That’s it, we’re on our way to Argentina! We’re going to El Calafate to see the Perito Moreno, a huge glacier. Our bus is not taking the shortest route though and we arrive in the evening, after 6 hours on the road. It gave us the opportunity to see emus, a family of llamas and to cross a land border for the first time. We’re delighted!!
The next morning, we get up at dawn to be picked up by the glacier travel agency. There’s about fifteen of us in the mini bus and our guide is trying to speak French to Côme for him to understand everything about the formation of the glacier. At the moment (because it’s been melting very quickly in recent years), the glacier is 70 meters high, 120 meters underwater and 5 km wide (we told you it was huge).
Once on the site, many walkways allow us to admire the glacier. There are three different trails and we take our time to contemplate the glacier from every angle. We are impressed !!! The glacier is gigantic and we even have the “chance” to see pieces of it collapsing. It’s something really incredible: the cracking noise before the ice falls off and when it falls into the water, the way these “ice cubes” (as Côme says) fall, break and take their place among other icebergs … Nature is just amazing !!!
In the afternoon, we take a boat ride to go as close as possible to the glacier (with of course a safety distance of 300m, for the glacier and for us). The sun which begins to show its rays then reveals the magnificent bluish colors of the ice. The spectacle is truly remarkable although then, we are in the middle of a herd of tourists more busy making the best selfie than soaking up the majesty of this place.
After the ride, we’re still able to return to the walkways and stay a good hour admiring the glacier. With each new piece of ice breaking off, Côme is impatiently waiting the next one… and he’s “lucky”, we’ll see many of them breaking apart from the glacier. But as they keep on falling, Julia and Doo are looking at each other worrying: “At this rate, what will remain of the glacier in the next few years?” Côme is miles away from these ecological concerns. He’s just mesmerized by nature’s strength…
In the evening, we’ll stroll around the cute city center with the glacier still on our mind. Tomorrow, we’re flying to Buenos Aires…
Today, Côme:
Did not understand: why do many pieces of ice broke off from the glacier.
Learnt: that a glacier could be huge with lots of peaks.
Loved: to see the ice fall.
Julia:
Did not understand: how there were any glacier left to see given the speed at which it melts.
Learnt: that a freshwater glacier was 90% immersed under water while only 60% of it was immersed in salt water.
Loved: the noise made by the breaking and falling of the ice.
Doo:
Did not understand: why the city paid tribute to Charles Darwin.
Learnt: that the glacier had retreated a hundred meters for the past 20 years.
Loved: to contemplate the glacier.