I just got back from such a great trip to Patagonia! Patagonia is the southern most province of Argentina (fairly close to Antarctica) so I went to see some glaciers. Our destination: El Calafate. Flying in Christa and I were surprised to fly over a desert with literally no civilization. Where did we come? I thought there were going to be glaciers everywhere and mountains. What is this place?
However, once we got to the town it was really cute: very touristy though. We took some fun pictures and got some really yummy meat one night and pizza another.
Part 1: The Hostel
Christa, Sam, and I stayed at a hostel called Nakel Yenu. It was very cheap (about 20 american dollars a night) but really nice. The people who worked there were helpful and cool. Our favorite worker was Federico. He had dreads and would play reggae music all day long. The atmosphere at the hostel was very chill. When we arrived, Veronica (another worker) told us to just get settled and whenever we were ready we could check in. The first two days there Christa and I just relaxed a lot (slept and read) and explored the town.
On the 3rd night we had an all-hostel bbq. We were served meat and more meat, which was so good! At our table we met some interesting people. There was one local guy who I guess was friends with Federico and he didnt talk much. We also met a creepy man from Israel who made us feel a little uncomfortable with the things he brought up in conversation. There was also a really cool girl from Australia who was traveling around South America for 4 months by herself (in a leap-year between college and grad school). I hope some day I will be able to take 4 months of just to travel and enjoy life (without having to go to classes and do hw) After talking for a few hours we were tired and had an early tour the next day, so Christa, Sam and I headed back to our room to talk among ourselves and head to bed.
Part 2: Boat tour of 4 glaciers
On our first adventure day (Saturday) we decided to go on a boat tour that went to 4 different glaciers, 3 of which are only accessible by boat: Upsala, Spegazzini, Mayo, and the most famous Perito Moreno (more to come on Part 3 about Perito Moreno). The boat tour was 7 hours long, so we took a lot of pictures, took a nap, and did some reading.
The most amazing thing about Patagonia is how diverse the landscape is. Literally all at the same time you can see lake, mountain, glacier, desert, rainbows, and greenery. It's very strange but such a cool reminder about how creative and beautiful God is and how he can make these incredible structures like glaciers, icebergs and mountains all by saying "Let there be..." (Genesis 1) These structures/glaciers that we saw are so intricately put together. Pictures cannot even begin to describe the beauty of it all but here is an attempt:
Part 3: Perito Moreno
On the second day of taking adventures we went to Glacier Perito Moreno (the most famous one). This is the only glacier here that is accessible by land and sea. Unfortunately it was raining (and snowing) so we took a quick walk on the stairs that go all along side the glacier, got some pictures, and headed inside the lodge to warm up with some hot chocolate. However, in the time we were walking, we saw two parts of the glacier just fall into the lake. (3 weeks ago the arch that used to be very distinctive of Perito Moreno completely fell) When this happens it makes a loud rumbling sound and everyone cheers and screams. I actually think that its very sad because it means that no one who comes after us will be able to see the exact same glacier we saw and that eventually the whole glacier will be gone (global warming). We had a great time just hanging out and talking after seeing the glacier! Here are some of the shots we captured:
I will post more pictures on facebook but for now I think this post captures a lot of what we saw and learned. Coming back today was kind of sad. We had grown used to the beautiful countryside and the relaxing and quiet atmosphere. Now we are back in the city where it is loud all the time and we have responsibilities like homework and attending classes instead of just exploring God's creations.
What an incredible world we live in!
Chau!
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