Punta Arenas

Contrary to our original plan, we decided not to travel to Ushuaia. Since we currently want to avoid intercontinental flights, the distances here are really far, plus we have a date in Peru in 2 months!

Therefore, we headed straight to Punta Arenas in Chile. The bus ride there was stress-free, although the procedure at the border was lengthy. The Chileans have very strict regulations regarding the import of food. As a result, all suitcases and backpacks had to be unloaded at the border, laid out in a row on the ground, and customs went through them with sniffer dogs. Marike’s backpack was pulled out as suspicious and was specifically scanned and searched. The carry-on baggage of all travelers was also individually screened. That takes a long time!

In Punta Arenas, you immediately notice that you're no longer in Argentina. The sidewalks are wider, not so oddly constructed, and there are far fewer tripping hazards. There are also some rundown buildings here, yet everything seems a bit more maintained and not just abandoned after completion. The selection in supermarkets is richer and clearly better in quality and price, but still not comparable to Germany.

The city is tourist-oriented, but the local harbor shows its importance through the abundant offerings of the red-light district right next to our hostel. The weather is very changeable and super windy. While we bundle up with hats and scarves, the local children still hop into the water in the evenings and enjoy the “summer”—they're pretty tough here! Overall, a relaxed little town as long as no cruise ship is anchored.

Via car ferry across the Strait of Magellan, we reached the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego. It’s quite astonishing how much freight traffic is moving here in this surreal world, transporting sheep, wool, and exploration supplies. In addition to sheep farming, gas and oil are extracted here. After a long journey over gravel roads, we reached the northernmost and smallest king penguin colony (normally found only on sub-Antarctic islands). This experience was also very special and truly fantastic; they are fascinating, beautiful animals. And here, where the king penguins have reached their northernmost point, is the southernmost point of our journey. The changeable weather threw a wrench in our plans on the way back. The fast ferry directly to Punta Arenas could not operate due to the high wind strength, so we had to travel back over land for a significant part to the car ferry, which luckily was still running. Quite a shaky ride with an estimated wind strength of 9.

Unfortunately, after that, 50% of our travel group were totally out of commission and required special care and attention, so we took it easy otherwise.

It was nice, let's keep going!