Our last night in El Calafate was certainly one not to be forgotten. A few hours after Dave posted on the forum about wanting to look like a "greasy gringo" like the character Jesus from "The Big Lebowski", we couldn`t believe our luck when two Chilean girls, Antonia and Caroline, whom we met at our hostel, introduced us to a pony-tailed, moustached chap amazingly called "Jesus". His subsequent offer of a night out with him to "La Tarderia" was too good an opportunity to let slip by and we soon found ourselves heading out with a litre of wine lining each of our tummies. After turning up fashionably late having gone home to change into a comical wifebeater (should we really have expected anything else?!) , Jesus soon demonstrated his local notoriety and "charm" in El Calafate`s only club. As the time reached 2.30am, we reluctantly decided we better get some sleep in before jumping back on our saddles the next day. I broke the news to Jesus that we weren`t, unfortunately, able to accompany him until 7am to which he poetically replied "esta bien, soy como un llobo, siempre solo!" which translates to "no problem, I am like a wolf, always on my own!" This, we`ve decided, is our quote of the trip so far.

Still amused by the previous night`s events, we awoke early to make "Headway" (see what I did there!) into our leg to El Chalten. Unfortunately, our recent run of good with the weather turned and we became reacquainted with 100km/hr winds as we cycled beside Argentina`s biggest lake, Lago Argentino. Feeling very tired towards the end of the day we set up camp in what we thought was the middle of nowhere and had a rather sleepless night listening to the howling wind. The next morning we cycled all of 3km to discover a little restaurant called "La Leona", which on our map was incorrectly marked as being 40km behind us, where we met two English cycle tourists, Richard and Sarah, who had been given a bed for the night in exchange for them preparing the evening meal. I, personally, was made to feel a little better about the missed opportunity of a good night`s sleep after listening to Sarah`s account of her sleepless night due to "ghostly movements" and the owner`s subsequent explanation that a woman had been murdered there several years ago. This only scratched the surface of the little restaurant`s history as we further learned that it gained its name (in English, "The Puma") from the fact that the explorer, Perito Moreno (whom the glacier at El Calafate is named after), came under attack there by one of the few pumas that still, to this day, roam free in the area. Needless to say this was slightly disconcerting although we were assured you had to be very "lucky" (ahem!) to see one.

We finished our scenic cycle into El Chalten in two more days. The town is a small one that has grown from its original role as a small basecamp for climbers who wished to summit "Mt Fitzroy". After a day`s rest, we set off for our border crossing back into Chile to the little hamlet of "Villa O`Higgins". The crossing was a mini-adventure of its own, which included a 6km trek which took us six hours as we had to carry our panniers and bikes separately through uncyclable terrain. The next 15km were just about manageable in the saddle but involved a push through a stream as well as several hundred metres cycling on an aeroplane runway, which we assume is used in the winter to bring supplies to the few locals who inhabit the area as well as the "carabineros" (Chilean police) who have, in our opinion, drawn the short straw and been assigned the seven year, all-year-round task of guarding the border. The place is beautiful but is cut off for seven months of the year as temperatures plummet to -30 degrees celsius!

Having got our passports stamped once more, we boarded the boat to take us the rest of the way to Villa O`Higgins with three other cyclists - a crazy Belgian called Dirk, who somehow never felt the cold despite wearing almost nothing, as well as a french couple called Damien and Sandrine. During the surprisingly rough crossing, we had a little insight into the local bartering system as we witnessed a dead cow being brought on board the ferry with a box of unknown goodies going the other way. As we disembarked, we noticed some minor peripheral damage to my Surly bike as well as a more serious dent to Dave`s Orbit caused by the bumpy ride. Still seething from the crew`s uncaring attitude (they were more interested in how they were going to attach their newly acquired cow to the top of a bus!), we night-cycled the 7km to the three hundred strong population of Villa O`Higgins, which signalled the start of the "Carreterra Austral".

We`re currently in a town called Cochrane after four days cycling along the Carreterra. We`re both in agreement it`s been the most pleasurable riding we`ve had so far. The road was built by General Pinochet to provide a link to the southern, poorer part, of Chile and cuts its way across snow-topped mountains and glacier-cut valleys. The resulting steep climbs and descents are truly exhilarating. Tomorrow, we set off for the next leg to the substantial city of Coihaique, mid-way along the Carreterra.

Hope everyone is well! Ciao!

PS. We`re having a little problem uploading photos at the moment but it should be sorted soon. They`re worth waiting for!