Ubicado en el Lago Argentino, en la Patagonia. Por este canal se accede al glaciar Upsala. Había tantos tempanos que el barco no se pudo acercar a menos de 8Km del glaciar.

My day by day account of this much awaited holiday is now live on CHILE & PATAGONIA.

This diary of the much awaited travel through Chile and Argentine Patagonia starts here. My experiences of this tour could be a reference point for you at a later date. Ask me if you have questions.

We just wanted to travel light through the extremes of the Atacama desert in the north to the glaciers of the south – clothes, camera, sun screen, books, hiking boots, laptop – what do we get rid of? Much thinking and creative packing later, we got down to probably the lightest luggage we have done in a decade! And we didn’t miss anything.It all started on our departure from London on the 2nd of October – 17 days to go!

CLICK HERE FOR ATACAMA PICTURES

CLICK HERE FOR TORRES DEL PAINE PICTURES

CLICK HERE FOR PERITO MORENO GLACIER PICTURES

GLACIAR PERITO MORENO.

Agosto, 2008. Parque Nacional de Los Glaciares. Argentina.

A fines de Julio tuvimos la visita de una hermosa persona a la cual le mostramos algunos lugares del sur, estuvimos recorriendo varios lugar, pasamos por Piedra Buena, en donde paramos para ver los murales, el Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, en el cual sus palabras fueron: “Si rompe el glaciar, no me sacan mas de acá”, también están algunas fotos del calafate y otras mas.

Espero que les gusten las imágenes, Comenzamos con el Calafate y un par de fotos donde los muchachos jugaron con la nieve.

Este es el Lago Argentino, el cual, en el momento que fuimos tendría que haber estado congelado para la fiesta del hielo, lo cual no paso, sera por el calentamiento global? (yo creo que si)

En el Parque Nacional hicimos una excursión donde nos acercamos un poco al glaciar, sabían que tiene mas de 60 metros de alto? son dos veces el obelisco!!

Bueno estas son por ahora, dentro de poco pasamos las del viaje hacia el calafate, Piedra Buena y el Bajo San Julián.

Así como también, el PERCHERO terminado!!! Si, el que nunca terminamos de mostrarles como quedo, bueno actualmente esta mas que saturado de ropa.

The biggest lake in Argentina. The most impressive landscapes i´ve ever seen in my life.

Oh… yeah, and they are argentine. So cool !!!

GLACIAR PERITO MORENO.

Agosto, 2008. Parque Nacional de Los Glaciares. Argentina.

Fue bautizado así en honor de Francisco Moreno, que exploro a fondo esa zona. Presenta la particularidad de que en su avance cierra el paso al agua procedente del Brazo Rico del Lago Argentino. La presión y la erosión a la que este agua le somete provoca su ruptura en una explosión espectacular, y más aun si se tiene en cuenta que se puede observar desde unos 400 metros.

GLACIAR SPEGAZZINI

Agosto, 2008. Parque Nacional de Los Glaciares. Argentina.

Debe su nombre al botánico Carlos Luis Spegazzini, quien fue el primero en estudiar la flora local.

El glaciar Spegazzini es uno de los glaciares más importantes del Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, ubicado en el departamento Lago Argentino, provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina y en la provincia de Última Esperanza, región de Magallanes, Chile, en su sección superior. Su característica principal es la gran altura de su frente, que alcanza los 135 m, convirtiéndolo en el más alto del Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.

Fuente: Wikipedia

Ort: El Calafate (ARG)
Zeitunterschied: MEZ -4 Std.
Wetter: heiter mit wenig Wind

Farbtöne in violett bestimmten die Szenerie bevor die Morgensonne El Calafate mit dem Lago Argentino und den vielen Zypressen in ein goldenes Licht tünchte. Geo Saison würde wohl „Magisches Argentinien“ titeln oder andere blumige Adjektive wie verzaubernd oder atemberaubend verwenden. Wobei ich noch nie erlebt habe, dass jemand beim Anblick „Atem beraubender“ Landschaften an Atemnot gestorben ist. Das Elfmeterschießen im Viertelfinale der WM 2006 in Berlin – Deutschland gegen Argentinien – war atemberaubend. Lohmi und ich im Olympiastadion und Jens holt den Zettel raus.

