5. Puerto Montt, Chile & Bariloche, Argentina

Puerto Montt  is a major transportation hub and a port. It is a bit grimy and rough around the edges but one redeeming feature is a small fishing village a few km away, Angelmo.  We were lucky to be there on a Saturday - market day. Huge bins of fish and other goods were being sold - a very colourful sight. We spent most of the day there and had a great fish lunch at one of the many tiny cafes - most had 3 to 4 tables and were no bigger than the average kitchen.

Then off to cross the Chile - Argentina border for the fourth time - destination Bariloche, Argentina. Crossing into Argentina isn't too bad - everyone gets out of the bus and it takes about 1/2 hr for the passport process. They don't seem to care what you are bringing in. Crossing into Chile is another matter. All luggage gets hauled out of the bus and is scanned. Any fruit or vegetable gets confiscated. The whole border process takes at least an hour for a busload.

The Australian couple that we met a few weeks ago in Punta Arenas - Mark & Kerry - seem to be stalking us or vice versa. We have met so many times on buses or just in the street that it is getting a bit  bizarre. They are very pleasant company.

Bariloche is in the heart of the Argentine lake district. It is very scenic and it's other claim to fame is chocolate. It seemed as if every other store was a chocolate store, some of them huge. Also we arrived just before Easter, just as the Chocolate Festival was getting underway. They had a 30 ft tall Easter egg coated in solid chocolate and a chocolate bar stretching for a city block and a half - both the biggest in the world of course.

We spent a leasurely 5 nights there doing lots of walking/hiking. The weather was fantastic.A couple of great viewpoints accessible by bus, then chairlift or cable car were highlights. One - Cerro Campanario - was in National Geographic's top 10 in the world and we could see why. Unfortunately the camera is totally incapable of coming close to capturing the scene.

Unfortunately Marilyn almost fell out of the cable cae near the top but I just managed to hang on to her until we reached safety!!

We are now guilty of black market transactions! Or as they call it in Argentina "blue market". Because the inflation rate is about 30%, if you save your money in Arg.Pesos, in a few years it is worth very little. Therefore people are willing to pay more than the official bank rate to get US$. The official rate is about 5 pesos to the $. Through a "friend" of the hostel owner we got 7.8 pesos per $ - more than 50% better than normal. This all sounds great until you realize we did not have much US cash with us. NEXT TIME!!

Now back to Chile and the tortuous border crossing. The plan is to spend about few days on the island of Chiloe before starting to head north again. The hostel scene is working out extremely well so far. We've met some great people and the overall experience seems to suit us. So far we have always managed to have our own room, most times with ensuite and booking ahead is relatively easy over the internet. This little Google Nexus tablet has been invaluable.

4. Navimag Ferry between Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt, Chile



Navimag Ferry route


In Punta Arenas, Chile we met an Australian couple - Mark and Kerry - who with great enthusiasm told us about this ferry you can take - 4 days from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. Navimag runs the ferry. We had read about it before but thought it was too expensive. First class is about $2100. We ended up buying C class (the lowest) tickets which is basically an upper and lower bunk in a hallway. But then we were 'upgraded' to CC which is  a cabin (no window) for 4. A very SMALL cabin. $366 each including all meals. Pretty cheap really. The ferry wasn´t pretty but it worked.

There are no roads in this part of Chile, so the ferry is the only way to move freight without driving through Argentina.

Fortunately we were lucky and ended up having the cabin all to ourselves, so we travelled in style. If the other 2 bunks had been occupied it would have been way too crowded and stuffy. C class would have been better.

Booking this trip turned out to be a great decision. It was a fantastic voyage.  Fjords, glaciers, snow capped peaks were all around us as we navigated through sometimes impossibly narrow channels. The weather for the first 2 days was excellent, lucky for us, as it can be very rainy and foggy on the coast as we found out on the last day. The ferry 'Evangelistas'  is a working boat first - filled with trucks, trailers and other heavy duty equipment. The 150 passengers come second. Directly below our deck were several trailers jammed full of cattle. A bit smelly and they bawled the hole trip. We actually docked with 2 more passengers than we started with -  2 calves were born en route.

Most of the route was through protected waters but one stretch of about 12 hours took us out into the Pacific. It was blowing like stink and the ship was rolling around. Lots of green faces and meal attendance dropped significantly.

