The Ice Age Is Coming

Perito Moreno Glacier
Originally uploaded by t6i2m.

Today, I went back in time and experienced ice age earth. It is possible, of course, that in the ice age there were no cosy log-cabin cafeterias, heated mini-buses or padded Gore-Tex (TM), but these minor details are insignificant when you are confronted with the breathtaking sight of the mighty Perito Moreno glacier.

Argentina´s most famous glacier, covering a surface area roughly the size of Buenos Aires, is not its biggest (nearby Upsala is more than three times the size). What makes it unique is that its two sides push forward across Lago Argentina for 30 kilometres to meet the land at Penninsula Malleganes. This means that it is possible for a woolly-hatted tourist such as myself to take a gentle stroll along the opposite shore and marvel at the wonder of one of nature´s best performances taking place live, mere metres away.

The hostel in the nearby town of El Calafate where I am staying, organises an ´alternative` tour, which takes in a beautiful drive across the Patagonian steppe (populated by hares, guanacos, ostrich-like rheas, eagles, condors, pink flamingos, unseen pumas and thousands upon thousands of sheep) and the wooded Andean foothills, a boat trip along the northern edge of the glacier (about as close as you can get without running the risk of several tonnes of ice collapsing on your head) and a short trek along the lake´s shore. It finally ends up at the viewing balconies where you can join all the other tourists, cameras poised, waiting for the creaking and groaning frozen mass to deposit another giant chunk of ice in the milky turquoise channel. It´s a regular event, fortunately, so no one goes away disappointed. It was a pretty special day, and almost worth leaving my new partners in crime, Richard and Jon, who are now in Ushaia (the end of the world).

Happy Easter to all. I celebrated by buying myself some home-made Patagonian chocolate and eating it all in about 30 seconds flat. I finally leave Argentina on Wednesday to explore the western side of the Andes, the Pacific ocean and the wonders of Chile.