This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series. {jcomments lock}
Border name: Salto or Concordia {jcomments lock}
Closest major cities: Salto, Uruguay to Concordia, Argentina
Cost for visas: $0 (Not including previously paid reciprocity fees for Argentina, see note below)
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 45 minutes
Date crossed: Saturday March 30, 2013
{jcomments lock}This article is part of our Budget and Money Report series.
Our per diem expenses cover food, lodging, gas and other supplies and travel costs for three people. We travel in a 1997 Toyota 4Runner, tent camp in paid facilities roughly 70% of our nights and eat less than 10% of our meals in restaurants. This budget does not reflect personal spending money, which is mostly used to buy souvenirs and booze. We don't track this money, but we do know we have not come close to spending our budgeted amount of $10 per person per day.
I'm going to try something a bit different for this budget recap. For two reasons: first, our esteemed, much valued and irreplaceable budget book flew the coop somewhere around our second ferry crossing of the Strait of Magellan. This leaves me with a three week gap in the records that cannot be reconciled, meaning a per diem breakdown is impossible to calculate.
Secondly, and much more importantly, Argentina is a financially screwed up country at the moment. Yearly inflation is estimated to be around 50% which has hugely devalued the currency. To compensate. the government has enacted a series of policies to attempt to stabilize the Argentinian peso and keep stores, money changers and banks from increasing rates and prices faster than citizens can keep up with. Quite a few of these policies are unpopular and are viewed by many as being ineffective.
Start: February 28, Bariloche {jcomments lock}
Finish: March 23, Buenos Aires
Pounds of meat devoured in one sitting: 7
Times Luis did the dishes: 1
Three days after the self-inflicted meat coma that resulted from the Badass Bariloche Bovine Bonanza we head to the Argentinian lakes district for a little fresh air and maybe some salad. We finish the last photos for the upcoming cookbook and haul it to Buenos Aires to get some pages added to passports and visas for Brazil.
We spend nearly a week in a amazing apartment with our totally famous friends Luis and Lacey from Lost World Expedition. And finally meet up with Ruined Adventures before gorging ourselves on the best steaks and miscellaneous cow innards we have had on our journey thus far.
Start: February 28, Bariloche{jcomments lock}
Finish: March 4, Bariloche
Number of Overlanders Gathered: 24
Pounds of Meat Roasted: 66
Hungover Mornings Endured: I don't remember
It was nearly two months ago when we began planning what was to become the first annual Badass Bariloche Bovine Bonanza. Emails were sent, facebook messages posted, twitter feeds spammed. Overlander all-calls sent There's gonna be a party in Bariloche!
Maybe it was the time of year, or the location, or the fact that totally famous people were going to arrive (Yes, Luis Enrique Getter was there). Nine different rigs turned up, 24 hungry people, some on their way north, others south. Even Stephan and Swantje, who had less than 10 days to get to Montevideo to catch a flight home. Crazy, yes. Epic, absolutely.
And so, rather than recounting this event in it's fully glory, we've decided it's better to make an instruction manual for all of those en-route. May the Badass Bariloche Bovine Bonaza live on, forever!
Start: January 29, Ushuaia {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 28, Bariloche
Number of Overlanders it Takes to Change a Light Bulb: Five
Flat Tires on the Ruta 40: Too Many
Armadillos Seen: One Half
Fresh off the Antarctic ship, we spend a few more cold and windy nights in Ushuaia trying to get caught up on work. Then we head in a new direction for once, north! We meet up with old friends for a day of arts and crafts, then carry on to some serious day hikes in Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy.
From El Chalten we drive back up the worst of the Ruta 40, withstand a few more torrential downpours before being told of free beer at a campground in El Bolson. We race up north, for (mostly) free beer, enjoy another (mostly) sober work day before heading to Barliloche to prepare for a huge overlander gathering.
Start: January 15, Puerto Guadal, Chile {jcomments lock}
Finish: January 29, Ushuaia, Argentina!
