Monster glacier
So we head back to Argentina. I mean, literally, we go 15 minutes outside of Puerto Natales and go through border checkpoint. The checkpoints are like a mile away from one another. You got to wonder, who owns the land in the middle?
I just have to mention one random thing about this whole region. It’s like an REI catwalk show. I mean, there are so many people in brand spanking new outdoor clothes it’s totally amazing. We saw a few people with gaiters on (those things that look like leg-warmers that keep the mud/snow out of your boots) – why, I have no idea. Because there was maybe 1/4 inch of mud in really small areas and yeah, no snow. Well, except on the glacier and it’s not like you’re going to go crawling on a glacier…it was kind of nice to see all the new stuff (and hello, cut off the tags if you’re going to wear them!). The woman who owns the hostel we stayed in Puerto Natales said this Japanese guy bought all new stuff and then gave all the stuff to her son since he was only going to use it the one time!
Anyway, El Calafate is home to this huge glacier. I mean, HUGE! We saw these, apparently mini-glaciers in Ushuaia and in Torres del Paine – they’re like ice cubes compared to this thing. And the sound it made even when just a tiny portion came loose and hit the water. It was totally cool. And pretty good infrastructure – they have the usual tour buses but they also have a bus that dumps you off at the glacier, lets you tool around for a couple of hours and takes you back. Which I can’t really imagine what the tour would do that would be very different – I mean, the whole viewing area is on these wooden walking paths – it’s not like you need someone to tell you – look that’s a glacier. But maybe they stop off somewhere else too…
Since that’s pretty much the only thing to see in El Calafate and it’s mega-expensive (like twice as expensive as the rest of Argentina – if it’s any indication, internet is by satellite), we decided to stay there only one night. But we did a splurge in another place…we flew to Buenos Aires and then to Iguazu Falls. I think it would have taken us at least 3-4 days by bus to get to Iguazu…the buses are nice here but that’s a long time. So we took the last flight out of El Calafate, slept in the airport and then hopped on a plane the next morning.
Tags: Argentina, el calafate, puerto moreno, RTW Trip
JohnCin
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