Tales From the Chicken Bus

Day 207

What can I say about a bus that has seats that fold into beds, its damn comfortable. It almost felt like we had our own compartment on a train. Actually it felt more like a train than a bus. To bad the movies were still as crap as the cheapest bus. Over the last 7 months of Latin American travel I couldn’t tell you how many Steven Seagal films we’ve seen.

Dawn was just breaking when I woke up and looked out the curtains. This looked like a real city, it was big and already bustling. We must be in Buenos Aires. I shook Jordana awake and before we knew it we pulled into the absolutely massive Retiro bus terminal. Outside it looked windy and cold. We stepped outside and were both surprised at the warmth in the air, something that we haven’t felt in a long time. We had travelled another 1200km further north overnight so that would have something to do with it. We claimed our bags, made our way through the busy terminal and found a taxi. I booked our first night in a hostel as we were moving to an apartment for a week after that. Driving through the busy streets it felt good to be in a huge city. After all the small Patagonian towns and mid-size cities Buenos Aires looked to be exactly what we needed right now.

We were buzzed in through the front door of the Bait Hostel and met the unwelcoming guy working the front desk. The hostel looked ramshackle and the share bathrooms could have used a decent cleaning. Our private room with a double bed was definitely more welcoming and we settled in and slept till 11am.

Neither of us had any desire to rise before 11am as the rain poured down outside with cracks of thunder. Eventually we left the hostel and found an amazing veggie restaurant next door. we strolled around Palermo Viejo, the trendy neighbourhood our apartment would be in for the next week. It was a beautiful, leafy area with many independent clothing shops and filled with bars and restaurants. Easily an area I could see myself living in.

Since the rain was off and on we headed to the Fine Arts museum. It was a good museum with some big european names, Monet, Degas, Picasso, Chagall, Pissarro and Renoir. In addition their was a good introduction to Argentine art which looked like it was heavily influenced by the Europeans. From the museum we walked back to Palermo and found a rare meal. Sushi and not just sushi but pretty decent sushi at a trendy restaurant in Palermo. A great end to our first day in Buenos Aires. We hoped that spending a week here would almost be a break from travel. A city so large you could find just about anything you were looking for. Something that is hardly the case in South America. Day 207

What can I say about a bus that has seats that fold into beds, its damn comfortable. It almost felt like we had our own compartment on a train. Actually it felt more like a train than a bus. To bad the movies were still as crap as the cheapest bus. Over the last 7 months of Latin American travel I couldn’t tell you how many Steven Seagal films we’ve seen.

Dawn was just breaking when I woke up and looked out the curtains. This looked like a real city, it was big and already bustling. We must be in Buenos Aires. I shook Jordana awake and before we knew it we pulled into the absolutely massive Retiro bus terminal. Outside it looked windy and cold. We stepped outside and were both surprised at the warmth in the air, something that we haven’t felt in a long time. We had travelled another 1200km further north overnight so that would have something to do with it. We claimed our bags, made our way through the busy terminal and found a taxi. I booked our first night in a hostel as we were moving to an apartment for a week after that. Driving through the busy streets it felt good to be in a huge city. After all the small Patagonian towns and mid-size cities Buenos Aires looked to be exactly what we needed right now.

We were buzzed in through the front door of the Bait Hostel and met the unwelcoming guy working the front desk. The hostel looked ramshackle and the share bathrooms could have used a decent cleaning. Our private room with a double bed was definitely more welcoming and we settled in and slept till 11am.

Neither of us had any desire to rise before 11am as the rain poured down outside with cracks of thunder. Eventually we left the hostel and found an amazing veggie restaurant next door. we strolled around Palermo Viejo, the trendy neighbourhood our apartment would be in for the next week. It was a beautiful, leafy area with many independent clothing shops and filled with bars and restaurants. Easily an area I could see myself living in.

Since the rain was off and on we headed to the Fine Arts museum. It was a good museum with some big european names, Monet, Degas, Picasso, Chagall, Pissarro and Renoir. In addition their was a good introduction to Argentine art which looked like it was heavily influenced by the Europeans. From the museum we walked back to Palermo and found a rare meal. Sushi and not just sushi but pretty decent sushi at a trendy restaurant in Palermo. A great end to our first day in Buenos Aires. We hoped that spending a week here would almost be a break from travel. A city so large you could find just about anything you were looking for. Something that is hardly the case in South America.

 Day 190

I´m not sure if it was the gusting wind outside or the alarm but I was up at 6:15am and I was excited, something that only happens on Christmas morning or the morning we finally reach Tierra del Fuego, the end of the world. Jordana and I walked out into the blustery cold of Rio Gallegos and into a taxi for the bus terminal. We purchased a ticket for the first bus to Ushuaia, 8:30am. Finally we boarded the bus and then we waited and waited, apparently for passengers from another bus that was making a connection with ours. It was now nearing 10am when finally the other bus arrived. We were off, hurdling down RN3 and through the now very boring Patagonian steepe. It´s been 3 straight days of this dry treeless scenery, boring is actually an understatement. I realize Patagonia is vast and extreme, it´s loud and clear now. So mother earth can I please see a tree?

