Ushuaia, Argentina

"el Fin del Mundo"

"the End of the World"

The southern part of the continent of South America is called Patagonia. It's a pretty wild area with the Andes Mountains, steppes, deserts, glaciers and grasslands. 
It pretty well has two of everything - two countries: Chile and Argentina. Two coasts: the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Two rivers: the Colorado and the Barrancas Rivers. It is home to some of the most amazing scenery in the world. A mecca for adventurers - rock climbers, ice climbers, bush walkers, big wave surfers. 

The Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route separating the South American continent from the archipelago Tierra del Fuego. Teirro del Fuego or "Land of Fire" named by Ferdinand Magellen in 1520, when he saw fires burning in the camps of the Aboriginal people (who have lived there for 100,000 years). Nothing to do with volcanoes at all.

The main island is Isle Grande. Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world. Ushuaia, "fin del mundo principio de todo" or Ushuaia, "end of the world, beginning of everything".

The Beagle Channel, (named after Charles Darwin's ship Beagle when it first visited in 1826) separates the main island from the many small islands in the archipelago. The channel is navigable by large ships but the southern route of the Drake passage is easier. More dangerous, but easier). The Channel also splits Chile (south) and Argentina (north).

Cape Horn is the southern most headland, on the southern most island, Hornos,  in the archipelago and is the confluence of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. It is the top of the Drake Passage and is hit by the "Roaring Forties" and "The Furious Fifties" as they run into land after thousands of kilometres of nothing. That plus the occasional ice bergs. An infamous sailors graveyard - estimated 800 ships and 10,000 seamen. 
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Feb 15th - Ushuaia, Argentina.

Another early morning the next day and another flight....but this one was quite civilized. My flight wasn't until 8.30am. I was flying down to Ushuaia. Pronounced "Oos - wire".

The four hour flight was fairly painless. And HOORAY. My last domestic flight for this trip. Just ships for a long time. No fussing over luggage, spending hours at airports....and watching people stand in queues.

As we flew in I got my first glimpse of Patagonia. Just a bit of a glacial influence on the land. So steep.

So there I was. At the end of the world. I'd now been to the northern most (Barrow, Alaska) and the southern most (Ushuaia) cities in the Americas.

I think my taxi was a Ferrari. It must have been going by the way the driver threw it around corners, ducked between other cars at 100ks and generally flew everywhere.

Checked into my hotel and went for a walk. I was going to walk down the stairs.....but changed my mind.

I was having four days in Ushuaia.

The first day I wandered around town and looked at many of the classic spots. The sign, Malvinas monument. I ate the best empanadas - crab filled, for lunch.

Then dinner at a BBQ place. The lamb had been cooking since I saw them at 2pm. It looked and smelt glorious.

As they were carving my meat I heard a cheer from the kitchen. They delivered my meal and told me how lucky I was. I got the kidney. "Oh joy!" It was super good luck and had to be eaten.

Now - I knew that if I didn't eat that dry, floury, shriveled little kidney bad luck would fall upon my two sea voyagers. We would have bad weather! We would miss landings! We would not see a lot of wildlife. And even if no-one else knew.....I would know.

IT WOULD BE MY FAULT!

So what did I do.....I choked down that horrid little floury pee filter. I did wrap the little pieces in lamb fat and gulped them down with a local beer!

But the rest...WOW! It was amazing. Some of the best meat I had eaten. It's called "Lamb onthe Rack". The lamb is spread and wired then put over the fire and basted for hours. It is then served over a small brazier. That and a local beer made a great dinner.

So if we get good weather, lots of landing and great wildlife it would be to my credit! Fingers crossed.

Ushuaia is beautiful. A really pretty town with the mountains coming right to the edge of town. Quiet and charming. Like a small beach town many years ago. Tourist shops, outdoor outfitters and food places. I loved it.

The next days would be busy.  I had booked lots of tours, as there was so much to see around here.

Dark at 10pm.


Tuesday 16th.

Trip 1 was a trip to Tierra del Fuego National Park.

It started with a ride on the 'End of the World' train - 60 minutes on a narrow gauge railway built by convicts. Very pretty. Very squishy. We stopped at a lovely waterfall for a bit of a walk and a look. 

Much of the area was covered in dead trees and tree stumps - a result of the penal settlement. They used lots of timber. They arrived here with convicts and said "We are establishing a penal colony. Start building your accommodation!" Yep, that was motivation to work hard as 'Winter was Coming''

We all got back into our bus and visited a number of stunning bays on Lago Roca (Lake Roca). The lake is divides Chile and Argentina. Saw Hawks and Turkey Vultures. And swans who decided that that since they lived between Australia and Europe,  they would be black and white Swans - Black Necked Swans.

Lupins grew everywhere. Postcards were sent from the southern most post office. The change in the weather was amazing. You would stand in one place then walk around a corner and be in Arctic - well Antarctic!

There are very few native mammals on the island - a short llama, a red fox, four mice species.

Saw some great birds. And great sites.

This is the end of the high way that runs from Barrow, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina!

Kestrel

Caracara - a really big scavenger.

16th Feb, Haberton Ranch, Martilli Island.

After a drop off at my hotel, it was change clothes and race down to the pier for the next tour. A seven hour trip in the opposite direction. "Walk with the Penguins". It was a bus trip out to Haberton Ranch, Museum, then onto a boat to go across to Martilli Island to see the Magellanic penguin rookery.  The two-hour drive was through stunning areas. The mountains were SO big - and the tree line was down to 600m. Huge areas of bog, past ski resorts, sled dog racing areas and more.

