One of our thoughts was that if we could get ourselves a campervan we could save some major money on our trip, have an AWESOME experience with as much flexibility as we want, and sell it back at the end for somewhere around the same price we bought it for. In theory, this is great, right?
One of the places that we thought we could do this was in Punta Arenas. It´s one of two "tax-free" zones in Chile, which is important because taxes in Chile are over 20% on purchases. The town itself basically sucks, not much here except for commerce and industry, a port, and a tribute to the explorer Magellan (and a few cool Spanish colonial buildings. We did stay at a nice(r) hotel, so it was a good home base.
So what do I know about buying a car in South America? I read a TON about it online, and it seems like the best place for a foreigner to do it is in Chile. Long story short...we spent a few days in Punta Arenas basically hunting for something that resembled a camper van, or a truck with a camper on it and found basically not a whole lot. We found a camper van from the early eighties, a motorhome from the seventies, and a camper, but not truck! SO, our hopes were dashed for now...and we will have to continue the search later in our travels (perhaps). FYI, renting is prohibitively expensive for them down here too. Anyway, that didn´t quite work out, so we hung out for a few days and enjoyed a few interesting sights from the city.
Our favorite coffee shop, with great chocolate...and character
Safety First here in Chile!
Who isn´t stoked about Sacramento, California?
Turns out that for $20 US you can have your town posted down here...
Scott, Magellan´s statue, and our new dog
Are we tourists or what?
The Sacramento sign is a sign :) That is your final destination! Bummer on the campervan, you could have bought one and taken your new dog. I am predicting you will come across one at a hostel or in a town for sure. Keep the wheels rollin.
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