The food was pretty basic but plentiful, better than we had expected. The crew were excellent - many informative sessions on the flora and fauna and sights along the route. We met many people from all over the world.   The last evening they had a bingo and wind-up party - Marilyn ended up winning the grand prize - a vest, bottle of wine and a hip flask! We really had a blast.

Now in Puerto Montt (a rather rough around the edges port city) where we will spend 2 nights before travelling to Bariloche in Argentina's lake district.

3. Torres del Paine(Chile) and Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentina)

We have been on the move quite a bit lately as this ferry trip has accelerated our plans in Patagonia. In Punta Arenas, Chile, Marilyn finally got her penguin fix. We took a trip out to Isla Magdalena in the Straits of Magellan where there were thousands of them just wandering around, along with us. They are getting ready for their 6 months at sea before returning to breed again. They are pretty funny creatures. It was freezing cold and windy. Even many of the penguins were huddled in their burrows. Then got really close to some sea lions on another island. The boat had to make a detour to a safer harbour on the way back because it was so rough.

We took a bus up to Puerto Natales and visited the famed Torres del Paine (Blue Towers) National Park. Tons of young smelly backpackers throng here to take a 4-6 day hike through the park. The Routeburn Track in New Zealand satisfied our need for that kind of trekking, so we were happy just to hit the highlights.

 We then headed back to El Calafate in Argentina to see the Perito Moreno glacier. It's one of the few in the world that is still advancing (about 2 metres a day) and you can get up close and personal. The sounds of the glacier groaning and the huge bangs when pieces broke off into Lago Argentina were awesome.

Now back in Puerto Natales, Chile. Will let you know how how the ferry trip went later.

2. Punta Arenas, Chile

We are now in Punta Arenas Chile after a 11 1/2 hr bus ride from Ushuaia, Argentina. Actually it wasn't as bad as it sounds as there were a few stops and a 1/2 hr ferry ride.

Our last day in Ushuaia we hiked - about 1200  ft vertical which we are not yet in shape for - to a chairlift which took us up close to a glacier - it was freezing! Ushuaia is an interesting spot - it is only 600 miles from Antarctica and many ships and expeditions headed there leave from Ushuaia.

Our plans have changed rather drastically as we found out about a ferry that goes from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt through the Chilian fjords. It's a four day trip and we booked it this morning - the cheapest cabin (shared with another couple) - that they have - somewhere in the bowels of the ship! Anyhow it should be an experience and we don't plan to spend much time in the cabin. Apparently they often transport herds of cattle which get pretty smelly after a couple of days. Four days, including all meals for $366. Starting next Monday we will be out of touch all week as there is no Wi-Fi capability and also no cell phone capability. Google Navimag for more info if you are interested.

Off tomorrow to an island north of here to see some penguins. It is late in the season as breeding has taken place and they are getting ready to head out to sea for six months. Marilyn HAS to see some penguins!

1. Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, Argentina

Hola!

Hope all is well way up there in Canada land. We have been here for less than a week but it seems much longer for some reason.

Argentina is turning out to be much more expensive than anticipated. The inflation rate here is 28% and all the prices in our Lonely Planet guide - 2012 version -  have gone up by around 50%. The official exchange rate is about 5 pesos to the US$. In Buenos Aires they told us that you can get up to 8 per $ on the black market. This would put prices where they should be. Should have brought bag loads of US cash!

Spent 3 nights in Buenos Aires - walked our feet off. One highlight believe it or not was a cemetery. The Recoletta Cemetery was founded many years ago when the city was one of the richest on earth. Huge mausoleums and crypts worth 2 - 3 million $ each. Some have fallen into disrepair as the descendants cannot afford the upkeep. We will be returning to Buenos Aires and spend more time at the end of the trip.

We are now in Ushuaia - the most southerly city on earth. What a setting - surrounded by snow capped mountains and glaciers. Pretty forbidding. Yesterday we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park and went hiking for a few hours. Today we took a boat trip into the Beagle Channel - one side you can get to the Pacific - the other the Atlantic. Saves going around Cape Horn. Absolutely fantastic scenery. Photos just cannot do it justice. Only 5 of us on board and we got up close and personal to the wildlife. Landed on one of the islands for about 45 mins. Saw sea lions, seals, penguins, small dolphins and a huge variety of birds, including many albatross. We have been so lucky with the weather as it can rain here for days on end.

Off to Punta Arenas, Chile by bus on Sat. - 11 hrs. Yikes! So far the hostel route has worked out well although everyone else is about 1/3 our age. Have met some really neat people and we don't have to eat out all the time.