alarm clock went off at a slightly more civilised 6.45am. we replayed a more efficient version of the previous day’s morning routine and packed a rucksack with essentials for day 2 at the glacier: cameras, tripod, water and chocolate leftovers. i guessed there couldn’t be more than 15,000 people who had ever witnessed this event, and we were not going to miss it.
we picked up yoav, a chilled out israeli we’d met at the chocolate shop and to whom we had offered a lift. he was not a fighter pilot. he was a lawyer, but continued to work for el-al as a security guard. with 9 years of judo and 12 years of krav maga under his belt, it was like having a friendly killing machine in the back. we spent the day with him and with frederico and malia, a hawaiian / argentian couple who we had met in costa rica and who were amazed to see us again, the five of us forming a semi-circle around the tripod, e-j efficiently fending off the ever increasing crowds who trespassed our territory.
around lunchtime (still standing by the tripod) yoav was munching on a baguette of honey and an elderly argentian couple were exchanging disapproving looks of disgust. to spice up a relatively quiet period of glacier watching, i told them it tasted better than dulce de leche, the very argentinian chocolate coloured condensed milk which they put on everything. i might as well have set light to an argentinian flag. they simultaneously launched into both a full-scale attack on foods from around the world and a propaganda campaign on argentinian cuisine, unquestionably the world’s finest. i suggested the climate in italy produced quality produce which was used in simple dishes which i loved, and perhaps they might also enjoy them. was i crazy? they had been to italy and the pizzas in argentina were much better and the pasta was so much fresher here. at this point a passing lady who could have been mussolini’s mother stopped in her tracks and turned to face the argentian couple. her hair was frizzy and untamed. a witches finger raised in the air, she unleashed a verbal torrent of italian expletives which silenced the argentians. eventually he muttered something under his breath to her and they shuffled off, a thermos of hot water for mate carried under his arm. the italian turned to frederico and said “home made pasta can be good anywhere in the world, in my italian kitchen or in your argentinian one. but last night i went out for dinner in el calafate, i ordered linguini, and i tell you, it sucked.”
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we stood for 10 hours in variable but progressively deteriorating weather, the morning sunshine which brought out the ice’s amazing blues giving way to clouds and sheets of rain. but today we were prepared with thermals, multiple fleeces and head to toe waterproofs. the first crowds to leave were those with scheduled transfers, then those who lacked waterproofs, then those whose legs gave way. tantalising chunks of ice fell from the tunnel’s roof, their impact on the water amplified by the hollow. a chain reaction caused more precariously attached ice to fall. by now the crowd had worked itself into an emotional frenzy, shouting and cheering as ice fell, and keeping up spirits through the miserable weather. one guy behind us with a bandana round his head couldn’t keep his mouth shut. he was the joker in the football crowd and was circled by a group of laughing youths with even fewer brain cells: “vamos todavia!” every 30 seconds for over an hour. but excitement supressed him. surely the roof had to fall – we couldn’t bear the thought of missing it during the night or returning for a third day.
at 6.42pm half the tunnel collapsed with a crash and a rumble like no other. the explosion sprayed ice upwards and outwards and the crowd went loco. a countdown to new years eve with fireworks finale. i felt like everyone should turn around and kiss each other happy new year. “vamos todavia” put a damper on that one.
click here for video of tunnel collapsing somewhat
we decided not to hang around for the rest of the tunnel to fall and satisfied but exhausted, walked back to the car. the queue of vehicles leaving the park went forever and despite antisocial overtaking, it tooks us hours to get back to el calafate. my tired eyes saw cars on the road, but my mind continued to see falling chunks of ice, almost invoking tetris flashbacks. the only remedy was to drink lots of wine (and of course eat steak) and the five of us re-united after a hot shower for a few fernet and coke (argentinian alcohol – avoid it), and then dinner. yoav fell asleep during courses and e-j drank lots. the food was ok but the wine was great and we even talked about property speculation.
(the next day, despite showing symptoms exactly matching those of a hangover, e-j claimed to be sick. i offered her the doctor but instead she hoped she would survive the illness if i made her food and brought her water all day).
