Hard to Reach Treasures - The Marble Caves

After hiking the Perito Moreno glacier, my plan was to visit the Marble Caves in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile.  So, I got all my things packed up again and caught a bus to Los Antiguos, Argentina, on the Argentina/Chile border.  I would have liked to have spend an additional day in El Calafate, just practicing my balance exercises after getting disoriented, but the bus from Chile Chico to Puerto Rio Tranquilo only runs once a week, and it was going to be tight making it on time.  The bus to Los Antiguos pulled into the station just a few minutes late.  No problem.  We made it about a kilometer down the road before we had to turn back because of engine problems.  After a bus change, we were back on the road about an hour later.  Not a good sign.

The plan in Los Antiguos was to catch a taxi from the bus station to the border.  There was no taxi stand at the bus station.  The few people who were still on the bus when we arrived in Los Antiguos, just took off walking to their destinations.  Luckily, there were some people in the bus station cleaning.  One of them called me a taxi.  The border was very close to the bus station, only a 400 peso trip to the border.  The taxi driver did give me some disturbing news, however.  There is no transportation from the Argentina border to the Chilean border.  No taxis are allowed to provide service between the two borders.  No busses provide service between the two borders.  There are no car rentals in Los Antiguos, let alone anythat will allow you to drive across the border.  He told me that most people "hacer dedo", or ride their thumb.  The others walk.  He estimated it to be 10 km between the borders.  Well, that was my options.  I was not thrilled with them, but I wasn't going to make it to that once-a-week bus to Puerto Rio Tranquilo by standing around sulking, so off I went.  When I cleared immigration out of Argentina, the agent confirmed that the only two ways to get to Chile were to walk or hitchhike, but said the distance was more like 5 km to the Chilean border and that some people appear to be able to get a taxi from the Chilean border on into the town of Chile Chico.  In hindsight, Google Maps says it is 2.7 km or 1.7 miles between the borders.  There was a couple sitting outside the immigration office who were just going to try to hitchhike from there.  I thought about that, but then decided I should probably start walking and try to get a ride as I went.  I had no idea how long it would take for somebody to come along this border crossing, which was not a busy crossing at all, and I needed to be in the  Chile Chico bus station by 1:00 or wait a week to get to the marble caves.  So, off I went.

I walked about half a mile before a car pulled over.  It was a family of 4, husband, wife, and two sons.  They put my bags in the rear hatch, and I got in the back seat with the boys.  We wondered a bit why none of the cooperativas showed any interest in taking this route, thinking it could probably make for some good income for short distances.  When we got to the border, they helped me clear immigration and customs and offered to take me on into town to the bus station.  I offered to pay them.  I had Argentinian pesos and dollars.  They wouldn't take anything.  They go back and forth frequently because they have relatives in Los Antiguos, and they always pick up hitchhikers because they think it's awful that there is no possibility of transportation for hire.

Chile Chico is a beautiful little town.  Thanks to that family, I made it to the bus station with time to spare for the bus to Puerto Rio Tranquilo.  The lady at the bus company stored my luggage for free and directed me to the nearest bank so I could get cash in Chilean pesos, since the bus was cash only.  This bus is a weekly shuttle for locals who come into town to work during the week.  It runs the opposite way on Monday morning.  The locals board from the bus station, and if there is room after that, the bus will pick up tourists on the corner by the square.  While waiting for the bus, a protest went through town.  They were protesting the city's decision to not allow a ferry service to open or remain open to shuttle tourists across the lake.  Apparently, the city interferes with the ability of its citizens to gather tourist dollars.  There's a lot of tourist money left sitting on the table because the city won't let the car ferry run, transportation between the borders, or more frequent transport in or out of town!

Los Antiguos, Chile Chico, Puerto Rio Tranquilo, and other small towns in both Argentina and Chile sit on the banks of the largest lake in Chile and one of the larger fresh-water lakes in South America.  The part of the lake that sits in Argentina is called Lago Buenos Aires.  In Chile, it is called Lago General Carrera.  It is a glacial lake that empties into the Pacific Ocean after running through several rivers and lakes.  The views on the southern shores of Lago General Carrera going west from Chile Chico are absolutely breath taking!  The cliffs against the shores of the water are every bit as beautiful and dramatic as those on the Pacific Coast Highway in California.  Then add in the backdrop of the glaciated and snow-capped peaks of the Andes mountains in Patagonia on the northern shore, and the views are even better than those of the PCH!  Unfortunately, we were packed, 18 people plus luggage, into a 15-passenger van navigating a gravel road often at the edges of those cliffs, so there was no attempt at getting pictures of those extravagant views!  I was just fortunate that I had a seat and was not one of the people standing.  As we headed south along the lake, people started getting off the bus, but by the time there was enough space to consider taking out my camera, the views weren't so extraordinary.  Don't get me wrong.  It was still lovely, but not "fighting over focus through the dirty windows of the moving bus" lovely.

