From Glaciers to Air Conditioners

The hike around the glaciers was probably the most amazing hike either Jim or I have even done. After some steep uphill parts, we arrived at a small lake the color of mysterious green with a mountain looming overhead (Fitz Roy). We sat on one side of the lake, but there was snow on the other side. Needless to say, the water was frigid since the water came from melted glacier ice. The next day we went to a huge glacier, Perito Moreno. Only 180 feet of this glacier is over the water, but that is impressive, especially when ice chunks break off the glacier and crash into the water below (and the chunks really do crash!) The glacier itself is about 18 miles long and just over the surface area of the city of Buenos Aires. On the way back to the town we had the shuttle drop us off near a lake a native had recommended to us. We walked for about two hours before a family picked us up and took us to the campground (finally! successful hitchhiking!) We found a shelter made out of thick branches near the top of a hill by the lake to spend the night. In the morning we started out once again. And once again we successfully hitchhiked to where we wanted to go! We have a 50% success rate now!

We arrived in El Calafate at 1:30. At the bus station we were told we could catch a bus a 2 that would take us to another city where we would catch a bus to Buenos Aires at 8. With half-an-hour we ran back to our hostel for our bags; Jim bought bread from a bakery for the ride on the way. While Jim made a reservation for a hostel in Buenos Aires (we got a discount if we reserved beforehand) I dragged my luggage to the nearest ATM because we did not have enough money in cash to pay for the tickets (the all powerful VISA is not as widely accepted in Patagonia). The first bank was closed, so I ran to another. That one had a line, so with no other choice I stood there trying not to keep looking at my watch. My ATM receipt reports the transaction time as 1:56; the bus pulled out of the terminal, with us on it, at 2:11.

Part of the reason we rushed for that particular bus was that we got a really good deal in the first class compartment. So instead of skinny seats to spend the next 38 hours on, we spent them in plush seats that allowed us to move from one side to the other as we slept. We had more leg room (something I do not fully appreciate) and even reclined our seats one time to do crunches. Last night we switched buses at the halfway point. Two hours into the journey on the new bus, the tire blew. We spent almost five hours at a random gas station in the middle of nowhere (remember! we were in Patagonia!) before another bus came to pick us up. It turns out the bus that came to pick us up was the same bus we had left only 7 hours before. Without more excitement we arrived in Buenos Aires this afternoon. The weather of Buenos Aires is sweltering. Instead of spending the evening in sweatshirts like we did in Patagonia, we dug out our shorts and listened to the air conditioners humming.