Aber ach ja, dieses Argentinien. Da sind wir jetzt nämlich wieder. Und zwar im nicht gerade beschaulichen Städtchen El Calafate, was übersetzt soviel wie buchsblättrige Berberitze heißt, ein Symbol für Patagonien ist und gern an gestörten Standorten wächst. Wegweisend. Das Tourismuszentrum besteht aus gefühlten 80% Hotels oder ähnlichen Unterkünften, der Rest sind Souvenirshops, Restaurants und das übliche Casino. Rundherum nur trockene Steppe. Und in 80 Km Entfernung der Perito Moreno, ein riesiger Gletscher des südlichen Eisfeldes. Nicht fälschlicherweise mit „braunes Hündchen“ zu übersetzen, sondern der Name eines argentinischen Geographen, Anthropologen und Entdecker, wie Wikipedia zu berichten weiß. Und eben nach ihm wurde der Gletscher benannt, obwohl der alte Name „Bismarck-Gletscher“ eigentlich viel schneidiger klingt.

Wie auch immer, deswegen waren wir hier. Hielo y Aventura (Eis und Abenteuer, Anm. d. Red.) hält hier das Monopol für Exkursionen zum Gletscher und wir hatten uns für eine Tour namens Big Ice entschieden, die 4 Stunden Gletscherwanderung im Kreis von maximal 20 Personen versprach, inklusive Verzehr selbstmitgebrachter Lunchpakete auf dem Eisfeld. Man setzt mit dem Boot über den Brazo Rico, wandert etwa 45 Minuten, bevor man sich die Steigeisen anlegt und wie am Bindfaden aufgereiht über das Eis spaziert. Und so richtig beschreiben läßt sich gar nicht, was wir dort erleben durften. Die Bilder können zwar einen Eindruck vermitteln aber wie es sich anfühlt auf dieser eisigen Mondlandschaft zu wandern, läßt sich schwer in Worte fassen. Versuchen wir es mal: Über Gletscherspalten und Eisbäche springen, vom Guide Stufen ins Eis geschlagen bekommen, das Krachen sich abspaltender Gletscherstücke zu hören bevor man es sieht, zu wissen, dass man auf bis zu 700 m dickem Eis läuft, einfach für ein paar Stunden ein Teil dieser sich täglich verändernden Eismasse sein. Einmalig. Und zum Abschluß gabs noch Whisky „on the Rocks“, standesgemäß mit 300-400 Jahre altem Gletschereis. Salud.

Am Vorabend gab es im Hostel America del Sur, unserem temporären Zuhause, das allabendliche Grillfest und es wurde gut auf den Rost gelegt. Wurst und Steaks, die ob des Gargrades Hannibal Lector ein Fest gewesen wären und Dina beim Anblick der blutigen aber durchaus leckeren Rindfleischstücke fast die Linsen im Hals steckengeblieben sind. Das wäre dann wirklich atemberaubend gewesen.

Und weil hier sonst nicht viel mehr zu holen ist, sind wir auch gleich nach 2 Nächten wieder auf dem Weg gen Norden. Es geht ins 1.400 Km entfernte San Carlos de Bariloche. Wir freuen uns auf 36 Stunden Busfahrt und hoffen, dass ein paar schöne Truck Stop Kassetten den Weg ins Radio finden werden.

