Another warm sunny day but the forecast was for a wet spell and the thought struck us that flying north to Bariloche may have been a better idea than taking the bus south but we were committed now, having paid for the bus and the night’s accommodation. After a lovely ride along Lago Argentino, we rode up to Glacerium, the glacier interpretive centre, where we learned more about the Patagonian glaciers and had lunch.
We return to the hostel, collected our bags and proceeded to the bus station for the 16:30 coach. The cheerful driver was content to allow our bikes on without removing anything. The scenery was not without interest as we drove south into the twilight. All went well through Argentine customs but the power supply had failed at the Chile post so they couldn’t process us. There was no contingency plan, no backup generator, so our driver returned to the Argentine customs post to telephone his manager who instructed him to return to the Chile border and wait for the power to return.
At this stage, we expected to have to spend another night in a coach but eventually the power returned and after a long wait, the world’s slowest typist began to languidly enter full passport details of everyone in the long queue and stamp us into the country. From there, it was only a few more kilometres to Puerto Natales. We found our accommodation at 23:50, apologised to our hostess for keeping her up, and went to bed.