The next morning we awoke and caught the bus to El Calafate in Argentina. Getting on the bus was like a reunion of sorts, we saw the boys from Seattle, a British chap we had met on the trail and Oliver, one of the first people we met in Cartagena! The ride provided us with the easiest border crossing. There was barely any conversation leaving Chile and while getting into Argentina I only smiled at the agent, not a single question asked. We then moved farther into Patagonia through the rolling hills and forest.
The bus arrived in El Calafate to overcast skies and weather a little bit warmer than Puerto Natales. With no hostel booked we started asking others what their plan was…everyone was in the same boat of no bookings. Josh and I scouted some of the hostel agents at the bus station, apparently no one books a hostel when coming into El Calafate. After some communication breakdown and arguing, Josh and I negotiated a price with a hostel agent and he drove us to the hostel…about a 20 min walk from town. I can’t really blame Josh, I get pretty grumpy when I get sick, but choosing the hostel was a turning point in the trip. Over a pot of soup we decided to split for the rest of the trip as he wanted to go north through the mountains to see Fitz Roy and I wanted to head east to the Atlantic Coast to see penguins. We decided for worst case scenario to meet at the terminal at the airport in Buenos Aires, hopefully we would have a hostel booked in Bogota for our last night on the continent.
Back in the private room we booked to keep other backpackers from shanking us because of Josh’s cough, I wanted to charge my camera battery before the trip to the Perito Moreno glacier the next day. Well guess what, my camera case was gone! I tore through my pack like a banshee with no luck, then I went back through the entrails with a fine tooth comb to find it. Nada. In my haste to return to the hostel from the internet café in Puerto Natales, I must have left my case at the terminal. Oh well, I had my camera, a card and battery charger, all of the essential stuff.
Back in town I struggled to find cash at the ATM’s as they were nearly out, but finally scored some cash and got myself onto a computer to communicate with Ella and Jamie who were still in the town with my camera. After that and a few calls to the hostel I figured I did all that I could to track down the case and would just have to wait until tomorrow. I relaxed with Josh over dinner where I had a nice microbrew and a heart attack meal consisting of steak, bacon, fries, and a fried egg. Delish!
I spent a large portion of my cash wad booking my glacier trip and went to bed. In the morning I enjoyed a breakfast that consisted of two of my favorite things, toast and dulce de leche before getting on the bus. This “alternative” glacier tour drove us through some back roads to reach the glacier where we visited a lake and made a stop at an estancia where we listened to the wind and saw a million dollar view. We arrived in the park and paid the entry fee, in return we got a map and get this, a small bag for litter. How’s that for a proactive park?! On the ride to the glacier the driver played “The Imperial March” as we rounded the corner to see the glacier for the first time…well played sir. I was awe struck watching truck size pieces of ice calve off and splash into the water. It was really hard to get a perspective on the glacier’s size until we were out on Lago Argentino, where a three story catamaran was completely dwarfed like a school bus next to a sky scraper. I was completely blown away by the whole experience.
After returning to the hostel I picked up my key for the room and the host said I had a package. The girls had picked up my camera case in Puerto Natales and sent it with some girls staying at their hostel that were coming to El Calafate. I couldn’t believe it when I read on the computer that it was delivered by Karen and Antje, the sisters from Punta Arenas and Torres! A bit later the girls walked in and were just as surprised to see me. When I said thanks for the delivery they both cocked their heads, they didn’t realize that I was the one who the case belonged to! We all giggled a bit and agreed to go to dinner so I could buy them a proper beer.
The next morning late night beers and ice cream I packed my bag before heading to Puerto Madryn. I needed to lighten my load so I decided to eat a lot of the food that was in my pack…not the best idea to eat loads of junk food before getting on a bus, but it did help me sleep! Five hours, a bottle of water and a milanesa sandwich later I was in Rio Gallegos and realized one of the difficult things about traveling solo, going to the bathroom in a crowded bus station with all of your gear. After that ordeal I got on the bus to Puerto Madryn and arrived to 80 degree weather and sunshine on the coast!
My hostel was half a block from the beach and was totally vacant. This was a total tourist town where all you do is the touristy things and move on. I booked a tour the next day (yeah, another tour, I was tired of doing things myself and the budget allowed for laziness) to go to Peninsula Valdez to see a laundry list of animals. There wasn’t much to do in town as it was another doggone holiday so I wandered the streets and took a nap.
Sitting in the back seat of a tourist van with three Brits about my age, we went whale watching under some pretty grey skies. Later they opened up to rain about three inches that afternoon as we scoped out seals, sea lions, armadillos and penguins! That night I ate dinner by myself, another big pile of meat and starch.
The aforementioned Brits were onto something…riding in luxury for long distances. I decided to indulge for my last long bus ride and go first class with a fully reclining seat, free alcohol and gourmet meals for the 15 hour trip to Buenos Aires. Sadly, they were sold out so I settled for the next step down which included a cama style seat, three meals and a good view. I bought the ticket one day in advance so I knew I had less than a day left in Puerto Madryn, rock on.
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