Low Pain Threshold

Sunday 18 February

This morning my back was even more painful than yesterday and I was somewhat later than Colin to breakfast. Luckily we had not chosen any activities for today – although others had chosen to go horse-riding, fly fishing or trekking – so we could have an easy day just pottering around El Calafate. Our first task was to find a chemist that was open to get some more pain killers. Around 10.30, we left the hotel and wandered (or rather I padded) very slowly along the main street in both directions as most of the shops were still only just opening - many open around 10.00 or 11.00 and close at 13.00, re-open about 18.00 and close again between 23.00 and midnight. The only “farmacia” we had seen yesterday was definitely closed for the day – “Domingo” (Sunday) was not shown on the opening schedule on the door – and, it was an hour later, just as we were giving up hope of finding another, we discovered my saviour!

There are lots of touristy shops in El Calafate, selling the same expensive leather goods, designer label activity and leisure clothes and Argentinean souvenirs all in one establishment, in a town that is a back-packers paradise – very strange. Also there are lots of eateries ranging from cheap snack and pizza shops to smart expensive restaurants, catering for all tastes – our vegans came out with us last night and were served the right foods, but the mats on the table were pure leather! We explored some of the numerous trekking shops and bought a “glacial” blue neck warmer which can be pulled into a hat as well. We were passing another typical shop when we noticed some perfume and hair products on a shelf just inside the door. On investigating closer, we found a small shelf of pharmacy products, including pain killers. On showing the assistant our English packaging, she immediately produced the right pills from a huge stack of chemist products behind a curtain. Wonderful – pain relief in the form of a bright turquoise capsule!

We strolled (or one of us limped) back to the hotel and I blogged for the rest of the morning in the lounge, chatting to other guests as they were in and out of the hotel with bulging shopping bags.

Around 13.30, as my back was feeling a little easier, we wandered back the town, bought some earmuffs to match my neck warmer and found a café to have lunch. We both chose quiche, which turned out to be more like a flaky pastry pie with ham and apple or salmon and spinach fillings – not the soft eggy mixture we usually expect in a quiche – but they were very tasty. It was then time to blog again for a couple of hours, but this time in our room, as a large tour party, from France I think, had descended on the hotel lounge and filled it with cigarette smoke. I am desperately trying to catch up on the entries, but every day I just seem to get even further behind.

Around 18.00 we remembered we needed food for our boat trip to see other glaciers tomorrow, so ventured once more, to buy more of those “ironed out” sandwiches of ham and cheese we had had a couple of days ago, where the butter has somehow seeped into what was white bread, so that they wilt and bend when you pick them up, making your fingers all greasy – three sandwiches together do no measure an inch in thickness. We also topped up on crisps and water.

After we had returned to the hotel and changed, a group of ten of us met in the lobby to try another restaurant – this time recommended by Phillip and Monica. It was at the far end of town, opposite where the rock concert was performing – this had been happening since we arrived on Friday and seemed to be the magnet for most of the backpackers. It had been very loud on our first night, penetrating the rooms with a boom, boom, boom of drums and electric guitars, to send us to sleep – there was a bit of moaning from some guests the next morning! Saturday night was a much quieter affair, but as we ate our meal tonight, it was not only the thumping music that disturbed us, but also motor bikes screaming up and down the road outside the restaurant. The meal was average – we had both chosen Argentinean steaks with salad – not the best steak (or salad for that matter) we have had, but it was rare, edible and washed down by wines and beers. It was nearly midnight by the time we returned to the hotel, so after a short chat, everyone made for their rooms. I re-read a couple of blogs, written days ago, and decided I should be able to publish about nine entries tomorrow – we had to be up again by 06.00 for our tour, so there was no time to publish them tonight.