09.03.23

The hostel mother prepares breakfast, even with fried eggs.

I drive to the town center to return the rental car. I take Masatoshi with me, he will continue flying to the Atacama Desert at noon and still has an hour to explore Puerto Natales. The just-in-time principle seems to apply even on vacation. Fortunately, the guys from Europcar are not bothered by the rather strong onion and tuna scent emanating from the interior of the car after the last cooking action.

Before departure, I visit the local museum, which tells the story of the first settlers, long extinct animals like the giant sloth, and the brutal exploitation by Europeans with their profit interests. Interestingly, women played a major role in building the houses of predominantly European settlers; for example, they cut open cans and transformed them into shingles for facade cladding.

At the bakery near the bus station, I find a vegetarian minced meat empanada for the first time, and it's really well seasoned.

After about eight hours of driving through the Patagonian steppe and crossing the border into Argentina, I arrive in car-oriented El Calafate and search for my hostel in the dark.