Hello Everyone! When we last left our wonderful group of travelers, it was 4am and they were headed to the bus terminal in Ushuaia.... We shall continue from there. :) We arrived at the terminal without issue and realized that this terminal is nothing more than a large parking lot ... with no where to stand inside. So the 9 of us waited on the sidewalk together still talking excitedly. When our bus arrived at 5am it was not exactly what we expected. It was more of a large van than a bus. None the less, we all piled in for what turned out to be a very bumpy ride into the mountains and through towns in the middle of no where. I was absolutely freezing and wishing for more than the winter coat I was wearing, but seeing as how it was all packed under the bus, I did my best to curl up and sleep. Later in the morning we stopped at ... the border? None of us were even aware that we would be "leaving the country" (although looking at a map now it is very obvious that passing through Chile was the only option going North). This was where all the troubles began...
We all had to unload from the "bus" and go through customs indoors. The extra yogurt and fruit we had with us had to be trashed because it couldn't be taken across the border. Inside we filed through the lines getting forms filled out and stamped by officials. However something was clearly wrong with 3 of our companions. Unfortunately they had not brought their real passports with them and only had copies along with student id's credit cards etc. The guards turned them away and told them there was no way they were crossing the border without proper identification because a copy serves for nothing. We tried everything showing other id's, calling our advisor. Nothing worked. In the end the 3 amigos (friends) had to return to Ushuaia to find a flight out of the city so that they wouldn't have to cross any international borders. We unfortunately had to leave without them and it was back to the bus for us... The driver (who for some reason was convinced that only my friend Whitney could speak Castellano (spanish) wouldn't give any of the rest of us the time of day when we tried to talk to him and we all piled back into the bus frustrated and upset. The mother nature in me felt like I had lost 3 of my children... I was not a happy camper (cold, tired, slept funny and got a crick in my neck, and now lost 1/3 of our party). The drive was slow and often very bumpy over the lonely and open Chilean terrain. Eventually we reached our "lunch break" and piled out of the van to use the restrooms before getting the sandwiches given by the driver. Of course it came complete with an Alfajor. This pause also happened to be at the Strait of Magellan! We had to wait on the ferry, so we ate lunch in the van. As I was looking around, up the hill to the right of the van was a barbed wire fence along the top of the hill that appeared to go for a long distance behind us and up to the shore as well. There was a sign posted that read in spanish, "Peligro Campo Minado" aka Danger Mine Field! Hmm...leftover from the war I suppose, but I found it rather interesting.
After about 30 minutes the ferry arrived and we escaped out of the van to the VERY windy deck to watch the water as we crossed. At one point we were lucky enough to even see a small dolphin frolicking in the water and seaweed. The crossing went without incident and we piled back into the van (still in Chilean territory). After another hour or so, we arrived at the border again... and repeated the same process as before (scanning passports, scanning bags, unloading the van, etc). When it was finally done, I walked back to the van and along the way was semi-accosted by a military official guarding the door. He spoke to me in spanish asking what language I spoke? Spanish, Portuguese, English? I responded that I could speak english or spanish and he just kind of stared at me. Then as I walked on by he made some comment about me being a "muñeca" which means doll in spanish. I said nothing, didn't look back, and simply got on the bus. As much as I'm becoming accustomed to comments from the general population on the streets, its still VERY uncomfortable and disconcerting to receive the same looks or comments from uniformed police, army, guard officials etc. Culturally in the US they are supposed to be professional and in positions of power and protection, and here its the same, but culturally the comments are still 'acceptable'. An army man actually joined our van for a ride somewhere and we set off again (back in Argentina).
As we drove through the flats, I enjoyed watching the scenery. It still amazes me how "parecido" (similar) the views can be between here and CO. After a few more hours, we finally arrived in Rio Gallegos (our transfer to bus #2). Everyone piled out and I set off with one of the girls to the terminal. When we had waited for about 10 minutes and seen no sign of the others, I went back out to search for them. I found 2 of the girls but the other 2 had disappeared...leaving their stuff behind. We had no idea where they were, and the bus had left, so we gathered their belongings to take inside when they appeared around the corner a block away! When they reached us, they explained how they had been on the bus searching under the seats for a missing class ring (obviously with great sentimental value) when the driver had asked them what they were doing. They responded and the driver then said, "Oh" and proceeded to start the bus and drive away...with them on it! A few blocks later, infront of his hotel for the night, he parked the van and began asking them questions about the ring. What its value is? Why is it important? What does it look like? The girls were a little weirded out, so they quickly answered the questions and left. For me this completely confirmed my belief that this was a very sketchy driver. I personally, was not a fan.
Waiting in the terminal, we split in different directions to buy dinner or coffee for the next bus and then loaded on our final leg to Calafate. This bus was much more comfortable; big with comfy seats, and WARM! I spent a majority of the time talking with my friend Louisa (whom I absolutely adore) and then we settled in to work on more homework. She's a great influence in that respect. The bus also showed (most of) Angels and Demons, which I enjoyed watching. We actually arrived in El Calafate early... and proceeded to ask for directions to our hostel (which was only a few blocks from the terminal). Tired, and a half cup grumpy, we gathered our belongings and walked the 4 blocks uphill to a wonderful house and our home for the next three days. No one had any desire but to sleep and after checking in, settling rooms, explaining what had happened to our other 3 companions, and getting paperwork taken care of, we all went right to sleep.
Great adventures were to ensue in the following days, and we wanted to be ready for them! Tune in next time for the El Calafate edition! I hope you are all doing well!
Miss you bunches, All my love!
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