Wheels on the bus go round and round Tierra del Fuego

First off, happy birthday to Anne, my college roommate!

We woke up around 4:20 and headed out to the port where the buses are for our trip from Ushuaia, Argentina to Punta Arenas, Chile. We were smart enough to wear our clothes to bed and packed last night so we could literally just roll out of bed. We did warn our bunk mates of early departure which did not seem to phase them. Just the night before, our other bunk mates left for a 5 am bus as well.

You might wonder why we opted for the long bus ride. Buses in Argentina are considered one of the best buses in the world because of their service and accessible routes. Also the small airports cannot handle international travel so you cannot just fly from southern Argentina to southern Chile. You get rerouted back up north in Buenos Aires or Santiago.

The drive out was breathtaking as we drove around the harbor and through the mountains. And yes the sun was already up as we have been enjoying around 18 hours of daylight everyday.

We reached Rio Grande which is in northern Tierra del Fuego and had to change buses and move our luggage. This is where all our passports were collected, we had to complete a few customs forms, get exit entry stamps from Argentina, and were served croissants and coffee (The bus has a coffee machine on board). This took about an hour. They also put in a movie called G-Force about guinea pigs that are also spies. A captivating Disney movie as any movie can be on a long bus ride dubbed in Spanish. Afterwards they put in Fast Five? Part of the Fast and Furious series and then later Latin VH1.

As we drove on, we were no longer in the mountains, but on the shore and then through some flat lands and rolling hills. We saw plenty of sheep, cows, and birds. At the Chilean border, they collected all our passports again, we got off the bus, scanned all our luggage, handbags and backpacks, and received entry stamps into Chile. We did not have any real problems, but getting on and off the bus through 2 customs all under Spanish - only instructions, Amanda and I did our best not to stick out or get in trouble. I was a bit worried as I had heard they can be very strict about the food you bring in (I had a bunch of granola bars but they were ok) and because when Jamie crossed into Chile, the bus had left a person behind. Oops.

We then drove on unpaved roads that weaved through hills and could only fit one lane of traffic. There were no cars or people in sight, but lots of sheep. Once we hit pavement, we were served ham and cheese sandwiches and 2 rounds of local lemon-lime soda. Soon after, we drove on to a ferry and they let us walk around the boat - our first experience in the straits and a nice man was kind enough to point out a dolphin to me. I told him I saw it, but totally missed it.

Magellan Statue in Punta Arenas, Chile

After 2 more hours of driving, we arrived in Punta Arenas, the southern most city in Chile. After being on a bus for 12 hours, I felt like a backpacker even though my luggage has wheels. ;-) Long bus rides do seem to be a prerequisite for South American treks and vacations.

We walked around the town which is a lot less touristy than the prior towns, down to the port to see the straits again, and saw the main plaza which has a statue of Magellan. We wandered for a bit and found a diner-type restaurant. We had hake, fries, a hamburger, and delicious Austral beer which is from Punta Arenas.

Our hotel Chalet Capital is really lovely - clean with a nice large bathroom. Punta Arenas hotel options were a bit limiting, so I am glad we found this hotel which is actually a converted mansion.

Fun fact, as we have had to tell people our names, I have found it amusing that they call Amanda, Amanda Burk-ay (i.e. The bus driver redistributing our passports or airline agents). Did not know that Burke could be made into 2 syllables, but makes total sense in thinking about Spanish pronunciations - you pronounce everything and if or where the accent is placed makes a big difference. It is like I have a new friend.

As we left Argentina, I thought about how wonderful the people have been to us. Everyone was incredibly hospitable and patient. A great example of this is when we went to a churro shop yesterday in Ushuaia and we could not decide which one to get; they can fill them with chocolate, dulce de leche, egg cream, fruit, and so on. We ultimately decided to get one of each kind and split them. Don't think a Dunkin Donuts would have been as patient. Nonetheless, I look forward to Chile and see if the people will find us or at least me amusing as well.

Side note: we seemed to have fixed Amanda's bag temporarily with a carabiner replacing the blue duct tape from the Korean innkeepers. The Burk-ays should be so proud of their Macgyver daughter.