Coyhaique

Hiking near Coyhaique
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We arrived in Coyhaique in the afternoon and I started to search for a hostel ... and for a chance I was lucky! Already at my second try I was successful :). They had a bed available in a 2 Bed Dorm. My roommate was from France and spoke fairly good English. So we chitchat for a while before I went off to the do the most important thing I had to do and the reason why I was here: I wanted to buy a cheap, light, robust and small tent!!! Patagonia is a beautiful area, best and cheapest to explore by tent. And January/February is the high season!! Therefore, it is hard to find any accommodation, not to mention an affordable one! OK, I know, I have three tents in Richmond, but I needed one here in Patagonia! And I don´t want ANY COMMENTS about the one tent which saw part of South America!!! No offence, but I could kick myself already for a certain decision I made a couple of weeks ago, but I can´t change it!!! I wish I could, believe me!!!

Beautiful valleys ...
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And I was successful!!! I found a very light and very cheap camping mat (perfect!) and a nice little and light tent for $5998 pesos (about US$12). So I bought my camping gear (spent altogether US$14!!! I know, such a high quality equipment ;-) ... I added a nice picture from my new transportable home ... isn´t it great!? ;-) I could go on for hours about the benefits of this great tent, but just let´s say, that I got the quality I paid for.

That night my roommate and I went out ... we found a nice little bar in the centre and enjoyed the night :-)

... just enjoyable :-)
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Next morning I put my hikingboots on and hiked for a couple of hours some really nice trails. Just outside the town, the Reserva Forestal Coyhaique has plenty of trails. The weather was just perfect for hiking (mostly sunny and about 25 degree C) and I enjoyed my cheese rolls while resting at some really nice spots. Since I took care of my business (getting a tent), I was ready to leave the next morning.

The little transporter picked me up just in time (around 7:15 AM) and we arrived at the ferry in Puerto Ibañez around 9:00AM ... plenty of time for us to get on the ferry, which left exactly at 10:00AM ... I was very pleased, because by now I realized, that I forgot the fact that Argentina is an hour ahead when I bought all my tickets ... I will have only one hour from the time we arrived with the ferry in Chile Chico to catch my bus in Los Antigous ... it would work, if everything goes the way it suppose to, but by now I learned, that that is very unlikely in these countries. Sure enough, the ferry arrived late ... and then it took one little pickup forever to get of this ferry (the ferry has room for approx. 6 cars) and the pedestrian are always last to get off the ferry. The shuttle to Los Antigous was already waiting for us and filled up in no time. There was hope for my bus!! But sure enough, the driver had to pick up somebody from somewhere off the direct route. And it took her forever to get her butt into the shuttle :-( ... Patience, please be with me!!! Finally, when she was in the bus, we drove towards the border ... but don´t halloo till you´re out of the wood! Our driver stopped at another place, got out of the car and delivered EGGS to a couple!!! HELLO!!! After a couple of minutes of chitchatting with these people he returned to the car and we then made it to the border without any other interruption. At the border it took it`s time as well (not a big surprise). By the time everybody had all stamps in their passports it was after 2:45PM (the time my bus was leaving from Los Antigous). Oh well!

My new tent ... I am soooo proud :-)
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The shuttle dropped us off the bus station and of course, my bus left already (buses in South America are for some reason always on time). But thank goodness, I was in Argentina. The organisation had another bus leaving to somewhere and the first stop was also the first stop for "my" bus. So according to them, there was a good chance for me to catch the bus there. So I hopped onto that bus and off we went. And I was lucky! My bus to El Chalten left already the bus station there, but thanks to the good eyes of the bus driver from the second bus, he spotted the bus at the gas station. So we stopped there, I graped my backpack and switched the buses at a gas station. I love the Argentinians - they are really helpful!!!

So I enjoyed a really nice bus ride through the Argentinian veld. At 5:00 AM next morning we arrived in El Chalten.