Meals of Lamb Eaten: Nine
Terrible Campsites Endured: Two
Antarctic Cruise Tickets Purchased: Three
After a stunning few weeks on the Carretera Austral we spend a relaxing work day in Puerto Guadal and then race to El Calafate for a lamb roast with the reunited crew from Thanksgiving. We camp at a few terrible places, brave the Ruta 40 dirt roads and arrive in El Calafate a day early to get the lamb preparations in order.
Then, we book our last minute Antarctic cruise and race south to Ushuaia in time for one last workday before boarding our ship to the seventh continent.
{jcomments lock}This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series.{jcomments lock}
Border name: San Sebastian
Closest major cities: San Sebastian, Chile and Rio Grande, Argentina
Cost for visas: $0
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes driving
Date crossed: Saturday January 25, 2013
This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series. {jcomments lock}
Border name: Rio Jeinimeni
Closest major cities: Chile Chico, Chile and Los Antiguos, Argentina
Cost for visas: $160 reciprocity fee for US citizen (pay in advance!)
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 30 minutes
Date crossed: Wednesday January 16, 2013
Reciprocity Fees: Argentina recently changed their rules for collecting reciprocity fees for US, Canadian and Australian citizens. Fees were previously only collected if you entered via a major airport. Now fees must be paid online and in advance for all border crossings, including land borders. Go to this website, pay your fee and print the receipt. Take this with to the border. The current fees are: $160 for the United States (valid for 10 years), $100 for Australians (valid for 1 year) and $75 for Canadians (valid for one entry) or $150 (valid for multiple entries).
This article is part of our Internet and Phone Report series. {jcomments lock}
General availability: Medium
Quality of bandwidth: Low
Frequency of internet in campgrounds: Low
Frequency of internet in hotels: Unknown
We spent four weeks in Northwestern Argentina. We crossed from San Pedro de Atacama Chile and essentially drove south along the Ruta 40 to Mendoza.
Internet availability is surprisingly low for a country I would otherwise consider first world. There are still internet cafes in most towns, although the hours they keep are very sporadic. Most places close for a very long siesta between 1-5pm every day.
Campgrounds rarely have internet, but there is so much camping available you can't really complain. Usually in large cities one of the municipal camping areas will offer wifi.
This article is part of our Budget and Money Report series. {jcomments lock}
Our per diem expenses cover food, lodging, gas and other supplies and travel costs for three people. We travel in a 1997 Toyota 4Runner, tent camp in paid facilities roughly 70% of our nights and eat less than 10% of our meals in restaurants. This budget does not reflect personal spending money, which is mostly used to buy souvenirs and booze. We don't track this money, but we do know we have not come close to spending our budgeted amount of $10 per person per day.
We have a total of 120 days on the books between Chile and Argentina. Like most overlanders we'll be crossing back and forth between the countries several times over the next four months. To make our our next few budget recaps useful, we're cutting Argentina into two separate articles and publishing a third to include all of our time spent in Chile, with one exception. The three nights we spent in San Pedro de Atacama after exiting Bolivia and before entering Argentina are included in this recap.
In order to make life easier for us, our Chile and Argentina budgets are identical. However, as we've come to find out, Chile is quite a bit more expensive than Argentina. It may prove to be a challenge to stay on budget. Ideally we will be quite a bit under budget in Argentina to make up for cost overruns in Chile.
Kilos of Pork Consumed: 23{jcomments lock}
Shopping Carts Demolished: 1
Hours Spent Roasting Pig: 7
Hours Spent Debating Method of Roasting Pig: 12
Nationalities Represented at Thanksgiving: 5
Porkapalooza, Pork-o-Rama, The Great Argentinian Pig Roast, Porksgiving, Porkfest, Operation Pork-off 2012. We don't really have one name for what happened this Thanksgiving. Nailing it down to one specific term just doesn't seem fair.
What do you get when you put eight overlanders in the same campground with entirely too much alcohol a mere three days before Thanksgiving? A master plan so convoluted, so genius and so stupefyingly delicious that even now, nearly a month later, still has us shaking our heads and dreaming nightly of disembodied pigs.
