The drive continues

Our first goal was to get to the town of Chile Chico 120 kilometres away in time for a lunch stop.  It was very, very slow going!  Before we got there, we stopped at a viewpoint to take photos of the Laguna Verde which was absolutely stunning!

We finally arrived in Chile Chico at 2.30pm!  We were given until 3.30pm to buy what we wanted and have something to eat.  We took the opportunity to stock up on more drinks and snacks at Chilean prices rather than Argentine ones!

We then drove the short distance to the border.  Exiting Chile went quickly and smoothly.  Getting into Argentina took a little longer, but it wasn't too bad.

After crossing the border, we continued to drive along the banks of the same lake, but the name had now changed to Lago Buenos Aires.  We drove 60 kilometres to a supermarket.  Here, three cook groups needed to shop, so it took a while.  We just had to get some fresh ingredients to supplement our store cupboard dinner.  

We were now on the other side of the Andes in Argentine Patagonia.  The landscape was notably flatter, and it was much windier.  We can expect similar conditions for the next couple of weeks.

Once we had shopped, we drove the short distance to the small town of Perito Moreno, where we set up camp in a field with access to one toilet.  It wasn't a bad place, but it was blowing a gale!!  Mark set up our tent while I got to work chopping veg for my pasta sauce.  We managed to produce a meal for 36 people by 9pm, just an hour after arriving on site!  Everyone said it was tasty.

After clearing up, we went to bed, but not before Nikki had told us that the Cave of Hands that we should have been visiting in the morning is closed!  There is a pattern developing here - long drive days and nothing to see at the end of them!Read more