Goodbye Ushuaia, Hello El Calafate WTRD 24

Monday, February 1, 2016, Worrall Travel R Day (WTRD) 24 

Checkout time at our AirBnB is 10:00 a.m.  We are also to meet the Rental Car Agent at the airport at 10:00 a.m. and return the car.  Russ and I pack up the car, leave the key on the table and the door unlocked of the apartment we have been renting, and are on the way to the airport which is 15 minutes away by 9:40.  It has been drizzling overnight.  The roads are wet.

The airport is small, like Sacramento was in the 1980's.  We are to meet Herman at Departures.  We pull up right in front the airport and park.  There are no guards or police making you move along.  Russ runs into the the airport building, finds Herman at the cafeteria; he comes outside, looks over the car; we unload, say goodbye, and walk into the terminal.  So easy and convenient!  Security is easy too.  No separation of liquids and gels.  Shoes on, belts on, laptop out only.

The good news, no rush.  The bad news, our plane is delayed until 3:00 pm.  No worries.  We read, play cards, watch people, have lunch, and finally board the plane.  

I don't know what I expected about El Calafate (named after a desert bush with yellow flowers and blue berries), other than it is a town on the lake at the base of a glacial lake in Patagonia.  I may have been expecting something more like Lake Louise.  As we clear through the light layer of clouds, we fly low over a vast high desert.  It looks like Nevada.  There is a lake flanked by desert on one side, foothills, and Andes on the other.  The ground is brown.  The temperature is warm and we are very warm in our End of the World clothing.

We arrive around 4:30 and collect our bags.  Again, a sigh of relief to be reunited with our stuff.  The Avis agent meets us at the gate with a sign; we find a place to sit down and complete the paperwork, he takes us out to the car, a very basic chevy (manual locks and roll up windows) that has been around for awhile with multiple windshield dings and cracks.  We crank up the engine and we're gone.

Our AirBnB sits on hill above the touristy little town, a 10 minute walk, overlooking the lake. We check in with the very friendly owners, brother and sister team Javiar and Andrea, unpack, and head out for dinner.  

Upon recommendation of Andrea, we eat at La Cocina.  Wow!  We shared a warm broccoli salad with a whipped garlic cheese (marscapone and cream).  I had baked eggplant ravioli with cheese, and Russ had lamb filled ravioli in an almond cream.  Incredibly delicious and fattening!  Good thing we will be hiking here.

We will be staying in El Calafate for 5 nights before meeting up with our Australian World Adventure group to do some light trekking through Patagoina for 10 days.

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Cheers!

All is Well With the Worrall Travel Rs in Patagonia