South Patagonia - El Calafate! Another overnight bus, Cama style this time, from Puerto Madryn, heading south via Rio Gallegos, my southernmost destination on the globe, we arrive at El Calafate. The journey covered kilometres of barren landscape, whilst now and again there would be slight changes to scenery.

Cama = a sleeper style seat, though not fully flat with a few more home comforts, including a pillow and blanket, compared to Semi Cama my usual method of travel!

This bus journey meant a change of bus in Rio Gallegos to take me onward to El Calafate. The bus was meant to depart Puerto Madryn at 1.30pm on Thursday afternoon, but didnt turn up, or leave until 2.30pm! We were meant to arrive in Rio at 6.05am, but only got there at about 825am! I must have got on the bus after picking up my backpack and loading less than a minute before the bus headed off! It didnt go far initially.... just round to the back of the building for some maintenance... but still... it was cutting it fine!

The journey on to El Calafate was a relatively short one, maybe 6 hours, could have been 4, whats a couple of hours when bus journeys usually average about 20hrs a trip!

As we were approaching El Calafate, the scenery changed slowly, mountain peaks would appear and on getting closer, snow capped mountains and a crystal blue lake! The town could be seen from a distance, lying low near the lake`s edge, with buildings that I would imagine to be Alpine style (not that I have ever been to a skiing resort). Not all were like this, but most, whilst some were also painted in shades of pastel colours, pink, blue, yellow... and I thought I´d seen my hostel, as knew it was yellow, but then saw a few other yellow buildings dotted across the town!

I KeuKen, the hostel, was located on a slight gradient and thus enjoyed the luxury of the scenery. Lake Argentino below, framed by a magnificent moutain range! Its now slightly colder in El Calafate, but the hostel was very warm, actually too hot! Sweltering the first night, but then managing to turn the radiators off for the following nights.

El Calafate`s prime attaraction is the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the only glaciers in the world that is not retreating! Thus a day trip to the glacier was to be had. Its not the first glacier I have seen, as have seen and trekked the glaciers of NZ, but on seeing this one, it was completely different!

Words cannot do it justice, whilst photos provide only a helping hand.... it was remarkable. We first come across it as we drive into the national park. It stands at least 60metres or so tall (74m at its highest peak), worming its way through a ravine, overlooked and shouldered by the mountains at its sides.

We get a close up view of the glacier by taking a boat trip on the lake. As we are about to get on the boat, we hear a thunderous noise and believe a storm is on its way, only to be told, that the noise was from the glacier! Unbelievable! Whilst on the boat and also spending a couple of hours viewing the glacier on the peninsula opposite to it, we heard that thunderous noise on a few occasions and also recognised, that when we did hear that noise, it often coincided with a chunk of ice breaking off! Again... unbelievable! A few chunks of ice collapsed into the water below and even the smallest piece made a resounding noise! It would cause slight ripples and little waves in the water.

The iced wall was white, but also blue and dark blue in places... it was quite refreshing to see! It was only when we got onto land and were eye level to the top of the glacier that we appreciated its length and breadth, but again, that is only a small part of the glacier. When we look at aerial photographs, it is absolutely enormous. Its actually 19 miles in length, 3 miles wide and has a total ice depth of 170 metres!! Impressive!!

The glacier is not flat by all means, but is full of icy peaks and crevasses. From eye level, it reminded me of how mam used to decorate Christmas cakes... royal icing that she would spike using a knife! I could even spot pieces of rock in the crevasses, having been pulled away from the mountain on its descent! Lines could be clearly seen in the iced wall, some being brown. Apparently what we would see in front of us, which was breaking off slowly was about 200years old! The glacier constantly moves at about 2metres per year, whilst it continually groans as it makes its way down to the lake´s edge! What a contrast to the Falls of north east Argentina... Iguazu... but both just as remarkable as the other!

It was also on this day trip I met a couple of Welsh ex-pats, both now living in Oz and both travelling independently of each other. It was I who actually mentioned the one to the other! One of whom would be coming to Wales in the summer and is trekking the Ceredigion Coastal Park in August. He used to stay in Beulah and had stayed in Blaenwaun in Mwnt (when the boys were kids, he told me, so probably about 40 years ago). Small world... now haven´t I said that before!

Apart from the magnificent glacier, El Calafate was quite a nice town. The lake itself was beautiful and in particular the pink flamingos bathing in it! Next stop is El Chalten, only 4 hours up the road, El Calafate`s neighbour!