Ushuaia

The 3am bus was half the adventure to get to the end of the world. We had a big meal around 10pm to try and kill as much time as possible leading up to the bus ride. Went to a Tenador Libre...local buffet style restaurant with all you can eat meat....surprisingly it was pretty good! A cow body stretched open is hanging off these picks in the window when you walk in, next to a huge BBQ where the cook can grill all sorts of meat, sausages and co. Quite a feast...but as you can imagine we were about to hit food coma with 2hrs to kill at the bus station...not a good idea as you want to stay awake to guard your bags...and not miss the bus! we were lucky to get a bench, most everyone else was sleeping on the floor. Long story short, we got on the bus at 3am, switched to another one at about 9am after a 2 hr wait in another bus terminal, and finally made it to Ushuaia around 11pm. We had to cross so many borders, not even funny....first out of Argentina, then into Chile, then out of Chile, and back into Argentina...my passport is already full of stamps. No comment on the efficiency of the border crossings...took 1 or 2 hour each time. Also no comment on the bus stops....so many missed opportunities to sell snacks to hungry travelers. The problem is you can't bring vegetables, cheese, meat and co into Chile. So J and I packed bread and Dulce de Leche (caramel paste...equivalent to peanut butter in the US or Nutella in france) as our food... breakfast, lunch and dinner. If anyone ever dares to offer me dulce de leche for a snack from now on, I think I'll just throw it back in their face. Yes, i feel that strongly about it.

So finally we get to Ushuaia...thankfully we had reserved a hostal because everything was full and other travelers were struggling to find a bed at 11pm. J and I had to walk up the hill 10 blocks or so which we made me nervous at first but we walked by a police station and our hostal was only 3 blocks further: a huge house with cozy living room, big TV, big kitchen, and a balcony overlooking the town. The house was full of Israeli travelers... quite a loud crew... J and I ended up meeting 2 young Argentians from Buenos Aires who were sharing our room....we got to practice some Spanish at last! One guy was so sweet and gave us a CD with his favorite Argentinian tunes...that made up for his snooring at night...couldn't sleep the first night...J barely believed me....but the second night, he was up too....i can't wait to have my own bedroom back at some point!

Ushuaia was quite a disappointment...the town caters to cruiseships...so it's full of souvenir shops and travel agencies....nothing attractive whatsoever. The street by the water is a mix of loading zones, parking areas, and gas stations, instead of a terraces and cafes! Our first day there was Sunday so all the travel agencies were closed...couldn't organize our bus out of there....which is tricky considering the amount of tourists around and the little transportation available. Nothing we could do, so we decided to go hike in the Terra del Fugeo park. After Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy, this park is a bit of a joke. You walk to the 'most southern point' but it doesn't feel like that much because you're in a channel and you can see land ahead of you...not like the world is ending!
That night, we cooked at the hostal...needed green stuff....made the biggest salad ever...and bought some Malbec alond the way too. Had our aperitivo on the balcony. Now we're talking.

The next day was a true extract from 'amazing race'. J and I went to a travel agency to get bus tickets...even though we were there for the opening, 10 other travelers were there before us! damn. That agency didn't have the tickets we needed, so we ran to the other side of town...people on the street were probably wondering who were those 2 crazy gringos running across town. Finally we get to the agency...4 other tourists made it before us... they got the last 2 bus tickets for wednesday...what a stress. This older french guy walked in and also needed a ticket...he tried to make all nice with us and thought he could jump ahead or join us in our requests...but J and I made it clear that we were booking our tickets first...every man for himself! Luckly, i don't know how, we got 2 tickets for the bus we wanted on Tuesday....leaving at 5hr30am. yeah! That french guy also got his ticket... sometimes, these french!!! they need to be reminded about 'lines'. That Monday, we ended up chilling... went for lunch...and did some internet...so slow though....to be expected at the end of the world.

Next am, we're off to Punta Arenas....ends up being a 12hr bus ride, with only 1 border crossing, phew! Argentina is a little more organized and we were able to get some food at the border crossing before heading into Chile. Sounds like details, but when you're traveling, food and finding a room are your biggest concerns!

Punta Arenas is probably the biggest town we've seen in a few weeks. Nothing very attractive, but that's where the airport is to head back north. In the bus up, we met an American couple who were also only staying 1 day in Punta Arenas. I figured we might as well split costs to visit the Penguin colony, the main attraction in the area, so they ended up camping at the hostal where we were staying and sharing a cab with us the next am to the penguin colony...worked out great. The penguins were so cute...you walk along this boardwalk and observe them in their natural habitat... very fun. The young ones were still shedding their feathers and looked pretty ugly. The parents took turns guarding their nest (more like a whole in the ground, ie like a fox) and going for a swim...they are like bullets in the water!

That night, we made it to Santiago....the flight was spectacular....you could see all these glaciers from up top...i'll post pics...so incredible...perfect way to leave Patagonia with these great images in mind. Arrived to 'my favorite hostal in Santiago, the casa roja' and didn't waste a minute to go out for our last aperitivo, pisco sour! We slept in the next am...but we couldn't wrap up J's trip with an idle afternoon, so we went to visit the Concha y Toro vineyard. Fun little tour with 3 tastings but you don't see the production side...just the caves. By the far the first well organized Chilean tourist attraction though!

And that's how J ended his trip in Chile... so sad to part with him...had such a great time....good laughs...and the best memories!

A new chapter begins...off to Pucon and the Lake districts....followed by Argentina!