Today, we had to make our way back to Puerto Montt, Chile, in order to return our car and catch a flight to Santiago tomorrow morning. The route we were taking was supposed to be very pretty, but we couldn't see most of it. The sky was overcast, the air was smoky, and it rained throughout much of the afternoon. Still, we manged to get a few nice views.
Lago Nahuel Huapi
Bahia Manzano
Overlooking Ruta 40
Mirador Lago Espejo
Gas is much cheaper in Argentina than in Chile, so we stopped in Villa La Angostura to fill up our tank and use up the last of our Argentine pesos. The line for gas was half an hour long. Typical for Argentina, I think.
Halfway through the gas line
We left Argentina and re-entered Chile at Paso Cardenal Antonio Samore. Total time for the crossing: 2 ½ hours. Most of that was in Argentina. Immigration was okay, but the line for customs easily stretched a block when we got into it and was at least three times that long by the time we left. Argentinians have a high tolerance for lines, and everyone waited quite patiently. While the queue slowly advanced, a light rain began, and I struggled to keep all of our important documents dry. Just as Tom and I finally reached the cover of the building, it started pouring down rain. I felt really sorry for everyone behind us.
Paso Cardenal Antonio Samore, Argentina
Nearing the front of the line, the rain begins
It was a 40-minute drive between border posts – the longest “no-man's-land” I've ever seen. The scenery along this stretch is supposed to be amazing, but the view today was unfortunately obscured.
Break in the rain between border posts
Entering Chile went a lot faster, but they were quite serious in checking for contraband, particularly any meat, honey, fresh fruits and vegetables and the like. There were sniffer dogs patrolling the area, and they had us unload our trunk as they scrutinized our vehicle and luggage for a possible illegal apple or something. Again, much mysterious stamping of papers occurred, at four separate stations. Once we'd collected a full series of stamps, a fifth person collected our much-stamped papers, and we were free to go.
The weather improved late in the day as we continued to Puerto Montt, where we spent the night at Cabaña Los Coihues. We chose this lodging for its location, just 2 km from the airport, but it was super nice – not really convenient to anything else, though. We drove into the city for some takeout and brought it back to the cabaña. We were so exhausted from all of today's lines, we didn't have the energy for a sit-down meal.
Puerto Octay, Chile
Handsome horse
Cabaña Los Coihues, Puerto Montt
Mileage: 366 km