Chile welcomes us: Cheap skiing, but no snow shoes.

After we crossed the border into Chile we accidentally found ourselves at a ski centre. I had directed us into the reserve with an idea to hike a volcano, but when we got there we found that snow shoes (those things like tennis rackets put onto shoes) were needed to go up, but were told we could camp anywhere (yay!) and then we found the ski centre. The place was the Centro de Montaña Corralco, Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello-Nalcas.

H was delighted, he'd been wanting to ski. The price was cheap, they had an end of season deal where a day of lift pass, ski hire, and lunch was about $44. And they let us camp there for free, so we arrived late on the Friday, camped, H went skiing on Saturday then we free camped again. I didn't ski, I've done it a couple of times, but this location didn't make me feel I wanted too. Plus H and I are together mostly 24/7, so it was good to be apart for a bit. 

Here's where H went skiing in Chile. 

Oh, and here's the single lane tunnel of some 4.528kms that we had to go through just after entering Chile... Those who know me well feel for me now, I get a bit anxious in tunnels, and this was particularly horrible. 

My first border crossing as an overlander: Argentina to Chile: Paso Hachado

The pass from Las Lejas, at Paso Hachado, was open, so H and I made the crossing. 

So what happens when you cross the border with a vehicle? The people have to still do migration/passport control, the vehicle also has to go through migration, and instead of running your luggage through a baggage scanner, the vehicle is inspected.

Chile has pretty tight quarantine control (as does Australia), and I very much respect this. I'm pleased also that H also respects it. We cooked/ate all our fresh produce the night before making the crossing, and we only had to discard some honey. 

On the Argentine side they checked the vehicle with a Labrador dog. On the Chilean side 2 men looked through things (with H showing them). We declared what we should have, and they approved everything to go through: dried meat and fruits, cooked food, and packaged items were all okay. Everyone was very friendly, and there wasn't a queue, so we got through quite quickly. 

I hope all the crossings will be as simple and friendly. 

H turned the vehicle around for this shot. The sign says: "You are in Chile, Welcome, IX region of the Araucania". The pass is at 1884m... So a bit chilly in early October. 

Quarantine is important!

For me quarantine is a very important thing. I'd hate to introduce an item that was hosting a pest that did damage to the industry and livelihood of a place. I always answer the questions honestly, and let the officials tell me if the product is okay. Usually things are okay, and occasionally I get something confiscated (or another option like fumigation or sending it back to a person in the country it came from). This isn't a problem: if you've honestly declared something there isn't trouble, but if you make a false declaration you will have trouble if caught. 

I simply take the view that the farmer doesn't deserve to lose his livelihood by me bringing in a product that contains a pest/disease/fly/fungus. I wish more travellers could see it this way instead of being selfish. (Of course, there are plenty of good travellers too... I've just met a few who say 'oh, just hide it'... And I've told them what I think!)

Bush camping: the serendipity of it!

H and I both prefer the bush camps. This means that we drive until we find someplace nice, and then we pull off the road. Hopefully it's somewhere that won't have vehicles passing all night. Usually we choose it for a nice view. We sit outside while the sun is still warm, and then head inside. If it's warm enough we eat outside too. 

When we are in bed we can star-gaze (I even have an iPad app 'Star Walk'), and see the view from the windows when the sun comes up.

H says he's delighted that the time he couldn't get the vehicle started in the middle of nowhere I simply didn't panic. But why stress when I had nice surroundings?

On a stop in Argentina, we camped beside a river. On arrival I said 'let's go for a walk', and so we did. We were quite surprised to find scores of coloured parrots nesting in the clay walls of the river. Sometimes you get more than a view. 

The parrots discovered nesting in the river bank, near Chos Mahal on the Solado River. 

The Solado River in the morning, from bed. 

Where am I, and where are we heading?

I've realised that many of you mightn't know where I am, aside to say that I'm in Argentina. So I'm going to do my best to explain it.