We finally got to Puerto Rio Tranquilo about 30 minutes before the front desk of my hotel was scheduled to close.  So, I hop off the bus, gather my bags, pay the driver, and head to my hotel.  About half way there, I realize I left my parka on the bus!  This is the parka I got from the Antarctic cuise!  By the time I got turned around to where I could see where the bus had parked, it was gone.  So, with tears in my eyes (literally), I turned back and went to my hotel.  I got checked in and scheduled for the marble cave tour the following morning.  I mentioned that I had forgotten my parka on the bus, so should I go buy a new coat before doing the tour, and the lady assured me that it would be fine and that the tour operator would have ponchos for everybody.  And besides, she would give the bus company a call and see if she could get my parka returned. What?!  She knew the manager of the bus company?!  I might get my parka after all!  And in the meantime, she had a coat I could borrow for any rainy weather!  A ray of hope, but I was still bummed.  The restaurant was already closed and I was tired, so I just went upstairs to take a shower and go to bed.  

I got up the next morning for the marble cave tour.  The choice was to do the "full marmol" (full marble) or just the Marble Cathedral.  Of course, since I'm only going to do this once, I chose the full marble!  A large group of men from Chile, Argentina, and Italy also chose to do the full marble on this day, and they were also staying in the same hotel.  So, when the lady from the tour company arrived, all 14 of us headed to the waterfront.  I paid by credit card and was given a military-grade poncho and a life jacket.  Several of the guys needed help getting their ponchos on correctly so they didn't bunch up under the life vest.  I've worn these before, so no problem.  Then we walked over to the dock to board the boat.  Still having some balance problems, I needed some extra help getting on.  Since I was the only English speaker, I was close to the back of the boat since the captain/driver was the English speaking guide.  While driving out at speeds that splashed, I used the Fuji waterproof camera.  When we throttled back to slower speeds and we were allowed to stand and walk around, I pulled the good camera out of the waterproof bag.

We started at a shipwreck.

These boats were used for mining the minerals that are so abundant in the lake.  Mining is no longer done, as the government prefers to maintain the geological features of the lake, and much of it (such as the Marble Cathedral and surrounding area) are now national parks and protected areas.  After passing these shipwrecks, we began gliding along the coast, watching the caves unfold before us.  I had thought it was just the color that caused these caves that had been excavated by the waves over hundreds of years to be called "marble".  Turns out, the cliffs and coastline are made of marble!  These are caverns that have been washed away from huge mountains of marble.  You can see the veins of quartz and the colorization of the many different minerals that were fused into these mountains as they were formed under the pressure exerted over the eons.  And the water is just so crystal clear, too!    It was absolutely amazing!

Often, the guides would move the guys out of the way to make sure I got pictures of me, too.  The non-English-speaking guide had a really good time playing with my good camera.  He tried to get me posing, but I just couldn't do it on the boat with my balance messed up!

These birds, members of the duck family, nest in the caves.

The captain sent the guys to the back of the boat and let me ride on the solid deck (where there are no seats) while going into this cave!

As we got into the national park area, there were some natural formations that looked like animals.  This one is a fish.

A turtle and sea lion

A puppy dog

An elephant

He did some excellent driving to get us into some of these caves!

This Andean condor flew around at the top of the cliffs.  They like to nest in very high places.

This is the Marble Cathedral.

After seeing the caves and the cathedral, everybody took their seats and the good camera went back in the wet bag.  That's when the captain decided to "play cowboy"!  It was lots of fun.  He was intentionally hitting the waves in such a manner as to splash us and make it an "adventure" ride.  If you listen carefully, you can even hear one of the guys yell, "Yee-Haw!"

This is the town of Puerto Rio Tranquilo. They are very proud of their large population of around 600 people!

