


	03/08/2001

	El Calafate - Santa Cruz

	S 50°20 W 72°15

	+ 87

We wake up in the middle of an incredible panorama. In front of us, the Lago Argentino, behind us, the Cordillera de los Andes. Today will be a magical day !

El Calafate is a small quiet town of 4.000 inhabitants, lost in the Patagonic tundra. Built in 1927, it's an obligatory stopover for many travelers who wish to explore the parks and glaciers close by. If El Calafate lived once on its craftsmanship, it now thrives on tourism and the prices are very high; the Team and nomads will have to tighten their belt.

Many of the houses are in wood, and we spent the night in a chalet. We have rented a Cherokee 4x4 for the Team, only car available at this time, while waiting to find something better for the nomads who plan to join the Car@van.

Back on the road! The Glacier Puerto Moreno is a must.

Along the track, it feels like we are navigating in a surreal world. We cross dead trees, that didn't resist the frequent floods brought on by the glacier.

The air gets colder and colder and suddenly, from behind a hill, appears the great glacier.

We park the car and try to get as close as possible to it, a hundred meters away. Muffled yet, spectacular cracks remind us of a storm : bits of ice crash into the water, forming instantaneously little icebergs.

We freeze, trying to predict the next point break. A most unique and extreme show. The glacier is of a beautiful blue turquoise in certain areas, almost hypnotic, with its fascinating creaks.

But read the Anecdote and check out the Video !

Oh, by the way, you can find yesterday's video about the great jump into the freezing water, as promised.

The Perito Moreno glacier is in the middle of the Park of Los Glaciares, an area at the east of Santa Cruz, declared World Heritage of Unesco.

The Perito Moreno is a great river of ice, 15 km long and 80 m high. its surface is wider than Buenos Aires ! It occupies a part of the 195 km2 of the Lago Argentino and reaches the Tempanos canal.

The valleys around resound constantly of the racket of the falling ice blocks, that sometimes block the canal. Every 4 or 5 years, many travelers meet to watch, speechless, the incredible explosion of the ice dyke, breaking under the water pressure. The sound can be heard in El Calafate, 80 km away. In its good years, the glacier can progress by 2 m in its center and 40cm on its edges. Before leaving, we memorize the ice's immaculate blue color... a concentration of purity for our frozen eyes. Check out the Video!

Patagonia is a 'non-lieu' - its becomes whatever one wants it to be: It is an empty space that can be filled with fantasy. That why Patagonia is a catalysis for stories Theo

The Perito Moreno is one of the only glaciers still to be in movement. The Earth is getting warmer as we speak and the glaciers carry on to melt away slowly but surely. The reason behind this ? The Global warming effect. The increase in temperatures is a burning issue of many international conventions. The leaders of many countries are trying to push the city-dwellers to drive less and use clean energies, such as solar, wind and water.
In 4 years, wind exploitation in the world has increased by 41 %. But there's still a lot to do. In order to protect ourselves from the global warming effect, deforestation, desertification, every one of us should do a little bit more every day to fight against any kind of pollution ! C'mon ! It's your turn, the next century is very close !!!

We'll go in Chile for a trek in the Torres del Paine National Park, another World Heritage by Unesco. See you on sunday for the next Journal and the Chat at 10.00 pm GMT ! Have a nice week-end The Team.


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