There are so many things I will miss about traveling, not least of which are the funny little oddities that occur when switching back and forth between two similar languages. Saw this gem in Ushuaia while we were in route to meet the Germans buying our van! (more…)
Argentina
Argentina
21,863 Miles Later
After a quick drive where we nearly ran out of gas thanks to limits on how much fuel you can buy per day at gas stations, we arrived in El Calafate and wasted no time driving straight out to the Perito Moreno glacier. It was astounding. When we drove around the corner and saw it for the first time I was absolutely astonished by its size and how close we were to it! (more…)
Juggernauts Claim The End Of The World Is Imminent
I can’t really think of a better word to describe our trip south from Mendoza. A force, a campaign, a giant van, and momentum. Unstoppable movement. We hit the road with our freshly repaired van as well as something very unfamiliar to us thus far: a deadline! We would have a lot to do and see before meeting the buyers of the Craggin’ Wagon in Ushuaia: thousands and thousands of kilometers to drive, multiple rock climbing destinations, insanely beautiful national parks, massive glaciers… it’s a long list. So we went bombing down the famous Route 40 towards Patagonia with a tail wind so strong I wondered if we were using any gas at all. Patagonian winds are wonderful… when they’re behind you!
All Things Fixable
The meat sweats. A joyous, sometimes unintentional consequence of awesomeness? A higher state of protein infused enlightenment? A rare and prestigious achievement of compulsive hyper consumption? In my eyes the meat sweats encompass all of that and more. One thing is for certain, the meat sweats have been a plentiful occurrence in Mendoza. But first, just how did we get to Argentina – this wine soaked mystical steak heaven? Well, it’s an oil burning, wallet busting story, but it’s a story worth telling nonetheless. I mean, how often does one get to drive a campfire van named Bertha over the Chilean Andes?!
Selling Your Rig in Ushuaia
Planning on Selling Your Rig at the End of the World?
We had done a great deal of research into this and still found ourselves surprised when we tried to execute the steps. The process seemed pretty simple:
- Sign the title over
- Go to a notary and get a power of attorney
- Go to Aduanas to cancel and reissue import papers.
We visited three of the four notaries in Ushuaia and were told the same thing at all of them. Apparently they cannot issue a poder if the title hasn’t been officially translated into spanish. This, we were told, could only be done in Buenos Aires.
So, we did the best we could with what we had available:
- First, we downloaded a standard bill of sale for used vehicles in both spanish and english and printed them out. We then signed and exchanged a version of each with each other.
- I signed the title over to him and made a copy of it for my records.
- I photoshopped my Colorado registration for the vehicle and replaced his name with mine. We never used our title at borders, only our registration paper. And although this registration would be a fake, there didn’t seem to be a more effective, better option.
- Finally, we took our papers to the Aduanas office where a woman canceled my import permit in her computer but told him he could get his new import paper only at the border. We inquired as to whether it was okay to drive without import papers to the border to which she responded that he needed to carry the bill of sale, title, and my (supposedly) canceled import paper with him.
Apparently this all turned out fine at the border. He exited without issue and had no problem with the registration when importing into Chile. Unfortunately, there will be no updates as to how things progress in the future or at other borders as the buyers promptly rolled the van on a dirt road near Porvenir, completely wrecking it.
