Day 5 Calafate - Horse riding

20th February

This morning, Becky and I decided to try some horse riding and, perhaps a little rashly on my part, booked to go for a 2 hr ride.  How I actually managed to do this, I am still not quite sure.  Charlie, my horse was very well behaved most of the time, but did, occasionally decide he would just stop and grab a quick snack of mouthful of grass before unexpectedly bursting into a quick trot to catch up with the other horses.  Becky, who has more experience of riding (her father was a jocky, I found out later!) could not contain her amusement on certain occasions.  I have not included her mischievous pictures of my attempts at dignified mounting and dismounting.  I did manage to stay on for the 2 hrs and just loved the experience of riding in the open countryside.  A perfect way to view the open countryside, including the mountains and lakes.  Of course, I was not able to capture these moments because I was having to hold on fairly firmly, (Unlike Becky, who seemed to be able to ride one handed and take photos at the same time.

Setting off from the ranch house close to the lakeside

 

Becky looking very confident

 

Me, looking less confident.  It was a big horse!

Setting off

The 3 amigos

 

Enjoying the spectacular view

Back at the ranch house after 2hrs riding

Dogs just chilling out

 

 

 

 

 

The owner and one of our escorts

Sharing Mate back at the ranch house

Yes, that is a drink - I'm not smoking anything!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 Conference Dinner, Lamb and Tango

19th February (evening) - The Conference Dinner

When we turned up for the conference dinner, dinner was already on display

Hungry after his long walk, Elwyn was ready to get started - but there was wine tasting to do first.

Despite his clear enthusiasm to engage in cultural exchange, Elwyn felt it best to explain the concept of wine tasting to Young Jeung just one more time.

Although there was clearly plenty of wine to taste!

Getting the hang of it now!

The wine tasting in full swing.

Queuing up for a barbecue.  No lamb yet, but tasty sausages with salsa were proving very popular

This Argentinian folk singer kept us entertained while we ate

We were soon joined by some unexpected guests hoping to share in the meat feast

Angela and Ian's new best friend

They were really well-behaved - I assume they were the owner's dogs, rather than enterprising strays

Well, sort of well-behaved.  I think this sandwich was snatched when no one was looking (He only eat the meat inside)

After our barbecue, we went back inside the bar and had huge plates of roast lamb with bread and salad - and more wine!  We were then treated to more dancing - first Argentinian folk dancing and then some tango. All videoed and much better than the photos.

Day 4 in El Calafate Sand dunes

19th February  - Our  pre - conference dinner walk from the hotel along the sand dunes and nature reserve and into the town.

Sunrise over Lake Argentina - the view from our window

It was another lovely day today and we decided that when Elwyn had finished giving his talk we would both try the walk from the hotel into El Calafate itself.  This involved scampering down some steep dunes to reach an unpaved road to a nature reserve, then a further walk along the main road into the town.  The walk there and back took about 1hr each way, but although a little challenging at some points, was well worth the effort and good excercise before the conference dinner in the evening  (This turned out to be one of the most unusual dinners I have every been to, but more photos in the next post!)  We didn't acutally make it right into the centre of the town but found a really nice little cafe bar just on the outskirts where Elwyn enjoyed a very welcome cold beer.

The main 'track' outside the hotel

Some of the rather steep sand dunes we had to climb down and then back up on the return journey

Looking back up the steep hill towards the hotel

A lot of the land is covered in this type of thick scrub which can be quite challenging to walk through

Elwyn finding the path down to the lake

Couldn't resist!

A bird of prey watching patiently from the post

The entrance to the nature reserve which is a protected area for wild birds including flamingoes

Looking across the reserve

Huge clumps of wild lavender could be seen everywhere

An oasis

A happy man with a cold beer

Day 3 in El Calafate – The Glaciarium and Ice-Bar

18^th February –  The Glaciarium and Ice-Bar

Today the weather is bright and sunny but the temperature has dropped  and the wind has also picked up dramatically.  The sunshine really transforms the landscape.  The lake is the most beautiful aqua marine colour and the wind is creating some interesting wave patterns on its shimmering surface.

After breakfast the ‘accompanying persons’ were taken for a tour to the Glaciarium Museum and Glacio-Bar.  The Glaciarium is a very modern museum with interactive displays and films about how glaciers scour the landscape and create so many spectacular features.  I particularly enjoyed the short film about Perito Moreno the famous Argentinean scientist and philanthropist after whom the glacier we visited was named.   We also watched another film in 3D (really good) which showed other famous glaciers and ice sheets and the weird and wonderful features they can create.

The best bit, however, was the visit to the Glacio-Bar.  We went downstairs below the museum and were given strange silver hooded ponchos and gloves to keep us warm.  We weren’t sure what to expect but I think this was definitely one of the strangest experiences I have ever had.  Everything in the bar was made of ice of course, including the glasses which actually made drinking our drinks quite difficult (especially with large mitts on!).  But what made it feel really strange was the flashing disco lights and club music blaring out in the background – all at 11 a.m. in the morning!