Calafate. That's in Argentina!

On the one month anniversary of my arrival in Chile I found myself departing anew. We managed to get into Argentina after all, despite the mishap of the previous post. And it's a good thing we did because the glacier we went to see is just about one of the coolest damn things I have ever seen in my life. The glacier itself is called Perito Moreno, located in the town of Calafate, Argentina. A calafate is actually a type of delicious tart berry (sort of similar to a blackberry) that they like to make jam out of, but I preferred to integrate it into my booze. Before you get the wrong idea! I'd like to tell you that I had one calafate sour at a delicious african fusion restaurant (of all things!). Puerto Natales turned out to be the home of some very high quality food.

calafate sour + napkin ring, Afrigonia Restuarant

homemade bread squares + curried salsa, Afrigonia

shrimp tikka masala + salted potatoes, Afrigonia

 wood fired pizza margherita + anchovies, La Mesita Grande

Back to the glacier though...Perito Moreno is one of a few glaciers inside Argentina's Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. The actual ice field pops out of nowhere. You're driving on a sunny highway alongside a lake that looks a little like Lake Sonora in our beloved CalifornIA...

and then...BAM!

 All of a sudden there is this huge wall of ice. The air temperature is not even that cold either. It's pretty bizarre. We continued along the road until we reached the glacier overlook where these pictures were taken:

Then you have the option to get on a boat and approach the ice wall from another side. So I did. 

Of course, these pictures don't really do it justice. In actuality the wall of ice pictured here is about 10 stories tall. The other thing Perito Moreno is known for is periodically dropping ice chunks the size of houses off the front face into the green-blue water below. If you're a lucky tourist you'll get to witness this take place. I saw it happen 3 times!

Once I caught it on camera!

This sucker produced a ripple effect that sent the boat rocking for minutes! Y'all wouldn't believe how loud the cracking sound is when a mansion sized piece of ice detaches itself from a glacier. It was pretty awesome to say the least. Lastly I have to show you one more time what it looked like directly opposite this fortress of blue ice:

You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but I swear it's true. Only in Patagonia!