Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow in El Calafate (con't)
Wed Sep 4, 2002 6:42 pm

Upon arriving in El Calafate, we learned that the road to the glacier was shut because of poor conditions and that we would have to wait a couple of days to see if we could get through.

So, the next day, Patty, Sasha, Andrew and I went on a full day horseback ride in El Calafate. I was lucky and got one of the responsive, faster horses. Others were not so fortunate and fell to the back of the pack. Halfway through the trip we stopped to have lunch (yet another salami and cheese sandwich) and to go see the ancient cave paintings. TOURIST TRAP! Do not go see the cave paintings in El Calafate. They are quite disappointing, and most are recreations. You will see in my photos when I get back just how obscure they are.

After horseback riding, we were quite wiped and so we ate in the hostel and went to bed early. Tuesday was spent washing clothes and trying to figure out how to get from El Calafate to Bariloche. It is NOT easy. You can fly from here to Buenos Aires, and from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, but that is way out of our budget. OR you can take a bus to Rio Gallegos, a bus to Comodoro Rivadavia (remember the petroleum town?), and then a bus to Bariloche. This IS within our budget, so we are going to be spending the better part of the next few days in bus seats. Again.

(continued in glacier photos)