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You may call it coincidence or fate; you may say it’s being in the right place at the right time. I believe it must be my angels, as only they could be creating the magic, we have needed to help keep us on our journey.
We’ve had lots of ups and my word, we had troubles! We love Thor, but he has been the cause of many a headache on this trip, the last two weeks being particularly shocking with a new issue arising almost every time we drive somewhere.
The amazing thing is how disaster always strikes in the correct place, so we never get stranded. Each time we have found incredible people who are willing to help and 9 times out of 10, they don’t charge us for the work they do to get us going again.
How do we repeatedly get so lucky? Why are they all so generous? Is it because we are a woman and child traveling without a man? Is this just how people are in South America or is this the work of magic?
Whatever the reason, I humbled on a daily basis. And grateful! Oh, so incredibly grateful!
We had two miracles this week, one in particular that I still find amazing, so read on to hear all about it!
WHAT WE DID IN PUCON IN CHILE
Pucon is a super touristy town, but absolutely enchanting! Wooden chalet style buildings, pretty streets, a fabulous black sand beach with the huge towering snowcapped Villerica Volcano as a backdrop.
HIKE VILLERICA VOLCANO
HIKE VILLERICA VOLCANO
The number one thing to do here is to hike to the top of this still active volcano and peer in to see the lava bubbling inside. The top section is covered in snow so requires ice shoes, crampons and ice picks. It was the reason we had come to Pucon, but the prices! $120 USD per person! To be honest, under normal circumstances I may well have paid this price, but Thor has cost us a pretty penny lately, so we needed to watch the budget and thus we gave the volcano hike a skip.
PUCON BEACH
The beach was packed with summer holiday makers. This long stretch of black sand was kitted to the max with every watersport toy you could think of, fast food stalls lined the walkway and vendors trudged up and down the beach offering drinks and snacks from their cooler boxes.
Tai’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in excitement when he saw the enormous inflatable obstacle course floating in the sea. Within minutes he had a life jacket on and was crashing through the water to join the hundreds of other kids already sliding, jumping and bouncing on this kids’ paradise.
Argentinians and Chileans eat dinner at about 10pm-11pm at night, so super late for us. What this means is that they have a long stretch between lunch and dinner, so afternoon coffee and cake is what gets them through. Leaving the beach was like running the gauntlet down the dessert aisle. Stalls selling skewers of chocolate dipped strawberries, caramel stuffed churros, huge lemon meringue pies and berry cheesecakes. Two slices of pie please!
HAIRCUT
School forces one to have a short back and sides style haircut, so the general trend for homeschooled / worldschooled kids is to grow their hair long. Not so, my son Tai. He hates his curls and as much as I love his golden locks, his pleading for a haircut won in Pucon. He’s now once again short back and sides and actually, I have to agree with him that it looks much better – but don’t tell him I agree – lol!
WHAT WE DID IN ARGENTINA
MAMUIL MALAL PASS
The Mamuil Malal Pass is the border crossing between Pucon in Chile and Junin de los Andes in Argentina. As with all passes between these countries, a quick trip over the Andes Mountains is required. The steep part is usually on the Chilean side and this time was no exception. A steep serpentine road snaked us up, up, up, through lush forests with occasional glimpses of the impressive Lanin Volcano on the right.
The border crossing was our quickest yet, with no one even glancing inside the van to look for meat, fruit, veg, etc. We sailed across with big smiles from everyone and got another 90 days in Argentina.
The one peculiar thing here were the ginormous flies! Bigger than big bumble bees they were. Very strange!
The Argentinian border post was located in the Lanin National Park and huge Monkey Puzzle trees lined the road. It was very picturesque, but the 12km of gravel road was not great. Between the border and Junin de los Andes there were two wooden bridges we quickly scurried across. I’m never so convinced that these flimsy looking structures will hold our weight.
