Borderline

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So for the last couple of days I have been entertaining myself at border crossings! I left El Calafate and the glacier as soon as possible and took the long way round bus back across to the east side of Argentina to get another bus heading back west and a couple of hundred Kms away from El Calafate. This is when you start realising that traveling this far south is not always as straight forward as it would seem looking at maps. There is a lack of roads and bus companies - especially at the end of the season....

I got to a little town called Los Antiguous (the national capital of cherries) on the border. Found the local Hospedaje and four others looking to cross the border. One who needs a special mention is Barbara, a 71 year old Ozzie backpacking around SA, currently traveling north from Antarctica and not knowing a word of Spanish and having lost her phrase book! Pottered around Los Antiguous to find that there really was not much to see with just one main road. What did amuse me was even the small roads with nothing on them were still signed. Maybe they are expecting future growth!

I decided I had to have some final beef before I left Argentina and went to the Parilla in town that evening. It was obviously the place to be with all the tables full (mostly groups of men which fascinated me) all glued to the TV (every where has a TV - restaurants, shops, internet cafes) watching news of the Pope. Got back to the hostel to find we had been invaded by lots of other backpackers all aiming to cross over.

It is in fact a very organized event as they have special official drivers that take you to the border, the 12 k of no mans land and then into the border town of Chile Chico (The Sun City). Chile Chico has 4444 inhabitants according to the local museum and twice the size of Los Antiguous. Despite this it was actually quite difficult to find accommodation and the whole mini van load of us where trekking up and down the main street trying to find somewhere. Eventually did and just as well since I crashed out - all the nights of sleeping on buses having caught up with me.

In the evening I ventured out and it was a like a ghost town - no one in sight, no lighting and no sound of music or any entertainment. I saw one cafe and two people inside so I dove in and found two of the people from the previous hostel! So joined them and discovered that Bailey´s is more expensive than a night´s accommodations (and of course this discovery was after the fact!).

Sunday and finally a boat to take us across the lake to Puerto Ibanez and a connection to Coyahaique. We shared the boat with three pigs, a sheep and a piglet and had a glorious trip across the lake. Then a further two hours driving up into the mountains which were really beautiful. The trees are starting to turn now for autumn. So you have green with all shades between yellow and red and the snow capped Andes!

I am now in Coyahaique waiting for the rain to stop so I can go discover the city and work out how to head further north.....

This entry is dedicated to a fellow adventurer, Scott, who would have loved to read up on these stories and hopefully have joined me for some of the trip. Instead he is here for all of it in spirit.

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Photos

Los Antiguous
This is a city block which still merits street signing!

Over the border
And a new country to discover

Lake and Andes
Lunchtime view in Chile Chico