Day 12 ... a bus ride from Argentina to Chile

When we were organising this trip we thought we would add in a cross border bus ride.  So today, we were up, packed and with a final breakfast eaten, were ready for our 7am pick up to take us to the bus station. 

An actual bus arrived ... probably a 50 seater to transfer the two of us from our hotel to the bus station. It feels ridiculous to sit on a massive bus and travel less than 3 kms! But ... that's what the company sent and so that is what we used. 

 








The driver was great ... he helped us check in, pointed Ian in the direction of where to pay the bus terminal levy. He was also able to ask if we could have our seats at the front of the bus ... which in the end was fantastic as we were on a double decker bus and and we had seats at the very front and at the very top!









So, once on board there was nothing else to do but sit back and relax and enjoy the ride. We departed the station just after 8am and began the 350km journey through the steppe, then through winding hills topped with a flurry of snow, to the flats of the peak, and the large sheep and cattle estancia.

There was so much to see ... amd we had prime photo position. We spied guanacos, rhea and geese along with horses, cows and sheep. We saw some gauchos rounding their massive herd of sheep across the green plains.











We stopped at La Esperanza ... a very small township ... well maybe teeny tiny! In 2022 it had a population of 49 people! Our stop allowed is to visit the banos (although there was one on the bus an actual bathroom is always nice!), and we took the opportunity to explore the town … which took us 4 minutes.













Back on the bus we continued our journey passing more estancia as well as two towns ... 9 July (another small town where we dropped off a passenger) and 28 November which was a much bigger (and growing) township.  Then we headed on to the border crossing ... a final goodbyes to Argentina and then drive 1km to the Chilean passport control to receive a stamp in the passport (I think it is sad that some countries don't do it anymore), a bag inspection for fruits, vegetables,  meats or nuts and then back on the bus for the final drive into Puerto Natales. 

































[Just a note on the border crossing into Chile. They require you to fill in a form 24 hrs before you cross the border where you declare if you are carrying anything related to animal products or plant matter. The form is quick and you get a PDF you can carry on your phone to show at the border. Our travel agent (love you Joanne) had told us this and so Ian dutifully filled the forms in online. Added to Joanne telling us we needed to do it ... there were signs at the bus terminal in El Calafate. However ... we get in the bag check line in Chile and all of a sudden people look surprised that they had to do it! So ... a mad flurry for some filling in an online form as they stand at the counter! Crazy!!!]

And then we arrived into Puerto Natales, the Southern most location of the journey, but not the most southern we have ever been ... that title is held by Stewart Island NZ. We were met at the bus station by Morea and Marcus who were in charge of our transfer to our hotel. Morea ran us through the itinerary for the next few days and then left us to settle in.

 

 

Once checked in and settled in our room, we headed to the restaurant for a snack ... and ended up devouring a massive club sandwich. Three pieces of bread ... grilled chicken, tomato and cheese on one side and ham, lettuce and an omelette on the other side. Absolutely delicious!

 

 








A family of rabbits have decided the hotel grounds are their home! 

 

 

Please meet Shaun ... he is the guardian of our room key!

 
And so I then settled in for a lazy afternoon whilst Ian headed off to do some work. When you own your own company work is always there. There is a constant need to check in on emails and for the most part we can disconnect and leave it behind but just sometimes deadlines need to be met. Ian powered along and was able to join me in relaxing. 

We opted not to do anything major today following our 6 hr bus ride and the early morning. We have 2 early marks again over the next 2 days so catching a little break was on the cards. We will explore Puerto Natales on our last morning here as we have a late afternoon flight out. But that is later ... so let's not get ahead of ourselves!

 

And after an afternoon of being lazy ... we went for dinner.  Because we had such a late "snack" we decided to share a main meal and a dessert. The menu is very seafood and fish heavy ... but we chose grilled chicken, with papa fritas (fries) and grilled vegetables with Apple tart to finish off.




 




A lovely day ... and so much to look forward to tomorrow.


Steps ... 5,000

Kms ... 3.83

Photos  ... 353 plus 55 from Ian.

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