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Published: December 29th 2006
Stay HERE if you are passing through
It´s a must, and say hi to Graciela.Okay, I know, there’s no entry for Rio Gallegos. All the books said there was nothing to see or do there, and we set out to prove them wrong. They were pretty much right!! It was probably the windiest place we have ever been and that even stopped us walking along the riverside “promenade”. At least it gave a chance to catch our breath and get some domestic chores done.
From there we had a torrid journey out of Argentina and into Chile, then over the Magellan Straits, then back into Argentina before getting to Rio Grande. The journey took forever because of delays at border crossings. It appears that someone on our bus had a problem with their passport or visa, and so we sat for over 3 hours on the bus at the first crossing.
The rest of the trip was a lot quicker. We had to cross the Magellan Straits on a ferry and the driver said we could get off the bus for half an hour. Everyone then went up to the bow to get a good view and we were suddenly hit by two huge waves. We were soaked to the skin, we might
We got a good soaking
If the Magellan Straits are looking rough, don´t have too close a look! as well have swum across!! With all of our kit in the storage compartments on the bus, we just had to grin and bear it. At least we were not the only ones drying out for the next few hours.
Finally we arrived in Rio Grande, our first stop on the island of Tierra Del Fuego. It was expected to be another place to catch up on domestics, but Graciela who runs the Hostal Argentino ensured that we had an incredible stay. The other guests made it fun too, we were the only ones not travelling around South America on motorbikes! There were so many bikes that I had to lift our rucksacks above my head to get them to our rooms!!
There’s not too much really to report about Rio Grande but we had a terrific three days there. Okay, so the wind blew harshly and we suffered from the rain, but we did get one good day of weather. That meant we got to walk along the waterfront and see all of the military monuments. There were lots of them, and all dedicated to a certain conflict almost 25 years ago. I even got to play
We were not sure at first
But we made some great friends. Hells Angels they are not!! with an Argentine anti-aircraft gun!!
Finally, if you find yourself in Rio Grande, be sure to visit the museum. There were excellent displays of local flora and fauna, lots of local history, bits about oil exploration and, of course, military exhibits. It really was one of the best museums we have been to, and it was free!!
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natalie
non-member comment
COLD!
Sorry, I'm still catching up on your blog entries...Everything looks interesting, even the parts you described as a bit boring/nothing to see. But oh my god...it looks so cold!! Don't you miss summer? I am definitely going to use some of your tips and route planning when I plan my next trip to Argentina (sad to be saying that....but it is something to look forward to!)