It was an amazing tour.  I'm so very glad I decided to come on up and see the  marble caves.  I had no idea getting here was going to be so difficult, though, and I decided that had to be it.  I was exhausted.  I didn't see any way that I could possibly enjoy the planned bus/ferry rides for three days to get to Santiago, and I didn't have the energy reserves for trying to put Easter Island together.  I decided I needed to go home and work with my balance exercises from physical therapy, spend some time without any mental load related to arranging transportation or lodging or even food and drinks, and get ready to work with my doctors on those things we didn't get taken care of last summer, like my tremor, and some new symptoms that I've started having since being in South America.

Booking a flight home was also a little difficult, as for some reason, it wouldn't book online.  The flights I wanted were on Latam/Delta.  They said I needed to call, but didn't give a WhatsApp number, and I just couldn't justify spending all that money for a phone call.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful daughter who made the call for me, booking my flights, and having Delta send me the itinerary and information.  Thank you so much, Chrissy!!  After booking the flight, I went downstairs to see about getting a bus to Balmaceda the day before flying out.  Turns out, there are no hotels or hostels or any place for indoor accomodations in the city that has the only regional airport in the area!  Thankfully, my flight was in the afternoon, and there is a daily bus from Puerto Rio Tranquilo to Balmaceda that leaves at 7:00 a.m.  Janet called the bus company and made sure I had a reserved seat on that bus and extended my hotel stay by a night.  The bus is cash only.  I was able to get cash by paying the merchant charge that Visa would charge them, and they rang me up as a purchase (not a cash advance) for enough cash to pay the bus fare.

I took a day just laying in my room, watching shows I had downloaded on Netflix.  I got up and dressed and went down for breakfast, and then got right back in my nightgown.  In the afternoon, there was a knock on my door.  It was the lady from the front desk, the bus driver, and MY PARKA!!  Yay!  Turns out, the front desk lady (Janet from Colombia) didn't just know the manager of the bus company.  She was married to my driver!  She definitely had the inside scoop on getting my coat!  I'm so thankful for her doing that!  Hugs all around!  Who would've thought getting a coat back would make me so happy!  (Or that potentially losing it would make me so bummed!)

On Tuesday morning, I met Janet's husband downstairs, and he took my bags and led me to the bus stop to Balmaceda.  Turns out, he was taking that bus about half way, himself.  So, off we headed, up the Carretera Austral, otherwise known as the Pinochet Highway, after the dictator, General Pinochet, who cut the roadway out of the mountains.  It was a beautiful ride, but I was tired.  I didn't even try to take any pictures.  I napped between lovely sights, and I'm sure I missed a lot.  Once, we turned a curve, and SURPRISE! There was a glacier spilling out onto the road!

I WILL be back.  I won't see the part of the Carretera Austral that I was planning to see on the 3-day bus ride, but I'll come back, starting in Santiago and Easter Island and see the Atacama Desert as I head to southern Peru.  In the meantime, Bruce brought me a short-sleeved shirt when he picked me up in New Orleans so I could change out of my sweater in the 80 degree heat!  And I am now recovering from my adventures, preparing for the next one!

Going on a Glacier Hike!

So, here I am.  Heading north from the end of the world in Ushuaia.  I'm on a bus.  We have checked out of Argentina and into Chile.  Suddenly, I'm looking at water, and the bus starts driving up onto a ferry.  I then realize what I've known all along.  Ushuaia is on the ISLAND of Tierra del Fuego.  Not only do you have to cross through Chile to get off the ISLAND, you also have to cross the WATER to get off the ISLAND! (Duh!  That's how ISLANDS work!)  That water happens to be the Strait of Magellan.  I knew that!  In at least one of our lectures on the Ocean Victory (the Antarctic cruise ship), we talked about how the Drake passage and Cape Horn became the preferred passage for a period of time because even though it was rougher seas, it wasn't controlled by those who charged huge taxes and tolls for its use.  As a general rule, I'm excited to see significant bodies of water, especially those that are not only significant geographically, but also historically.  This one just snuck right up on me!  I managed to get my phone out to video us getting on the ferry.

We weren't allowed to get off of the bus for the ride, though.  Big bummer, but probably not such a bad thing.  Our bus was kind of in the center rear of the ferry.  At some point, a wave broke over and soaked both sides of the bus.  This was my attempt at taking a picture of the Chilean naval station at the other side!  Pretty good focus on the water on the window, but...

