Patagonia!!!

So, all throughout this trip I´d been saying how much I wanted to go to Patagonia, but I wasn´t sure if I´d make it. After not making it to the jungle and as a result saving a week of time, I was much more hopeful. At (literally) the last minute, I lucked out a got a flight to my ultimate southern destination, El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier!

My Patagonian experience started in the north with the gorgeous town of Bariloche, located along a lake in the Nahuel Huapi National Park. This town seems like the North Conway of Argentina, a place where local families come for a vacation along with the foreign tourists. I swear I saw the Argentinian version of my family walking down the street, the guy even had the same coat as my dad! There are tons of outdoor activities to do here, lots of hiking, camping, and beautiful mountain and lake scenery. And of course, many cute, unique shops.
I wish I could have stayed longer in Bariloche, but when I went to the airline office to find out if there were any flights I could get to the south, my only option was at 2:00 that day! I took advantage of the opportunity and flew to El Calafate. This town is nothing to speak of in itself, it mainly exists for the tourists travelling to see the glaciers, which there are many of in the area. I managed to see the most famous of them all.

On our way to the Moreno glacier, we took a less-travelled road, along which you could see much wildlife. We saw many eagles, ostrich-like birds, black-neck swans, and other feathered creatures, all very big and distinctively different. (Plus, at the glacier itself, we saw a condor!). The Moreno glacier is the most famous and frequently visited glacier, as it is stable and does not progress from its location. The glacier itself actually moves from 30cm to 2 meters per day, though it also breaks off and tumbles into the water from the front, so it loses as much as it gains. It was progressing much further until the 1970´s, part of the reason for this decline in movement is global warming. Other glaciers are moving faster, and changing the landscape right before our eyes!

Seeing this massive natural formation was just incredible. As the glacier moves, it cracks like thunder, and if the echo reaches you in time you can see giant slabs of ice falling into the crystal blue water! Looks can be deceiving, its hard to fathom just how big the glacier is when you are looking at it. Moreno stands at 50 to 60 meters high above the water, and continues another 160 meters below the surface! It extends through the mountain valley for up to 30 kilometers.

On my way back north, I stopped in another Patagonian town called Trelew, which is home to a great Paleontology museum. There were lots of dinosaurs in this part of South America back in that period, and the MEF museum displays many great fossils found from this part of the world.

I wish I could have spent more time in Patagonia, it abounds with natural beauty that you just can´t imagine until you see it for yourself. Patagonia is worth three months in itself, its definitely a place I hope to return to someday.