Ge’ma Gletscha schau’n

Argentina is a little bit adamant this time … One hour we had to queue in the small house of the border control before we had the stamp in our passport. But afterwards we got to know a phenomenon unknown to us until then: Tailwind. Over a large part of the day’s distance we were pushed - even driven. Despite the late start and 60 km gravel road the speedometer showed almost 120 km at nightfall. In order to take advantage of the advantageous wind as long as possible, we drove until it was almost pitch dark and camped short hand at the roadside.

In the next two days on the way to El Calafate Matthias fought with cold and fever. The efforts of the hiking days caught up with him. Thank God we found a warm and wind-protected sleeping place in the Estancia Rio Bote and still managed to arrive in El Calafate on December 31st as planned. The long-awaited, beautiful New Year’s Eve meal, however, had to be cancelled, as there was no spot available in the restaurants without a reservation. Instead, we got good Argentine wine, overpriced Empanadas (dumplings) and at last, a very tasty take-away sushi. Equipped like this, we celebrated New Year’s Eve comfortably and relaxed in our tent.

The next days were marked by illness and “Gletscha schau’n”. After flu attacks first with Matthias and then with Katharina, Matthias had an upset stomach, so that we stayed longer than originally planned in El Calafate. Thus we were able to experience the doubtful pleasure of being able to feel climate change at the southernmost end of South America. Snow rain at the beginning of January - in summer - is unusual even for this cool region. Sleeping bag rest days alternated with spectacular nature experiences. Due to high bus prices, we hitchhiked to the glacier Perito Moreno. The rainy, cold weather somewhat reduced our length of stay, but not our enthusiasm for the glacier. It rises up to 70 m out of the water and up to 150 m below the water surface. At regular intervals, pieces of ice break off with a loud bang and fall into the lake. The glacier glows in different shades of blue depending on the incidence of light. Enthusiastic about the impressions, we took a boat the next day to the three glaciers Perito Moreno, Spegazzini and Upsala. We got up early in the morning to wait longer for the shuttle bus than announced. Katharina was already worried that we had been forgotten when the pick-up service still appeared. We spent a great day on the ship with a nice dinner party from Germany and Buenos Aires. At noon we ate a good lamb burger. At any time we could go on deck and have a close look at the glaciers and floating icebergs. In the late morning the whole ship went for a walk in order to deal with the history of the national park and the settlement of the area. In the afternoon there was glacier ice to touch and drink. We finished the wonderful excursion with an All-You-Can-Eat-Grill. These places, known in Spanish as Parrillada Libre (Free Grill), must have been invented in Argentina. In addition to starters, desserts and salads, you can eat as much grilled meat as you like. There are various types of meat and sausage to choose from. Sometimes you can also try curiosities like grilled intestines. So Parrillada Libre is not really suitable for vegetarians, but we came to our long-awaited good meal. In addition to restaurants and glaciers, we visited the interesting Glacier Museum and the Birdwatching Park in El Calafate, where we could see many birds, ducks and swans as well as two young foxes playing.

At our next stop in El Chaltén we again had “Gletscha schau’n” on our agenda - but this time on foot. From the village you can make hikes to the glacial lakes Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres and the glaciers behind them. El Chalten has experienced an even stronger boom than El Calafate in recent years. A few years ago the 90 km access road had been asphalted and since then it has become a hiking and climbing Mecca. The village has grown many times over, whereby the new buildings (almost) exclusively serve tourism. Nevertheless, in the high season it is hardly possible to get one of the overpriced rooms without a reservation. At several places in the village more hotels and pensions are being built. The rush on the camping sites and the main hiking trails is correspondingly big, they are in a better condition than those of the national park Torres del Paine, although there are no entrance fees required here. They are maintained with the help of volunteers. The Austrian chapel with its commemorative plaques for hikers and climbers who died in accidents as well as old photos and articles on the first ascents of the surrounding peaks on the walls of restaurants still remind us of the time when the place was only visited by die-hard mountain foxes. Surprisingly, this time was not more than 25 years ago. Photos from the 1990s show a few scattered houses. The Austrian memorial chapel rightly bears her name, as she could also be seen in an Austrian alpine village. Only the scaffolding behind it disturbs the idyllic impression.

The surroundings stand in stark contrast to the tourist towns of El Calafate and El Chaiten. Cycling on the roads between the towns is characterised by the mostly stormy wind, the dry Pampal landscape, the two large lakes Lago Argentino and Lago Viedma, the beautiful course of the river Rio Leona and the great distances. There is hardly any infrastructure. The only possibility for female cyclists to spend the night sheltered from the wind are - in addition to drainage pipes - the farms. As already experienced further south, we only had good experiences when we knocked on the door to spend a night. In the Estancia Rio Bote we not only received a bed in a simple room from the farm keeper, but the sick Matthias was also provided with tea and medication by him. Similarly worried was about two weeks later the overseer of Estancia Santa Margarita when Katharina lay down with strong stomach pains. Tea and homemade bread were followed by an offer to get a doctor. However, this was not necessary because the abdominal upset was a flash in the pan. On the Estancia Punta del Lago we were allowed to spend the night in the workers’ cottage. An Argentinean film about farm life was already shot here. Likewise the road maintenance had nothing to object when we put up one night in her shed our tent.

The most important permanent topic among the Patagonian travellers is and remains the wind. Cyclists are not the only ones who fight with it, but also motorcyclists and car drivers. Strong gusts of wind can even move cars and cause unstable driving. In El Calafate, for example, we met a Brazilian cyclist who had been hit by a female car driver who could not overtake her as planned due to the strong wind. To make travelling easier, there are apps like Windy.com that predict wind direction and strength. As a cyclist, it is advisable to consult them and, if necessary, take a day off more or less if you can avoid the strong side or head wind.