Calafate

Close to the Chilean border, in the Andes, lies the tranquil little village of Calafate. Many tourists pass by here on their way to or from Chile and fortunately for them, there is one popular, huge, unmissable tourist attraction right here, in the nearby National Park of Glaciers: the Perito Moreno Glacier. I, however, decided to stay in Argentina and not attempt more border crossings. I have already entered Argentina five times, one from Bolivia, one from Uruguay and three from Chile. My passport is not really begging for more Argentine stamps. They (including the Chile stamps) are also quite big; you can only fit four on one page. Going to Chile and back would generate four more unnecessary stamps.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is an advancing glacier, which means that it is moving up to two metres per day. It starts further up in the mountain and abruptly ends in a lake. The born-to-be-a-tourist-attraction feature comes from its mammoth action: when the glacier is moving forward, it causes huge ice blocks at the end to regularly break off and fall into the lake, creating colossal noises. I managed to get a glimpse of a 50-60 metre high ice block collapsing into the lake. Magnificent.

Don't forget to look at the two magic pictures below.