Ao longo dos tempos a civilização ocidental veio a definir o branco como a cor da paz. A pomba branca, a bandeira branca, etc. Contudo, aqui sentado numa rocha gigantesca no meio da aridez patagónica, apercebi-me que na verdade a cor da paz é o azul. Um azul específico. O azul do Lago Argentino e do céu que lhe dá cor. É um azul que não conhecia, com uma luminosidade natural capaz de humilhar qualquer obra de Rafael. Um azul quase hipnótico que, aliado ao ruído das suas parcas ondas e à constante carícia, fria mas reconfortante, do vento, me compele a fechar este caderno, guardar a caneta e voltar a recostar-me na superfície tépida da rocha para fechar os olhos ao sol.

Perito Moreno glacier, Patagonia, Argentina – 07/01/2009

In the twenty seven plus years of my existence I had only read about glaciers and had seen nothing but photos and videos of glaciers. Yesterday and the day before yesterday I got to see glaciers live, today I get to walk for over four hours on top of one.

A remarkable evolution in my relationship with glaciers.

In the middle of the austral summer I put on my windproof coat, my gloves and ice walking spikes on my feet to set out, together with twenty other strangers and five guides, into the icy vastness. The first thing that strikes you once you’re on a glacier is that it’s a lot of ice. I mean a lot of ice. Really. The second thing that strikes you once you’re in a glacier is that there’s even more ice, a lot more, than you imagined. Never ending ice moving two meters a day, despite the apparent stillness, born in the icy mountains and dying in the waters of the Lago Argentino. A slow suicide, with huge ice blocks jumping from its imposing walls into the waters, in a roar of foam and thunder that sets off a string of photographs and interjections from the tourists who wander about. And there are a lot of them.

Walking on ice for four hours, four hours of ice and more ice, is a “strange” experience, to say the least, for a Portuguese guy who grew up two minutes away from the beach and now lives in Barcelona.

Strange, beautiful and impressive.

Strange because you have to adapt to walking with two extra kilos of metal in your feet which cling to the ground, because at first so much white numbs the senses, because, in the beginning, when I am putting on my spikes while the wind nearly tumbles me over I can’t help to ask myself “What the hell am I doing here?”.

Beautiful because once the wind dies down and you go into the glacier’s valleys, hills, creeks and waterfalls, the wind, the weight of the clothes and even the wound the spikes caused in my heel are rendered irrelevant to give way to a new concept of beauty my poor Iberian brain was not prepared to face.

Impressive because as the hours go by and the weather goes back and forth between nice and not-so-nice, I realise that without the 5 guides none of us would endure much time in this labyrinth of cracks, this mountain range of razor sharp hills, this field of bottomless “sumideros”. As I looked into the sumidero the guide half-jokingly called La Boca del Diablo (The Devil’s Mouth) I let myself be conquered by a true sense of respect for this white titan.

Already on the boat back, while I enjoyed the whiskey and the alfajor the guides offered us, I reviewed the dozens of photos I took without truly realising how beautiful they were. It was only in the night when Marc and Martin went berserk with some of the photos that I really grasped that I had the privilege to spend four hours walking in a truly special place.

Wow…

Seriously, wow…

I’m in the Patagonian outpost named El Calafate right now and I just can’t explain how incredible this place is but I will do my best.

I may have mentioned this already but I woke up this morning at 7am and headed to the reception desk where Justina, the very sweet and somewhat attractive desk lady began yelling at me having never even met me before…You are in room Maracaibo yes? Your bus leaves in 10 minutes for the glaciers! You must get dressed immediately!” Not knowing that I had made reservations, I ran back to my room and began packing as if there were a nuclear explosion. I had no idea what was going on seeing as I had made no arrangements whatsoever yet but thought that perhaps I was at a hostel that planned everything for you. I sprinted around my room and made it back to the reception area having not showered or brushed my teeth which I’m sure made everyone with clear nasal passages really happy. After sitting there for 20 minutes, Justina came over to me and informed me that she had made a mistake; it was the room next to me who was supposed to be at the bus and that I should just relax and enjoy myself. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I like to take my time in the morning. I like to have my coffee, I like to read and I like to spend an inordinate amount of time on the throne. Not having been afforded any of those opportunities put me in a grumpy mood but I managed to organize the day regardless.

