Lessons recently learned.

1. Do not try to hitchhike the Argentinian desert.

The reasons for this useful snippet of advice are very simple and I will convey them to you now.

a. The southern desert in Argentina is very big.
b. Nobody drives in the desert.

To say the least it´s been an interesting few days. I´ve spent a lot of time waiting around recently and in turn I´ve also spent a lot of time contemplating whether or not to regret putting myself in a recent predicament (somewhat knowingly). Having reached a safe and comfortable destination this morning, I´m now quite happy with my last couple of days of “type II fun“.

A quick synopsis of the last few days…

Hitched rides from Coyhaique to Puerto Ibañez where I visited the farm of a friend of a friend. Pto. Ibañez is a tiny town, so I needed to wait two days for the ferry to Chile Chico. From Chile Chico I was able to hitch rides across the Argentinian border to Perito Moreno, then all the way south to a gas station in the middle of nowhere. That was the end of the road for the next day and a half.

I basically read a book, drank coffee, and did my best to chat with locals while waiting for a ride south. Finally, last night at around 9 PM a bus showed up with 1 open seat and I wisely decided to hop on and pay the fare. The only problem, which I (and subsequently the conductor) quickly realized, was that I had spent many more pesos than expected on cafes con leches, queso, and empanadas at the gas station during my two day residency there. I was able to come up with 15 more pesos from an Israeli friend whom I had met while hitchhiking in Chile and who happened to be on the bus, but I was still 5 short of the fare. With some additional luck and charm (achieved no doubt with the language skills I acquired from 2 days at a gas station in the middle of the desert in Argentina) I was allowed to stay on til the next stop, El Chalten.

El Chalten, Argentina – look it up. This place is magnificent.

P.S. – One additional snippet of advice to add to the list.

c. Always be friendly to Israeli hitchhiking companions. They make awesome friends and tend show up in the middle of nowhere.