Saturday, February 9, 2008

Border crossing Villa O Higgins (Chile) to El Chalten (Argentina)

This border crossing is pretty unique as you have to get the ferry from Villa O Higgins (VOH), then walk (or get a horse) 25kms across the border to Lago del Desierto from where you walk or get another ferry to the road on the southern end of that lake. There´s no roads or any kind of mechanised transport plus the scenery is pretty awesome.

Once the ferry dropped us we decided to camp at Candelaria Mancilla for the night altho the 2 Israelis (Roy and Edan) were tempting us to continue and do a side trip the next day. It was 5pm tho and being old married folk we had had enough excitement for one day. The campsite is really nice and grassy overlooking Lago O Higgins and surrounding mountains plus the added bonus of being sheltered from the wind. The lady that runs the little hospedaje there is very sweet so we didn´t steal any of her delicious looking raspberries altho we were so tempted. 2 German cyclists started up a fire which kept the cold at bay and spent a very pleasant evening chilling out there.

Next day we decided to rise early and try and walk the whole way to the end of Lago del Desierto and avoid the expense of the ferry. Headed off at 8am, got our passports stamp for exiting Chile at 8.05am and headed onto Argentina. The first hour (5-6kms) of the walk was a medium grade uphill which we tore into as was a perfect, fresh day for walking. The chilean side is pretty destroyed and eroded as they have burnt all the trees to allow "farming". Dunno what kind of farm animals eat rocks and stones tho cos we just saw a few horses and nothing much else. From there we walked and hit the border crossing around 11.30 - its basically a sign from each country saying "welcome to my country". There is a really good horse track all the way on the chilean side and apart from one part where there is a bridge down (to avoid this retrace your steps to the previous bridge and just dont cross that but follow the river til the track joins again)over a fastish river is was fast and easy going.

The argentian side is much prettier walking (altho terrible if your pushing a bike) as its single track thru lovely forest and past a nice lake. Got to the Argentian passport control and north end of Lago del Desierto at 1pm Chilean time which was 2pm Argentian time. Decided that we would not continue walking as we had only 4 hours to walk 15kms around the lake so as to get the bus to El Chalten on the other end. At that stage we were starving as well as had walked about 23kms in 5 hours with full packs. Met the 2 Israeli guys and hung around with them waiting for the 6pm ferry. Sometime around 4pm the police from the passport station decided to head off on their boat. The Israeli boys sniffed (as professional hitchhikers) that there was a chance of free lift down the lake so legged it down and asked if we could go on the police boat ... and sure enough they said yes. Wahooo 40 pesos each saved (which is bloody loads if you dont have very many pesos and there are no ATMs or money exchange in El Chalten). We piled onto the boat, were warned by the senior policeman to sit down and that we would get wet. The main ferry down the lake takes 1 hour. We took 10 minutes and it was so much fun -massive power in the police boat and just absolutely incredible scenery again as glaciers and mountains on both side of the narrow lake.

From there we had to get a bus but the bus driver told us there was only 3 seats left but there was 4 of us. Time for some more hitch hiking but first a cup of tea was brewed. As we drank tea, a dump truck (the ones that carry sand, gravel, earth, etc) drove in with a load of people in the cab and 3 backpackers in the back. The Israeli boys just looked at each other and smiled and said there´s our lift to town!! And sure enough after some polite asking the truck driver was happy enough for us to go in the back into town. He (along with dodgy mustache, best day out pink shirt unbuttoned to belly button with a hairy chest godzilla would be proud of on display -he looked like a cross between George Best and Freddy Mercury)was out with his wife and 5 daughters (all sitting the cab - lots of flesh on display here too) for a trip to the lake for the day.

Up we piled into the back and honestly if I was back again I would sit waiting by the lake for the next empty dump truck to appear. What an incredible view all the 37kms into town. The valleys, forest, mountains and glaciers (ya ya I know more glaciers and still cant get enough of them!!) were just outstandingly beautiful in the evening light. There wasn´t even that much dust on the road.

Mount Fitzroy showed later that evening when we got to town. El Chalten itself was a shock to us all after the Carretas Austral. There´s a free campground on the edge of town where there must have been 100 tents (we hadn´t seen that many in total in the previous 5 weeks), people and restaurants everywhere. Took ages to find a place to stay and was beginning to consider the free campground when we got directed to a tiny Hospadeja Naveta - its was 35 pesos each for a bunk bed, extra for sheets and the rooms were so small we had to take turns standing in the room. Anyways we got a shower, cleaned up and went for a couple of beers to the microbrewwery (awesome beer and empanadas) and then went for steak ... ohhhh droool ... real food. No insult to anyone who feed us in Chile cos we got some very good food (especially the hostal in Cochrane was exceptionally good) but the steak and empanadas and fries were just sooooo tasty. Its like the difference between eating a quick home cooked dinner after a long day in work on a tuesday night (altho we usually do better then lots of what we had in Chile where everything is super processed) and eating in a fine dining restaurant on a saturday night. Different grades.

So in summary this has to be the most interesting (and one of the more scenic) border crossings we will ever do. What a day of hard, fast walking followed by power police boat trip and 360C panormic dump truck views wrapped up by simply great food.

On the down side, El Chalten was a shock to the system - expensive and crowded but sure thats what we get for being in the sticks for so long ;)

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