Start: November 13, Londres, Argentina{jcomments lock}
Finish: November 20, Mendoza, Argentina
Consecutive Nights Camping: 26
Walmarts Visited: 2
Nights Spent Grilling: 7
From the rainy town of Tafi de Valle, we head back over the mountains and work our way ever southwards. Our goal of having epic charcoal fires and grilling ridiculous amounts of prime Argentinian beef continues unabaited.
We hit Mendoza extra stinky and ready for a few days break. And rendezvous with some old and new friends, we sample entirely too much wine, a load of unhealthy yet delicious foods, and start planning our Thanksgiving feast.
Start: November 6, Salta, Argentina {jcomments lock}
Finish: November 12, Tafi de Valle, Argentina
Cute puppys almost adopted: 1
Wines tasted: I don't remember
Argentinian tents setup 20 feet from ours: 12
Flat tires repaired: 1
From our northern hideaway in the hills we head south to the city of Salta. Ready to stock up on supplies. After all it has been nearly three weeks since we'd seen a supermarket. We set out to find a decent-sized propane tank for our stove, since we haven't been able to buy the one pound tanks since Ecuador. A task that seemed easy, and yet took two days to complete.
Fueled up and stocked up we hit the famous Ruta 40 and enjoy some nice dirt roads for a change. The meat situation is a amazing, and camping incredible. Argentina knows what's up! Better yet, we soon hit wine country and spend several intoxicated afternoons pretending to be much more sophisticated than we actually are (Jared stayed at the campground).
Start: October 29, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile{jcomments lock}
Finish: November November 5, Tilcara, Argentina
Countries To Date: 15
Pounds of Beef Grilled: 6
Hours Spent Waiting in Line at Chilean Border: 2.5
Rodeos Seen: 1
To say we were a bit giddy during this week would be an understatement. After a rough (but rewarding) three days in Bolivia's Southwest Circuit, we were ready for some first-world comforts. Paved roads, supermarkets, good food and campgrounds with a list of amenities that goes beyond toilets and showers that are hot four hours per day.
From Bolivia we crossed into Chile and drove to the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama. We made the decision to skip the remainder of northern Chile, much to my exagerated disappointment. The Atacama Desert stretches for hundreds of miles along Chile's western coast and includes some of the driest and most desolate climates to be found on Earth.
Instead, we opted to cross immediately into Argentina and make our way slowly south towards Mendoza and wine country.
{jcomments lock}This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series.{jcomments lock}
Border name: Paso Jama
Closest major cities: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, Susques or Salta, Argentina
Cost for visas: $0 (See reciprocity fee update below!)
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 2 hours in Chile, 1 hour 15 minutes in Argentina (on the start of a holiday weekend)
Date crossed: Thursday November 1, 2012
Start: February 6, Almirante Brown Research Station {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 9, Ushuaia, Argentina
Killer Whales Seen: 3
Total Landings in Antarctica: 9
Total Penguin Colonies Visited: 6
Combined Weight Gained: 13.5 Pounds
Our last full day in Antartica brought us to an Argentinian research station where we went on a short hike that culminated in a magnificent view of the bay, humpback whales and our ship, the Sea Spirit. From there we took our last zodiac cruise, spotting more whales and seals and getting up close and personal with a massive glacier.
That afternoon we finally catch sight of a small pod of killer whales, the last animal species we wanted to cross off our lists. And then head to visit one last colony of chinstrap penguins on the Orne Islands. Two days later we're back in Ushuaia after a second bumpy crossing of the Drake Passage, shocked that this fantastic trip has come to an end, and dealing with the prospect of returning to our itinerant life on the road.
Start: February 5, Pleneau {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 5, Torgersen Island
Birthdays Celebrated in Antarctica: 1
Whales Within Arms Reach: 2
Species of Penguins Seen to Date: 4
By all accounts today proved to be the most memorable day we spent in Antartica, possibly of the entire trip. We start off with a zodiac cruise in an iceberg graveyard in Pleneau, then head to visit a colony of charismatic gentoo penguins. That night we celebrate Jessica's birthday and the crew throws a party in celebration of New Zealand's Waitangi Day.
