We landed in El Calafate Argentina in the morning and got a bus to our hostel. Its huge, probably 100 rooms. I've never seen a hostel so big. This is a big tourist place now so there are lots of accommodations. We decided to book some tours and take the rest of the day to explore the town. We only have four days and we want to make the most of it. We found a charming little place for lunch and had a bowl of soup to warm. Its really cold here today. Snowing a bit on and off, then sun, then snow... The town is very clean and very cute. Tons of shops, outfitters for trekking, souvenirs etc. We searched for wool socks for Josh to replace the ones he misplaced but things are pretty expensive so we just stuck to getting a magnet for me and a bookmark for Josh. He will just have to have cold feet!
The 2nd day we took a bus to Perito Morino glacier. You can do this one on your own however if you want to walk on the glacier you need to take a tour. We opted not to. There is a system of walkways and lookouts about 200yds across the water from the glacier so you can see it from almost all angles. Its pretty amazing, massive and there are pieces breaking off all the time. They crash to the lake and its sounds like thunder. Everyone scrambles with their cameras but of course by the time you hear it and figure out where its falling its too late so no action shots unfortunately. The denser the ice the bluer it is, it actually looks a lot like styrofoam. Just to add a little drama we almost missed the bus. Josh thought the driver said there were 2 pickup points and we ended up at the lower one. We waited and waited but no bus. I was panicking as usual. We found a tour bus and managed to explain the problem and he drove us up to the top where our bus was waiting. We were about 15 minutes late but the other passengers acted like it was hours. The guy behind us says "thanks for making us wait!" Because of course we did it on purpose. What can you do. After rushing back to our hostel we were picked up for our evening tour of a sheep estancia (ranch). They told us about the Yerba matte ritual and we got to try it. Its a little bitter for my taste but much like black tea. Also some really yummy fried bread, similar to bannock. There was an older gentleman from Quebec on the tour so we spent the evening with him. He lost his wife 4 months ago so he was alone. The did a lot of travelling together but she wasnt interested in South America so he figured it would be a good trip to do on his own as it wouldnt remind him so much of her. The tour was all in Spanish so between us we picked up bits and pieces but it was interesting still. After they served dinner, Parilla of course. I dont care much for lamb but I enjoyed it. I had been having some indigestion problems so eating was not as enjoyable as usual but it was still a nice meal. After was a gaucho show with dancing and singing. It was a very nice evening and Jean's company made it even more so.
The 3rd day we were picked up at the hostel in a 4x4 trekking vehicle at 7am for the 3.5 hour drive to Torres del Paine in Chile. The road is new and not yet paved so they use 4x4's. It was a little rough but not bad. The national park is massive with the twin towers, Torres, soaring above. There are salt water lakes that are 4 times more salty than the ocean. The lakes cant support life so only microorganisms can survive. Because there is nothing to eat them they continue to produce and they form white coral like formations that cover the shores. After a hike to a waterfall we headed back to the bus for the trip back.
Day 4 was the highlight for me. A boat tour to Upsala glacier including several other glaciers. The lakes are dotted with icebergs which the boat dodges to get us as close to the glacier as possible. We were no more than 150 yds away. Pretty amazing.
We realize though how spoiled we are living in British Columbia. So much of what we've seen so far this trip is much like home. The mountains, ocean, rocky beaches, even the vegetation is familiar. The glaciers though are something I've never seen and worth the trip.
Weve been incredibly lucking with the weather on this trip and Patagonia is no exception. Apparently it is usually cloudy and rainy in Torres del Paine but with the exception of the first day it has been sunny and warm with clear blue skies.
After racing to the airport we fly back to Buenas Airies and the adventure is over. I didn't get to see the end of the world or the penguins so I guess I'll just have to come back.
