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Argentina 1 - Moreno Glacier |
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Casapagina |
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To see the Moreno Glacier we stayed in El Calafate, a town that really has very little reason to exist other than it�s proximity to the Glaciers National Park and the Chilean Border (Relatively). We booked into a tour when we arrived at midnite from Puerto Natales and really had no idea what to expect on our little expedition. We were woken at 7am to jump on a bus with 30 other tourists looking to see the glacier. THe tour guide took great pains to explain in english the whopping 3 types of trees we would see at the park, I guess he was under the impression that we�d not seen too many in Chile and would be excited at the prospect of identifying each type as we ventured deeper into the park.
Undetered by our sniggering we continued to the glacier and we treated to some of the most awe inspiring sights and sounds of the trip. Perito Moreno is one of the most active icefields in the world moving an astonishing 2m per day, astonishing because the glacier is 30km long, 4-5km wide and towers 60-70m above Lago Argentina (there�s another 120m below the lake!). The sound of the glacier moving was also astounding, it sounds like thunder as it drags and cracks into the lake, and when enormous chunks shear off into the lake and form icebergs up to 30m long it�s an awe inspiring experience.
The HighLight was definetly the boat tour where our intrepid crew, undeterred by the icebergs floating all around the dock rammed the boat into the �bergs repeatedly until a path was created so we could get a closer look at the enormous glacier, some on board dubbed this �Bumper Berg�. Once safely into the lake the guide on board assured us over the loudspeaker that the crew had all the training necessary, we had our doubts. We were treated to the birth of some enormous bergs while out there and in the extra hour we had to wait while the captain played bumper berg in order that we could return to the shore. |
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The south face of Perito Moreno Glacer (Well, 14km of it, the rest runs behind those mountains in 2 flows) |
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The North Face...and our faces (and the profile of the wee boat we would take out to see the glacier). |
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The pennisula where the Glacier sometimes forms a dam between the North and South arms of Lago Argentina (see the water flowing from one to the other at the bottom left of the pic). |
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This is the iceberg inundated dock we embarked from. The glacial ice changes colours, in sunlight, it appears white, in shadow, it appears blue. The Argentinian flag is Blue and White where the sun is...coincidence?
Note: The dog is irrelevant to the picture...stupid dog...stop looking at it. |
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An iceberg we had successfully rammed aside! |
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Not a self take, but the glasses did make a quick cameo due to popular demand. |
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Bumper Berg! |
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I took a quick peak at the bow after we were safely ashore, apparently I was right, the ship was not meant for ramming icebergs...see the front railing. |
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Let�s See Argentina 2! |
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Back to the Casapagina |
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