I started my Overlanding in the camper vehicle of H almost 2 weeks ago from the Argentine city of Mendoza. Mendoza is a wine producing city in the foothills of the Andes. The Andes mountain range runs down the western side of South America, and in this part of the continent forms the boundary between Argentina and Chile. 

We are heading to Ushuaia. Ushuaia is almost at the bottom of South America, it's almost the end of the road, you can't drive much further south (but I imagine we might take the road as far as we can). From Mendoza, by the most direct route, it's 3234kms (according to the Firestone Atlas de Rutas 2012) to Ushuaia. But we won't be taking the most direct route!

We plan to cross into Chile, visit the Lakes District on both sides of the Argentina-Chile border, visit Puerto Valdes (on the East coast of Argentina) to see Orcas and more wildlife, cross the pampas (Argentina), stay on a farm perhaps, and just see as much as possible. It is quite the journey. We hope to be in Ushuaia for the overlanders Christmas party in December, which would be wonderful full time to catch up with people met and unmet. (So far we have met 2 other overlanding campers, passed one in a town, and saw 4 overlanding motorbikes (1 group, they were headed North)).

In the last 2 weeks we've come South as far as Las Lejas, which is 700-800kms South of Mendoza. From here we to cross into Chile, subject to the border crossing being open, which is subject to weather (snow and ice) conditions. We had hoped to cross further North, but couldn't. If we can't cross here we might decide to go East to the coast (Puerto Valdes) and then come back to the lakes later on. In overlanding there must be flexibility in the plan. 

Then, from Ushuaia, we turn around and head North.... Assuming we still like each other!

A few breakdowns; but I'm happy!

9 nights so far, and we've only had 3 mornings without mechanical problems... Yet I'm content and not at all worried. 

The mornings have been cold, and it seems that we are having battery troubles. After the first trouble it was decided to get a new battery, but that only helped for a day; or maybe it would have started that day regardless. Since then H has been checking the alternator, cables, and we've been reading up, and tomorrow we are going to a place with better equipment for testing. It cold also be fuel related.  

The second morning after replacing the battery we were bush camped and couldn't get a start! H headed to the road to flag down a vehicle for a jump start, but all he found in the first while was a man on horseback (not a lot of help). Then we went out together with chairs to wait, but bored and cold H headed back to the vehicle. I made a campfire, for warmth and tea, and had just made my tea when a vehicle finally came ... At about midday. 

I was never too concerned. We have plenty of food, and there was a rather clean stream nearby (snow fed in these parts). I figured a vehicle would pass sometime. 

The bush camp was about 15kms into a very scenic route. It was Route 40 from Pareditas to El Sosneado. It was a rough dirt road, mostly severely corrugated and with many hairpin bends. But, with the beautiful Andes to our right and with flat cattle grazing country dotted with volcanos to the left, I could not ask for better. I drove this stretch. It was very remote, and we also saw an Andean Condor and a few Rhea (like Emu/Ostrich, but smaller). Domestically goats and sheep were also being farmed as well as the cattle. 

This picture is taken on panorama setting, the road is actually very straight, but I took about 210 degrees of film. But you get the idea... Andes to the right, somewhat flat cattle country to the left. Spectacular, all day long. 

We were still on Route 40 for the next nights' bush camp, but we camped on a slope to get ourselves away in the morning.

One of the views on this wonderful stretch of route 40. 

H and I both prefer the bush camps to the town ones. But presently we are passing 4 nights in a town. The Andean pass into Chile we were intending to take is closed, we are told Chile has had too much snow, and so we need to go another 400kms south to cross, for which it is rather early. This town, Malargue, is big enough to have reasonable facilities but small enough to walk, so it's okay... And tomorrow is Monday, and we seem to need vehicle advice. 

The night before last it snowed. We were in a restaurant when people started going outside to photograph the snow, so it must be odd at this time. In the morning everything was covered in snow, and looked very pretty.