An Iceberg that Sank our Fears and Froze our Hearts with its Icy Magnificence.
Captains Log Day 25 – 15/09/19 4:46 pm. Aerolineas Argentina Flight AR1875
The Captain and Admiral’s journey so far had been nothing short of amazing. With many epic sights, huge feats and adventures along the way.
This was going to be their last big adventure and boy it was going to be one huge finale.
They were off to the town of El Calafate to hike along the Perito Moreno Glacier.The Perito Moreno glacier is considered by many to be the 8th wonder of the world. It is one of the most spectacular sights in the Argentine Patagonia. Located in the Los Glaciares National Park, the Perito Moreno glacier is one of the largest of the 48 glaciers emanating from Patagonia’s Southern Ice Field.Perito Moreno glacier is the third largest reserve of fresh water on the planet, surpassed only by the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
It is gigantic, being 252 square kilometres it is 30 kilometers in length, about 5 kilometres wide, and the average height is a staggering 73 metres!To visit the glacier you need to fly south to the small village of El Calafate, which is approximately 78 kilometers to the west of Perito Moreno glacier The town sits only 1500 Kilometers from Antarctica and is the second most southern settlement with Ushuaia only 500 km away being the most southern.
The Captain and Admiral had arrived in El Calefate at around 2pm. They had come, not only to view this magnificent wonder but hike across its belly.This was going to be an epic feat, and one they had butterflies and nerves about. They had researched about the glacier in the past and found out that, the glacier had claimed numerous victims who had fallen into cravaces and others who had ventured too close to the rupturing ice. Additionally Perito Moreno Glacier sees winds that can blow up to speeds of 130 kilometres/hour, at times shooting shards of Ice, aka Ice Bullets.
Upon decent they could see the ice capped mountains and barren landscape. The absence of any human life was reflected by the airport as there was nothing there. With one of the 4 people manning the airport. They bought some tickets to the shuttle and stepped outside, feeling the fresh and freezing air hit them in face. Boarding the shuttle quickly they got dropped off at the hotel which was 2.5 km from the tiny city centre (more like a strip of hostels, souvenir shops and supermarkets).The hotel that the Captain had booked was very nice he had found it for super cheap on a random website and booked for 2 nights. Upon checking in there was some drama. When they checked in the reception informed them that the room was all paid for. Then they get a call from reception.. not paid for? confused they went to reception had been advised the reservation is cancelled? Lots of arguing later the hotel finally said sorry we can’t help. You need to pay again to us if you want to stay. After sitting trying to contact the online booking agency, the hotel reception came over and said they will deal with the company and that they could stay without payment. The check-in turned out to be very stressful.After that song and dance the Captain and Admiral were keen to explore, however with nothing around they took a taxi to the glacier museum (Glaciarium) and the ice bar (Glacier bar). The Glaciarium was a modern interpretive galciological centre, and one of the few Glacier Museums in the world. It demonstrated the understanding of glaciers and environmental awareness are our main subjects.The exhibits included models, dioramas, photographs, screens. It was pretty cool.After that they headed to the Glacier bar. Inside they were met by a guide in the staging area. The Captain and Admiral were given a jacket and some gloves, they were also advised to keep their glasses and that inside they had 25 minutes. They entered the ice bar which was basically like a giant freezer, with an ice igloo, ice chairs and ice structures inside. It was also Very cold, despite their jackets and gloves they were freezing, and rightfully so as the temptretue was -6.6 degrees Celsius. All of a sudden the 25 minute time limit made sense.
Inside they were given an ice glass and told there were only spirts offered due to freezing conditions and they bring in soft drink when they take people into the bar for 25 minutes every half hour. Also music to the Captain’s ears was that it was unlimited drinks for 25 mins. To maximize efficiency they skulled the first vodka lemonade in their ice glasses and followed these up with 4 more drinks. All of a sudden the ice bar was not too cold anymore.Warm, fuzzy and slightly intoxicated, their time was up and they had to leave to the (slightly) warmer environment outside to take the shuttle to the town where they had an exciting dinner reservation at 8 p.m. There they would get to try the rare and very expensive King Crab (super hard to catch and only found in Alaska and around the Paragonia ice sheets) as well as the famous Patagonian lamb, which again was only found in this region in the world. They walked around hunting for some gloves, which they had not brought with them and had found out were mandatory on the glacier hike. They vistied a heap of souvenirs shops, with the Admiral once again exhausted and the Captain excited with things to buy, they also were able to hire some gloves before heading for dinner at Mi Rancho resteraurant.
