At one point during our journey to the border, our bus driver pulled over and parked the bus. We could observe a group of Andean condors on the ground feeding, a quite unusual site. Throughout our journey, Sylvia continued her narration about Patagonia. At one point, she passed around her gourd (mug) to allow us to taste mate.  Mate, or yerba mate, is an infusion made from the leaves and stems of Ilex paraguarienses, a plant in the holly family. This drink, popular throughout South America, contains stimulants (including caffeine), antioxidants, and polyphenols, and so is reputed to have many health benefits. It’s sipped through a metal straw with a filter on the lower end. Traditionally, relatives and friends pass around a communal gourd and share the same straw, but Sylvia gave every couple our own straws. Jane and I shared the same gourd with the same leaves several times as Sylvia refilled it with bottled water that she heated on the bus. I enjoyed the unique taste and experience but some of our fellow passengers did not.

Eventually, we arrived at the Argentinian border control office. We remained on the bus as Sol and Sylvia went inside to get official approval for our exit from the country. We then drove another 20 minutes and stopped at the Chilean border control office. 

Here, we all disembarked and lined up to have our declarations and passports scrutinized. After receiving an entry stamp, we were issued an immigration card that resembled a grocery store receipt. We had been warned not to lose these because they would be necessary to check into hotels and eventually, to exit Chile. Later, Jane and I photographed ours as a backup. After receiving our immigration cards, we and our personal items passed through metal detectors. 

Meanwhile, the bus and our luggage were being inspected. We were told that we were fortunate that the sniffer dog was working today because, had he been on vacation, we would have had to unload our luggage and have it inspected by humans. Overall, our Chilean entry was relatively fast and agreeable. Sol noted with satisfaction that this was one of her quickest border crossings with a group. So, we boarded the bus again and continued our trip in Chile to our next destination.

After another short trip segment, we arrived at The Singular Hotel in the village of Puerto Bories near Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. Sol was excited about taking her first tour group to this luxury hotel and had been touting its wonders. But our first impression was, “huh?” The hotel was located within the premises of the Puerto Bories Industrial Complex built in the 1900s. The facility supported the local sheep industry by processing and cold-storing meat products. Upon entering, we were astonished and mesmerized at how a luxury hotel had been tastefully integrated into such a facility while preserving much of the original structure including enormous antique equipment. After checking in, we proceeded down a long stark hallway to our room. But upon entering, we were stunned by the room’s huge picture window with a gorgeous view of Senoret Channel. After our luggage arrived and we refreshed, we were tempted to explore the magnificent hotel but decided to save that for later and instead, opted to explore Puerto Natales while we had the opportunity.