Mar Del Plata -> El Calafate

A lot has happened since the last post. This is going to be a long one! For the quick summary, we spent the last few nights in Mar Del Plata, took a bus back to Buenos Aires for one night, and took an early morning flight here to El Calafate. Saturday night, the 28th, was the last night we enjoyed the beaches and famous nightlife of Mar Del Plata. On the way back to our apartment at 5am, we took some of the best sunrise pics I think I’ve ever seen.

Sunday the 29th we used as a chill day to get some food and relax. I worked on a few things for job applications too. For dinner, we found a restaurant that featured a blend of Sushi, Thai, and Peruvian food. Of course, I had to indulge my taste buds on a trip down memory lane and ordered a large plate of Lomo Saltado, a similar version to the plate I had cooked in Lima on my last trip. Peruvian cuisine is still some of my favorite overall.

The morning of the 30th, we awoke at the ridiculous hour of 8am to catch our 9:30 bus back to Palermo. When we arrived at the bus station around midday, it was time to say goodbye to Calvin:( We said our farewells as he embarked on a long journey home. Jaeson Hunter and I took a taxi to our 1-night airbnb only 3 blocks from the first place we stayed in Palermo. It started to feel like we were Palermo veterans at that point. Also, with Calvin gone, no one in our group looks the same. The taxi driver asked if we were all from the same country and looked clearly confused when we said we were all from the states.

This airbnb was super fancy. The lobby was definitely upscale and the room itself looked like a nicer hotel room. Too bad we were here for literally 11 hours before waking up to go to the airport. However, while back in Palermo, we took the opportunity to go back to our favorite empanada place and have dinner at the same Indian place. It was too good to pass up. They were playing songs in the restaurant from an Indian movie called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Felt like home listening to my dad’s playlist. We also used today to wire ourselves money and pick it up at a local western union: definitely the easiest way to get cash.

The morning of the 31st, we woke up at 3:30 am to catch a 6am flight out of Buenos Aires’ other airport AEP. Normally, we stayed up past this time. Time to shift the sleep schedule a bit. Once we landed around 9:30am, it was clear that the nature part of this trip was just beginning. We had finally reached the start of Patagonia. The airport had only 2 gates and was literally in the middle of nowhere. A 15 min taxi ride took us into the town of El Calafate. The scenery looked similar to Arizona with less trees and more rocky landscape. I am sure the winter here would look a lot different. Also, this city is supposed to be the larger one of this area. I can’t imagine what the tiny trekking town of El Chalten is going to look like in a few days.

The airbnb where we are staying is super cozy. It’s like a log cabin with several rooms and a very nice host named Pol. Pol rents our several rooms to travelers so the vibe is more like a Hostel with shared spaces and our own 3-bed suite. There are guests from France, Germany, and even Korea. Pol’s friend Willy, also known as “The Captain,” is also staying here. People come in and out whenever. The doors are never locked and things are left outside at any time. Pol says that police officers here are often out of a job because literally nothing bad happens. He also can get us a job as guides for horse tours or even driving a manual land rover all day. Very tempting indeed.

Thankfully there was also a washing machine for us to use. Pol is an amazing host as well. For work, he guides different treks and excursions for travelers and he brought back some lamb stew for us to try, which was delicious. Lamb is the most popular dish here because entire filets are skewered and slow roasted around a fire all day until dinner time. It’s pretty elaborate to say the least. At this time of year, the sun rises around 5am and doesn’t set till 10:30pm or so because of how far south we are.

We walked main street which is about 25 minutes from our more remote accomodation. El Calafate is clearly a travelers nature haven with backpackers everywhere, English menus, and Guns and Roses playing at restaurants. It kinda reminds me of a less-developed, more authentic Breckenridge. We bought some groceries and gifts, cooked dinner, and called it a relatively early night. 12 hours of sleep was very much needed.

Today, February 1st, we started the day with a cool waffle breakfast place that had a huge variety of both sweet and savory dishes. Super unique and elaborate. The weather is a cool 60 degrees with a nice breeze and sun. Can’t ask for better than this. After breakfast, we found a local bike shop and rented mountain bikes for a few hours. No forms required, no guarantee of us returning the bikes, nothing. The guy just said “have fun” and we were off. Payment taken when we got back. God I love it here.

We rode around for nearly 3 hours, navigating the many dirt roads until we got down to the lake where there was a paved path alongside it. We found a cool park, found a little beach area, and even met a furry friend who ran alongside us for more than a few miles.

The lake is surreal. The best way I would describe it is a mountain ocean with Patagonia jutting up behind it. It’s a fluorescent blue that is hard to find anywhere else. Knowing me and my upbringing, it was required that I jump in. I’ve never been happier to be absolutely freezing in glacier water. The funniest part is that even in this place, I was still able to video call my family alongside the lake and show them were I was. Full bars of LTE.

We retuned the bikes and the employee only charged us for 2 hours, so roughly 9 USD. We found a spot to have some food and bought some groceries for tomorrow. We will be doing a minitrek over the glacier which will be an all-day excursion. Should have some pretty cool pics to post afterwards! Thank you for tuning in to this longer post.