Hola,

Ok we are not in El Calafate, but i have to start somewhere. A lot has happened in the last 4 weeks or so.. hold on to your hats!

So from El Bolson and pizza burger to the Welsh town (yes, i said Welsh) of Gaiman. The Welsh rocked up in Gaiman in the late 1890s to spread the good word of tea and cake. And the definatly succeeded, 11 peices of cake each and many many cups of tea later and our productive afternoon in Gaiman was complete. The town is proud of its welsh heritage and there are pleanty of welsh dragons about which kept Janey happy.

Hot footing it to El Calafate deep in the Patigonian south of Argentina. El Calafate provided possibly the most jaw dropping experience of our trip so far, which is definatly saying something.

In the glacial national park we meet Perito Moreno a glacier which words really do fail to discribe. At about 55 meters high the terminal face spans 5km across two lakes. And at 32km long it is a big fella but definatly no slow coach. While most glaciers are receading (or possible retreating... im not sure if its kinda like hair loss glacier style) old Moreno can advance up to 2 meters a day.. thats practically sprinting for a glacier. Due to all this movement large chunks drop off and crash into the lakes really ferquently making the most phenominal splosh you´ve ever heard. We spent a good hour or so just watching the terminal face and massive splinters of ice crack and fall into the lake.. very cool! But not content to just look at it we donded our crampons and went for a wonder around on the big fella. The blue ice was something else and the shear size of him was awe inspiring. To top the whole experience off our guide gave us whiskey and ice (glacier ice, freashly axed off) to enjoy our last few minuites on the back of the ice beast... bloody marvelous!

A rather flat, straight and boring 3 hour car jouney (with nothing but spainish pop cd´s and Abbas greatest hits to listen to) north of El Calafate was dominated but the ever increasing mass of Mt Fitz Roy. Over shadowing the town of El Chalten Fitzy is a mountain like no other. It looks like mountains should look all pointy and ominous. A wonder about the foot hills was the order of the day. And yet another sunning lunch spot with Mt Fitzy on one side, a massive lake with big iceburgs floating in it on the other and Condors swoshing overhead. And we saw a Skunk!!!!!