Kyle Berg

The bus for El Calafate, Argentina left bright and early around 7:30 a.m. Within 15 minutes of leaving town we passed through Chilean customs, reboarded, then got off a few minutes later for Argentine customs. It wasn’t difficult, just extremely slow. Things would be simpler if these two countries would get along and arrange some customs or travel treaty.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and I alternated between a few minutes of sleep and thinking about the situation in BA with my apartment. It had completely ruined the great time I had in Torres del Paine and left me feeling impotent, especially being so far from the situation. We rolled into Calafate mid afternoon and I accepted a free taxi ride to a new hostel that was only charging 20 pesos per night. The rooms were small and cramped, but cheap. I made a reservation to go to Perito Moreno glacier the next day and then took a heavenly 2 hour nap to try making up for only getting 1 hour of sleep the previous evening.

The rest of the day was uneventful as I went to the LADE office to inquire about flights and found they had closed even though they were supposed to be open until 7:30 and it was only 7:15. I hate it when that happens. I asked a few questions at the bus company windows and then wandered back down to the town center. The all you can eat buffet called my name, but wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I had imagined it being while hiking. That night I regretted having tried to save 10-15 pesos by staying at this hostel. A loud Australian girl and a few Israelis were outside and then in the kitchen playing music and talking until past 2 a.m.