Puerto Natales to El Calafate, 300 miles and one boarder crossing
Some more delicious Nescafe and we were on the road towards El Cafate and the Glacier Moreno. The skies were sunny and warm, a great start to the day.
Just about 15 miles in we came to the border crossing. We are sure getting the Argentina and Chile shuffle down! Every time you approach a crossing, you cringe, and pray that it won’t be a 3 hour ordeal. Much to our surprise it was a piece of cake! In no time at all we got through both the exit and entry points and were back in Argentina, land of delicious steaks, ice cream and cheap gasoline!
We weren’t sure how much of the road would be paved for us today, but to our pleasant surprise we were on pavement the entire journey. Not too much to talk about as far as scenery today, we were back in dusty desolate flat lands. The nice thing is we get where we are going quick, the down side is it gets a little boring.
Just about 70 miles away, we stopped to get gas and a bite to eat at our very favorite and oh so missed YPF gas station. They treat us right, gas is back to 1.25/gallon and their food is cheap and delicious! We ran into a couple from Mendoza (Argentina) on a motorbike. Francisco, the man and his friend were touring all around Argentina and have been on the road for 10 days now. That was the first Argentinean we have run into on the road, several bikers from Brazil, but not yet Argentina. They were both extremely friendly and we enjoy chatting with them over our lunch. After lunch we followed each other the last 70 miles into El Cafate.
El Cafate is the hub for the Glacier Moreno which is a huge tourist attraction not only for Argentineans but globally. It is a giant glacier along side of a lake in which you can stand on a nearby platform and watch huge chunks of ice break off the glacier and hit the water…it is supposed to be quite a site. The town definitely reflected the great attraction as it was full of tourists and tourists shops. The nice thing is you know you will be able to find delicious food, but then again you’re paying triple.
The town as packed as it gets caused us to do the Hostel shuffle for quite some time. It gets old after a while, but our diligence and persistence paid off as we found a clean hostel, shared bath for $30. Usually that would be a lot, but we quickly discovered it was a bargain in this town. We opted out of camping as the campgrounds were packed full and we didn’t want to risk leaving our valuables out while we’re at the glacier tomorrow.
We strolled the streets, enjoyed some delicious empanadas (I would say the second best I’ve had on this trip – a bold statement) and enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather.
Our Argentinean biker friends wanted to meet us for dinner, and given that they are from Argentina, of course it was late, 9:30PM. Francisco got us a reservation at a pasta house, delicious homemade pastas. We enjoyed a nice visit, great pasta and outstanding wine which kept us there well past midnight. Francisco insisted on paying, what a treat! Mike being my occasional translator I was able to be a part of the conversation as well…fun night. We told him he must come to California sometime so we can repay his generosity.
Amie loves the clean shave
and, of course, the icecream
Just about 15 miles in we came to the border crossing. We are sure getting the Argentina and Chile shuffle down! Every time you approach a crossing, you cringe, and pray that it won’t be a 3 hour ordeal. Much to our surprise it was a piece of cake! In no time at all we got through both the exit and entry points and were back in Argentina, land of delicious steaks, ice cream and cheap gasoline!
We weren’t sure how much of the road would be paved for us today, but to our pleasant surprise we were on pavement the entire journey. Not too much to talk about as far as scenery today, we were back in dusty desolate flat lands. The nice thing is we get where we are going quick, the down side is it gets a little boring.
Just about 70 miles away, we stopped to get gas and a bite to eat at our very favorite and oh so missed YPF gas station. They treat us right, gas is back to 1.25/gallon and their food is cheap and delicious! We ran into a couple from Mendoza (Argentina) on a motorbike. Francisco, the man and his friend were touring all around Argentina and have been on the road for 10 days now. That was the first Argentinean we have run into on the road, several bikers from Brazil, but not yet Argentina. They were both extremely friendly and we enjoy chatting with them over our lunch. After lunch we followed each other the last 70 miles into El Cafate.
El Cafate is the hub for the Glacier Moreno which is a huge tourist attraction not only for Argentineans but globally. It is a giant glacier along side of a lake in which you can stand on a nearby platform and watch huge chunks of ice break off the glacier and hit the water…it is supposed to be quite a site. The town definitely reflected the great attraction as it was full of tourists and tourists shops. The nice thing is you know you will be able to find delicious food, but then again you’re paying triple.
The town as packed as it gets caused us to do the Hostel shuffle for quite some time. It gets old after a while, but our diligence and persistence paid off as we found a clean hostel, shared bath for $30. Usually that would be a lot, but we quickly discovered it was a bargain in this town. We opted out of camping as the campgrounds were packed full and we didn’t want to risk leaving our valuables out while we’re at the glacier tomorrow.
We strolled the streets, enjoyed some delicious empanadas (I would say the second best I’ve had on this trip – a bold statement) and enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather.
Our Argentinean biker friends wanted to meet us for dinner, and given that they are from Argentina, of course it was late, 9:30PM. Francisco got us a reservation at a pasta house, delicious homemade pastas. We enjoyed a nice visit, great pasta and outstanding wine which kept us there well past midnight. Francisco insisted on paying, what a treat! Mike being my occasional translator I was able to be a part of the conversation as well…fun night. We told him he must come to California sometime so we can repay his generosity.
Our new friends from Mendoza, Argentina
Amie loves the clean shave
and, of course, the icecream
posted by Pedro and Maria at 1:48 PM
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