San Sebastián, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina/ Chile: I crossed the border into Chile today, and the Brit sitting on the bus next to me compared the experience to traveling in Mongolia.

First we went through Argentine border control. Everyone had to get off the bus, have their passports stamped, and get back on the bus.

Then we drove through “no-man’s-land” on a dirt road for 10 miles. It took about half an hour to get to Chilean immigration. After going through immigration I naively thought we would be on a paved road again, but we continued on a dirt road until we were about two-thirds of the way up Tierra del Fuego. We passed multiple billboards announcing that the Chilean Government is going to pave the road.

After a short ferry ride it took us no time at all the get to Punta Arenas. Instead of the twelve hours predicted it only took ten to get from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas.

Punta Arenas surprised me. It’s more attractive than I thought it would be: the Plaza de Armas is quaint and the promenade along the waterfront is much more attractive than the one in Ushuaia. They have their own pingüinera and colony of sea lions, which I didn’t have enough time to see.

What was underwhelming was Puerto Montt. Twenty four hours is the right amount of time to spend in this industrial port city: the city isn’t charming. There is a nice strip along the water with artisanal shops and good seafood restaurants. The harbor is full of islands that are short ferry rides away.

Mostly Puerto Montt serves as the jumping off point for Chiloé, the Lake District and fjords from Santiago, a function it fulfills well.