We left Rio Gallegos towards El Calafate, the staging point to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. We ran across an amazing shrine. Someone went to a lot of work building a staircase up the side of a hill.
Still riding through the pampas aka “boring countryside” the scenery remained the same until we were within 50 kms of El Calafate.
Suddenly we could see the Andes Mountains off in the distance with their snow capped peaks. We were again nearing countryside dear to our hearts… rugged mountains and lakes.
While touring, when a person enters a new town, one of three feelings becomes a first impression. “This place is ordinary”, or “this place is a dump” or “this place is very nice; I could live here!” El Calafate is the latter… a beautiful little town which reminded us of Banff.
We chose to stay in a hostel here, since the hotels were very pricey. Calafate Hostel must have been one of the first hostals in town, The solidly built wooden structure was old but management was friendly and it had a nice casual atmosphere.
