On to Argentina and El Chalten

From Punta Arenas I went back to Puerto Natales so that I could get a bus across the border to Argentina. I spent all day there just trying to buy a bus ticket, but eventually had some success and left the next day. My plan was to get a morning bus to El Calafate (a town just across the border), spend a couple of hours there getting some money and food for the next few days, then get the evening bus to El Chalten in the Fitz Roy national park. The first bus was fine, no problems with the border crossing, just a nice welcoming sign which said ´Welcome to Argentina, the Falklands belong to Argentina¨. Arrived in El Calafate and went to find a cashpoint. There were 5 in the town, all had run out of money and the 2 places where you could change money were closed as it was Sunday. So I ended up going to a hostal, explaining that I had no money but needed somewhere to stay until the banks opened the next day. Later on I found another place that opened in the evening where I could change money, so I was able to sort out a bus ticket for the next day.

El Chalten is a small town only founded in the 1980s (because of a border dispute with Chile) and its still under going a lot of development. There isn´t a lot there at the moment but it looks like it is being made into a big tourist destination. Its in an amazing location, situated below the Fitz Roy towers in the National Park and is a perfect place for hiking and climbing. I spent 3 days there, hiking and camping, even though the weather wasn´t the best for it. The day I arrived it was so windy in the town it was difficult to even stand up and all the roads are just gravel tracks so everything was covered in dust. But I still enjoyed it because of the spectacular scenery and good hiking.