Friday 8 January

Yesterday we spent the day driving. Left the hostel at 6am and headed north from Ushuaia along the main state highway north. We recrosses the border back into Chile and returned to the mainland on the ferry.
The border guards decided to scan our bags this time and to check the vehicle for forbidden fruit. A fairly cursory inspection.

So we drove all day through steppe land, coercing about 700ks in all. Lunch was a pasta dish on the roadside. Camp long bushcamp along a sideroad. It was a beautiful spot with a view
over a lake. A lovely calm evening. We were very warm in our tent.
This morning we set out at 8.30 and drove till about 10 30 when we reached Puerto Natalis. This is an inland seaport, town of about 18000, which services the teeming industry in the nearby national park. Along the way we saw a fox, rheas, guanacos, (llamas), some cattle and lots of sheep.
We have been to the supermarket and stocked up with food for the next five days treking. Not easy as they don't have the range we have at home.
Now we are having lunch at a cafe with wifi so using the iPhone to write this.
Soon we depart for the National Park. We are going camping Ans treking there for five nights and will do the "W" walk. A Google search of Torres del Paine should give you an idea of the
landscape.
Weather is overcast and cool but it is currently fine.