Patagonia, part one

Hello, friends and family! I have been sort of MIA for the past few weeks, partly because all of the computers in Patagonia are from the stone age and also because I´m in Patagonia.

It´s windy and expensive, but incredibly gorgeous!

I first took a 36 hour (and some change) bus ride to Rio Gallegos, which is a complete dump and after I got off of the bus, I immediately got on the next bus I could get on to go ANYWHERE where I could just walk around and enjoy myself again. So I chose el Calafate because the bus was leaving shortly after I had gotten there. My original plan was to go straight to Chile (Puerto Natales), but it would have taken much more time and I was simply ready to be off the bus and finally be doing something! El Calafate has an outstanding glacier, however the Argentino folk require you to first saw off your arm and a few of your toes just to get into the park, plus some extra just to get to the park! Other than that, Lesson learned... Patagonia is expensive!

So, without further adeiu... some photos from Calafate.

This one is from a little walk in the natural reserve in Calafate. I was suprised to see flamingos here! My impression was that flamingos were tropical, however they seem to love Patagonia!

The glacier. Probably one of the most glorious in the world. This thing is massive.

Argentina flag!

View from the bus ride.

With the exception of the glacier, Calafate is quite a waste of time. It is incredibly touristy and expensive to stay there, but to get anywhere around the area, you must go to the Calafate bus station, so I spent a great deal of time waiting around in this place. I made friends with the dogs at the bus station and hung around... One dog, in particular, I ran into EVERYWHERE. My mom would have loved him! He was a really friendly golden retriever who would roam around and greet everyone at the bus station. Not only that, but I would run into him taking himself on walks in town as well! One thing I have to say about Patagonian stray dogs... they are happy! They are well fed and friendly, and they will openly volunteer to be your dog for the day. I love it because they are so eager to just walk with a human! Some days I would go for a walk and by the end of the walk, I would have 5 new friends. I mean hey! it beats hanging out with the tourists sometimes!

I will update again soon, next about el Chalten... a quiet, quaint town that has one of the best views I´ve ever seen for a small village!