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.
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