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  Puerto Natales, Chile
Friday, March 10, 2006

I am slowly becoming one with the bus seats of the Argentinian busses. We decided it was time to head out of Bariloche and get down South to the cold, rain and wind. So we booked a bus down to Rio Galligos, spent the night in this happening town - passing time at the all you can eat Chinese/Argentinian BBQ/buffet. I am setting all sorts of eating PB's, but I think at this stage (with some help from his worms), Matt is a little ahead in the tonnage of fodder eaten. Anyway, the bus was a trifle over 27 hours long, a long, long time to be seated outside a non flushing toilet! What bad luck - no gas masks were provided, and I can't hold my breath for even close to 27 hours. Being such control freaks and way to organised we went shopping in Rio Gallagos (Argentina), so that we wouldn't have to in Port Natalas (Chile). Port Natalas is where we leave for the Torres del Paine hike. We splashed out, and had quite a feast prepared. Only when we got to the bus station did we realise that you can't get through the border with fruit etc. Then commenced the fruit eating frenzy, that will be remembered in local folk law for centuries to come.

It is a beautiful drive from Rio Gallagos to the border town - Rio Turbio, the sky is just huge in this part of the world. There are no mountains or even hills, so just a but of brown, and then sky and clouds - wicked! Rio Turbio is even less happening that Poffadder, in fact Rio Turbians would be blown away by the cosmopolitan, bustling town that is Poffadder, where the last time anything exciting happened was when Mefrou Basson burned her koeksisters back in '87. We hopped onto the next bus (I still had seam lines on my but from the 27 hour bus), and headed back into Chile - a mere 40 minute bus, arriving at 8:30 in Puerto Natalas, where accommodation was not easy to find. Eventually we decided to have drink and think about our options, so we pulled into a local restaurant, and lo and behold he knew someone who could take us in for the night (now I know how Mary felt in Bethlehem - although there was not a wise man in sight in Puerto Natalas). This place was stellar, it was some dudes house, and he did not speak a word of English! Anyway, in my very broken (but slowly improving) Spanish we sorted stuff out and said we would stay.

We are now leaving PN to start the hike, but have something of a setback, in that the bus we booked and paid for never picked us up this morning, so now we are waiting for the afternoon bus - but hey it's not like we are on a tight schedule or anything! So now my project for the day is to crack some skulls at the place we booked the ticket and make sure we are actually on the afternoon bus! Not sure I am up to it...

Will update you all on the Torres del Paine hike as soon as we return (if we return...) - should be circa 4 days.

Take care readers

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