I take a bus 3 hours south to El Calafate in the southern part of the glacier park. It´s home to Perito Moreno, the park´s most famous glacier. I head there the next day and take a boat ride to the northern face of the glacier. It´s just incredible seeing it this close. It´s like a huge wall of blue ice, completely unreal. It´s hard to even describe.
After the boat ride, I walk around the boardwalk to various lookout points. At certain times, pieces of the glacier will break off and crash into the water below. Even a small piece sounds like a cannonball, so when half of a peak breaks off right before my eyes, it´s an unbelievable commotion of noise and waves.
The next day, I go on a full day boat ride to see some of the other glaciers in the park. As we´re drifting through the canal, we´re surrounded by icebergs and I feel, again, like I¨m in some other land. I drink a cheap whisky out a plastic glass with ice that they´ve taken from one of the icebergs. We go to the Spegazzini glacier, the tallest in the park. It looks like it´s literally tumbling down the mountain. The top of the glacier is this snowy topographical landscape covered in haze.
I think of TS Eliot and The Wasteland where he says "Who is the third who walks always beside you?/ When I count, there are only you and I together/ But when I look ahead up the white road/ There is always another one walking beside you"
I always thought that was a scary image. I read in the anotated version that Eliot took the idea from a description of Shackleton´s journey to Antarctica. His crew would see myseterious figures amongst them that were some sort of eerie mirage. I imagine these shadowy figures walking towards me now on the top of the glacial ice.
It´s hard to describe the glaciers and even the pictures don´t do them justice. You will just have to come down and visit them yourselves!
In total contrast to the day´s activities, that night back in town, I walk to a lagoon and see pink flamingos in the water. I treat myself to a sushi dinner and a pink and green stone pendant that´s so colorful and shiny I want to eat it. I hang out with my nice roommates back at the hostel, a Dutch guy and a German guy. The next morning, the German and I are going to Puerto Natales in Chile to hike in Torres del Paine park. It wasn´t originally on my agenda, but everyone I´ve met has told me that it´s not to be missed, so I won´t.
