March 24 Day 37
We were the first ones on the bus which got us at our hostel and so had front seats for one of the least scenic drives we had been on. When we picked up people at the bus station, one couple had tickets with our seat numbers on it. No one else had numbers on their tickets and the driver said "free seating" so we were not displaced. It reminded us of the agencies we dealt with in Laos where promised made to us turned out to be false once we actually got onto our bus or boat.
We were picked up at 8 but it was 10:30 by the time we paid our park fees and went through long, winding roads through Glaciers National Park (South), whose main attraction was the Perito Moreno Glacier. You get a glimpse of it from viewpoints we didn't stop at and then arrive at the main park. From that point we bought tickets for a 3 pm boat ride and took a shuttle to a higher point with a smaller restaurant to start our tour.
The park has a maze of several different walkways, all metal with railings and steps, that have a series of viewpoints of the glacier. We went to a far end so that we could gradually work our way back to the most popular parts and only encountered a few people.
The glacier itself is amazing. It moves at 2 metres per day and so you have this wall of ice in front of you that you can trace back into the mountains and pieces are cleaving off every few minutes. The place is of such a scale you can barely wrap you head around it and the expectation of spotting falling ice and watching it crash into the water keeps the tourists' attention. We were able to eat the lunch we brought and gradually move to the more crowded areas, which did have a superior view of the glacier.
There were information plaques along the way and some professional photographers trying to make money, but in the age of the selfie, who pays to have their picture taken anymore. There were many people there but you could still get a space at the railing in almost any viewpoint and watch for falling ice.
Of course it is a glacier and the wind off of it made me wish I had brought my tuque and glove. We both retreated to get some hot chocolate and then went back to watch some more and gradually work our way to the boat dock. The boat before us got to see some huge chunks come crashing down so we were hopeful that we would get the same.
At th beginning everyone had to go inside the boat for some safety instructions but then we all moved out to get the closer look that the boat allowed. It was well worth it, as we had some cleaving but just getting close enough to the iceberg and to see ice caves not visible from the shore made the trip worthwhile. A little light rain didn't deter anyone from staying outside. We found out later that our beret-wearing captain was from the Falkland Islands.
The boat docked, we found our bus and headed back into town. I went to the supermarket to get some more ingredients and Meg headed back to the room, which was left unlocked and open by the cleaning lady. Our host wasn't too concerned, which didn't seem great to us but what else could we do? Since we were leaving early the next day, he said he could leave some breakfast stuff in the kitchen so we wouldn't go hungry, so it wasn't all bad.
We had dinner, repacked and went to bed early in preparation for our 6 am pick up.
We were the first ones on the bus which got us at our hostel and so had front seats for one of the least scenic drives we had been on. When we picked up people at the bus station, one couple had tickets with our seat numbers on it. No one else had numbers on their tickets and the driver said "free seating" so we were not displaced. It reminded us of the agencies we dealt with in Laos where promised made to us turned out to be false once we actually got onto our bus or boat.
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| Tourists and glacier. |
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| Just after a large piece cleaved off. |
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| A glacial iceberg. |
The park has a maze of several different walkways, all metal with railings and steps, that have a series of viewpoints of the glacier. We went to a far end so that we could gradually work our way back to the most popular parts and only encountered a few people.
The glacier itself is amazing. It moves at 2 metres per day and so you have this wall of ice in front of you that you can trace back into the mountains and pieces are cleaving off every few minutes. The place is of such a scale you can barely wrap you head around it and the expectation of spotting falling ice and watching it crash into the water keeps the tourists' attention. We were able to eat the lunch we brought and gradually move to the more crowded areas, which did have a superior view of the glacier.
There were information plaques along the way and some professional photographers trying to make money, but in the age of the selfie, who pays to have their picture taken anymore. There were many people there but you could still get a space at the railing in almost any viewpoint and watch for falling ice.
Of course it is a glacier and the wind off of it made me wish I had brought my tuque and glove. We both retreated to get some hot chocolate and then went back to watch some more and gradually work our way to the boat dock. The boat before us got to see some huge chunks come crashing down so we were hopeful that we would get the same.
At th beginning everyone had to go inside the boat for some safety instructions but then we all moved out to get the closer look that the boat allowed. It was well worth it, as we had some cleaving but just getting close enough to the iceberg and to see ice caves not visible from the shore made the trip worthwhile. A little light rain didn't deter anyone from staying outside. We found out later that our beret-wearing captain was from the Falkland Islands.
The boat docked, we found our bus and headed back into town. I went to the supermarket to get some more ingredients and Meg headed back to the room, which was left unlocked and open by the cleaning lady. Our host wasn't too concerned, which didn't seem great to us but what else could we do? Since we were leaving early the next day, he said he could leave some breakfast stuff in the kitchen so we wouldn't go hungry, so it wasn't all bad.
We had dinner, repacked and went to bed early in preparation for our 6 am pick up.
That sounded like a fantastic day. Thx for sharing
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