0193 Coyhaique, Chile to Perito Moreno, Argentina. Wildlife at last !

31^st Jan 2015

The camp site last night did have wifi, but it was SO SLOW !!! So basically, having started at about 4 pm,  I was up till about 1 am trying to get my blog updated after several days of no wifi, and then trying to upload the photos.  And the only place I could receive a signal was if I put my computer up on the top bunk and then stood up like at a desk !!   Never mind, I eventually got most of it down, although I didn’t manage to get any photos into the body of the blog – I will try to do some of that later.

With the wifi, I was also able to access the emails and blog of a group of 8 Australian MG’s (7 B’s and one A) that are driving from Ushuaia to Vancouver.  I have been talking to them for some time as they planned their trip, giving them suggestions and ideas for their trip – I knew a couple of them from the Queensland MG Car Club. We had always planned to meet up somewhere, but having not had wifi for a while, it was only tonight that I realised that they were almost level with me, but I was in Chile and they were in Argentina ! And if I didn’t see them today, then I would have to backtrack north to catch them up.  So I made the decision to cross the border into Argentina today, and head to Perito Moreno so we could meet.  Easy – There was a crossing at Chile Chico, and although it would be a long day’s drive, it was easily doable.

Due to my late night, it wasn’t an early start, but by 10.30 am I had finally found my way past some confusing roadworks in Coyhaique, and was back on highway 7 south.   

The big and impressive rocks and boulders gradually widened out into flat rolling farming country, and the mountains got left behind.  Map reading is never easy when you are also the driver, so it was with some surprise that at about 11.20 am I found a sign to a border post 2 kms away – The one I was heading for was still some 250 kms away !  Where had this one come from ?  Wasn’t on my map.  I saw a policeman

back from the border and asked if it was OK to cross into Argentina here (a number of smaller crossings are for bicycles and pedestrians only), and when he said “Si” I immediately went on to the border with a smile on my face. How good is this ?  I was the only person at the Chilean border post, and within 10 minutes I had done all the paperwork was down the road at the Argentinian post.  I was the only one there too, and 15 minutes later, all was completed, and I was in Argentina.
 

I had been on a good asphalt road in Chile – But when I drove out the Argentine post, I was straight on to dirt, and not very good dirt either – Quite rocky with some pretty big stones.  Oh well, I suppose I had saved all this time at this unknown border crossing, what was a bit of dirt ? 
 

After about an hour, it was still the same,

although the country was now as flat as a pancake and pretty barren.  Didn’t see another vehicle for an hour !  Suddenly  I saw a movement beside the road – It was a small fox looking for something on the verge !  No time for a photo, as he quickly ran up into the scrub, but it was SO nice to finally see some wildlife – You see so little down here.   And then not 5 minutes further down the road, I saw my first rhea – A kind of ostrich / emu like flightless bird, but smaller.   Very hard to see as they blend in with the scrub so well, but great to see – Now I was wide awake and even the dirt road didn’t seem so rough !

Then not 5 minutes later I saw my first guanaco – looks a bit like a vicuna in colour but is much bigger, about llama size.  Several were standing up on top of a ridge watching me.  This was great – more like what we had seen further north.   30 minutes later I saw something fossicking around in the ditch – It was a little armadillo.  I jumped out to take

photos but like all these other local animals he was really shy, and as usual all I got was bottom shots as he headed for a bush, and proceeded to dig himself in to hide. Then it was on across the dry plains, until suddenly we came to a green section where there was standing water, and there were lots of sheep and cows eating the lush grass.  Then it was back to the rocky road and flat plains.

At 2 pm, almost exactly 2 hour after I left the Argentinian border post, I reached Ruta 40, and it was a beautiful smooth asphalt surface. Almost immediately I saw several more guanaco, and these ones jumped gracefully over the 4 ft high fence along side the road, and headed off into the scrub.    I was now getting peckish, so decided to stop and make a wrap – But the wind out here is ferocious all the time – Hats just get blown away, and so would my sandwich unless I could find some shelter.  A little further up the road I saw some road equipment, a trailer, and other road working machinery parked beside the road – Being Saturday no one would be there, so I nosed Troopie up really close to the trailer so I was out of the wind as much as possible.  I was well into fixing my sandwich when the door of the trailer opened – There were two workers in there having a siesta !!  We had a laugh about it, and I explained what I was doing and they were fine – Even wanted me to eat my sandwich in with them !  Must have given them a bit of a shock when I pulled up so close to them !

A little further down the road  I saw a big flock (?) of rhea – big ones, baby ones – And they ran away so fast I could hardly get a photo.  I was noticing quite a few dead ones on the road, and then found out why – They may run away fast when you stop, but when you are driving towards them they just stop in the middle of the road and stare at you !  Nearly hit a couple myself !  Then I noticed a few dead rabbits / hares on the road – One with an eagle feasting who flew off to the side when I stopped. 

A veritable feast of wildlife today one might say !!

As we neared Perito Moreno I saw an odd shape off to the right against the wire fence, and slowed – I couldn’t work out what it was.  When I got closer I realised it was a dead guanaco that had tried to jump the fence like I had seen the others doing, but he had got his rear legs caught between two stands of wire and then couldn’t escape, poor thing. 

From there were dropped into P Moreno, and I went straight to the hotel where I knew the MG Adventurers were staying. They had not yet arrived but I decided to stay at the hotel too, so I could get wifi and a shower, and also so I wouldn’t have to drive to a camp site late and set up.  While I waited for them to arrive, I had a shower and did my laundry in the room, by which time they had arrived.  Here we were 9 right hand drive cars in one spot – The locals didn’t have a clue what was going on !!  After they had unloaded we had a few beers and dinner, and then I tried to tell them some of the things they could expect as they travelled north.  In return, they gave me a few pointers of things to see and do on the way down to Ushuaia.  A very pleasant evening, and I will see them in the morning and take some photos of the cars.

Ah – Hot showers and a flushing toilet !!!!

Pics here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0189CoyhaiqueToPeritoMoreno?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_L8KWwgruyIA#6110711930988976802