South America - Argentina Los Glaciares, Trekking the Perito Moreno Glacier

Being in front of the glacier, seeing Perito Moreno ice sheet collapsed, you may think that is pretty satisfying. I thought so, but I was so looking forward for the trekking on the glacier itself.

A group of us was shipped over the opposite side of the Lago Argentino shore, to be exact, we were on the ice!  The feeling was funny, as we knew we were on a 170M thick of ice, then the water, then the bottom of the lake.  We were not floating, but we were, in concept.

First, our guide briefed us on glaciology. Yes, something brand new like that but real interesting.  And if you don't pay attention, you will get scolded by the guide. Ya, I did, got a real lovely serious fellow here :-).

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

There is one very interesting fact from glaciology - the colour of the glacier.  Glacier consists of multiple layers of ice, forming from the repetitive process of snow melting and freezing, which results different shades of BLUE!  The reason for the Blue is, surprisingly, the Sun.  The Sun and its reflection on the process making glacier to look the lovely blue colour.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

Then, we were told to put on a pair of crampons. It was the heaviest thing I ever carried by my legs.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

As we started hiking, there was always 1 guide in front - to explain everything and anything around Perito Moreno or the glacier, and another guide at the end back - to protect any trekkers who left behind or got too curious on anything or everything about Perito Moreno or the glacier.  From far view, all the groups will end up forming an "ant queue".

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

In which, I thought it is cool and perfect for a picture.
At the end of the trek, all of us were served with the local Perito Moreno specialty in El Calafate - the glacier's ice with whisky!

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

South America - Argentina Los Glaciares, Crown of the Jewels

I have not heard about Perito Moreno before until 2010 half way through planning my 3 months trip to South America.

When I was hiking in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, a Spanish couple who had been to El Calafate right before Ushusaia said - you must go, you must see how the glacier ruptures!

There I go, a bus ride that required me to be up at 3am and a stop over at Rio Gallegos.  And 20 hours later, I checked in to the hostel in El Calafate at 11pm. The next morning at 8am, I went straight to the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Little that I know I was heading to see one of the most beautiful creations of nature.

Even far from the park, I could spot Perito Moreno Glacier.  Well, that is an advantage to own a SLR lense of 300mm in zoom.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

Perito Moreno is rare, not becuase it is a glacier, but because it is a glacier in a stage of equilibrium.  Alright, you would think what is that mean?  When a glacier is in an equilibrium stage, the glacier is practically, physically growing in size overtime, but also shedding its size over time.  The cycle of growing and shedding created one of the most spectacular scene on earth - glacier rupture event!

The reason for its growth is still a debate in the scientific society.  But the reason it has to shed is because Perito Moreno Glacier sits on the Lago Argentino.  As it grows, it's advances hit the opposite shore eventually.  Its forces clash with the edge of the lake, the pressure built up and creates the rupture that breaks part of its body size and collapses away. The rupture cycle is not regular but naturally depending on the enormous pressure built up. As part of the Patagonia Ice Field in the Southern Ice Sheet, Perito Moreno is not the biggest, Upsala Glacier is, but it is the one which is visible in full fiew from a man-built wooden platform.

I got off the bus, skipping everything, went straight to the viewing platform.  It was late Autumn and almost Winter, it was like the alpine time.  The nicest thing of this national park is, we actually can get really close to the glacier without have to be on the boat.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

The scene is fantastic! The terminus of Perito Moreno is 5KM wide with 74M hieght above the surface of the lake.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

But it real size hidden beneath the water of Lago Argentino, 170M depth below the surface which is more than double the height from what we see on the water.

I finished the whole wooden platform around for about 2 hours.  Back to the cafeteria, grapped a cup of coffee and headed over to the viewing plaform again.  I was very ready, and stand by to sit for hours to wait for a glacier rupture event.  I got a seat and next to me were 2 Argentinean ladies, senior citizen, who had their sandwiches ready with a polaroid camera - those that with instand photos.  They had been there before me, waiting!

It was silence for at least 30 mins, a long while nothing happened.  Then, they must had felt bored, turned, put down their camera, grapped their sandwiches.  Just as they turned their head and started biting into their sandwiches, my eyes switched to the glacier as I heard a huge tearing sound of splitting - JEAAAAZZZ! I raised my DSLR and instantly pressed the shot which was set in the sequencial shotting mode.  In less than 10 seconds, a huge chunk of the ice sheet falling into the water.

Perito Moreno Glacier - Argentina, Apr 2010.

The 2 old ladies were biting their sandwiches, turned their head back to the glacier, seeing the ice sheet dropping into the Lago Argentino.  They quickly grapped their camera and raised it, but the whole process was over in seconds. Well, they just had to wait somemore for another one.

South America - the 6 un-Missable Missiones

For it is the dream of 28 years, I crafted my South America journey around Ushuaia. However, the more I research on the continent, I realized that there are a lot more to the continent than many others. I compiled a list, I had to forgo some of the wonders because of time and money limitation and here are my 6 un-Missable Missiones.

Ushuaia in Argentina, Apr 2010.

I know about the national parks of Los Glaciares where Perito Moreno Glacier is, of Torres del Paine where Los Torres are, and of El Chalten where Mt.Fitzroy is.  But, they are all either part of the Southern or Northern Patagonia Ice Field, the third largest ice sheet in the world. 

Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, Apr 2010.

I always somehow feel that I am more the Robinson Crusoe type of traveller, so I wonder about that little MOST remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, furthest away from all civilizations, having it's own sacred statues of Moai.  I can not miss Easter Island.

Easter Island in Chile, May 2010.

Even I been to Niagara Fall for numerous times in my six years in Canada, I read about how  Eleanor Roosevelt described the poor Niagara when she saw the Iquazu Falls, which is 27 times the size of Niagara.

Iquazu Falls in Brazil, May 2010.

I have read about it.  However, I have not realized how famous and awesome it is. As it is on the way in the journey from Chile to Peru, after Atacama Desert and before La Paz, I dropped by the Largest Salt Flat in the world.  Little that I know, the Salar de Uyuni  is mesmerizing!

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, May 2010.

Of course, I have always been fascinated by Machu Picchu and no one could miss it in a trip to South America. Reading so much about the sacred trail of Inka, trekking it is a MUST.

Machu Picchu in Peru, Jun 2010.

There are other wonders I really would like to go but it just have to wait for another time.  The 1st on the forgo list is the Galapagos Islands in which I am intended to come back for Ecuador in another time.  The 2nd is Falkland.  It is just too far, only flight from Santiago, expensive and not many options for accommodations.  The 3rd is the Chileo in Chile. Just like any other trips, there were just not enough time for reasearch so I missed this one out.

The good news is, I know I would come back for a 2nd journey before the 1st one even started.