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We got stuck in Malargue! This time it was a good stuck and thankfully not a drama stuck!
Every night I went to bed thinking we were going to leave the next day and then another awesome Overlander would arrive, we’d get chatting and the next thing we were in Malargue for another night. It wasn’t that there were amazing things to do in Malargue. Actually, I lie, there were, but we just never got around to doing them!
We found out all the info on how to visit the Witches Caves and which route to drive through La Payunia Park to see the volcano. We walked past the observatory, but it was closed for the holidays. We went to visit the planetarium, but it was closed for the afternoon. Not a very good effort at all, but we were having such a wonderful time hearing all the other Overlanders stories, that we barely left the campsite.
And that’s how traveling goes. This form of long-term traveling can take many forms. Some days you take time to see the sights, other days you drive and marvel at the incredible landscapes, others are filled with meeting locals and other days we spend swapping stories with other Overlanders. No one day is the same and there is no set goal on what needs to be achieved. The only way is to live in the now and to just go with the flow.
This is most certainly not a whirlwind Contiki Tour where you visit 10 countries in 5 days, following a guide with a flag and ticking off the sights. How anyone can call this traveling is beyond me, but then again each to their own. They probably would hate the idea of staying in a campsite in a one horse town for a week!
The other important thing to remember on a long trip like this, is to try and take a break every now and again. A day or two just to relax and unwind. This is the part I really struggle with. On a normal day, there is work (my IT business), homeschooling, researching where to go next and where to stay when we get there, as well as driving and sightseeing. When we don’t drive, there is laundry, cleaning the van, shopping, fixing things in Thor, work, travel research and homeschooling. Oh and let’s not forget that the weekly blog posts! It is super hard to just do nothing, especially knowing that we only have one year. Yes, I can hear you laughing at that, but South America is absolutely huge and there is so much I want to see! And there you have it folks, the reason why I keep pushing and find it hard to take time off… but I’m working on it! Promise!
WHAT WE DID THIS WEEK
4×4 TRIP
Our campervan, Thor, is a beast of a car. It looks like it could drive over any terrain with no issues in the world but looks can be deceiving! Driving on dirt roads has to be my worst nightmare in Thor. Everything inside rattles, shakes and shudders and it sounds like Thor is going to collapse into a thousand little pieces. We have unwittingly ended up on quite a few dirt roads, but had yet to do a proper 4×4 route – until that is my arm got twisted by American Tim.
Come with us to the abandoned hotel and hot springs he said. Apparently, the road isn’t too bad he said. Imagining a standard dirt road, off we went.
30km north of Malargue, we turned off onto a dirt road. Tim stopped and locked his front tyres for 4×4 mode. I questioningly asked if the route was 4×4 and if I should also go in4x4 mode? Nah, he said, not necessary, he just likes being in 4×4 mode. Well….
The first couple of kilometres were bumpy but not too bad and then came a steep downhill with rocks and loose gravel. It was time for 4×4 mode! Not even 5 minutes later, the road became a river with snowmelt gushing down in a torrent of brown water. Huge dongas, big rocks, flimsy narrow wooden bridges and 60km later, we arrived at the abandoned hotel. We’d done it! Our first 4×4 trip done and dusted. Well for today. We had to return the same way the next day!
The hotel was used as a Nazi hide out after WWII and has long since been abandoned. They certainly couldn’t have chosen a more spectacular setting. The Atuel River cascading past, snowcapped mountains around and wild horses grazing on the open plains in front. Breathtaking! Looking out of the windows, you could just imagine how wonderful it would have been to stay here.
I didn’t realise what a popular 4×4 route this was, so was surprised at how many people were at the hotel. Numerous tents were setup in every single room of the hotel and one group had a fire blazing in the huge open hearth.
Just down the hill were the natural thermal pools. Their milky turquoise colour made them look so inviting, but disappointingly, the water was cold so we didn’t get in.
We made a fire behind a wall, out of the reaches of the icy wind and sat about dissecting the day’s events on the crazy road.
The weather had turned for the worst when we got up. Freezing cold and howling winds blew down from the snow capped peaks. About 16km further into the mountains is where a plane went down and the survivors started eating each other. A movie was made about it called, Alive. We were here in summer and I can’t tell you how cold it was, so I couldn’t even begin to imagine how cold it must have been for those survivors.
Arriving back in Malargue meant some serious fixing of Thor. The road, while fun, had been incredibly detrimental. While 4x4ing was fun, I’m not sure the damage to the van was worth it, so we’re going to try sticking to the main roads as much as possible.
PEHUENCHE PASS
We’ve got traveling partners – yay! The Americans – Tim, Wyatt and Carson. We drove from Malargue in Argentina to Talca in Chile via the Pehuenche Pass. Another beautiful drive through a gorge with a winding river. Then up up up and over the Andes. Right at the top was a spectacular lake of crystal clear water – Laguna del Maule.
The border crossing was fairly simple with both countries using the same building. This time though, our cars were thoroughly searched, with every cupboard opened and the fridge unpacked. They can confiscate fruit, vegetables, uncooked meat, eggs, seeds and honey. We lost our eggs, onion, and some honey.
One the Chile side the road went steeply downhill. We passed Condor Valley where an enormous group of hikers had pitched their multi-coloured tents. We continued on to the El Médano Hot Springs. We found a nice flat patch at the far end of the campsite and made camp for the night. I was super keen to have a dip in the hot springs the next morning, but the water was really not warm enough for me, so off we headed.