The dinner was delicious, the crab was in stuffed pasta form and did not taste like the traditional crab, having a much stronger taste. The Lamb, in a stew dish was hearty, warm, super tender, just falling apart. Perfect for the freezing weather outside. They were advised what made the lamb special to this region was the diet of the animal, only grazing on dry shrubs and local plants, making them fatty and with a specific taste.
This was going to be their last big adventure and boy it was going to be one huge finale.
They were off to the town of El Calafate to hike along the Perito Moreno Glacier.The Perito Moreno glacier is considered by many to be the 8th wonder of the world. It is one of the most spectacular sights in the Argentine Patagonia. Located in the Los Glaciares National Park, the Perito Moreno glacier is one of the largest of the 48 glaciers emanating from Patagonia’s Southern Ice Field.Perito Moreno glacier is the third largest reserve of fresh water on the planet, surpassed only by the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
It is gigantic, being 252 square kilometres it is 30 kilometers in length, about 5 kilometres wide, and the average height is a staggering 73 metres!To visit the glacier you need to fly south to the small village of El Calafate, which is approximately 78 kilometers to the west of Perito Moreno glacier The town sits only 1500 Kilometers from Antarctica and is the second most southern settlement with Ushuaia only 500 km away being the most southern.
The Captain and Admiral had arrived in El Calefate at around 2pm. They had come, not only to view this magnificent wonder but hike across its belly.This was going to be an epic feat, and one they had butterflies and nerves about. They had researched about the glacier in the past and found out that, the glacier had claimed numerous victims who had fallen into cravaces and others who had ventured too close to the rupturing ice. Additionally Perito Moreno Glacier sees winds that can blow up to speeds of 130 kilometres/hour, at times shooting shards of Ice, aka Ice Bullets.
Upon decent they could see the ice capped mountains and barren landscape. The absence of any human life was reflected by the airport as there was nothing there. With one of the 4 people manning the airport. They bought some tickets to the shuttle and stepped outside, feeling the fresh and freezing air hit them in face. Boarding the shuttle quickly they got dropped off at the hotel which was 2.5 km from the tiny city centre (more like a strip of hostels, souvenir shops and supermarkets).The hotel that the Captain had booked was very nice he had found it for super cheap on a random website and booked for 2 nights. Upon checking in there was some drama. When they checked in the reception informed them that the room was all paid for. Then they get a call from reception.. not paid for? confused they went to reception had been advised the reservation is cancelled? Lots of arguing later the hotel finally said sorry we can’t help. You need to pay again to us if you want to stay. After sitting trying to contact the online booking agency, the hotel reception came over and said they will deal with the company and that they could stay without payment. The check-in turned out to be very stressful.After that song and dance the Captain and Admiral were keen to explore, however with nothing around they took a taxi to the glacier museum (Glaciarium) and the ice bar (Glacier bar). The Glaciarium was a modern interpretive galciological centre, and one of the few Glacier Museums in the world. It demonstrated the understanding of glaciers and environmental awareness are our main subjects.The exhibits included models, dioramas, photographs, screens. It was pretty cool.After that they headed to the Glacier bar. Inside they were met by a guide in the staging area. The Captain and Admiral were given a jacket and some gloves, they were also advised to keep their glasses and that inside they had 25 minutes. They entered the ice bar which was basically like a giant freezer, with an ice igloo, ice chairs and ice structures inside. It was also Very cold, despite their jackets and gloves they were freezing, and rightfully so as the temptretue was -6.6 degrees Celsius. All of a sudden the 25 minute time limit made sense.
Inside they were given an ice glass and told there were only spirts offered due to freezing conditions and they bring in soft drink when they take people into the bar for 25 minutes every half hour. Also music to the Captain’s ears was that it was unlimited drinks for 25 mins. To maximize efficiency they skulled the first vodka lemonade in their ice glasses and followed these up with 4 more drinks. All of a sudden the ice bar was not too cold anymore.Warm, fuzzy and slightly intoxicated, their time was up and they had to leave to the (slightly) warmer environment outside to take the shuttle to the town where they had an exciting dinner reservation at 8 p.m. There they would get to try the rare and very expensive King Crab (super hard to catch and only found in Alaska and around the Paragonia ice sheets) as well as the famous Patagonian lamb, which again was only found in this region in the world. They walked around hunting for some gloves, which they had not brought with them and had found out were mandatory on the glacier hike. They vistied a heap of souvenirs shops, with the Admiral once again exhausted and the Captain excited with things to buy, they also were able to hire some gloves before heading for dinner at Mi Rancho resteraurant.
