Strange day altogether. First of all, a radical change of plan, as I couldn’t get a ferry reservation south to Chaitén. All ferries booked up for at least five days. Decided to cross back into Argentina and return to Chile through a pass further down (see map). Not ideal, but doable. Will teach me not to assume that in low season I can just drive on to a ferry. Adjustment route in orange below, as before from red X.

Left Puerto Varas at midday, after doing some local shopping and sightseeing. Got a call informing me that there were petrol shortages in Argentina; because of this petrol was being rationed in Chilean service stations near the border and it took ingenuity and Google map navigation to get the tank filled up – something I was loth to do as it cost me twice what it costs in Argentina. But necessary.

Incessant driving rain all the way to the Chilean border post made for boring driving, but alleviated inter alia by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Grateful Dead. No photos for that reason. At the border they would only let drivers through who could show they had chains, as a snow storm was brewing. I had my snow sleeves which didn’t really convince them, but the traction controls on the SW4 did, so they let me through.

Fighting my way through an Andean pass in a snow storm is not really my idea of fun, and a first for me in the SW4 but I made friends with a couple of other drivers and we made a mini-convoy. Heavy snow falling, settling to half a metre or so at the very top, but we made it; we saw others who didn’t, scattered at strange angles in the snow drifts. On the way down into Argentina we saw the snow ploughs going up, accompanied by a two-blue ambulance so clearly help was on its way, although more heavy snow was forecast for the night and tomorrow.

So now I’m back in Argentina, in the lovely hundred-year old Hotel Angostura, looking forward to a hot shower and an evening meal. Not sure yet about tomorrow – will decide at breakfast time.