After crossing back out of Chile and back into Argentina and a bus change in Rio Gallegos, I got into El Calafate at 0030.  That's oh-dark thirty to some of you.  When I got to my accommodations that I had booked and confirmed that I could check in at that time, the only people there were other people who were renting the place!  So, I called the number provided on the booking platform and heard (in Spanish), "That was tonight?"  About 10 minutes later, two young women show up in a black car and let me know that the place is booked for the next 2 days, but they have another place.  After taking a picture of the license tag and texting it to a number that I know will respond almost immediately so they know I have communicated this information outside, I get into the car.  I got very good vibes from these girls and no creepy-crawly feelings.  The slightest little alarm bells, and I wouldn't have gotten in the car with them.  But I did, and we drove waaaay up the hill.  I'm thinking that regardless of how nice this other place is, I'm not walking up and down this hill!  And we pull up to their family home.  Apparently, they're going to put me in a spare bedroom - with a door that doesn't close.  They tell me it's their family and it's okay.  I tell them that it's not MY family, and it's not okay.  I must have a door that not only closes, but also locks, and that the location is not okay for me.  They wake up a cousin, hang another door, plane the doorway, and install a lock, and assure me that we'll find a solution tomorrow. I'm tired.  I go to sleep.  I get up the next morning, find another place to stay, confirm that I can't get into the place I rented from them that day - it's not just that they weren't prepared for the early check-in. They tried to convince me to stay in their home until the place was ready, even offered me use of their car. That wasn't going to happen, though.  So, I booked a different hostel, and they gave me and my bags a ride back into town, where I checked in early and started this part of my trip.

I started by buying my bus ticket out and walking around town. The little town of El Calafate is most known for its proximity to the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the only glaciers that is still growing.  I'll describe the glacier later.  The town is adorable.  There is one main street, but several other streets that branch out.  There are tourist shops, restaurants, markets, and lots of "kitschy" things, and those who know me know I love me some 'kitsch"!

There is a "locks of love" bridge

The obligatory park and statue of famous people, such as General San Martin.  The Las Malvinas monument is on the far west side of town.  When driving past it, I didn't have my camera ready and I didn't walk that far west.

Fast food

Lovely little shopping areas

including this one with the local saddle displayed outisde a tour agency.

And this little shopping center with a gnome to greet you and a gnome garden!

My first excursion was to the Walichu Caves anthropological site.  I love pre-Incan history.  The tour guides were great, and I learned a lot of interesting history.  The native tribe was called the Tehuelche, and the little we know about them is interesting.  They were nomadic and wintered near Lago Argentino, the largest freshwater lake in Argentina.  Unfortunately, most of the paintings were so faded they were difficult or impossible to see.  I have cranked up the saturation on many of these photos to show the paintings.  They have also been overwritten by grafitti prior to the site becoming protected.

Lago Argentino.  The Perito Moreno glacier is just to the left of the pointy peak in the background.

This is a burial mound.  The natives would generally draw a circle or spiral around these to aid the bird (I don't remember which one) in swooping down to retrieve the soul of the deceased and deposit it in a newborn.

This is a small version of a frame for their huts.  Because trees do not live in this part of Argentina, the sticks had to be harvested in the forested places during the summer months and carried with them for winter. They were usually covered with hides from the guanaco, which are related to the llama, but smaller and not domesticated.

This dot inside a circle is thought to represent a burial site

This is thought to represent the process of birth.  It was at a place where the cave sloped down, so it would be ideal for supporting a crouching woman's back while bent and bearing down for childburth.  There are two handprints (difficult to see), which would be the right place for putting the hands for support.

I also booked a day trip to El Chalten.  El Chalten is about 2-3 hours from El Calafate, and I booked it by excursion.  You can take the bus, but the cost of the excursion was reasonable considering that it was door-to-door service with transportation to the main points of interest and lunch.

El Chaltan is a trekking mecca, and the town reflects that.  There are no souvenir shops or anything to really draw you to the town other than the nearby mountains, especially Fitzroy.  If you're not a trekker, it's still worth the day trip, especially if you can make it up steep climbs.  If you're a trekker, I understand it's an amazing place with a multi-day trek through the Patagonian Ice Fields.  Obviously above my abilities!  One of our stops was to a condor overlook, where there are nests and they fly close.  I gave it the old college try.  If I had had all day to do it and could take multiple breaks, I probably could have made it.  But about half-way up, I realized I was not going to get up and back in the hour and a half that was available for this hike.  I have another condor mirador planned in Peru, though, so I don't really feel like I've missed out.