The Pleneau zodiac cruise was, for me at least, the single most amazing experience on this trip. Not only did we get up close and personal with the bluest and most beautiful icebergs we've seen, but we also came within arms reach of a humpback whale and a leopard seal. In this ever-changing environment you're only guaranteed two things: it'll never be the same twice, and it will always be spectacular.
Start: February 3, Leith Cove {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 4, Pork Lockroy
12,000 Year Old Ice Cubes Drank: 8
Nights Camped in Antarctica: 1
Feet a Penguin Can Projectile Poo: 1.5
Our third night near the Antartica peninsula sees us fulfilling one of our main goals of the trip: spend a night camping in Antartica. And drink 12 year old scotch on the rocks using ice that predates modern civilization.
We also stop by the historic British Antarctic research base at Port Lockroy where we are able to send a few postcards to our parents, sure to arrive home about the same time we do.
Start: February 3, Cuverville Island {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 3, Neko Harbor
Icebergs Seen: Zillions
Whale Tail Photos Taken: 12
New Continents: 1!!!
Our second full day in the Antarctic brings us to two penguin colonies and our first landing on the continent proper. We spend the morning zodiac cruising around an iceberg field and then head to shore to catch a whiff of what is becoming an all too familiar smell: penguin poo.
In the afternoon we're off to Neko Harbor where we visit yet another penguin colony and hike up to a viewpoint and soak in the amazing scenery. In the process we witness an avalanche, a spectacular ice calving and slide back down the hill on our butts through the snow. It's an eventful and exhausting day, and proves to be the most scenic day of our journey to the ice continent.
Start: February 2, Half Moon Island
Finish: February 2, Deception Island
Penguins Seen: Umpteen Million
Seal Species Seen: 3
Thickness of Ice in the Above Photo: 110 feet {jcomments lock}
Our first full day in Antarctica brought us to two more stop on the South Shetland Islands - Half Moon Island and Deception Island. We visit our first penguin colony and get a history lesson in the early exploitation of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The knowledge and environmental awareness of the cruise staff continue to impress. Many people feel that turning Antarctica into a popular tourist destination is a horrible idea considering it contains many of the last untouched frontiers on Earth. Roughly 35,000 tourists visit Antarctica every year. Fifty years ago that number was only a couple hundred.
Fortunately our guides are very much aware of this, and go out of their way to make sure we make as little impact as possible on the environment. Nothing is left or taken but footprints and photographs. Wildlife always has the right of way, and extreme measures are taken to ensure we do not change their natural behavior.
Start: January 30, Ushuaia, Argentina {jcomments lock}
Finish: February 1, Great Wall Base, South Shetland Islands
Penguins Seen: 7
Pounds of Bacon Consumed: 2
Dramamine Tablets Taken: 12
Bank Account Status: Not Good
Years ago while planning this trip from our comfy Seattle home we very much had our hearts set on taking a cruise to Antarctica once we reached the end of the world at Ushuaia, Argentina. Our hope was to book a last minute deal at a fraction of the price, but still at the sizable cost of around $3,500 per person.
The closer we got to Ushuaia and the more research Jessica did, the more disheartened we became. Prices below $5000 were nonexistent. We can travel for nearly half a year on that money. Oh well, time to suck it up.
We've met other travelers who have done the trip and without fail they raved about it. Our favorite quote from a few Australian motorcyclists we met in Chile, and one we now repeat to others, is: "I've almost forgotten about the money, but I'll never forget about the trip." It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all we've been through the past 17 months, we're not going to let pesky things like bank accounts get in the way of realizing one of the ultimate goals of our journey.
So...Antarctica here we come! The seventh content for Jess and Kobus (sixth for me) and hands down one of the best experiences of our lives.
