Apr
15
2010
El Calafate, El Chalten y el alfajor
Author: JesseThe bus journey from Puerto Madryn to El Calafate was the longest yet, constituting about 24 hours. But with the company of my new Swiss friend Mike (who will be accompanying me all the way to and through Torres del Paine), a whiskey after dinner (which apparently means a half cup, neat to Argentineans), 4 movies (the blind side x2, some drama with Joaquin Phoenix, and the Hurt Locker), and 2 Alfajors the voyage was smooth and surprisingly quick. The one downside, however, was that I was slowly developing a sinus infection – just in time for physical adventure and much chillier weather. This would surely test my body’s resolve as well as my mental ability to both push myself and back off where necessary (note: I am writing this 10 days later and am alive and well 
)
For those of you who would like to plan a trip someday to the Chilean and/or Argentinean Patagonia regions I will try to throw in a few tidbits of suggestions and costs (feel free to ask further down the line if you’d like).
El Calafate is a tourist town located on Lago Argentino and provides quick access to the Glacier National Park and resembles a Rocky Mountain ski town with an obvious South American twang. Here Mike and I would rest a bit and wait for two Irish gentlmen (Mac and Connor, whom I met in BsAs) to file in from various parts of the continent to join us. Our hostel of choice was I Keu Ken ($13 pppn). This place proved to be a gold mine of information from guests coming and going to Ushuaia, El Chaltén, and Torres del Paine NP as well as help from the staff booking EVERYTHING from transport and stay in these places to hikes, boat trips, guided tours, etc to the Glacier Park. I highly recommend it!! I would think most other places provided the same help, but the atmosphere here was buzzing with adventurous minds. I would also suggest from refraining from booking too much if anything (besides your first town’s stay esp in high season) since it is likely your time spent in each place and path can change quite easily.
We took our first day off and admired the view from the lobby window (I needed some rest badly). We learned Connor was stuck in Puerto Natales (Chile). Knowing this, Mike decided to stay here and spend a few days in the park (he would be returning in about two weeks for Chaltén and, ultimately, Ushuaia) while Mac and I made our way 3 hours north to El Chaltén to spend a day hiking to Mount Fitz Roy before returning the next evening.
First task, lunches. My mom would be proud to know how I came to instill some healthy eating into others for the next few days (ex-alfajors). We piled tomatoes, onion, avocado (soon to be a group favorite which I was thanked relentlessly for), cheese, and turkey on a sub sandwich and threw some potassium-laden bananas into the mix as well. Our breakfast was a “granola salad”, as I called it: granola with almonds and honey, activia berry yogurt (to keep the bowels flowing properly), raisins, and a chopped peach. However, this is not to say no treats were involved though. The night before we left, Mac ran into some friends he had previously met on his trip and we all decided to brave “hell’s kitchen” (here, in hiking country, everyone cooked their own meals, so you can imagine the amounts of food, wine, heat and chaos that came with the territory). We prepared a chicken and pasta stirfry and finished with the largest pastry alfajor I had ever seen for dessert. Think of a massive three layer wafer covered with different types of chocolate and nuts with three layers of cookie or pastry inside and, finally, a layer of that good ‘ol creamy dulce de leche in the middle. This particular one was the size of a softball and we each had our own! The joke about these delicassies comes into the foray as it is pronounced “alphawhore”. I was running around the supermercado screaming for my alfajor (because nothing gets between me and sweets) when Mac made a comment as to whether or not meant the treat or the female figure to quell my craving (earmuffs mom and dad). We all had a good laugh and, the next day, Mac was vindicated when he heard the word Alpha-Romeo the next day while roaming through some shops. You can guess the insinuation here.
ANYWHO…on to El Chaltén. The bus ride ($35 roundtrip) out was long and the weather ugly. So, I slept. The misery of the head cold really set in on this ride as the heat was cranked and the air stuffy. To save me from three straight hours of this awfulness, we did stop halfway at a cute little bakery, all by itself in the middle of nowhere to cater to groups of Trekkers coming from and going to El Calafate to see this national trekking capital of Argentina.
I got some hot water for my tea (lemon, honey and vit C concoction) and we finished the journey. Mac decided to do a short hike and explore this TINY village of a town while I needed some severe horizontal time. That night I sucked it up and we headed to their heralded local cervecería (brewery) for pizza and a taste of some Patagonian ales. I had the veggie pizza which, I claim, had more veggies than anything else but was extremely delicious nonetheless (Mac has the photo) and we toasted our cervezas.
Back at the hostel we met an actor from Spain, Javier, and decided to team up with him for the big day hike the next day. We planned to do the Lomo del Pliegue Torumbo 12km hike before catching out return bus to Calafate at six that evening. I admit that I was a bit concerned about the cold and elevation given my health condition, but nothing was stopping me from seeing the towering torres that include Mount Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, and Poincenot. The way to the Mirador (lookout) was all, I repeat ALL 6km, uphill (a total incline of 1km, or 3,000ft). As you can imagine, though, it was certainly worth it giving those that spend just one day here hiking a view of everything this wilderness has to offer. Here we munched our subs and bananas, admired the coasting condors, and adored the “mama pancha” (mother earth) that Argentineans covet the most.
After our gracious descent:
we rewarded ourselves with some sweets (Domo Blanco was closed but contains Argentina’s best helado) and tea before saying goodbye to Javier and hopping on the bus. The ride back boasted perfectly clear skies as we all watched the sun set behind the spread of mountains we had just hiked – a perfect ending. To make things even better I think the fresh, clean air actually helped initiate my healing process. It can be noted that all water here is perfectly okay to drink right from the lakes or rivers, it’s purely glacial.
Upon our return, Connor was waiting at I Keu Ken. We shared some stories and laughs before going shopping for more sub ingredients and fruit for the Perito Moreno visit the entire next day. I opted to reserve a guided tour which took me on a boat right up to the face of the beast (60km high and bigger than Buenos Aires). Mac and Conner decided to partake in the mini ice hike ON the glacier. The other option was the big ice hike on the glacier which takes you to rivers and caves all formed on and in this structure. It costs about $20 for park entrance plus $40 for my tour, $125 for mini ice, or $175 for big ice.
After my boat trip they dropped me at the lookout lodge for lunch and my own personal time to admire this geological wonder we typically only read about in science textbooks. No words or pictures can truly portray Perito Moreno, South America’s last moving glacier not to mention the thunderous crashes of ice shelves breaking off into the turquoise water. The frequency of this effect makes Perito Moreno the most popular amongst tourists. I sat at the first outlook point for over an hour in a meditative trance along with everyone else around me. There was occassional chatter, but the atmosphere mostly remained in a tranquil state. Then, with the sound of the slightest crack, heads would turn left or right if not straight ahead at the glacier’s dark blue-hued peaks because unless the shelf was big, or the fall of broken ice constant, you might be too late. The structure is simply too big to see in one line of sight so the sound you have to travel a bit. It was interesting to learn that, from time to time, the glacier has made a charge to close the Canal de los Tempanos that sat between the land that supported my observation deck and and front peaks of the glacier’s current location. This last occurred in 2004 and produces an epic display of resistance (pressure) from the feeding Brazo Rico and reopening the channel. This rupture and the other frequent crashes are the cause of the beautiful neon blue icebergs that float aimlessly throughout this area of Lago Argentino.
That night I had a quiet night of dinner and writing, sleep, and mental preparation for the forthcoming adveture in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.