The dinner was delicious, the crab was in stuffed pasta form and did not taste like the traditional crab, having a much stronger taste. The Lamb, in a stew dish was hearty, warm, super tender, just falling apart. Perfect for the freezing weather outside. They were advised what made the lamb special to this region was the diet of the animal, only grazing on dry shrubs and local plants, making them fatty and with a specific taste.
Absolutely stuffed they headed back to the shuttle stand and waited for about an hour before accepting their fate, realising the shuttle service had ended, and taking a taxi back to the hotel.
At the hotel, the reception called them over and presented them with a letter that described why they had to pay for the hotel room again.
Long story.. here is a summary
1) The Captain had booked this room at a 4 star hotel
2) They had booked via one booking site called Amoma.com
3) They had booked via Amoma because the rates they were offering was half the price as other booking sites
4) Earlier that day (yes that same day) Amoma declared bankruptcy. There was news of 100s of people worldwide that had been affected. This means Amoma will not be able to pay the hotels, even though they have charged people.
This left people around the world in the same situation – bookings were cancelled when this was announced 10 hrs ago. When they checked in it was fine but an hour later the hotel got a cancellation email. We did not get this email
5) The hotel tried to contact Amoma and Amoma sent an email about what had happened. Saying all reservations worldwide are cancelled
6) The hotel had to charge the Captain again and have gave them a copy of the email to help with insurance claim.
Now the Captain and Admiral have to get insurance to recover the money they paid to Amoma. With all that drama complete they headed to bed, although both of them struggled to fall asleep, tomorrow they were off to complete a frightening and exciting feat. The new day dawned and the Captain and Admiral woke up feeling the nerves. They got ready, layering on several items of clothing and preparing for the day’s adventure.
After a large breakfast, they awaited the bus pickup that would take them to the frontier.
Along the way they witnessed scenery on a level that we have never seen before, the bluest of lakes and lagoons, 360 degrees of ice capped mountains, shrubs and dry, desert like elements on the step of the mountain, the hour leading to the glacier Park was nothing short of a visual feast.
Finally as they turned the last corner the driver made an announcement and with that phenomenal glacier came into vision. It was huge, even from the distance that they saw it from. Kilometers away it towered like a metropolitan skyscraper, running across the water as far as the eye could see.
They disembarked the bus in awe of the massive structure floating in the water, the guides provided an itinerary of the day’s activities as well as being given plastic bags and told that there are no bins in the park, all rubbish needs to be taken back to town for disposal. They were also warned about the wildlife which included what to do if they encountered a puma or yellow jacket wasp that were in the region.
Here they boarded a boat and sailed in front of the breathtaking south wall of the Perito Moreno Glacier. It was huge. They took selfies as they braved the icy winds, shadowed by the ice wall beside them, in the water mini icebergs floating like croutons in soup.
When they arrived on the other side, they were welcomed by a guide and led to a small shelter. After checking everyone’s details (they were a group of no more than 12 people), the guides lead them along the shore towards the edge of the glacier.
On the beach they learnt some more interesting information about the glacier including: The ice shelf protects the kingdom from the Wildlings and White Walkers from beyond the Wall. It protects Argentina from the ravenous Chileans just on the other side.
Scientists calculate that the Perito Moreno glacier is approximately 18,000 years old.
Global warming means that most glaciers are retreating. Subsequently, melting polar ice caps and glacial recession in the Himalayas. However, the Perito Moreno glacier is an exception – it’s advancing, moving forward around 2 meters a day.
Every 4-5 years, the glacier grows to a point where it blocks the L-shaped Argentine Lake and the water pressure builds to the point that the dam part of the glacier explodes (last happened in 2017).
Although the Captain and Admiral did not witness a major rupture, they saw the awesome spectacle of a ice piece breaking and falling Into the lake. It sounded like thunder as the ice crashed into the water.
After a brief lesson about the glacier the guide led the convoy to a tent just off the beach touching the ice. Here the guides will gave everyone a set of crampons and explained how to use them.
Crampons are basically a set of metal dentures with an overbite on the bottom of your shoes. You press your feet down and they bite into the ice to keep you from sliding down the glacier. The guides put these on for the adventurers.
