Perito Moreño, Los Antiguos and Chile Chico

Posted 26 February 2007
The modern bus which runs Ruta 40, a mainly unpaved Ripio Road, is quite an institution. It was full of working backpackers, on a necessarily short tour to fit their holidays, many around 25/30 the rest over 50. 

RUTA 40 BUS from BARILOCHE to EL CALAFATE

They stopped overnight at El Belgrano hotel in the town of Perito Moreno but the bus tour leader at our request booked a room ahead, in a nearby two room apartment 120A or 24K as the hotel was full. People get on and off the bus as they will, to spend more time in particular destinations on its long route from Bariloche to El Calafate. Thus taking in the major Andes attractions in Argentina such as Mt Fitzroy and the Perito Moreño glacier near El Calafate, the one I think Susan and Peter have visited. They offer a number of side trips for those who leave at various points which include several multi-day treks on the glaciers. The trip from Esquel tp Perito Moreño cost (2 x180) 2 x 33K, 180A.

RUTA 40

Theo was right about Argentina, after Chile it was like passing through the Gobi desert, only on a bumpy road rather than a motorway. It is incredibly flat, boring, yellow grass and treeless. Nevertheless it was an experience worth having. Joan saw flamingos just as we left Esquel, a bird of prey as white as a gull, guancos, rheas (ostrich) and sheep. But mostly like the desert there was absolutely nothing to see except dry pampas, and the tantalising view of snow capped mountains on the border with Chile.

We went back to join the rest in El Belgrano (Margaret Thatcher lives and embarrasses her erstwhile supporter Joan) for dinner, and Joan hit the jackpot with Bife de Chorizo which turned out to be a fine steak. I only really spoke to a young Italian girl from near Venice who has lived in London for several years and loves it for its vibrancy and for the employment opportunities and standard of living it offers. She will not return to Italy.

Today we have done little except cross once again into Chile. Our landlady took us to the small bus station out of town at 10 and we waited until 10.30 before anyone arrived to sell tickets. The two buses arrived in half an hour headed for Los Antiguos, on the Argentine side of the border. There we transferred to a minibus which took us, helpfully, right through the two border posts and a long no man`s land and into the centre of Chili Chico, a very small but rapidly developing town in a strategic point for tourists.

We checked into the El Centro de Llamadas 10K (telephones), as advised by the minibus driver) where they have just added three large comfortable upstairs rooms, it is a shared bathroom but as there are no other guests we have it to ourselves, doubtless everyone else in the packed minibuses was following the recommendations of their guidebook. The same driver saw us later and pointed out a restaurant where we had the set El Menu 2 x 5.75K with Kunstmann beer from Valdivia. It was a good choice, first course was Cazuela de Vaca, a stew and soup in one, followed by lentils boiled in a beef sauce ( we had a memorable meal of this kind in La Causse Mejean when trekking in France years ago with Geoff and Judy - although that was a lamb based sauce and we slept on the straw in the barn with another family for the amazing sum of 1 Franc each and washed under the hand pump in the yard) bananas with honey and coffee completed the meal.
Since today´s boat left at 10am, long before we arrived, and tomorrow´s does not leave until 4.30pm we have booked a mini trek for the morning which includes visiting caves with primitive peoples´ stencil painting of hands (Cuevas de los Manos of which there are many examples near here including one near Perito Moreño which is a world heritage site).


We are gathering timetable information to help with a smooth return trip as we expect to do the reverse crossing to Perito Moreño in about a week, and there to rejoin the Ruta 40 bus for the next two stages south in Argentina. Then maybe fly to Ushuaia at the tip of Tierra del Fuego before making our way back north - who knows its as fluid as ever.

The trek 2x 25K was fantastic. An hour by minibus to the starting point at Jeinimeni National Park near the Chile/Argentine border. Then three hours climbing the mountain past the most amazing rock formations including one enormous red-brown iron bearing pillar carved out by nature like a huge totem pole, with plenty of green copper bearing rocks. Then a short ridge walk around to the cave, where we had a picnic of bread and a salami sausage we bought for the trip, whilst we watched the condors soaring around. In fact they got so close we thought they were about to home in on our salami.
 


The guide leader was excellent and he explained the cave in detail in Spanish only some of which we understood, but one of the three young Israelis with us explained it again in English. There was also a very pleasant young Chilean girl. The simple painting of hands was to record the visits to the cave by a nomadic people about 11,000 years ago and was done in red mineral paint which they masticated with grease and clay and then blew around their hands, although some were done by pressing already painted hands against the wall.
 
 There were also simple paintings of animals, and simple maps in dots recorded their travels. A second technique was used to produce black painting with charcoal, but this had wait until 6,000 years ago by which time they had discovered fire. The caves were in use until recently because of the find of sheep bones which must have been introduced after sheep were introduced to the Falklands.


There are many examples in this area of cave paintings of hands. Although a nomadic people they returned to the caves when a baby was about to be born or when someone was about to die, or maybe with people too old or too young to travel. They survived by hunting guanaco and we walked to the cave through a narrowing gap in the hills which was called The Valley of Guanacos.

After lunch we walked down with considerable difficulty across scree into another outstanding area of rock this time white pumice, the ash from the volcanoe. On top of the world at this point everyone took their photo opportunities to prove they had been there, including one of Joan.

I must say that I was completely out-walked by Joan who was pleased to demonstrate that her exertions of the previous trek had been worth while. I´m afraid one young Israeli and I struggled with painful knees on the descent. Indeed I owe a lot to the physical support of the leader when about to fall on the most treacherous scree. His girl assistant didn´t endear herself to us stragglers by repeatedly telling us to caminar or vamos, obviously concerned they would have to pay more to the driver waiting on the road below, or perhaps it was a more legitimate worry that we would all miss our 4.30pm ferry.

But catch the ferry we did, which was memorable for demonstrating its reputation as the coldest crossing in the area. The strong winds must blow regularly from the nearby glaciers. 


Minibuses met us on the other side and took us 120km to Coyhaique where we arrived freezing cold at 10pm to find a place to sleep. The first place we tried was full, but the second another hospedaje had a very small room with private bath. Although small the space was extremely well used. The owner made us very welcome with huge mugs of tea with real milk, which were refilled, and with some brilliant torta. And so to a hot shower, bed, a new day, and a new rainy dawn.