My flight to El Calafate flew via Ushuaia, otherwise known as "The end of the world!!" As I look from the plane window, all I can see are snow capped mountains, beautiful turquoise lakes and baron landscapes. I take a few pictures when I can from the window. Not really sure what I expected the end of the world to look like but it is quite surreal, and when the plane doors open, quite cold too!! Most people get off here and one lady I was talking to at the airport was telling me how she is going to the Antarctic from here on a trip! So amazing!!! I can't believe I am near the Antarctic, I had no idea it was here, did not really think where it was, but expected it to be North for some reason!
The plane emptied and then filled up again with new passengers heading for El Calafate. We took off and an hour later we were landing to another beautiful backdrop of more snow capped mountains, turquoise lakes, blue skies and sunshine!! I got the shuttle to my hostel and 10 minutes later I was there at the top of a beautiful hill with a great view over the lake and mountains. It was already about 3pm so I did not want to waste this gorgeous day and dropped my stuff at I Keu Ken Hostel where I was staying and headed straight down to the lake to watch the sunset. Maybe I should have checked what time that was as I waited and waited and waited. By 7pm I headed back to town for dinner and had some wonderful savoury crepes with a glass of vino tinto to wash it down. Still the sun was shining so I made my way to the hostel to see if I could get some pictures from the hilltop instead. It was now 8.30pm and the sun was finally setting, I managed to get there just in time for the last glimpse of daylight!
The next morning I dragged myself out of bed just as breakfast was finishing at 9.30am. I then went back to bed as I was still tired and because I could!! I got up about midday and went to the supermarket for some provisions as I decided to save some money and cook myself. Well I was only here for 3 more nights and $20 later was not sure this was saving much, but was healthy, pasta and sauce with olives and cheese and ham. The only problem is when there is just one of you , you end up eating the same thing for days!!! Not sure it was a good idea and will probably eat out next time just for some variety at least, and always good to try the local food. After my shopping spree I booked all my accommodation and buses for the next 2 weeks, as well as my trip to the glacier the next day, then just chilled out at the hostel for the rest of the day enjoying the views!
The big day was finally upon me, it was a cloudy start to the day as we set off at 8am for the Perito Moreno Glacier. I had decided to take a tour, you could take the bus and do it yourself but it was only $10 more for the tour and they pick you up from the hostel as well as give you information on the glacier and surrounding area. We also stopped off at a couple of places on the way for photographs which was nice. We entered the National Park, paid another $20 and made our way to the main attraction. We were all looking out from the bus in anticipation of the sight that was to befall us, and when it did we were not disappointed!!! The first thing we saw were a few icebergs floating in the lake formed by the glacier melting. Then soon enough there it was and it was stunning! It was huge but it looked so small from where we were standing, considering it was 60 metres high at this end and 600-700 metres high at the back, the pictures I took just do not do it justice. We needed to get closer, so we took a few snaps and got back on the bus to the boat for a closer view.
The boat tour was an hour long and took us close up to the glacier, or as close as it was safe to go as chunks of ice were falling off it all the time. We cruised up and down the wall of the glacier for an hour and it was cold here, so an hour was plenty. I took some interesting pictures using different effects on my camera, my new toy, and then we continued on our way, by bus, to the glacier. Little did I know that this was only one side of the glacier, it was enormous!!!! We went further to the north side and walked along the catwalks for a while taking in the different views and watching it carve into the lake as more icebergs were formed by the falling ice breaking off! The sound was so loud, a cracking, crashing, rumbling as the ice splashed into the lake causing ripples on the otherwise still turquoise waters.
The top of the glacier was rough and jagged like the edge of a piece of splintered wood. It was funny because although we were near to the glacier it was not that cold, which surprised me, the boat tour was, maybe because it was closer and on the water, but here on the edge of the lake formed by the glacier over the years, it was warm, t shirt weather when the sun finally came out for a few minutes. I think we had perfect weather though as the glare from the sun can be blinding, and I think this shows the glacier in a much better light without that glare for the pictures. Apparently you see much more of the blueness, which is caused by the ice when it is really compacted, it is not really blue.
I sat on one of the many benches and had my lunch while watching the glacier doing its thing and just admiring its great strength and beauty. It is so awesome just to be here I can't even put it into words. I never thought I would ever see anything like this in my life!! I had no idea it was so accessible and from such a great place to visit, like Argentina. I am so happy to have done this and made my way here on my own, I so nearly did not come and it would have been a huge loss!
At 2.30pm after a baileys coffee to warm me up, we all boarded the bus and headed back to the hostel to relax after a busy day. I just rested up and got ready for my horse riding tour the next day.
Everyone is up early at this hostel and breakfast starts at 6.30am as most of the tours start early. No chance of a lie in then. I have breakfast and a hot shower and get geared up for my ride. The weather is crap, it is raining, windy and cold. I wish I had only booked the 2 hour ride not the 5 hour one, but another couple of people from the hostel were doing it too so there was the three of us, which would make it a bit more fun. Louise was from Manchester and Cameron was from Perth in Australia. Our pick up arrived at the hostel and we all jumped in and psyched ourselves up to brave the cold. We arrived at this ranch style place, which they call "Gaucho," and we signed our lives away, filling in disclaimers, which were all in Spanish so God only nows what it said, then got saddled up and ready to leave. As we waited for the horses to be saddled, the staff there were skinning a big hare that was hanging which the dog had just caught, and the worker gave me its tail for good luck and put it in my pocket!!! Well, what could I say, I thanked him and kept it as a momentum and for luck, hoping it would keep me safe on my ride!! I had not worn enough layers thinking I would be hot when riding, but should have known better. The rain stopped as we headed out and after an hour or so we stopped for our picnic by the shores of the lake. My horse was called "Gringo" which made us all laugh, he was stubborn as anything on the way out, and would not do anything I told him. However on the way back it was a different story. Suddenly he found his mojo and could not get back fast enough. We had fun cantering and galloping across the baron landscape, the dogs running with us, chasing foxes and hares along the way! We were soaked and cold by the time we got back, and ready for a hot shower. We shared some mate, which is a kind of tea they drink out here, with our guide and chatted to him for a while about life in Argentina and his family and work, and I asked him a lot of questions about the horses and how they break them in. Everything is so simple out here and they don't see the need to complicate things. It makes sense! I talked to him about the Monty Roberts technique and he told me about his. He has broken over 100 horses so he knows his stuff and all they teach them is left, right and stop! That apparently is all they need to know here, and it works for the use they are required for. When his tea was finished we left to go back and soak in a hot shower to try and get warm again!!!
I stayed in bed for the rest of the day, the weather was horrible and I could not be bothered to go back in the cold and wet to get dinner, so I just stayed in bed and read, blogged, chatted on Skype and packed ready to leave early the next morning!
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