Los Antiguos via Comodo Rivadavia, Caleta Olivia, & Perito Moreno

Bus thru Caleta Olivia to Comodo Rivadavia left 45 min late at 9:45 but arr in C.R. on time at 3. We paid extra to go directo as we'd have a better chance at getting a bus out/onward to Perito Moreno today. Our timeframe is getting a little tight to accomplish our plan to enter Chile and circle around and back to Los Antiguos by eve of 15th to catch the every-other-day bus on to El Chalten.

This part of Patagonia steppe/plateau is just windy/flat and full of sage brush-like low bushes...guanaco, rhea, mara, and queis (mouse-like lemming) here. Another great cloudy day w/ panoramic window seats up front - this time much more space, 3 seats across! Mari gets the single, of course, ha!

Once in Comodo Rivadavia we discover that there is only a 5:45pm bus onward to Perito Moreno unless we want to go at night (10:30) or 5:30 am! Our options are not the best but since we like to see the scenery and time is a factor we opt for the bus leaving this afternoon...arr in P.M. at 10 pm. It means more than a 2 hour wait but thinking we can eat we head out to walk about searching for a restaurant. An hour later, finding very little open and even fewer w/ food anyone wishes to eat, Jake has gotten food in a supermarket, Mari and I get sandwiches in the bus station and Bon heads off to a fast food place where she gets french fries.

We pull into Perito Moreno at 10+, almost on time and the terminal looked to be quite far from town, we saw no hotel or other ON accom nearby as we drove in. After taking our packs off the bus, we held a quick powwow and decided to go on to Los Antiguos...at least there was info in the LP about it whereas nothing about Perito Moreno except that the caves w/ handprints are nearby. Gotta skip the caves this time!

We arr in Los Antiguos at 11...a new terminal, again, a ways away from town center. A very nice man (very few others in terminal) who owns a new hostel (and a cafe in the terminal) helped us get a taxi after he called Hospedaje Parrilla (Padrillo?) to make sure there was room. The nice lady owner met us (now 11:30) and showed us into the dorm saying we could take care of details in the morning.

12/11/2010