SAN JUNIN DE LOS ANDES
We hadn’t had proper wifi for a few days, so another petrol station stop was required. This time in Junin de los Andes. We just passed through, so didn’t do any sights, but the town was really quaint. The central square was ringed with funky looking restaurants and shops and the town had a nice feel to it. In anticipation of the lake area, we stopped to get Tai kitted out with a fishing rod and all the bits and bobs that go with it. Watch this space for the catching of some BIG fish!
SAN MARTIN DE LOS ANDES
Ahhhh… San Martin de Los Andes…. A little heaven on Earth!
If they spoke German you would be hard pressed to believe you weren’t in a little Swiss Village. Everything was made of wood and roses bloomed everywhere, filling the air with their heavenly scent. The shops had wooden log frontages with huge logs supporting the overhead porticos. The businesses, restaurants and hotels, all had their names carved on signs outside. Even the no parking and taxi signs were hand carved!
There was definitely money here. Sleek chic shops and brand names lined the main street. This is where the rich come to ski in winter and to holiday at the lake in summer.
We wild camped right on the beach and I mean right on the beach, with views across the lake towards the mountains. The weather was boiling hot, the beach was packed during the day and the food trucks did a roaring trade on burgers, hot chips and lomitos. A lomito is a sandwich with a thinnish steak, lettuce and tomato. So incredibly delicious!
We camped next to Julian (Argentinian) and Sarah (Canadian). Julian has been holidaying in San Martin De Los Andes since he was a kid and he said that to be in shorts was unheard of, let alone bikinis on the beach. This is Patagonia after all! Apparently, there is always snow on the nearby mountains, but not this year. He used to manage the Polvaredas Ski Resort near Mount Aconcagua, but there has been no snow there for the last three years, so the resort has been closed. Clear evidence of the global warming affecting our beautiful planet.
Tai found a computer shop where you could play Virtual Reality games. Oh, my word the excitement! My computer game besotted child was in his absolute element and spent 2 hours swiping at thin air, trying to hit things only he could see! The next day he met American Ken, 37 years old and also a computer game lover, so the two of them disappeared for another hour or two’s virtual reality.
VAN LIFE & LESSONS LEARNT
VAN LIFE & LESSONS LEARNTThe road from Melipeuco to Pucon took us along picturesque country roads with fields of grazing cattle and goats and then suddenly the asphalt stopped, and we were once again on a gravel road. I’m getting used to this drill – gravel road = broken van – so was not keen to continue. A quick look at all our maps confirmed that this should be asphalt, so I presumed it was just a short section being repaired, so one we continued. 20km of bouncing on the dirt later, we finally hit asphalt again, but yes, there was a dreaded banging noise coming from the driver’s front wheel area. Once again, we were limping into a town!
We found a reputable mechanic who spent the morning fixed things on the front wheels – brake calipers, corroded discs and such like. My Spanish is still shocking but I know the words for all the parts of the car – “freno” (brakes), “rotula” (wheel bearings) and most importantly, “caro” (expensive). All fixed we went off to enjoy Pucon.
Two days later, we left Pucon, headed for Argentina, but oonce again there was a funny noise. I didn’t know if it was a good noise or a bad noise, so went back to the mechanic but it was Saturday and they would be closed until Monday. I didn’t want to wait so with a fearful heart off we set.
All border crossings between Chile and Argentina take you over the Andes, so we had a steep serpentine road to climb up on the Chile side. We took it real slow but there was an unfamiliar oil smell from the front tyre. Maybe just from the work they had done… I hoped.
Crossing the Chilean border, the road became gravel and once again my heart sank. At the Argentinian border they confirmed it would be 12km of gravel. Here we go again! This stretch took us through the Lanin National Park, but I was too stressed to appreciate it.