TALCA
I’d love to tell you all about Talca, but sadly my only experience was finding spare parts shops, mechanics, LPG refueling stations and getting a Chilean SIM card for my phone. We had two nights here, just wild camping next to the central park – I didn’t even take a photo of it! It was a stressful time and I was just glad to be on the road and leaving.
We really do seem to have been limping from one car drama to the next lately. My stress levels are shot, and every noise gets my tummy in a knot. And trust me, Thor makes many many many noises. The sooner we have everything sorted the quicker we can get back to enjoying our drives and these beautiful countries. And I guess that by the time we are done, we’ll have a whole new van – lol!
VAN LIFE & LESSONS LEARNT
- We were about to set off for our 4×4 trip and stopped to fill up at the gas station. The petrol attendant quickly banged on my window to show me a big problem. As he put the petrol in, so it was pouring out underneath. The pipe had cracked! With the help of Wyatt as translator, we quickly found a mechanic and within 2 hours we were repaired and ready to go.
- Damages done on the 4×4 trip: The extraction fan and monitoring system above the stove had completely collapsed, more door hinges had broken, our newly fixed air-conditioner stopped working and the steering felt a little off. I managed to reattach the stove top and screwed in new door hinges, but the aircon can wait. The wheel alignment was a whole nother story!
- Our first night at the abandoned hotel, we ran out of LPG Gas. This runs our stove and the fridge. Argentina has strict rules about LPG and I couldn’t find anywhere that would fill our tank. Thankfully it’s easy to find in Chile and they have the correct adaptors, so we got filled up in Talca.
- In Talca, I was given bad news. I needed new wheel bearings and brake pads and spare parts for my vehicle cannot be found in Chile! My heart sank as I begged and pleaded, with visions of us having to spend 3 months in this town waiting for parts to be sent from USA. Then I found a mechanic who said he could help – Jaime. I don’t know all the lingo, but the wheel bearings, ball joints on the drive shaft and I’m not sure what else, were sent to be reconditioned. After flipping through lots of books of brake pad images, we found a similar shape and had the pads mounted on the existing brake pads. Jaime worked until 1am in the morning, when we were finally given a thumbs up. Jaime did a good job, but he really over charged me which was upsetting.
- The wheels now need to be aligned so we went to a fancy Goodyear alignment shop. George was there to assist and gave us a thumbs up on the work that was done – phew. He also refused to take payment. Another angel on our journey.
- We finally got a new battery for our solar system, so now we can keep the lights on at night and the fridge won’t go off!
WHERE WE STAYED
MALARGUE MUNICIPAL CAMPING: One of the best campsites we’ve stayed in. Hot, powerful showers and clean bathrooms. BBQ’s at each site, electricity and potable water. Beautiful green lawns and gardens. Wifi at reception is pretty poor, but there is free wifi at the sports hall next door.
Only 130 Pesos for 2 people and a campervan.
GPS: S 35°27’58.14”, W 69°35’30.96”
WILD CAMP AT HOT SPRINGS: A stunning valley next to natural thermal pools and an abandoned hotel. No facilities, but a popular overnight camping spot at the end of the exciting 4×4 road.
GPS: S 34°46’16.62”, W 70°3’24.72”
TALCA: We wild camped alongside the Parque Avenida Bernado Higgins close to the police station. It was super noisy with the traffic and I’m not sure how safe it was but there weren’t many options in Talca and I was reluctant to drive anywhere with our wheel and axle needing to be repaired.
GPS: -35.42275, -71.657201
OUTSIDE TALCA: We wild camped at the COPEC petrol station. Big, clean, modern with full restaurant, clean bathrooms, wifi and hot showers for 800 pesos. Drive around back for a peaceful night.
GPS: S 35°31’54.06”, W 71°41’16.74”
DISTANCE TRAVELLED
We travelled from Malargue > Termas Del Sosneado > Malargue > Pehuenche Pass > The Médano Hot Springs & Saunas > Talca
Total Distance: 565 km
TRAVEL COSTS
I will be providing our basic travel costs per week, so that you get an indication of what a trip like this entails. Bear in mind that we are budget travelers, so your budget could vary depending on your lifestyle choices. For example, we always opt for the cheapest and often, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and only require very basic accommodation. For us, the experiences are where it is all at, so we’d rather spend money on activities.
The costs below are for the full 7 days. They do not include campervan repair costs, visas and insurance costs.
The costs below are shown in Argentinian Pesos (R1 = 4.20 ARS) ($1 USD = 60 ARS) and Chilean Pesos (R1 = 54 CLP) ($1 USD = 774 CLP).
Vehicle Costs
- Fuel = 6468 ARS
Accommodation/Camping
- Malargue Municipal Camping = 4 nights = 680 ARS
Food
- Supermarket = 2844 ARS
- Supermarket = 47077 CLP
Van Supplies and Living
- Phone Data = 2GB for 7 days = 140 ARS
- Phone Data = 6GB for 30 days = 8000 CLP
- LPG Gas = 11360 CLP
TOTAL = 10132 ARS + 66 437 CLP = USD $254 or R 3654
WHERE TO NEXT
Our next destination is the town of Pucon. A very touristy spot on a lake with a huge active volcano nearby. From there we plan to head back into Argentina and Bariloche area, but this may change at any time!
