Ruta 40

We started on February 10th at 7 o'clock in the direction of Argentina. We had to determine the final destination depending on the duration of the formalities at the border crossing and the road conditions. The border crossing opens at 8 o'clock. We arrived shortly after 8 o'clock. The whole process took about two and a half hours. First came the passport control of the Chileans, then the export customs of the vehicles with the Chileans. Next was the import customs of the vehicles with the Argentinians. The passport control with the Argentinians depended on an insurance for the vehicles. For this, an insurance company was called, which immediately sent someone, from where it was a mystery to me, as the border crossing was literally in the middle of nowhere, namely the Argentinean one. After completing the insurance (40 $), the passport control of the Argentinians was carried out and we were able to enter. The Ruta 40 starts here with 30 km of unpaved road. So we could already calculate at least one hour for that. On the section from the ferry to Coyhaique, there were also large stretches of unpaved road, which were more difficult to drive on compared to the 30 km of Ruta 40. On this route, as known, everything went well. Now on the Argentinean Ruta 40, Celestino had an accident. I didn't see it myself because I was driving further ahead, but he must have flown over the handlebars after his bike got stuck in a pile of gravel. Fortunately, nothing happened to him except a bruise on his left wrist. The bike is damaged accordingly, but luckily still drivable, otherwise we would have to load it into the van. However, it pulls slightly to the left, a turn signal is broken, the windshield is damaged, and both side cases are no longer usable. Since Celestino can't ride for now, Norbert continued with it. The Argentinean Pampas are vast, deserted, and the roads are mostly straight. On the pastures, you can see many steaks running around and, of course, the wild guanacos, of which there are a very large number here. In the end, we drove to Gobernador Gregores. Gobernador Gregores is the capital of the Río Chico Department in the Santa Cruz Province. Here we stayed once again in a sports hall.

Here in Argentina, the internet connection is much worse than in Chile. So there may be delays from now on, including uploading pictures.