el calafate - glaciar perito moreno

what better way to spend the day after a 5 day extreme hiking adventure than to sit in a tiny van with no leg room for 6 hours? this was the final stop on my two week trip through Patagonia - the Perito Moreno Glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in El Calafate, Argentina

after being picked up by this van at 6:45 am, i was in daze as i rested my eyes on the journey across the border into the Argentine side of Patagonia. this is when my uncontrollable sneezing fits began, leading me to believe that i am allergic to Argentina. i'll be heading back in a few weeks to go wine tasting in Mendoza, so i'll make sure to let you know if there is more reason to believe in this self-diagnosis 

first stop along the way: la frontera ("the border"), where i exchanged too few chilean pesos into argentine pesos. because Chile and Argentina do not get along (and of course due to other political reasons), they don't accept each others currency. not knowing when i would be in Argentina next, i was reluctant to exchange a large amount of cash. luckily i got by with only the equivalent of $40 USD, but barely.

photos from our pit stop at border control:

at the entry into Argentina i received my FIRST EVER passport stamp from a country other than Chile!

this was also a good stop because i got to buy a toursity tshirt proving that i had completed the W trek in Torres del Paine. this was a crucial find because i had pasta sauce and dirt on every other item of clothing and really preferred to have a clean outfit for the day.

keelin and i pretending we were half in Chile/half in Argentina. we weren't though.

what was the first thing i saw in Argentina?
lots of fat ovejas (sheep). and a bunny. but our bus was driving too fast for me to capture any decent photos

once we entered the town of El Calafate, we picked up our tour guide on the side of the road. his name was Alejandro and looked exactly like Peter Pan. i don't have a picture of him, but here's Peter Pan actor Jeremy Sumpter because they are practically the same person: 

as Peter Pan explained, the name for the color of Lago Argentino is leche glaciaria, or "glacier milk". i found this an EXTREMELY odd name for a color and it kind of makes me cringe.. but this just might have to do with my strong dislike for milk in general



the limited time we had to spend at the Perito Moreno Glacier was spent walking around the lookout points and on a boat that took us right up close and personal

views from the lookouts:

rockin my new shirt

now on the boat:

lots of glacier milk ...

Argentine flag

Perito Moreno Glacier 

while on the boat you could hear the loud grinding sound of the ice/glacier moving. apparently the Perito Moreno glacier is one of the only glaciers in Patagonia that is growing, rather than receding

"glacier cave"

we were fortunate to see some small pieces of the glacier break off and crash into the water, which everyone gets really excited about. i captured the biggest piece of our time there on video!

once we were back on the van to make the journey back into Chile we made a quick stop to buy some food in El Calafate. i went to a grocery store and bought lots of croissants, sandwiches, and candy to occupy myself for the next 6 hours...

...except it only took 4 hours? i'm not quite sure how our driver managed to make up 2 FULL hours on the drive back, but i did notice he was hauling ass considering we hit a bunny in the middle of the road.

*side note - i had a panic attack in the grocery store trying to get the ace bandage off of my knee, which was a struggle considering it was wrapped under my skinny jeans. my leg felt like a balloon and i honestly thought i was going to have to cut my pants off to get this bandage off ASAP or my leg would have to be amputated. i was so close to asking the meat guy at the counter for a knife when i finally was able to loosen the wrap and pull it off from under my pant leg*

sneezing count: at least 90. i generally enjoy sneezing but once you hit 20 in one hour it really starts to wear you out. i swear i am allergic to something in the Argentine air because the next day in Chile i only sneezed 3 times the entire day.

road sign from la frontera. we were heading back to Puerto Natales

once we made it back to our hostel for the night i got the first good look at how bad my knee and leg really were ... my left knee, calf, and ankle were all at least twice the size of my right leg.

my ankles - where the swelling was most noticeable. i was the most upset about having formed a kankle.

it's a bit harder to see the swelling of my calves here, but when i flexed my left calf you couldn't see any muscle definition because my leg was so inflamed

my swollen left knee - much larger than the right.

i was the opposite of thrilled to have realized how swollen my leg had become, but i should have expected this considering i had not given my leg a rest (and had definitely been over using it) for 7 days after i first injured it. i'll spare you the suspense and point out that my knee is almost back to normal now, after i saw a doctor in Santiago who prescribed me two different types of anti inflammatory pills and advised me to avoid strenuous activity for 2 weeks. i sort of followed his advice, but after about a week of doing my best to rest it (not an easy feat when my legs are my only method of transportation around the city) i could finally bend my leg when going down stairs and walk fairly normally. i still haven't attempted any high-impact knee activity but when that time comes hopefully i won't have any problem (capoeira class, here i come!)