The long shot motorcycle fix that I was optimistic about in the last post did not work out unfortunately! However, like my favorite sport coach, John Wooden, said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” In the true spirit of making the best of my situation I have decided to continue my overland journey to the end of the world. This time instead by bus. No flights for this guy!

I began my over 50-hour bus journey in Buenos Aires and headed south over the span of three different days. This involved three different buses, none of which I booked in advance, and varying layover durations. My first layover dropped me in San Antonio Oeste right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. I had assumed when booking that is town was a larger city since it is what an internet search has suggested. This, however, was not the case. Instead, I was dropped at an abandoned train platform and not even at a bus station. Luckily, I had about 2 hours until my connecting bus so I started figuring out where I needed to go. The train station looked like it only functioned on certain days of the week and this wasn’t one of them so I couldn’t get into the station building to see if there was any information there. So at 5 in the morning, I started wandering to different potential bus stations that Google Maps research has provided. Luckily, the town was pretty small so it wouldn’t take long to find out if I needed a new plan. After checking all my options and talking to an older local gentleman I determined I needed to head south to the next town where they had an actual bus station in which I could buy my next bus ticket at. Thankfully, there was a single taxi cleaning out his cab for the start of the day near the train station and he took me 15km to the bigger station for the equivalent of $4.50. I caught my bus with maybe 30 minutes to spare. The next transfer was supposed to be a 2-hour layover. By the time we had gotten to the transfer location after multiple delays I hopped off the bus just in time to use the bathroom and purchase a ticket and hop on the next bus as the last to board! Perfect timing!

If you’re wondering where I slept during all of this, the answer is on the bus. They seats recline fairly far and most buses have a footrest that can be set fully horizontal built into most of the seats. My last bus took me into Chile and back out into Argentina again. It also took me on a fairy across the Strait of Magellan. Eventually three days after departing and 1,250 miles later I arrived at the end of the world, Ushuaia! I accomplished my overland goal albeit not via the originally intended method of transportation, but that still one heck of a road trip!

I booked a cruise through the Beagle Channel for the morning and then went and explored the city and grabbed some dinner before heading to bed in my hostel. The next morning, I headed to the docks and began my journey through the Beagle Channel with a bunch of other tourists. The cruise took us past a famous lighthouse with sea lions sunbathing on the rocks around it. Next, we continued through the channel seeing Puerto Williams which has a greater claim to actually being the end of the world. Eventually we made it to the farthest destination on the cruise, Isla Martillo. Isla Martillo is famous for having a penguin colony there. Since I cheaped out I didn’t pay for the expensive tour that takes you as a small group to the island and actually allows you to get off the boat and walk near the penguins. Instead, my boat pulled up close and we got to take some photos from afar. There weren’t as many penguins with it being the beginning of the season here for them, but regardless I got to see some penguins in the wild!

Since my motorcycle is staged and ready to fly in Buenos Aires there is more fun to be had ahead! When life gives you lemons you visit countries and visit the famous Iguazu Falls. The rest of the traveling should be a lot easier now that I will allow myself to fly since I have completed the greatest north-south roadtrip of my life! God is good!