EL CALAFATE

I started the route in the first month of autumn around the first week of April. I aim to arrive in Buenas Aires, but I have winter and the Patagonia region ahead of me. I arrived in El Calafate, resting. I will take care of my little errands here for a few days and head back to El Chalten, but this charming Argentine town is so beautiful and magical that a part of you always wants to stay here. Patagonia region; Each small town fascinates you with its scenery, air, and water. In this not-so-small tourist town, the Perito Moreno glaciers are famous.

I left my bike in El Calafate, where I came by bike, and tried to hitchhike to the place around 80 km away. I will visit the Perito Moreno glacier, this is my second visit. The only region where you can visit glaciers at such low altitudes may be the Patagonia region. At the same time, this region can be visited to understand that glaciers are affected by climate change and that this effect is serious. Frankly, hearing the sentence I have heard many times from a friend I met during my visit to these glaciers made me think for a long time. "This region, the Patagonia region, is the last gateway to climate change, so we need to protect this region more than anywhere else, so we have to see it as the first door where we need to react on climate change," he said.

I can say that the three years I lived were mostly spent around the state of Magallanes. For this reason, I can have an idea of my experience in that region. In terms of climate change, I can see that nature is trying to communicate. But on the other hand, it feels like we, as humans, don't care about communicating. Although everyone I meet accepts, understands, and agrees with climate change, they are ignorant of how they can help solve it. Many times, I hear sentences that want to have an idea without having enough information, and I even encounter masses who are looking for solutions to problems as if they want to run without walking. It makes me a little more uneasy that hectic behaviors that save the day rather than scientific solutions turn into a way of life. Despite everything, thanks to the natural cleanliness and climatic conditions of this region, it bloomed again every year and I felt born into a new world in the first spring of each year. The climate is difficult, but I can say that it is an unforgettable region that they offer you.

I will stay here for a few days and leave again after a small visit to Punta Arenas in Chile. I have El Chalten in front of me, but I want to go there by lingering a little bit, taking the detours I find on the way, and visiting small parks. I miss traveling by bike and I think it's best to do it as slowly as possible, enjoying it without rushing.