Justina set me up with a causal 2-hour horseback ride that would take me to the top of some hills that overlook Lago Argentino and some of the surrounding mountains. After napping for a few hours in the living room I was picked up by my cab at 11:15 for the 10 minute drive to the stable.

The stable itself is a bit rundown but it exudes gauchoness. There are horses, dogs and cats everywhere and everyone that works there has the air of someone whose body was forged not from a womb but from stainless steel. The men were hard but kind. After exchanging pleasantries with our gaucho, the very funny and charming Fernando, me and 4 others set off on our trip. Joining me were Mario and Hillary, a newly wedded couple from West Hartford (who we’ll get to a bit later) and an Italian mother daughter combination.

I hadn’t ridden a horse in years but much like a bicycle, it didn’t take me long to get well acquainted with my steed, I think his name was Paquao. We started off heading towards one of the shrubby hills that blanket this landscape and were met with head swiveling views of epic mountains and crystal blue lakes. The omnipresent and sometimes violent wind kept my hands alternating for spots under the saddle while my idle hand held the reigns. Upon reaching one of the many vistas that overlook the town and the mountains we stopped for pictures. It was a remarkable spot that was somewhat compromised by Fernando’s horse rather potent and audible flatulence. We continued onward for another 45 minutes until we reached our intended destination: a bluff that sits about 200 feet about Lago Argentino, resulting in a steep drop into the lake. Many, many pictures were taken and we made our return back. The landscape here is almost Martian and no plant grows higher than a few feet. My guess is that the constant wind coupled with apparent nutrient deficient soil makes for poor agricultural conditions. The only economy this place has going for it is tourism which is both a blessing and a curse.

Up until a few years ago, El Calafate was a dusty outpost where Argentines could come to convalesce on the banks of Largo Argentino and perhaps visit the nearby glacier, Perito Moreno. That all changed in 2000 when the municipal government completed the new airport that was meant to service daily flights from Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Ushuaia. With this increase in available capacity comes a need to improve the current conditions of lodging and hotels. The result is a major construction boon that, while bringing plenty of dollars to the region, could ultimately have an irreparable effect on the natural surroundings. One of the joys of coming to Patagonia is experiencing the untamed landscape and harsh conditions that make up the climate in this part of the world. That may all disappear if the government doesn’t take steps to stem construction and cap the number of visitors that come into this town. I don’t have much hope but it’s not too late to make a change.

Mario and I had been chatting for the duration of the ride. He’s from Puerto Rico and his new wife hails from Ireland and having just been married 10 days ago, they were spending their honeymoon here in Argentina. We began talking about the respective places we have been and as the ride wound down Mario was kind enough to invite me for lunch and we took almuerzo in a regional restaurant in town. After a portion of blood sausage, I took my main course of a delicious local trout while Mario and Hillary split a portion of lamb. The serving style here is certainly unique as they don’t spend much time on presentation and instead, focus on the quality of the mean which is sublime. We downed a bottle of local Malbec and parted ways but not before exchanging email addresses and the like. A wonderful couple and one of the many people I hope to keep in touch with when I return home.

I was planning on renting a car and exploring the surrounding landscape but lunch lasted longer than expected so I made my way to the Internet cafe where I type right now.

Observations:

1) The Internet connection at every place down here is extremely slow. So slow that I think their version of email involves an Andean Condor transporting your message from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, only to then have the message put into the computer and sent to its intended destination. It’s somewhat frustrating but I didn’t come down here to play video games and write JavaScript so I’ll deal, even if it costs me $2.50 pesos every 15 minutes.

2) This town is obviously a tourist oriented kind of place but still retains some regional charm. I like it and there is a prevailing odor of baby powder that emanates throughout the entire resort. It’s kind of weird but it’s better than having the whole place smell like burnt rubber (ehem…Buenos Aires. are you listening?)

