical climbing it involves so we hike the popular Laguna Torre, which takes you to the spire of Cerro Torre. This time it’s an easy 5 hour walk. After Macchu Picchu, you’d think we would have enough of hiking, but we set out again (You can't be in the trekking capital and not embark on one more trek!)
The 3128m trek was still awesome with some spectacular scenery. Here we find icebergs melting in the lake. The feature is straight out of a fairytale and I half expected to see dragons, goblins, and orcs and hobbits running about. That said, the burning, chilly wind sets off Bernie’s chronic cold injury. Her hands turn red, just as her feet usually do.
The next day we arrive in El Calafate and we finally discover why Argentina is renowned for its steaks!!! The town itself is nice but very touristy. The highlight for me
was the food, especially the steaks and grilled meats. Walking by the restaurants, you could see whole lamb carcasses being cooked over coals and the smells were mouth-watering.
Our first restaurant was a place called Ricks. It was an “all you can eat affair” which we both took advantage of. Barbecued Pork, Lamb, sausages, Beef and chicken was plentiful; good quality and delicious. All the good that work of our recent trekking went out the window, as both Bernie and I filled our stomachs. So much so that later in the evening we were both feeling ill from too much meat and beer. This is a feeling I am quite familiar with, but I think it was a first for Bernie!
From El Calafate we visited the Perito Merino glacier – the purpose for our trip there. This was definitely a highlight and we recommend it to everyone who wants to see a glacier move. It may not sound exciting, but wait until you arrive! The glacier is a wall of ice about 60 metres high and 5kms long. The day trip is to a stretch of the glacier about 1 km wide. We took a ferry ride within about
100m of the glacier face. Looking up at the ice wall gives you a feeling of insignificance only mother nature can provide. The view will be one permanently imprinted in Bernie’s mind after losing her Gucci sunglasses to the glacier, frozen at the bottom of the lake after falling off her head.
After the cruise we went to the more “active” stretch of the glacial face. Basically there is a set of boardwalks set on land directly opposite the glacial face. From vantage points of about 100m away you just stand and watch the glacier move.
It sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry, but when a piece of ice the size of a two storey building falls off, it is one of the most awe inspiring things in the world. Firstly, the noise is amazing. Sometimes you can hear the ice groan and try to predict the place where the ice will fall. At other times, you just hear a thunderous crack as a chunk of ice separates from the wall. The noise is like a thunderclap that vibrates and echoes all around.
Secondly, watching the mass of ice fall majestically is like watching a car accident in
slow motion.
You know there’s going to be some damage at the end, but you can’t look away. Third, the ice hits the water with another thunderous roar before creating tsunami like waves that toss car size icebergs like sugar cubes. It is a truly remarkable experience that repeats itself over and over. Even when the ice is stable for ten or twenty minutes, the anticipation is electric, with everyone trying to predict where the next big fall will be and trying to get the best action shot.
After Perito Merino we headed back to El Calafate where we gorged ourselves once again on mouth-watering steaks.
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