Adventure in southern Argentina

by Nicolas Amato (Argentina)

A leap into the unknown Argentina

The story that happened to me was in November 2019. After studying journalism and not having the fortune to find work in Argentina, I decided to start the Tourism and Hospitality career. In the second year and, together with my colleagues, we had to set up a trip to El Chaltén and El Calafate in the province of Santa Cruz in southern Argentina. The mission was to hire all services, activities and suppliers and that the trip leaves in the best possible way. Our teachers would also go to rate us with a grade. In El Chaltén, incredible things happened to us. We had to deal gusts of wind of 100 km per hour on an excursion and we spent two days without electricity at the hotel. On one of those nights, we went to a restaurant that was a bit far. We had to endure a significant rain and when we arrived, the restaurant also had no light. We ate by candlelight as if we were on a romantic date. When we think that the worst had already happened, we arrived at El Calafate, a city where it is obligatory to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. For that excursion we prepared with everything we needed: hats, gloves, jackets, provisions, etc. To get to the Glacier you have to take a Catamaran. It was raining that day and after a bad transport maneuver, my gloves fell into the water. I was going to have to climb the Glacier without gloves. But the worst was about to happen. Upon reaching the land again, the guides, in a precarious cabin where rainwater entered everywhere and the wood creaked, put the equipment us to climb the Glacier. At that moment I kept my hands in my pockets so they wouldn't realize that I wasn't wearing gloves. If they realized, I would not be able to go up and the professors would surely fail me. On the tour, I was last, behind all my classmates. The goal was to be able to take the best photos of that incredible place. It looked all white with some black dots that we were. It seemed we were in the middle of Antarctica or on top of an lemon ice cream. At every moment I stopped and turned to take pictures of that postcard. I wish anyone who lived an experience like that. You really have to be there to explain what it feels like. It must be one of the best natural excursions that can be done in the world. Maybe that's why I got distracted more than usual and when I turned to return to the group I didn't see any of the guides or my classmates. I was alone in the middle of the Glacier! I was thinking what to do, whether to stay or move, for about five minutes until I decided to start walking towards where I thought the group could be. I was walking for about ten minutes when in the distance I saw one of the guides coming at full speed. One of my classmates had realized that I was missing and the guides split up and started looking for me. When there was little left to find us, I slipped and I hit a good blow that broke my pants. When we got back to the cabins to change, several of my classmates had to be treated by doctors. The low temperature (-10 degrees) and the incessant rain caused them to get sick and have hypothermia. Two friends were taken to a hospital. Although the tour was not over yet. The last part was missing, where you have to go for some viewpoints for about half an hour. Of the thirty we were, only twelve could complete the circuit in heavy rain. Finally, two days later, when we were already at the airport to return to Buenos Aires, the teachers gave us the note of how the trip had gone. Luckily, we passed with an eight. Although undoubtedly the best of the trip were the situations experienced, the landscapes discovered and sharing an unforgettable journey with my colleagues.