Ushuaia is just under 600km south of Rio Gallegos but the journey takes upwards of 12 hours due to the border crossings and ferry crossing. Yep border crossings, 67km south of Rio Gallegos we reached the Argentinian/Chilean border. Our bus rocked as we waited in line to go through customs. The wind was now beyond gusty, it was a full strength gale most likely hurricane strength. Passengers from the bus began to file off the bus into customs, as Jordana I walked off the bus we realized just how windy it was. I have never felt anything like this before, we couldn’t even keep a straight path. We lined up inside the warm custom building and were quickly stamped out of Argentina. Soon after boarding the bus the conductor came aboard and informed us that we would be heading back to Rio Gallegos, the ferry across the Magellan Straits was not running today or tomrrow due to high seas. I thought he was joking, didn´t he know we had some this far overland, that our goal was Tierra del Fuego. We HAD to cross the famous straights! I kept calm and talked to Jordana about what we would do if we had to return, but inside I was so frustrated. We waited close to 1 hour when the conductor returned to say we would go. Vamanos! Thats what I like to hear, I mean was Magellan or Darwin afraid of a little wave or two? A few kilometers down the road we were stamped into Chile. A woman had to be helped back to our bus by two other passengers, the wind was so strong she couldn´t walk on her own. I probably should have gotten out and helped, but damn it was cold!

We continued driving through the extreme south of Patagonia and I started to think just where exactly were we were in the world. I pictured that hard cover green atlas my parents had when I was a kid. I marked it up with routes I dreamed of travelling one day, this being the one I always dreamed of, Tierra del Fuego always seeming so far off and mysterious. Finally we reached the Magellan Straits, buses and trucks were lined up for the ferry, which was not departing. The Straits were angry, as I kinda always dreamed them to be. The wind howled as we exited the bus and walked toward a building were we would wait for conditions to improve. “Wait, we need a photo!” I shouted to Jordana. This was the Southern tip of mainland South America, from Cartegena to here we had finally travelled the length of South America, I had to touch the icy waters of the most famous straits in the world.

After 2 hours it was deemed calm enough to cross. I couldn´t believe this was finally happening, 30 minutes till our goal for the trip. The bus drove on the large ferry followed by other buses and trucks. Jordana elected to stay aboard the bus as we departed. We had met Seamus and Natasha from Bristol, England on the bus. Natasha also elected to stay with Jordana on the bus but Seamus and I had to be outside. “Woulda look at the bus!” Seamus said. Wow, the bus was rocking almost as much as the boat. It was incredible, the waves were huge. We would see sea and then with the rock of the boat only sky. The crew ran around yelling for people to get down off the high bridge of the boat, one could have easily been knocked overboard. This was like nothing I have experienced or seen, well except in the perfect storm. 30 minutes later we reached the shore of Tierra del Fuego, we had made it!

Just over 2 hours later we reached customs yet again and were checked out of Chile and back into Argentina. Chilean and Argentinan passport stamps make up most of our passports now. Even though we were on Tierra del Fuego the same boring flat, brown, steepe scenery persisted. Oh, and the wind, the wind was driving me insane now. It´s been 5 days of this incredible wind. We drive through wilderness as the sun set and passed through Rio Grande, the only other main settlement on Tierra del Fuego other than Ushuaia. The temperature dropped and soon enough as the sun set the snow started to fly.  About 60km outside of Ushuaia the snow became really heavy and the road was covered, it truly felt like we were nearing the end of the world.

11:26pm Saturday, October 4th Jordana and I reached the city of Ushuaia. 12,000km from Toronto and 11,620km that we travelled overland to get here. I felt a sense of achievement that I have never felt from travel before. It was soon dashed as I raced to grab our bags from the pile of snow they were being tossed into. The snow was really heavy as Jordana, Natasha, Seamus and I searched for a taxi. I managed to flag one down and we piled in. Ahhhh heat!  We drove though the dark snow covered streets of Ushuaia to the Antartica Hostal, a funky yet cosy place. We were all ready for bed after along day of travel. Getting to the end of the earth takes a lot out of you.

Day 189 The wind was so loud at times I thought the roof was going to come off. Apparently this is common weather in these parts. No matter, inside our room was warm and comfortable and we slept in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 124 The hostel here in Popayan had a pub crawl last night. A great idea and something Jordana and I would have been up for if it was not for our 5:30am bus to the Ecudorian border. A ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 122 The time had come to leave San Agustin, our few days here have been some of the most relaxing of the trip and the scenery amazing. San Agustin is the sort of town I could see exploding with ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 120 The beautiful landscape together with the stone statues scattered around the San Agustin countryside make it an ideal place for a horseback ride. So that's what we were off to do today, oh and hopefully find some more ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 119 If there weren't any mysterious ancient statues here than I would still imagine it would be a popular spot for travellers. Although like the rest of Colombia there really isn't that many foreign tourists around. I would ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 118 Up just before sunrise we were attempting to get to San Agustin in one day. San Agustin in the south of Colombia is known for the "Valley of Statues". An area of hundreds of stone carvings of ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 117 Same as when I thought of Colombia I didn't know what to expect, I certainly didn't know what to expect from its capital Bogota. Reading the name alone left images of a dirty crime ridden city. However ... [Continue reading this entry]

Day 114 The day had come where we decided it was time to move on from Salento. We decided to take an overnight bus to the capital, Bogota. So with one more day in Salento we decided to stay ... [Continue reading this entry]