3) Driving from the airport last night was kind of an interesting experience. It’s 14 miles away from town and we didn’t see a light until I pulled into the hostel parking lot. If you need any confirmation that you are at the end of the earth, just fly into the airport and drive around for a while. You’ll see nothing more than asphalt, dirt and shrubs. That’s it.

4) Uncle Lammie: I didn’t have time to get your bag, I’m sorry but I’ll make it up to you by having a great time while thinking about you. That’s fair, no?

If you think I took a lot of pictures today the I suggest you hold onto your 1GB memory sticks because tomorrow is glacier time and the Canon SD1000 will be put to the test.

I’m heading back to the hostel and plan on chilling out for the rest of the day. I may do a night post after dinner but I have to be up so damn early tomorrow that I may just wait ´till tomorrow afternoon to get everything out.

One World!
Das Uber Coog

Después del proceso de “canonización” que hemos vivido todos en los últimos días y una vez nos hemos cercionado de que somos unos santos que aguantamos los cánones que nos echen encima, para enfriar el ambiente después del calentón vuelvo a mis añorados paisajes del hielo. Hace ahora un mes, en El calor del hielo, os comenté algunas de las sensaciones que he vivido contemplando los glaciares. En algún comentario, se mencionó la belleza de algunos de los otros glaciares que se pueden visitar, además del Perito Moreno, en el Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.

El Perito Moreno ofrece una oportunidad única: observarlo desde unas pasarelas situadas enfrente del mismo a escasos trescientos metros, lo que permite una contemplación serena, sosegada, larga… el Perito Moreno se puede disfrutar con un tempo delicioso, con el tiempo parado, la mirada sosegada y con espacio para aposentar las sensaciones.

Hoy os traigo otro glaciar, el Spegazzini. Al glaciar Spegazzini se aproxima uno tras una navegación entre témpanos por el brazo norte del Lago Argentino (dejo para otro día los témpanos que merecen también un capítulo especial). En el camino vas disfrutando de esas inmensas porciones de hielo a la deriva, que compiten en la belleza de sus formas y en los distintos matices del azul que nos regalan a la vista. A lo lejos habremos divisado el gigantón del glaciar Upsala, al que no pudimos aproximarnos porque su guardia pretoriana de témpanos hacía imposible la navegación hacia él. Luego, después de seguir navegando y de contemplar algunos glaciares en retroceso, cuya lengua ya no llega al lago, de repente te enfrentas al magno espectáculo del Spegazzini.

La primera impresión es fuerte. Se trata de un frente no demasiado ancho, con la mancha parda que crea su morrena central como consecuencia de la unión de dos lenguas distintas que confluyen. Pero lo que impresiona es la altura de esas paredes. Ese frente de hielo que veis en la fotografía llega a alcanzar más de 100 metros de altura. Cuando el barco se aproxima un poco más y cambia un poco el ángulo de visión descubres una cascada hielo fascinante, un dramático descenso helado en busca del lago, un brutal impacto visual.

El corazón altera su ritmo, la respiración se acelera y la excitación que te produce esa mejestuosa caída del hielo te permite remontarte por encima del frío intenso de esa mañana nublada. Vas pasando de la impresión de la altura de la pared al dramatismo del descenso vertiginoso del hielo, intentando dejar para siempre esas imágenes en tu recuerdo.

Y vuelve a moverse la embarcación y descubres nuevas perspectivas… y el azul, siempre ese azul impregnándolo todo, más uniforme ahora que las nubes no dejan pasar los rayos del sol, pero no por uniforme menos fascinante. Y el contraste entre el hielo y la tierra a la que se agarra, a la que también desgarra en su lucha constante por buscar una salida.

Así recuerdo el glaciar Spregazzini. Una experiencia de intensidad fuerte, de vivencias rápidas, de aprehensión a contrarreloj. El polo opuesto al disfrute del Perito Moreno, un aquí te pillo aquí te mato glaciar, el calentón del hielo.

Por conservar todo esto sí que deberíamos pagar mil canons.