They were also provided helmets and asked to put on thier gloves, not for the cold but rather to make sure that if they fell on the glacier they would not hurt their hands on the ice which can be quite sharp.
Ready to go, they set off on a 2-hour minitrekking circuit, single file following the instructors. The guide even mentioned one wrong step could result in falling into a cravace due to the ice being hollow.
Walking on the glacier was interesting, they had to employ different techniques based on the inclination, i.e if they were going up a slope they had to walk like ducks with their feet facing outwards. If downhill then knees bent and leaning back. In any case they had to stamp their feet with every step ensuring the crampons really grabbed the ice and had to walk with thier legs apart otherwise the crampons could get caught on each other and they would fall (he explained this often happened)
On the hike the group witnessed some incredible scenery around the glacier including streams, little lagoons, ravines, crevaces and some gorgeous ice structures. The ice surface was uneven but firm which only added to the uniqueness of the experience.
On the way they stopped for photographs and even to drink water from the glacier. The Captain also ate a heap of ice by just sitting down and breaking it off the glacier. The Admiral not amused.
At one point during the walk group had stopped to take photos, just as it was the Captain and Admiral’s turn to pose, an ice shelf collapsed in the distance, with a thunderous noise coming from above and behind them. The Admiral, Captain and their guide freaked out! They thought there had been an avalanche! Calmed by the guide their hearts had aged by 5 years.
The hiking up and down the glacier was strenuous and awkward, but it was also super rewarding, with the picturesque surrounding and the majestic ice formations. The experience was unforgettable, the scenery just like a postcard.
Surprisingly it got very hot on the glacier, possibly due to the exertion and the Admiral stopped to shed layers like a garden lizard.
At the end of the hike, the guide took them to a table on the ice that had been set up with Whiskey and chocolate. The guide went away with his ice pick and came back with water and some Ice that he had chiseled off the glacier. Here they had whiskey on the rocks to celebrate a rewarding finale to a very memorable and epic experience.
As they walked back to the boat with smiles on their faces, a giant killer yellow jacket wasp came and sat on the Admiral.
It was huge, she stood very still and called out to the Captain, who had no idea what to do. They just stood there until the wasp finished circling them and eventually flew off.
Fun fact: The Yellow Jacket wasp is that it can sting multiple times and has a strong mandible for biting. It continues to attack untill it is satisfied its target has witnessed enough pain or dead.
Super releived (and the Captain slightly disappointed) they reached the shelter where they were able to have some lunch which they had brought with them, whilst marvelling at the massive glacier in front of them. Finally it was time to board the boat.
They crossed the river passing in front of the magnificent face of the glacier and boarded the bus which took them to view the glacier shelf from a viewpoint. They were able to explore and view the Glacier’s balconies during a whole hour and got the best views and landscapes of the National Park before leaving this beautiful place and completing a one of a kind experience!
They headed back to the hotel exhausted, they talked about the day they had, it was by far one of the most spectacular days and experiences ever for both the Captain and Admiral.
They reached home and decided where else they could go to try some of that delicious local lamb, and with some googling found the best steakhouse in the city. Here they had a very large cut of lamb (so much so that the Admiral had not idea how to dissect it). Once again it was super tasty.
At the same establishment, behind them sat a team of Americans, they all had Jackets saying Airbus PerLan mission 2. When the Captain googled this, we found out that airbus was in the region trying to beat the highest altitude record for a glider, which was set by them a year earlier. Pretty impressive.
Returning back the hotel exhausted and bellies full, they called it a night, watching Kill Bill in Spanish until they fell asleep.
The last day could be summarised by one word. Waiting. They woke up and had breakfast during which they find out that their flight back to Buenos Aires had been delayed by an hour. They sat in the lobby killing time waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive. Here they watched Argentina lose the basketball World cup to Spain and chatting to a Brazillian man who believed the Amazon is actually not on fire and the media is overreacting…….
Needless to say the Admiral felt like there was a fire inside her and she wanted to put it out by setting the man straight. The Captain Tranquilo’ed her till the man left the lobby.
Despite the flight delay the airport shuttle was on time and they headed to the airport for another 4 hour wait before they flew out of the village town of El Calefate.
They said goodbye to Patagonia and the edge of the world. They left with some unforgettable moments, imprints of the most beautiful scenery embedded in their minds and stories of an adventure like no other.
