El Calafate

One and a half hours flying due south from Bariloche is the small town of El Calafate and the view shortly before landing was pretty special. El Calafate (Ca-la-fa-tay) derives its name from a bush that grows in the region. Sporting wicked long thorns, the bush also produces a fruit that looks rather like a blueberry and is edible. However, it’s not fruiting time so we didn’t try it but did buy a jar of jam for when we get back home.

In winter months the population of El Calafate falls to a couple of hundred hardy folks but in the summer tourist season it swells to several thousand. Once again the main industry is tourism, the main attraction being the Perito Moreno glacier. Named after Francisco Pascasio Moreno, who was primarily responsible for defining the boundaries of Argentina and Chile, leading to the boundary treaty in 1881. The story goes that Chile wanted the boundary to be determined by the flow of the rivers. Those going west to the Pacific and the surrounding land would be Chilean. Those flowing east to the Atlantic would be Argentinian. Moreno demonstrated that the river flows were inconsistent and therefore not good for boundary definition, suggesting instead the tops of the mountains. Finally the two countries turned to the British to arbitrate and the dispute was settled according to Moreno’s proposal. So how come there’s such a big problem with Brexit?

Now travelling brings on an appetite and the local speciality is lamb. A lot of sheep are raised here, beef is mainly raised in the centre of the country. The Tablita restaurant is reckoned to be the best and after last night’s meal we can confirm that it probably is. Lamb is slow cooked, whole, over a wood fire. Portions are chopped into plate-size pieces and that basically is that. Succulent and slightly smokey. Delicious.

We reached the glacier late morning and were blessed with glorious sunshine. The weather is notoriously unpredictable and it’s claimed that all four seasons can be experienced within a couple of hours. Spectacular, stunning, amazing are descriptions that come to mind. The pictures don’t do it justice but here’s a taster.

The glacier is about 70 metres high and 5 kilometres across at the point we saw it. Overall, it covers over 2800 square miles. Yes, it’s big. It’s also the only glacier that is in equilibrium. The amount of ice formed at the top equates with the amount of ice lost at the bottom and it has been like this for almost one hundred years. When the ice melts, its water contains minerals. These have the same specific gravity as the water and are held in suspension which give a whitish colour that is known as ‘glacier milk’.

By the way, look carefully. That little dot is the boat we took. It helps to provide a perspective of the glacier’s size.

Yet another exciting day in our adventure. We’re heading south again tomorrow. This time by coach across the border into Chile. Ciao, adios.