We were met in the main street by the tourist operator of the boat that would take us out to the marble caves. We understood that we would need to find more customers in order to bring the price of the tour down, so took our bags to the hostel into which we had been booked and there found two more clients for him. When we arrived with the great news it was to discover that he had actually been telling us to hurry because he only had 2 places left on the boat for us. So, we had to wait for the next boat to fill up before we were taken out. I, in all my wisdom, thought about the front seat spray at water parks and insisted on sitting on the back bench of the boat. Well, my wisdom bit me in the bum. What I did not figure into the equation was the fact that science would dictate that the front of the boat lifts with speed and the back of the boat now is vulnerable to the spray of the passage of the boat as it slices through the water. Since I was sitting on the side of the bench, guess which nana got really soaked as the wind howled around the vessel transporting us. And this was someone who had taken the precaution of packing rain pants for this very type of event and then failed to put them on when needed!!!!!!

However, the marble caves were absolutely stunning. The rock formations and colours blended into quite magnificent natural sculptures. The very turquoise waters lapping against the structures was clearer than any other water I have seen and created a stunning contrast which reflected into the imagery. The trip back was done at full throttle and provided a roller coaster type ride back to the port. Needless to say it was really something just up our alley. We then discovered to our consternation that a bus to Chile Chico would only be coming in 3 days' time. This was a serious snag to our arrangements, since Tranquilo is NOT a metropolis with much more to do than visit the marble caves. One main street with about 10 little business concerns, comprised of restaurants and boat operators and 1 or 2 who offered 3 day hikes to the local glacier.

So, these 50-somethings hit the hitch-hiking scene the following morning. Well, that didn't work out so well. Picture this......trying to hitch a ride from about 20 inhabitants of an eensy weensy town, all of whom were going nowhere!!!!!! At midday a bus arrived on its way to another town and Graeme made a deal that they would drop us at the junction which would go to Chile Chico. We were assured by the locals that many cars would travel that road. We disembarked at the junction and started a slow walk towards De Guarda - a town 10 km away. No cars passed us. Eventually, a bakkie stopped and gave us a lift as far as De Guarda and after making enquiries at the local supermarket, we were told that a bus would pass through town between 17h00 and 18h00 hours. That would mean at least 3 hours of waiting for us. Well, we tried the thumb thing with every car that passed us and even though no-one picked us up, it did help to wile the time away.

Eventually, the bus arrived and we were on our way to our desired destination. The scenery on the way was breath takingly beautiful. The lakes in the very south of Chile are beyond description. The colours, the islands, the flora, and the mere expanse of the water rob me of any descriptive vocabulary. I have said to the children, that should I ever be privileged enough to do a trip like this again, I would leave the northern regions out and simply spend a lot more time in the south. We arrived in Chile Chico after 20h00 and found the hostel to which we had been referred. We put our bags down and went out to find a place to eat where Wi-Fi was available since the old lady did not have Wi-Fi at her boarding establishment. On our way we discovered fellow travellers whom we had been encountering in every town since our ferry crossing. It was like meeting up with old friends. They too had hitched from Tranquilo but had been fortunate in that they had very small bags of luggage and so managed to fit into a tight squeeze to Chile Chico. I am so glad for having encountered them, since borrowing her Spanish, I was able to discover the bus system for crossing the border the following morning.

Chile Chico is another very tiny little town on the lake with howling winds and freezing temperatures. The following morning we were fetched by the collective and transported across the border into Los Antiguos in Agentina. The only bus out of there was at 21h00 and so we had another day of simply doing things to keep busy and wile the time away. First to the bank only to discover that the only bank in town did not accept foreign cards and we were sent to the next door restaurant who would give us money at a 10% surcharge. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Anyways, after a milkshake we walked about 3km to the local cherry farm where we were allowed to eat as many cherries from the trees as we liked.

Now, as much as I would like to describe this experience in more romantic or even erotic terms, the only way I can describe this experience is to simply say that we stuffed ourselves!!! We then bought 2kg of cherries to give us a break from the inevitable bananas that have been part of our staple breakfasts and snacks since we started out. We then walked another 5 km in the other direction to find the local chocolate maker. We arrived there to find the shop closed. Well, my feet insisted on a well-deserved break, so we chilled there in the shade for a while before making our way back into the town. The last couple of hours dragged by, but we were eventually on the bus, at last on our way to El Chalten - 2 days later than we had wanted to arrive, after the most uncomfortable bus trip we had experienced, barring the bus to Uyuni in Bolivia of course.