Goodbye to Comodoro Rivadavia, Rio Gallegos and all that...
Welcome to El Calafate, in the heart of Patagonia, Argentina.
So I took the long way round. Funnily enough, I had been remarking to myself that despite five weeks plus in South America I would not have fully done the bus thing, the principal mode of transport.
The universe stepped in, and agreed.
Next thing you know you´re arriving at midnight at Comodoro Rivadavia, the focal point of the Argentinian Petrol industry into a tiny deserted airport. The one taxi, well, he isn´t even a taxi. 15 pesos and you takes your chances. Lord knew where the bus station was, so this gringo was down to but one option.
Safely deposited at the bus station it became apparent that this was one hole of a town. As bus stations go after midnight this was pretty much par for the course, the usual cast of vagrants, petty thieves and weary travellers. Imagine missing out on all this civilisation I mused to myself.
The bus was due at 01:05 to take us to Rio Gallegos.
It did not arrive till 2am and it did not leave till 02:30am.
Great fun and not even a cafe in the place open.
O, itinerant dogs of Latin America!
O, unlevel paths of Argentina!
Why have you forsaken me!
Anyway, we got on board and of course there was the usual, will I, won´t I, wake up the person blocking access to my sleeper seat. She even had a little dog on her lap, whose unfeasibly large eyes on a tiny frame provided an eerie glow in the dark of the bus.
I actually managed to sleep, which was nice, but as 2pm approached the next day, it became clear there were going to be problems at Rio Gallegos.
Originally, I would have had a couple of hours to transfer and double back to El Calafate but the unexplained delay the night before made this look increasingly difficult. Worst still, I had to exchange a voucher for a ticket, one nonsensical scrap of paper for another, before Argentinian officialdom would be satisfied.
Amazingly, they actually held the TAQSA coach for the delayed Andesmar passengers and thank fuck they did. If, Comodoro Rivadavia is a hole of a town than the etheral nature of Rio Gallegos could probably never be put into words. Argentinian transport, all is forgiven.
So a quick, hop, skip and a jump and we were on the bus to El Calafate.
We pulled in here at roughly 7pm last night and I had a nice early night on a fully horizontal bed for once. I gave the glacier a miss this morning and am just spending the day catching up on different bits and pieces.
It´s off to El Chalten in the morning for a couple of days where a more serious glacier awaits in any case and then back to El Calafate for 1-2 days before heading to Ushuaia.
More bus shenanigans.
Great craic altogether.
So you know, don´t worry you guys.
I feel pretty good, but that ain´t saying much.
I could feel a whole lot better.
So I took the long way round. Funnily enough, I had been remarking to myself that despite five weeks plus in South America I would not have fully done the bus thing, the principal mode of transport.
The universe stepped in, and agreed.
Next thing you know you´re arriving at midnight at Comodoro Rivadavia, the focal point of the Argentinian Petrol industry into a tiny deserted airport. The one taxi, well, he isn´t even a taxi. 15 pesos and you takes your chances. Lord knew where the bus station was, so this gringo was down to but one option.
Safely deposited at the bus station it became apparent that this was one hole of a town. As bus stations go after midnight this was pretty much par for the course, the usual cast of vagrants, petty thieves and weary travellers. Imagine missing out on all this civilisation I mused to myself.
The bus was due at 01:05 to take us to Rio Gallegos.
It did not arrive till 2am and it did not leave till 02:30am.
Great fun and not even a cafe in the place open.
O, itinerant dogs of Latin America!
O, unlevel paths of Argentina!
Why have you forsaken me!
Anyway, we got on board and of course there was the usual, will I, won´t I, wake up the person blocking access to my sleeper seat. She even had a little dog on her lap, whose unfeasibly large eyes on a tiny frame provided an eerie glow in the dark of the bus.
I actually managed to sleep, which was nice, but as 2pm approached the next day, it became clear there were going to be problems at Rio Gallegos.
Originally, I would have had a couple of hours to transfer and double back to El Calafate but the unexplained delay the night before made this look increasingly difficult. Worst still, I had to exchange a voucher for a ticket, one nonsensical scrap of paper for another, before Argentinian officialdom would be satisfied.
Amazingly, they actually held the TAQSA coach for the delayed Andesmar passengers and thank fuck they did. If, Comodoro Rivadavia is a hole of a town than the etheral nature of Rio Gallegos could probably never be put into words. Argentinian transport, all is forgiven.
So a quick, hop, skip and a jump and we were on the bus to El Calafate.
We pulled in here at roughly 7pm last night and I had a nice early night on a fully horizontal bed for once. I gave the glacier a miss this morning and am just spending the day catching up on different bits and pieces.
It´s off to El Chalten in the morning for a couple of days where a more serious glacier awaits in any case and then back to El Calafate for 1-2 days before heading to Ushuaia.
More bus shenanigans.
Great craic altogether.
So you know, don´t worry you guys.
I feel pretty good, but that ain´t saying much.
I could feel a whole lot better.
posted by Christophe at 5:50 p.m.
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