Hola,
I took a day off yesterday. After driving to El Calafate, I needed some time to catch up with my e-mails, pay bills, check on our money situation and other important, but neglected things, like trying to figure out what was the matter with my camera.
To bring you up-to-date, we drove the last couple of hundred miles south. El Calafate is the southernmost town in western Patagonia. Rio Gallegos is a bit further south, but it’s on the Atlantic coast, and it’s the gateway into Tierra del Fuego. We have opted not to go any further, on account of time constraints. Although we could easily have driven the extra couple of days to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, we must keep in mind that we must return the vehicle to Bariloche, which is already a full two-days drive back. Also, to get to Tierra del Fuego, we would have to cross the Chilean border, which would require more COVID tests. As it is, we are extremely content; we have now explored the entire length of Patagonia.
Yesterday’s drive was pleasant. When we left El Chalten, I took one last picture of the mesmerizing mountain views from just outside of town. There's also a picture of Fitzroy at sunset, from the night before.
On the way, we stopped for lunch at Estancia La Leona, which is famous for two things. Perito Moreno, the man who first explored these areas was killed there by a puma (hence, the name La Leona), but also because two famous American bank-robbers, known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were guests there for three weeks, while travelling through Argentina.
The town of El Calafate is the biggest town we have seen since leaving Bariloche (30,000 inhabitants). It is a busy place, on the shore of Lago Argentino, and from all appearances an affluent one. People fly in, mostly from Buenos Aires. Unlike El Chalten, frequented mostly by young, back-packer types, El Calafate has a more diverse crowd, made up mainly of tourists on individualized tours. It’s a cool town, with some terrific restaurants and shops lining up its main boulevard, the Avenida San Martin.
Undoubtedly, its number one attraction is the great Patagonian icefield, of which, the Perito Moreno glacier, along with Uppsala glacier, is king. It makes a most impressive sight, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, at a height equal to a building of 20 stories. We, of course, traveled there today, and were in awe..
New friends
As if we did not have enough of the ice, tonight we stopped at a veritable ice-bar for a drink, where everything, floor, bar, seats, tables, walls are made of solid ice. You need to wear gloves, poncho, and shoe-cleats to enter. The temperature was kept at a balmy -9 degrees. When we came out we felt as though we exited an icebox and entered a Caribbean island.
I'm not sure whether I will be posting over the next couple of days. Getting back to Bariloche is a very, very long drive, and we only have 2 days to get back; plus, we’ll be driving over roads that we have already covered. But you just never know. Until the next time, ciao!
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