{jcomments lock}In response to the onslaught of Antarctic questions, and the distinct lack of information online, here is pretty much everything we know about booking last minute cruises to Antarctica. Please keep in mind that this is based on our experience, and conditions and availability may change dramatically. If you have other info please leave a comment to help out others.
The best place to get an overview of all the ships that go to Antarctica is at http://www.polarcruises.com/. When we booked, we could get last minute rate info about three weeks in advance. Best to email too soon, and follow up as you get closer to Ushuaia. The lowest rate we heard of was $3,600 for a shared triple. Most last minute rates run in the $4-5,000 range for better suites on better ships. There are a lot of things to consider when booking, here is what we learned:
Start: March 24, Buenos Aires{jcomments lock}
Finish: April 3, Iguazu Falls
Random Cow Parts Consumed: 12
Cuts of Beef Sampled: 4
Types of Sausage Ingested: 3
Duration of Meat-Induced Coma: 2 hours
We didn't originally plan to visit Uruguay, but we're glad we did. Since we added Brazil to the list we felt it was unfair to skip this tiny South American country. Before heading up to Igauzu Falls and into the third largest country in the world, we embarked on a 6 day circuit through Uruguay, including its capitol city of Montevideo.
Above all, we had one mission in Uruguay, and to be honest it alone was reason enough to come to this country. Ever since watching Anthony Bourdain chow down in front of a pyramid of meat in his No Reservation's Uruguay episode we knew this had to happen... a visit to Montevideo's Mercado del Puerto. A market dedicated to nothing but the art of grilling meat. Vegetarians may want to turn away from their computer screen now, things are about to get juicy.
This article is part of our Internet and Phone Report series. {jcomments lock}
General availability: Excellent
Quality of bandwidth: High
Frequency of internet in campgrounds: Medium
Frequency of internet in hotels: High
We crossed at the southerly most bridge at Fray Bentos, then visited Colonia and Montevideo before heading inland to Durazno and Tacuarembo and exited on the west near Salto.
Availability was excellent, very similar to Argentina and Chile. Expect internet in every hotel or hostel and there will be a good chance it is also in campgrounds. Many gas stations and restaurants also had wifi available for customers.
Bandwidth was pretty good, at least compared to Argentina. We only tried out about a dozen networks the entire time we were there, so it's hard to know if your experience will be the same. Most places we visited had wifi good enough for voice-only Skype calls and your average browsing.
{jcomments lock}This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series.
Border name: Gualeguaychu - Fray Bentos Bridge
Closest major cities: Gualeguaychu, Argentina and Fray Bentos, Uruguay
Cost for visas: $0
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 30 minutes
Date crossed: Saturday March 23, 2013
{jcomments lock}Don’t worry amigos. Part 2 isn’t going to be nearly as bad as Part 1.
All cargo arriving in the US is supposed to be declared on an ISF form. We had an agent complete this form for us. They charged a $35 fee. The ISF form is supposed to be submitted before the ship departs the port where the cargo was loaded. Because of the mess that often occurs in shipping, the form often times can’t be filed until the ship has left port. This is not a big deal. As our agent explained, as long as it is submitted before the ship reaches the first US port of call, you will probably be fine.
One thing is for certain, if you don’t file this form, you vehicle will most likely be put on a customs hold and you will undergo a long and arduous waiting process to have everything cleared. Just ask Monica and Jeff over at Overland the World.
This article is part of our Internet and Phone Report series. {jcomments lock}
General availability: Excellent
Quality of bandwidth: High
Frequency of internet in campgrounds: Medium
Frequency of internet in hotels: High
We crossed at Foz do Iguacu and headed east to Curitiba the south to Floranopolis. From there we went back up the coast to Rio de Janiero. Brazil is a massive country, we barely scratched the surface.
Availability was remarkable. Every town had internet or calling centers, every hostel, rental apartment or hotel had wifi. Most gas stations on major highways had internet. We never had trouble finding a hotspot. Availability in campgrounds was mixed, but with a little advance research we were able to find a place with internet.