Unemployed & Unimpeded: Puerto Montt and into Argentina

We left Punta Arenas and after a short three hour flight we landed back in Puerto Montt. When we flew out of Puerto Montt a week earlier, we had only stayed for a night and had little time to explore the sleepy port city. The weather a week earlier was also dark and cold, and didn't motivate us to walk around the streets. This time around, it was a completely different scene. The sun was out and the weather was in the mid-70s. The sun illuminated the green hills and surrounding mountains. It was clear why some people compare this southern Lake District to the Pacific Northwest.

Downtown

I hope this isn't high tide

Bohemian life

We took a day to explore the city and check out the markets. While Chile is an expensive country, the abundance of fresh fish makes seafood the cheap silver lining. We gravitated to the fish market and with empty bellies we dove into the smoked salmon and two different ceviches.

Take your pick

Sprinkle those chili peppers

With our smoked salmon in our bag for later and two orders of ceviche down the hatch we meandered through the market in search of a good spot for dinner. We found a small hole in the wall with great prices so we gave it a shot. The owner gave us free drinks and ceviche before the entrees came out. The entrees were huge and we struggled to make a dent but they were delicious.

Complimentary drinks and food

Couldn't help myself

Shanta's salmon

My king crab (centolla)

After stuffing ourselves, we headed back to the hostel with enough leftovers to feed us for a few days. On the way, we saw a local protest at the port. The protest quickly died down as the carabineros arrived.

The robocops

With our bags still packed, we took off early the next day for Bariloche, Argentina. Bariloche is just across the border and is known for its amazing chocolate and its proximity to great skiing in wintertime. It sits on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi and has a slight resemblance to Tahoe City. Argentina requires US citizens pay $160 online before crossing the border. The reciprocity fee is never fun, but at least we can get some credit card points out of it. The drive is a quick seven hours through thick forests and past amazing lakes. Once we crossed the border and arrived in Bariloche, we found a hostel, set down our bags, and tried our first Quilmes beer. The next two days could have been our laziest of the trip. We caught up on sleep, sat in the park, had a few more Quilmes, and started exploring the variety of cheap Argentine wines.