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Posts from the road

Trying to Enter Argentina – Day Two

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(Puerto Blest, Argentina)

We awoke to unexpectedly sunny skies and beautiful views in Peulla, Chile. However, the brightest part of our day was the news we received during breakfast: we finally had the missing bar code! We could finally cross the border!

Waterfall on the road between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts
Waterfall on the road between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts

The day got better and better. Shortly after passing Chilean customs (located at the edge of Peulla, rather than at the border itself), we saw a pair of condors! At first I only saw the female but then I also saw the male a short distance away. These birds are huge! The wingspan can be more than 3 metres (10 feet) and the male looked to be that size when he eventually flew away.  It is difficult to describe how thrilling it is to see such a large, wild creature in its natural habitat.

Condors! The female is in the centre of the picture
Condors! The female is in the centre of the picture

While it was hard to top our condor sighting, we still saw plenty of vertiginous waterfalls and snow-capped mountains as we continued our lonely journey in the no-man’s-land between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts. We didn’t see any pumas, but you can’t have it all!

Mount Tronador, as seen from just a few km inside the Chilean border
Mount Tronador, as seen from just a few km inside the Chilean border

The bus climbed higher and higher to the Argentinian border:  high enough, in fact, that there was a significant amount of snow at the point where Chile becomes Argentina.  We had found snow in July!  Even if there was an unexpected snag at the upcoming border control at Puerto Frias, at least we could say that we had set foot in Argentina.

Looking back to where we had just been - right on the Chilean/Argentinian border
Looking back to where we had just been – right on the Chilean/Argentinian border

Thankfully, the only hassle at Puerto Frias was the glare of the sun on the pristine mountain lake (see photo at the top of this post).  While it was challenging for photography, it was a blissful to bask in the sun and to finally leave our border crossing problems behind us.  A short, refreshing boat ride to Puerto Alegre and then an even shorter bus ride to Puerto Blest followed.

We finally made it to the Argentinian border!
We finally made it to the Argentinian border!

Stay tuned for a refreshing excursion from Puerto Blest and the reunion with our group in Bariloche!

Posts from the road

Trying to cross the Andes to Argentina

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(Peulla, Chile)

The plan was clearly laid out: using 4 different buses and 3 different boats, we would travel from Puerto Varas, Chile to Bariloche, Argentina. The various modes of transportation are required for a good reason: in addition to crossing various lakes, we would also be crossing the Andes.

The mellow end of the waterfalls at Petrohue, Chile
The mellow end of the waterfalls at Petrohue, Chile

There was one small problem, however.  If you are travelling on a Canadian passport, you must pay a “reciprocity fee” to enter Argentina because Canada charges Argentinians a visa fee to enter Canada.  My wife duly paid the fee online in advance, as required, and obtained an invoice proving payment.  However, the border officials also apparently required all of this in a bar code format, which my wife did not have.  In addition, her e-mail account was locked because her e-mail provider was apparently not used to her accessing the account from South America.

A huge waterfall hidden in the rainforest above Peulla, Chile
A huge waterfall hidden in the rainforest above Peulla, Chile

To make a long story short, we could not progress beyond the Chilean border town of Peulla until she had that magic bar code.  We reluctantly said goodbye to our tour group and booked a room at the Hotel Natura Patagonia in Peulla.  It was situated nicely (I took the photo at the top of this post from our room), near the shore of Lago dos Todos Santos and in the shadow of the Andes.  However, there was nothing else in the “town” and it was very definitely out of season.  How long would it take until this was straightened out?  Would it *ever* be straightened out?

Bar made out of a tree, at the Hotel Natura Patagonia in Peulla, Chile
Bar made out of a tree, at the Hotel Natura Patagonia in Peulla, Chile

We did not know the answers to our questions.  Our group had moved on to Bariloche, Argentina and would then be flying on to Buenos Aires.  The rain was pouring in Peulla and, to be honest, we were getting quite frustrated with our situation.   We wouldn’t know anything else until the next morning, when the Argentinian immigration office in Buenos Aires opened again.

The Hotel Natura Patagonia in Peulla, Chile
The Hotel Natura Patagonia in Peulla, Chile

I went for a hike to the only accessible local attraction:  a huge waterfall hidden in the rainforest.  I got soaked, even with an umbrella, but it was awe-inspiring to see the waterfall suddenly appear at the end of an overgrown trail.   The picture above shows part of it; the waterfall went on and on.

Condor sign at the national park in Peulla, Chile. Could it mean something?
Condor sign at the national park in Peulla, Chile. Could it mean something?

Near the dock in Peulla, I saw a signs with information about condors, pumas and pudús.  The pudú is the world’s smallest deer and I thought I might see one while we were in the area.  I held out no hope for the others.

Darkness arrived early.  We had a very quiet dinner in the oversized hotel dining room.  There were perhaps 6 other occupied rooms in the hotel; there would ordinarily be hundreds of guests.   Being in immigration limbo in a nearly deserted hamlet in the middle of the dark, cold and wet Andean winter…it doesn’t get much more desolate than that!