Same border crossing into Chile and the same drill of custom checks to ensure no fresh food, livestock or illegal stuff was crossing over the other side. Chile was pretty strict when it comes to customs. Immigration was simple and before we knew it were off on our way in Chile territory.
The ferry crossing. Ushuaia is not really on the continent but in fact on a damn large island at the southern tip of South America. Therefore if going by land the ferry crossing at Magellan Straits was unavoidable. On a good day like the day I travelled from Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia the ferry crossing took 30 minutes with barely any waiting time. On a bad weather day like today going out to Punto Arenas only luck can assist you.
The bus driver meanwhile enjoyed toying with the passenger’s
on the bus. If the ferry comes and we leaves this side of the shore before 7pm
we should just make it to Punta Arenas for the connecting bus to Puerto Natales
at 9pm but else all hope is doomed.
Anxious people on the bus kept looking across the bay and at
their watch at the same time. We set our eyes upon the ferry across the strait
and try to will it to come to our side. The hours pass and the sun set while
the moon rises before the sea weather was good enough for the ferry to make the
trip. By the full moon that rise across the horizon I was now calm again. I
figured that if things go wrong and lots of people are stress out to find a
place to stay, or to get the connecting bus I was sure I could just quietly tag
along and let them do all the hard work worrying.
The bus driver was kind enough to help those with hostel
bookings in Puerto Natales to call them up and hopefully postpone or cancel
their one night booking. Suddenly my stubbornness paid off and I was glad I did
not do any booking and was pretty sure I would have a hostel in Punta Arenas
with the amount of stranded people around me. |
| Ferry at Straits of Magellan |
About 10 pm the boat finally arrived once the weather
permits and we all rushed to get moving and boy was the ferry rocky as hell for
better weather. We reached Punta Arenas nicely at 12 midnight and the bus
driver said if no one has a place to stay in Punta Arenas he could drive and
drop us at the Patagonia Hostel. About 10000 Chileno Peso a night and all of us
poor stranded souls huddle together and stayed on the bus onwards to the
hostel.
Punta Arenas, I would have love to stop there longer but
time did not permit and hence I had decided when in Ushuaia I would skip it
entirely other than the connecting bus. A sign from above that I had to camp
there for the night I guess and the next morning onwards to Puerto Natales.
Thou we all shared a cab to get to the bus stop from the hostel I ended up
paying the entire fare for the hostel. 2000 peso for the two people with me had
no Chileno peso at all at that time and I was not in the mood to collect. Bus ticket from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales fortunately was exchangeable for a new timeslot the next day. By the looks of the bus attendant this was a normal ritual and we all go on for a few hours ride to Puerto Natales.
There is a saying in Patagonia …. You can’t predict the
weather here …. Despite what your phone says.
What an exciting day.
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