So on Tuesday, February 7th, we took the bus from El Calafate, Argentina, to Puerto Natales, Chile. Normally it's a 5 hour trip, including checking out of Argentine immigration/customs and checking in through Chilean immigration/customs/agriculture. The border stations were crowded and thus took a bit more time, but we finally made it to Puerto Natales and our next hostel there, Nikos II Adventure. The terrain between the two Patagonia towns is the same wasteland as much of the rest of Patagonia, with occasional glimpses of snow-capped mountains and huge lakes. Puerto Natales is on the Ultima Esperanza Sound ("last hope"), which--I gather, but have not been convinced--communicates with the Oceano Pacifico. Southern Chile has got to be the wildest collection of fiords and islands and lakes on the planet.
 |
| Part of the queue at the Chilean border |
 |
In our case, Fido was let loose in the luggage compartment
to sniff for drugs; hand-carried luggage was put through an x-ray
machine |
 |
| Our new home, for 3 nights |
 |
Just a block or so from the Ultima Esperanza or whatever this
large body of water is |
 |
| Big mountains north |
 |
In El Calafate, I thought the occasional corrugated aluminum
was an architectural statement; here, it is the norm, retail,
residential, whatever; the norm |
 |
| Sculpture outside the former Coca Cola bottling plant |
 |
| Every means of getting here... |
 |
| Ever watchful feline eyes |
 |
I wasted no time in ordering my first pisco
sour; yours were good, Will, but not in Chile |
 |
| These have to be special-ordered at Safeway, I expect; not here |
 |
| We decided this was probably smoked/dried seafood; mostly |
 |
| Pre-made pisco sours; where's the fun in that? |
 |
| Different flavors too |
 |
| The puerto |
 |
| Unusually nice house in Puerto Natales |
 |
| Cute little rubbish bins |
 |
| Homer |
 |
| Alas, in the age of recycling, they will be replaced by these |
 |
| Interesting pub furniture |
 |
| In one of several parks |
