Christi and I covered the 3,500 km (or greater than 2,200 miles) from Salta to Puerto Madryn by bus over four long night trips. So rather than spend another 20 hours and some 1500 km (932 miles) on a bus to get to our next destination, El Calafate, we’re treating ourselves to a new-fangled invention called the airplane, which promises to convey us there in the brisk time of 90 minutes flat (actually from Trelew – an hour to the south of Puerto Madryn). There is, however, some confusion as to the exact time of our departure. The rather excellent staff at our hostel, La Tosca, assures us we fly at 9 am, not 8 am as it says on the ticket. Apparently, Argentine Summer Time should have started over the weekend, but at the last moment the government decided to abandon the practice! The good news for Christi and I is that we have an extra hour in bed.
El Calafate is located in southern Patagonia, on the aquamarine shores of Lago Argentino, which is fed by the glacial milk of the Perito Moreno glacier. Much like Bariloche, El Calafate has an alpine feel, although with a dash of the frontier ruggedness thrown in for good measure. Our hostel is the Buenos Aires and because of a booking SNAFU, we get upgraded for free, which is nice. The luxury continues. Our room is great, but the walls are paper-thin and the radiated heat actually leaves us sweltering. We’re informed that the weather appears to be fair for the next few days we elect to move on to our main destination, El Chalten, tomorrow for a few days hiking in the world famous Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (north).
In the meantime we run a few errands, the most notable of which is organizing a trip into the far reaches of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. It will be an adventure just to get in and out of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. We eat dinner at a parrilla called Mi Viejo: the Patagonian lamb, chorizo sausage and ice cream are great, but after so much meat lately I’m craving broccoli (I can’t believe I just said that – Mum would be so proud).
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching tale
Speak Your Mind