GET US OUT OF HERE! (Leaving Puerto Natales)

Puerto Natales, Chile to El Calafate, Argentina - from 1-2 January, 2009

We spent New Year's day resting and hanging out in the city to wash clothes and re-adjust to non-camping travel. We hoped to take the morning bus to El Calafate on the 2nd of January and, after being told by the hostel owner's husband that there would be no problems buying tickets through them the day/night before the bus left, we were shocked and upset to discover that no tickets were left when we asked. Not one. And why didn't we ask earlier, asked the owner when we talked to her... She told us there might be an afternoon bus, but that she wouldn't find out until the next morning. We asked again and again whether they'd heard any news the next day, but the only person there was the husband, and he kept telling us his wife would know and he couldn't help us.

We were all very bitter about having to spend an extra day in Puerto Natales, as the stores and restaurants were mostly still closed and, apart from getting ready to go on a trip elsewhere, there's really not much to do here.

Figuring we'd probably be out of luck and accepting the possibility that we'd be stuck here an extra day, we bought groceries for onces and dinner. When we returned, the owners' daughter was there and we asked her if she knew about the afternoon bus. She got on the phone, called one number, and got us the 4 tickets. Hmmm... Not terribly difficult, but at least we got them. We ate a huge meal, packed, and headed out to the bus station.

The bus ride took about 5 hours, but only 30 minutes to the border (which was easy and stress-free). Carrie and I played card games and watched bouncing sheep butts (they bounce when they run, and the bus scared them when it passed), and Steph and Jay slept.

We arrived in El Calafate well after dark, but a police man in the station told us where to find hostels. There was space at the first hospedaje we found and the price was reasonable, so we took it despite the fact that the owner was grouchy and seemed to think that we might be criminals. Who cares - hot water and our first private rooms in over a week!