Packing up the tents in the morning
The road got better as we got closer to El Chaltãn, looking more like the standard Argentinean tarmac we were used to rather than the gravel we had been travelling on for most of the previous day. Again we had good weather and made good time but even so it was 7pm before we came in the town.
The road into El Chaltãn
The view across to the Viedma glacier
El Chaltãn is a relatively new town, construction only starting in the mid 1980’s to prevent Chile gaining access to the nearby Glacier and walking routes in the area. The scenery on the way in was spectacular as usual when we get near the Andes and we stopped to take shots over the lake to the Viedma glacier. We all signed up for a walking trip on the glacier the next day and had a good evening in town at a very busy but cosy restaurant. This area is known for its high winds and we had a taster as we walked to the restaurant, strong winds and a bit of rain blowing us down the road. Thankfully it didn’t last long.
We were staying in a hostal here, a nice change from tents. As usual we returned to our accommodation before other people. This night we were sharing a dorm room with Billy and Minette and Keryn had an awkward surprise in the early morning; Billy getting up and having trouble with the door, unaware that he was naked. We laughed about it in the morning though I imagine Keryn had trouble returning to sleep at the time.