On the iOverlander app I saw a post about a front wheel specialist near San Martin de Los Andes. His name was Guido and he was wonderful! His next-door neighbour Patricia and her son came over to translate as she was an English teacher, so that made things easier. There was an issue with the brakes and a few other things, which Guido fixed. He did say that even though the wheel bearings had been reconditioned in Talca, I really needed to get new ones, as the van was heavy, and the situation was dangerous. So that’s our next mission, to find the elusive spare parts for our van. Once again it came time to pay and Guido wouldn’t accept payment. Another angel along our path!
We stopped at the petrol station to use the wifi and charge our phones for a bit and a young guy, Ariel, sat down next to us and started chatting. He loved our van and said he had a friend with the same van and his friend also struggled to find spare parts, so he gave his friend, Luciano, a call. Luciano told me about two Facebook groups for Ford in Argentina. He even posted my story with my spare part requirements onto the group in Spanish for me. I got lots of messages of help and especially from two guys in Bariloche, which is where we were heading. Franco and Sebastian said they will help fix the car and someone in Buenos Aires thinks they may have some of the parts I need. Fingers crossed this all comes together, and we get Thor working 100% again.
Facebook Groups: Club de Vans Americanas-Argentina and Grupo Ford Econoline Argentina
Why we stopped at the petrol station just then, I don’t know. Why Ariel came in to work and sat right next to us, I don’t know. The fact that his friend had the same van and similar issues that then led us to the Facebook groups and these wonderful offers of help, I just don’t know. Coincidence? Fate? Or my angels hard at work?
WHERE WE STAYED
PUCON: I think we definitely found the best spot ever in Pucon. Right at the beach, two blocks from town and with an amazing view of Villarica Volcano. No facilities but right next to the Port Authority so safe. This is about the only street in Pucon where you don’t have to pay to park.
GPS: S 39°16’32.6”, W 71°58’50.6”
JUNIN DE LOS ANDES: We wild camped at the Axiom Petrol Station. Bathrooms, wifi, great restaurant and a huge area behind the station that was quiet at night.
GPS: S 39°55’58.7”, W 71°04’06.1”
SAN MARTIN DE LOS ANDES: We camped in the big parking lot directly on the beach with stunning views of the lake. It was one of our favourite spots to wild camp. There were portable toilets on the beach, but I never ventured inside to see the state of them. No other facilities. This is a popular spot with Overlander’s although no other foreigners while we were there, just Argentinian Overlanders. A quick 5 minute walk to the main square, a supermarket close by and lots of restaurants and food trucks on the beach. A block away is the Sanitation Department where you can fill up your water tank and get rid of black and grey water for a fee of 250 pesos.
GPS: S 40°9’37.56”, W 71°21’38.88”
DISTANCE TRAVELLED
We travelled from Melipeuco > Pucon > Junin de los Andes > San Martin de los Andes
Total Distance: 318 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, insurance costs or personal extras.
Quick bites are from places such as roadside stalls, street vendors and food trucks and comprise things like empanadas (pies), lomitos (steak sandwich), coffees, snacks and coldrinks.
The costs below are shown in Chilean Pesos (R1 = 54 CLP) ($1 USD = 774 CLP).
Vehicle Costs
- Fuel = 56608 CLP
- Parking = 1224 CLP
Accommodation/Camping
- None = 0 CLP
Attractions
- Inflatable Water Park = 9000 CLP
Food
- Restaurant = 6000 CLP + 2130 ARP
- Quick Bites = 1743 ARG
- Supermarket = 21085 CLP + 2228 ARP
Van Supplies and Living
- Laundry = 700 ARG
- Phone Data = 2gb for 7 days = 150 ARG
- Water Refill + Black & Grey Water Dump = 300 ARP
TOTAL = 93 917 CLP + 7251 ARG = USD $240 or R3570
WHERE TO NEXT
WHERE TO NEXTWe are headed for San Carlos de Bariloche via the Route of the Seven lakes. This stretch of lakes in among the mountains is said to be incredibly beautiful, so I’m looking forward to taking it slow and enjoying it.
