Parque Nacional de Los Glacier, El Calafate

Getting closer ....
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The bus ride was very pleasant. The Route 40 (famous one in Argentina) is really impressive, because you drive through pretty much veld, but many wildlife is visible. I always wonder how they can survive, but apparently the dry grass (there is some) and the dust (plenty of it) is more than enough for them. We even stopped at a little rest station where they sold self made cookies, cakes, and spinach pie for fair prices. Apparently every bus stopped there (good business idea in the middle of nowhere) and somehow it was really nice to have a little break in between. Not that it was really necessary, because the bus only needs 4 hours from El Chalten to El Calafate, but really enjoyable.

The first view ...
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When I arrived in El Calafate (so around 10PM) I just went to the nearest Campground (5 minutes from the bus terminal). It was a nice and really inexpensive campground (10 Argentinian Pesos per night = US$ 3.30) in the middle of the center.

Next morning I got up and explored the little town. It seemed El Calafate was designed just for tourism. Everywhere were souvenir shops, cafes, Restaurants, Outdoor shops and agencies to book unforgettable trips (no doubt, some of them would be unforgettable because of the incredible high prices). Internet was still kind of expensive, most of the offered tours were totally crazy price wise, but I somehow liked the town. I got some snacks from a supermarket, sat down on a bench, had something to eat and did something I always enjoy: People watching.

Ice tips as far as the eye can reach ...
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Here in the Southern part of Patagonia I suddenly saw plenty of cars, buses, motorbikes and minivans with foreign licences plates ... next to pretty much every licence plate from every country of South America I saw a Pickup from California (it was parked and no owner in sight), couple of motorbikes from Swiss and Germany, "Das Rollende Hotel" from Passau, Germany (apparently well known), a minivan from Swiss, a Dutch caravan (how classic) and even one Russian car ... many of them were traveling through all of South America, but for some (understandable) reason they were well hidden in other part s of this continent ... next time I will bring a motorcycle as well (missing mine like crazy here in Patagonia!)

Huge from every angle ...
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I got my bus tickets to get to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier for the next day and also my bus ticket to Puentos Natales in Chile, which will by my next stop after seeing the big glacier. January/February is high season and I learned my lesson!!!

Perito Moreno Glacier is the major attraction of this area because it is one of the few glaciers in the world that is moving - I also would have loved to visit the Upsala Glacier, but to do that would have cost at least US$100.

I was not convinced that my super tent will survive in the nearest future, so I better will safe the money and get a new tent when (if is not a possibility here!Sorry!) my lovely one wouldn`t make it anymore ... we just had one little wind (can´t even call it storm) and my tent didn`t look too steady ... oh je :-/ ... thank goodness, no rain drop hit the tent yet. I wouldn´t be surprise if a wter drop would make a whole through the drop-dead gorgeous blue tarpaulin.

Perito Monero Glacier is enormous ...
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Next to me two German girls (Yvonne and Wiebke, students from Leipzig) had set up their tent and they gave me great tips about what to do in El Calafate, where to get the grocery and what the best and most inexpensive way would be to see the Southern part of the Glacier National Park. Also they hiked the ¨W¨¨ in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile (will be my next stop) and also for that park they provided important and value information to me.

After having a real good Pisco Sour and a great time with Yvonne and Wiebke the night before, next morning the two Germans traveled north (like everybody else) and I got on the bus to get to the famous Glacier.

vivid blue hues of the ice floes
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Like I already said, there are a million option to explore this Glacier National Park, but I decided to go with the most inexpensive and still really amazing version. And even  this way cost almost US$ 50, so you can imaging what it would cost to do Glacier trekking (which sounded really good to me) or visiting different glacier.

Anyway, the bus was full of tourists (well, big surprise!) and it took us over an hour to get to a ferry dock. For another couple of bucks we got on a ferry (optional, but absolutely worth it!) which took us directly in front of this amazing, impressive and enormous glacier It descends to the surface of the water over a 5 km frontage and a height of about 60 meters. The glacier was just bride white with vivid blue hues of the ice floes ... just AWESOME ... and really hard to describe!!! The ferry turned off its engine and we were able to listen to the impressive sounds of ice pieces breaking off. The glacier was very noisy. There were frequent cracking and banging sounds, resembling a mixture of gunshots and thunder!! WOW!! I never had seen something like that ... and I have seen some glaciers by now!

A chunk of ice is breaking off ...
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After an hour we returned to the dock where our bus was waiting for us to take us to an upper part of the National Park. From there we had an awesome view of the top of the Perito Moreno Glacier. How impressive!!! Wooden walkways (how convenient for the hordes of tourists ;-) ...) lead you down just in front of the glacier (with the boat you can see the side of it, the front stops just in front of a little hill (really thoughtful of this glacier - again, just perfect for us tourists). We had almost two hours to explore this area and it might sound weird to you, but just standing there for an hour and listing to the sound of braking ice, watching chucks of ice breaking off the Glacier (it was amazing how often I was able to watch it while I was standing there!) was soooo great ... Gosh, it was really great, indescribable, breathtaking, impressive, a real lifetime experience .... just get down here and watch and listen to it by yourself!!

Later that night Petra, Irene (two other Germans (actually from Hamburg), whom I met on the bus to the Glacier) and I went to a nice Italian Restaurant in El Calafate and had a very interesting night. Both women are presidents of different non-profit organisations in Hamburg. I really enjoyed talking to them.