We thought Bertha was totaled, done, finished. I even wrote her a eulogy. Well, I should have known better. Maybe I was in shock from seeing our van destroyed only days after handing it over? (more…)
Chile
Chile
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…)
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.
Chile
If you’ve been following our climbing posts we didn’t want you to think there wasn’t anything good in the Northern and Central parts of Chile. Unfortunately because we were having mechanical issues with our van that forced us to high tail it to Mendoza we were unable to stop at many spots that we would have otherwise not missed.
One place was about an hour south of San Pedro de Atacama called Toconao (Quebrada de Jerez). Definitely bring supplies to camp and climb in the morning or evening when it’s cooler. There is also a ton of climbing around the Santiago area, too much to list here having not been there ourselves.
Hopefully when we get further south we’ll dip back into Chile and update this page accordingly.
Argentina
This page will include everything north of Patagonia in Argentina. For the Patagonian region, click here.
Border 1: Cristo Redentor de los Andes
Chilean Side
- The border and buildings before the tunnel are for people coming into Chile. Simply drive by the booth where you will be stopped and given a ticket with how many people are in your vehicle written on it.
Argentinian Side
Just after the view point for Aconconagua take a left into the obvious immigration/customs area. Buses and very tall vehicles will be lined up in the right most lane, go around them. You’ll drive into the building in the left lane. Each kiosk you stop at has two people in it, one person from each country in it. It’s very easy and straight forward.
- Kiosk 1: Stamp out of Chile and into Argentina. You’ll need passport, tourist card from Chile, new tourist card for Argentina (can be filled out in advance if you’re waiting in the line of cars), Chilean vehicle permit, and printed proof of payment for visa/reciprocity fee (purchased in advance if you’re from the US/Canada/Australia), and ticket from Chilean side with number of people in vehicle. They will stamp your ticket and you will need it later in Argentina, don’t lose it. We were not asked to show proof of insurance.
- Kiosk 2: Turn in your Chilean vehicle permit. Argentinian person will issue you a new one. You’ll need driver passport, title/registration. No copies necessary.
- Kiosk 3: Searching/Fumigation. They asked us if we had any fruits/vegies. We told them all we had was one onion; they didn’t take it, search us, or do any kind of fumigation. Exit building and get back on the highway.
- After you pass the Puente de Inca there will be a person at a checkpoint who will check your papers and take your stamped ticket.
Our route
Argentina Tips
- Take advantage of the unofficial exchange rates in Argentina to nearly double you money! Bring dollars with you and change them on the Blue Market. When we were in Argentina we were getting an average of 13 pesos to 1 USD while the official rate was 8.5. A few key things to remember:
- Bring the money with you before entering Argentina. While you can get US dollars in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for instance, you will not be able to in Argentina.
- Bring unmarked, crispy, new 100 dollar bills for the best rates.
- Try to find a reputable changer. Ask around, everyone knows where the best place to go is.
- The more you change at once the better rate you will get. Don’t change too much though, it’s hard to change back when you leave!
- Look up the current rate before you go to change, it’s constantly fluctuating. Many websites list it. Just google Dollar Blue.
- Read a quick tutorial on how to spot counterfeit bills. We didn’t have any issues and visited numerous changers, but knowing how to check the bills certainly eases the mind.
- Eat as much meat as you can! Grocery stores and carnecerias sell incredibly good cuts of meat for insanely good prices. We lived off fillet mignon practically our entire stay! Look up your cuts online. Bife and lomo, for instance, are good bets!
- Drink lots of wine! It’s great and cheap!
- Everything really closes down for siesta, especially in the not so touristy places and bigger cities. Be prepared to eat a dinner out quite late in the evening. Things get rolling around 10p!