Cerro Sombrero, Chile
The windy Straits of Magellan.
We crossed the Straits of Magellan at it´s narrowest point, 490 years after Magellan sailed through. Strong tailwinds became dangerous sidewinds here on Tierra del Fuego. We pull over and stop when a boatload of cars, trucks and buses pass us; so we don´t get blown into traffic. This is an oil company town, built in 1958. Prices are higher here; we have paid $48 and $56 for hotel rooms, double what we paid in the rest of Chile and northern Argentina, for rooms no better than average.
Giant chess pieces made from oil pipes and valves in Cerro Sombrero.
Chile & Argentina almost went to war in the 70's over territorial disputes here, until the pope intervened.
