Day 255: Bus to El Calafate – Argentina – Feb 27th

For the third day in a row, we had to wake up before 5am to catch a bus/plane. Being so far south has its disadvantages when it comes to getting out of there, and for us that means a really really long bus ride back north. We were headed up to El Calafate in the Patagonia region of Argentina, but we wouldn’t get there until midnight, making for a 19hr bus ride.

We had to cross the Straits of Magellan, which was much narrower and calm than was expected, and the ferry service makes it almost pedestrian compared to what it meant to cross the Straits a couple hundred years ago. Ahhh, technology.

We had a 4-hour layover in Rio Gallegos, one of the least pretty towns we’ve seen so far in Argentina, but most likely due to the poverty-stricken areas we walked through before giving up and walking back to the bus station. Gladly, there was a Carrefour supermarket next to the bus stop, and we did some shopping! Luckily, free wi-fi saves the day and we managed to blow a lot of time just surfing the net. It’s really surprising the places you’d find wi-fi when you’re traveling, especially when you think back home that you can’t even find paid wi-fi at some places!

Mexico: Free wi-fi in PARKS….yes, sitting next to the fountain with vendors selling ice cream to little kids, you can surf the internet.
Rio Gallegos: Free wi-fi in the bus station
Honduras: Free wi-fi in most places in the Bay Islands….. it’s an ISLAND IN THE CARRIBEAN!
Miami: No free wi-fi even at airport!!!!!

Anywho, we got into town around midnight, checked into our hotel who didn’t really seem like they wanted the business, telling us that they were full unless we had reservations (which we did), but from the key box it was obvious they were barely half full. Hot shower, and we were on the bed napping like babies!