I was up by 7:30 on 16th February, and after breakfasting with the Antarctic explorers, I checked out and got a colectivo to the ferry port. In Chile a colectivo is a kind of shared taxi that runs regular routes like a normal municipal bus. In Argentina a colectivo actually is a normal municipal bus!! I wish the 2 countries would agree – it’s so confusing for cross-border backpackers…

I’d made my mind up the previous evening that I’d cross to Tierra del Fuego first, and then try to visit the famous Chilean National Park Torres del Paine once I’m heading north in a few days.

The car ferry seemed rather small given the distance and the significance of the crossing. The Magellan Strait (yes, I was crossing the actual Magellan Strait! – I still couldn’t quite believe it…) was windy and choppy, but the ferry seemed stable enough, and I was able to catch up on diary-writing during the nearly 2 hour trip.

The destination, about 30 km from Punta Arenas on the other side of the strait, was the village of Porvenir, which didn’t seem to have very much to offer. The island of Tierra del Fuego is split between Chile and Argentina, but in Porvenir I was still in Chilean territory. A rather ancient bus took all of us foot passengers from the ferry to the centre of the village and hence to the Senkovic bus office, from where the all-important cross-border bus would leave for the Argentinean side of the island in the afternoon.

A queue had formed for tickets. I was a little nervous since there were a lot of people in front of me and this was the only bus going to Rio Grande. Once it filled up, I’d be forced to stay 24 hours or even 48 hours in this unattractive location. While waiting, a Swiss couple who had been behind me in the queue sneakily moved abreast of me, and then suddenly pushed in front of me when the line moved forwards. I tried to move forwards in front of them, pointing out that I was in front. But they argued vehemently and stayed in front. In the end the bus had space for all of us, but I was furious with these 2 selfish idiots and went for a wander to cool off and have some lunch before the bus arrived. I very much hoped that I wouldn’t see the “Swiss queue jumpers” again after the bus trip.

The dirt road across Tierra del Fuego to the border was good, and the only slight hiccup on the way to Rio Grande was that Argentinean immigration singled me out (as a UK passport holder) for special “harsh treatment”. They had to write down the serial number of my camera! Apparently this is some rule that started during last decade’s conflict, and they forgot to remove it when tensions were reduced. I think I was happier to provide my camera serial number than the immigration officers were to have to write it down on the special form…

I also felt somewhat singled-out by a large sign just past the border which reminded everyone entering Argentina (though I felt it was specifically directed at me…) that the South Atlantic sovereignty dispute with the UK is far from being settled…

4979 hr RTW 16-17 Feb 1991 Tierra del Fuego

4980 hr RTW 16-17 Feb 1991 Tierra del Fuego

A little over an hour later the bus reached the terminal in Rio Grande on the Atlantic coast. This was the first time I’d been anywhere near the Atlantic Ocean since flying over it on 30th October on the way to Houston. It looked grey and uninviting.

I checked into a hotel in Rio Grande and was nearly overcharged. The exchange rate has gone back the other way since the rapid drop in the value of the Austral when I was in Mendoza. So the Australes that I have been carrying through Chile are now worth significantly more in dollar terms than what I paid for them in Mendoza.

Finally I headed out for a “milanesa“, which is a breaded cutlet and seems to be on all the menus in Argentina. It was large and filling but that didn’t stop me later indulging in some of the wonderful Argentinean ice-cream which is as good in Tierra del Fuego as it was in Mendoza.