Leaving Coyhaique and arriving in Puerto Natales in the nick of time!

After a short bout of Boxing Day night sickness meant a day´s postponement to our planned departure, we set off from our hostel on the morning of the 27th, planning to get a bus and then a ferry to Chile Chico, before crossing into Argentina and making our way south to Puerto Natales in time for New Year.



Soon discovered that it is far from easy to get out of Coyhaique. After the ferry company told us that the first boat would be Saturday (i.e. New Year´s Day), we went to Tourist Information where each enquiry was meant with a resounding ´no´. So, no buses to Chile Chico, Puerto Natales, or Argentina. A trip to the bus station soon cleared this up and tickets to Comodoro Rivadavia on the Atlantic Coast of Argentina were bought for 2 days´ time.

We went to find a camp site, and spent a couple of nights in a lovely spot before catching the bus.





There began our epic journey, involving two border crossings and a pretty sleepless night. However, there isn´t much of interest to say about the journey. We arrived in Comodoro at about 8pm (after an 11 hour journey), and managed to hop onto the next bus to Rio Gallegos, 11 hours south.



From there we thought our luck was out when a combined failing of cashpoints left us 1 minute to buy our onward ticket, but we made it again. 5 hours after that we were back on the border with Chile, but with no buses to Puerto Natales in sight, and the clock approaching 5pm on New Years Eve, we thought the game was up. However, as mum always says, you´re never lost all the time you´ve got a tongue in your head, and our broken Spanish got us directions to the Cootra bus office.



I danced a merry jig on the way out of the bus office, and we rolled over the border, and into Puerto Natales for about 9pm.

Just time for a shower and a massive steak and red wine dinner before the chiming of the bells and the fireworks. And asleep by 12.15am - successful start to the New Year. Hope everyone else had an excellent night, and hope you all lasted slightly longer than we did! Happy New Year!!!!!