Mount Fitzroy

Sign explaining all the parts of Fitzroy

The condor viewpoint is on the top of that cliff behind the visitor's center.

The waterfall is beautiful, especially with an easy 500 meter walk from the bus.  

The highlight of this portion of the trip, however, was minitrekking on the Perito Moreno glacier.  Yes, I am putting crampons on my shoes and walking across the glacier.  We learned a lot about glaciers on the Antarctic cruise and more about this particular glacier on the minitrek.  A glacier isn't just any ice that has stuck around for years.  It is snow.  It is snow that has refused to melt and compressed over multiple decades (or centuries).  In order for a glacier to remain its size or grow, it must receive more average snowfall per year than the snow that melts.  A glacier also must be moving.  Glacial ice always moves downhill. Its movement may not be obvious or even visible.  Even glaciers that are receding are moving.  They are simply ablating (melting or calving off) faster than they are moving. The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still growing.  It is said to advance approximately 2 meters (6 feet) per day.  However, more recently, it has had some years of recession with some years of advancement, so there is discussion about whether its growth period may be over.  

This was the first look at the glacier from the bus.

This is a view from the catwalks.  It is impossible to capture the entire glacier in one photograph.  They say it's approximately the size of Buenos Aires.  The Southern Patagonian Ice Field feeds 47 large, major glaciers, incuding the Perito Moreno glacier.

These are the crampons that you must wear to walk on the ice.  Trust me, you will not slide in these.  And they are HEAVY!  Estimates are that the crampons alone weigh in at approximately two pounds!

This is the beginning of the hike.  Note how steep!

When I got on the glacier edge, the crampons dug down into the ice, making it a very strange sensation to come out.  Foot movement was different, and my ankle couldn't really function as normal because of needing to have spikes in and out of the ice.  Since I already have trouble with proprioception (one of the things we worked on in physical therapy), this was very disorienting for me.  Add the respiratory issues with going uphill, and I knew after a few steps, I wasn't going to be able to complete this trek.  That's okay, though.  The goal was to walk on the glacier, and I was doing that!  Goal met!  Just a matter of whether I would do it as long as the others in my group.  I fell twice on the ice before finally giving up.  Mind you, this is not a slip and fall like you think of with a fall.  It was feet being stuck in the ice, unable to pull up or put down in the right place, and you just lean over into the mound of ice to the side.  Like gently laying down except you don't want to!   I made it up to the first set of spires before giving up.  By this time, I had already inherited a guide all my own, who tried to keep me upright.  She guided and helped me back down to the bottom where we started.  At that point, she went back to the group while a different guide removed my crampons and got me back to the refuge.

This was the next part of the trek.  I looked up at that and decided I had walked on the glacier enough!

I got to spend some time in the ice cave alone with just me and my personal guide.  The black spots are tightly compressed ice, not dirt.  It was formed by the glacier pushing over the rocks in the back.  Remember, the glacier is moving.

After I got back to the refuge, I fixed a cup of tea and took some picture of this face of the glacier.

They have a wooden statue of a trekker at the front of the refuge.

After my group got back, some of them walked out on the rocks to look at the glacer.  I took that as an opportunity to give some perspective.  The Perito Moreno glacier stands approximately 70 meters above the water.  That's 220 feet.  Keep in mind, though, that glaciers do not float.  The bottom of this glacer is approximately another 110 meters (360 feet) below the surface of the water.   A glacier "calves" (breaks a piece off) when the pressure of the water prevents the lower part of the glacier to continue moving forward, so the top part chips off.  You could hear an almost constant cadence of calving events from different parts of the glacier.  Two events were visible from this face while I was watching.  I was too busy watching in awe to catch either of them on film.

This is a close up of the top of the glacier.

I shot video of some of the boat ride back to the port.  Note the piecs that had calved off the glacier.  Some of them may have reached small iceberg size.

When we got back to the port, we boarded the bus back to El Calafate and back to our lodgings.  I started packing for my next adventure, but I have to admit, I'm beginning to get a little tired.  I'm not sure if this trip is going to last all the way.  I may have to split it into two trips.  We shall see.  Regardless, I will finish the things I want to do in Patagonia before heading home.