We arrived in El Calafate from Puerto Natales on the final Tuesday of our trip. We had just finished the W Trek the day before, a hike of debated length, but I estimated about 50km in total. Needless to say, we were completely exhausted. All of our clothes were dirty, we still smelled after our long-awaited showers, and each one of us were just in the early recovery stages of blisters, bruises, and sore muscles. It was the 7th day since we had begun the strenuous hike, and boy did we rest.
We split up, dropping off all of our laundry at various lavanderias throughout town and wandering the tourist district of El Calafate. It was a holiday weekend in Argentina, and the streets were full of Portenos on vacation from the busy city. There were countless souvenier shops and cafes, many of which sold the products of the famous Calafate berry: a small, blue wildberry resembling (and tasting just like) a blueberry. I bought a box of Calafate berry teabags and a small sample jar of jam after trying a spoonful of the berry’s rich and delicious ice cream. I also might have eaten an entire 1/4 Kilo of the delicious treat on the last day of the trip… oops!
On the second day after a not-so-restful night (a man in our hostel dorm kept us all up with his fog-horn-meets-mountain-lion snoring; seriously, if you have a problem that loud, do not sleep in a room with seven other people!) We woke up bright and moderately early to catch a taxi to Perito Moreno Glacier. Becuase there were four of us wanting to cab, it cost about the same as a bus ticket when split between the four of us, and two other members of our group were eager to try their thumb at hitchhiking to the glacier (spoiler alert: they unfortunately didn’t make it). Our driver was great, and stopped for us at several spots along the way to take pictures.
Karl and I in front of Perito Moreno
It cost about 200AR to enter Parque Nacional las Glacieres, which is pricey, but for me it was completely worth it. Our cab driver took us up to the visitor center, which is over an hour from the center of El Calafate, and waited three hours for us to wander around the bridges and walkways that allowed us to get up close and personal with the 300-foot-tall chunk of ancient ice.
It was impossible to take it all in with one view, but the wide walkways allowed us to go from the east to the west side of it. Originally, my body was still far too exhausted from the hike to really go out and do any activities, but I knew that I couldn’t miss the glacier. It is a piece of history and nature that I can sadly yet honestly say that future generations may never get a chance to experience. It was reflective, relaxing, and a bit melancholy to stare intently at the glaciers tall, sharp, ridges waiting for a piece to come tumbling down and splash in the water. I hated myself for hoping for that amazing pheomenon to happen before my eyes, but as we got closer, excitement grew and we could see smaller pieces popcorning off the sides. It seemed that every time we left our lookouts and kep walking along the paths hidden behind tree cover, we would hear the whoosh-splash-echo of a large loss of glacier and the oohs and aahs of onlookers. We raced to the next viewpoints, and finally got to see our large chunk fall off the far left side of the iceberg and splash, causing the cold water to ripple out in every direction.
Although violent in its nature, watching the glacier crumble slowly before us was one of the most peaceful sights I have ever experienced. I think it helped all of us to take in a deep breath and enjoy the beauty of Patagonia. We reflected on the natural wonders we had seen so far, and became more excited for what was left on our short trip. Although I hadn’t rested the night before, this was the mental recharge I needed to keep going.
Karl, me, Alli, and Emmaray on the way to Perito Moreno Glacier
El Calafate is also home to a number of artisan vendors, as well as a large Arte Indio store that sells high-end indigenous handywork such as pottery, jewelry, tea boxes, dolls, rugs, chess boards, and any decoration you could possibly imagine–but with a beautiful and unique native twist. I had a great time wandering the aisles and admiring the colorful works, but the pricetags made me cringe and I found no evidence that the profits of the shop went to local indigenous communities, even after asking a store clerk. I saved my pesos and instead bought a paper collage of flowers made by a woman in the Paseo de Artesanos, a small stretch of artisan stalls just down the stairs from the bus station.
On Thursday morning, six of the eight of us arrived at the station before the sun had risen to hop on a bus to El Chalten, a city about 4 hours north of El Calafate. El Chalten calls itself “Argentina’s Newest City,” but it is in fact a village smaller than the one I grew up in. For such a small town located inside a national park, it has quite a few names, and also calls itself the “Trekking Capital of Argentina.” This can be attributed to the fact that Mt. Fitz Roy, one of the most famous mountains in Argentina (apart from Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest in the Western Hemisphere) lies within view of the entire city on a cloudless day, its highly recognizable torres protruding through the horizon and branding the city as the home of the Patagonia clothing company’s logo.
It was a lovely little town, and the two days we spent there were full of well-needed down time before returning to the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. On the first day, we searched for a place to rent camping gear so that we could spend the day hiking up to the Fitz Roy mirador, but unlike in Buenos Aires, residents and businesses of El Chalten practice siesta, and the only rental place we could find that was open between noon and four was fresh out of tents. We quickly gave up on the camping idea and settled on a delicious vegetarian lunch at La Creperia, a cute hippie restaurant on El Chalten’s only main street, San Martin. For the rest of the day, we all went our separate ways. After almost two weeks of constantly being in a group of 8 (albeit awesome) people, alone time was definitely needed and I relished in the opportunity to curl up in our hostel’s living room and read my book. One of the highlights, however, was when the boys arrived back to the hostel from their day hike and cooked us all a spaghetti, guacamole, and breadstick dinner!
Karl, Spencer, and Tommy with their delicious creations
Regrettably, although we were in the trekking capital of Argentina, my still-numb toes and sore muscles screamed at me to leave my street shoes on and enjoy the views from afar. All of our group members but Karl and I spent the second day hiking to one of the miradores, but we stayed back to explore the village in more depth and spend time together. I had noticed several little boutiques and antique shops along San Martin, and although Karl would never admit it, he loves digging through vintage stores almost as much as I do. We made sure to get going before the entire town shut down at noon, and spent the day wandering, sampling craft beer and artisanal food, and enjoying the only alone time we had spent together on the whole trip.
The next day we took our last bus ride back to El Calafate to catch our evening flight back “home” to Buenos Aires. It was bittersweet—we had all spent 16 days together and the good times far outweighed the bad ones (if there even were any), and I am so excited to have been able to get to know the people in our group in a way I definitely wouldn’t have otherwise. I now know that I have some great friends in Alli, Emmaray, Francis, Morgan, Spencer, and Tommy, as well as a stronger bond with Karl after having to put up with each other 24/7 for over two weeks straight, but it’s golden. 🙂 We all enjoyed a few kilograms of delicious Argentine helado and caught two taxis to the airport.
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, so our bored waitress served us up extra!
I am also extremely grateful for this opportunity to experience such amazing natural wonders that are filled with far more history than ever I imagined. Reading “In Patagonia” along the way helped to put into perspective a lot of the places I was visiting, such as learning that Mt. Fitz Roy is named after the captain of the Beagle vessel that brought Darwin on his tour of South America, or about the stories of immigration in the region of people from all corners of the world. It has allowed me to reflect a lot on the genre of travel writing and whether or not it is something I really want to pursue (spoiler alert: definitely), and taught me how to really take in an experience, such as my visit to Perito Moreno Glacier. Overall it has been unforgettable, Patagonia, and I hope I visit again someday. Bariloche trip, anyone?
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Apologies because I know that this post has been long, but how can you possibly fit so much adventure into one little post? Stay tuned for my post about our week spent in Puerto Natales and hiking through Parque Nacional Torres del Paine!