Puerto Madryn to Rio Gallegos to El Calafate... yet another challenging journey!

Hello all,

I am writing this sitting next to Hayley in the most gorgeous hostel I have ever seen. The whole town does not seem like a replica of a French, German or Austrian town in the Alps, but the real thing. The sunlight is flowing through the (dirty) windows, and we are overlooking Lago Argentina, stunning. The hostel is I Keu Ken, in El Calafate, and it is exactly like a ski lodge in the Alps. With an open fire, deliciously comfy beds and fantastic (and pretty/handsome staff), this is my favourite place by far. And we`ve not even ventured outdoors yet!

Still battling the cold, but now it has turned into an annoying cough. Very annoying for all concerned! Also the 119+ bites are now going down, however I have a few new additions- the latest is huge on my leg,weeping like a blister in the middle and hot to the touch. Even Carolina, at reception, was repulsed and told me to go to the hospital! So will venture there today...

Anyway, we had yet another `challenging bus ride`. Our bus from Puerto Madryn to Rio Gallegos arrived an hour late from BA (that part of the journey only took 19 hours)... so we got on the bus to find out that the seats were different to the ticket office`s computer, so we were sat right by the loos. Again. Of course the loo was broken-no flush, paper or water, or door lock. The door lock was amusing for us, as we watched people walk in on others on the toilet when they disregarded our shouts, however it was very stinky.

So we headed off, stopping for aggges in different places, to fix various parts of the bus. The toilet, parts on the side of it or generally the whole thing. We were 3 hours late getting to the next town, and then the bigger problems began. We had felt a flat tyre for hours, but they eventually stopped and tried to change it (without an apparent jack and with everyone on board too). Again, hours late. We arrived at a petrol station early in the morning, and were there for a few hours. Another flat tyre, but this time the rubber was falling off the tyre in pieces, and the spare was broken as it had replaced the first flat tyre. Never travel with El Penguino (the penguin) bus company!

They moved all the women with children onto another bus that had pulled up, and we unfortunately could not get onto the bus as our bags were too big. So we sat around for another 2 hours, to wait for a new bus to come, but it never did. So somehow they managed to repair the spare, and luckily we began the journey again. We were now resigned to the fact that we were going to be very very late to the hostel, and luckily I managed to use the only phone in a 50km radius to call the hostel, asking them to keep the reservation for us.

So we headed off, only to be summoned to the front of the bus by Edgar and Walter, the bus drivers. Had a fantastic time watching the road-the countryside is completely flat from BA to Rio Gallegos - thousands of kilometres. (The whole country is 5,200km long!) No rivers, turns in the road, trees, buildings... just low lying shrubs. For thousands of kilometres. Was identical to the Motorcycle Diaries film. Absolutely stunning sunsets, never seen anything like it before in my life. So we chatted away, and I traded a bracelet for Edgar`s sunglasses - thankfully as I had left them on a previous bus! And needed them for the glacier tomorrow...

Anyway, we managed to while away the next few hours. Edgar summoned me to the cab again, and like the naive, innocent girl I am, I saw nothing funny about him offering me a bed to sleep on - the bed in the cab that the drivers use. Until Edgar got into bed with me. And asked me for kisses. What is it about these Argentinian men?!!! So hastily got out of bed, made my excuses and ran away to Hayley and J. Which was a shame as the bed was really comfy...

Finally made it to Rio Gallegos - only 8 hours late - was 27 hours instead of 19, with only another 7 people on the 50 seater bus, as the others had got into the replacement bus. Next time, I think we will stay away from the budget buses!

So booked up a ticket for El Calafate a couple of hours later. Would have called the hostel again, but unfortunately the phones were down in Rio Gallegos. Got harrassed by this Argentinian man (again, seriously!) called Angel, who fancied a bit of Hayley. He was really kind and bought us supper, and was generally a bit weird. Overly friendly but weird. So after falling into holes, walking through fences (the other 3 had a very strange time going to the supermarket,) we headed off to El Calafate. Two police checkpoints held us up again, as they walked through the bus checking passport numbers and so on. We also stopped for while after we had just pulled out from a service station, as I think we hit a cow. Luckily not hard so we continued after a little while! This trip was just getting weirder and funnier. We had to laugh otherwise we would cry out of frustration and tiredness!

So eventually arrived in El Calafate at 1.30am, rather than 4pm. We managed to shed a few men here and there by promptly jumping into a taxi and heading up to our wonderful hostel.

So now getting ready to head out for the day (or back into bed, unbelievably tired), and are looking forward to our free drinkies tonight with Frederico, the guy in the hostel who islovely and pretty. Life is difficult! If our trip tomorrow shows that the glacier is as beautiful as pictures show, I might just stay here...

Love to all,
Alice xxx