Day 17 - Argentina 2025: A day off at El Calafate

Yesterday was too long a day, so I woke up late (at 7 am) and decided that it would be good to take a day off. El Calafate is a nice touristy town, and I figured I could spend the day strolling through it. I started by going for a walk along the shores of Lago Argentino. The actual shore is a wetland that gives way to a few hundred meters of shallow water (which I was told freezes during the winter so the kids can go skating and play hockey), before the water deepens and becomes baby blue (this part does not freeze at any time of the year). 

At about 10 am I stepped into the main commercial street and started window shopping. I am very impressed at the number of shops that sell containers to drink mate! Christine buys magnets, and I buy souvenir caps, but Argentinians overwhelmingly buy mate containers with the logo of the place they are visiting. I imagine they have dozens of them at home. There are also the usual assortment of handcrafts (wooden salad sets, knitted scarves, and hats), lots of clothes for winter sports. I felt tempted by some nice looking knives, presumably part of the gaucho outfit to cut a piece of churrasco grilling over an open fire. The tourist knives are of course useless, but they have very nice handles and prices that go between US$ 100 and $ 300. Who buys such useless stuff at those prices?

Speaking of churrasco, some of the fancy restaurants had already started the fire on their display windows, and had carneros al palo, whole mutton opened in cross and mounted on a cross of steel rods, which is tipped forward hovering over the coals. From time to time the cook, or the gaucho, turns them to expose the other side (we do the same thing in northern Mexico, but we use kid goat). The slow grilling goes on for two to four hours, so the morning display is really for the sake of the lunch or dinner crowds. Looks absolutely delicious but a portion of cordero al palo will set you back US$ 60 (plus appetizers, wine, and dessert). I think I will wait until I go back home and can grill myself some of Chico's tender lamb.

I did buy myself a "Patagonia" cap as a souvenir, but window shopping loses its charm very quickly, so I came back to my lodgings for a home-cooked lunch and later in the afternoon went for a long drive along the shore of the lake, taking advantage of a beautiful boulevard that extends for several kilometers. I believe the shore boulevard is an investment of the municipality, which is getting ready to sell lakeshore lots for the wealthy people who are sure to follow the expansion of tourism in the area.

Tomorrow I will start toward the Atlantic coast, the Parque Nacional Monte León, and Puerto Santa Cruz, where I will spend a couple of nights.