It rained - horizontally!

Signs like this are every where.  The Brits and especially Ms Thatcher are not at all popular here.

"The Malvinas are Argentinian!"

There are huge areas of bogs. The moss grows. There is very little decomposition here due to the cold - a bit like storing fruit in he fridge - so the new generation grows on top of the old. The bogs can be up to 10 metres thick. It's very spongy and 90% water. This area is used in winter for cross county skiing, sled dog racing, snow mobile riding etc. Ushuaia is very much the winter playground.  There is also a number of ski resorts. Might be a tad steep for me.

Dead trees everywhere - this is for a few reasons.
1)  the forests are full of downed trees. The last ice age finished here with the glaciers retreating only 20,000 years ago. At that time the land was bare rock. In many places the top soil has only developed to 20 cm deep. So huge trees and huge winds make for many fallen trees.
2) decomposition is extremely slow. A tree takes around 300 years to break (the cold) down into soil. So there are many fallen trees.
3) I do believe the Beaver is THE MOST destructive feral animal ever introduced to a place. In there wisdom they introduced them here in the 40's. But the weather was too mild to produce the amazing coats they got in Canada. Here is is rarely below minus 15 degrees. HAHAHA. So they set them free - them and minks, and rabbits and trout. And then they brought a grey fox to try to eat the rabbits. Well planned! The beavers rip down any tree on flat land that gets a drop of water. Then dam it up and make a new river. They have now started swimming into Chile. Beasts. At least the government has decided to get a bit serious and to try to control them.

Bottom line - life is not easy for a tree on this island.

We arrived at the working ranch that has been owned by the same family since land was sold, and went to see the amazing working museum. It is the best collection of bones of cetaceans (whales and seals) anywhere. The museum is privately owned place but had working scientists from all around the world and (obviously) is open to the public.

A stunningly attractive "Bone Room" where skeletons were soaked in vats of sea water to break the tissue down. They don't use chemicals as it changes the bone. A whale skull takes three or so years to get clean.

It was then over to Martilli Island on a giant Zodiac. The beach is just covered with Magellanic penguins. And a few Gentoo - and 6 lost Kings.

15-20,000 Magellanics. Crazy. And amazing. Pretty funny little guys.

A Turkey Vulture. 

Gentoo Penguin

A tad windy.

Then a nearly 2 hour drive home.  Still stunning.

The weather changed today - from a stunning wintery day to bloody freezing, sometimes in the turn of a corner or with in a few minutes. Gave me a bit of an idea what Antarctica will be like.
Last night I slept with the window open and a light blanket thing. Tonight the window is very much shut! But then they turned on the hotel' central heating and I roasted.


Got back at 9 pm.  So I need some sleep now. 

Feb 17th - Ushuaia, Argentina

Today I changed hotels, as it's officially Day 1 of the Antarctic Expedition. So I moved to the hotel they provide. A 5 Star resort.  There were about 500 ($) reasons a night I didn't stay there the other few nights. And then I got an email telling me I had an UPGRADE on the expedition. Single room.  Squeal!

Then a day trip - "Lagos 4x4 and Canoe" trip, up to the lakes on the north of the island.

It was some pretty serious 4 wheel driving we did, through some more stunning country.

We travelled with another vehicle so it was great to see how the cars handled it. And also to take photos of.

First section was down original Route 3 - the original highway and was the road to Alaska and Buenos Aires. I guess not many people drove along it, as it was pretty tough.

Bever damage.

We stopped at Lago Escondido and had a wander along the shore. We were meant to canoe here but with 60k winds and 500mm waves that did not happen.

Dead trees. So many dead trees. It's because of beavers. I do believe they are the most destructive of all the feral animals - and need to be wiped out. Filthy destructive beasts.

We then headed off along an old logging track, heading for Lago Fagnano.

But I was only guessing - as I was the only non Spanish speaker, and the only English speaker in the car. Not even the driver spoke English.

I thought the lagos (lakes) was pretty perfect. That is until a Condor started to glide around very high up above us. WOW. One on the things on my dream list was to see a Condor in the Andes. Didn't think there was much hope of it though. They are critically endangered.

This was real 'bush bashing". Anyone would be pleased with this effort. Especially the other 6 passengers who I guess had never been off road.

They told us we were driving to another lake. I must have misunderstood. They must have said "through" another lake.

     

Lunch was in an amazing cabin perched on a hill looking straight out at the major mountains and the bog. Stunning. 

The BBQ was firing and on went the meat. We then sat for about an hour while it cooked with salami, bread and cheese and a nice Malbec. 

I skipped the red wine and the conversation - cause remember they all only spoke Spanish. But it was lovely. 

Among other things like chorizo, we had steak. I can say it is the best steak I have eaten. So tender. It was like it had been cooked for 18 hours. But I saw it raw when we arrived. Must have been very very aged or something. The meat was also very pale when cooked. Not dark like ours is. 

These Argentinians sure know how to run tours! This tour was brilliant!

When I got back into town I went hunting for the new card reader I needed. The tiny thing that lest me get photo off the big camera onto the computer. This $30 piece of equipment was crucial! In all my preparation.........it was a few weeks old.

The first shop didn't have them. I found one at the second shop. $129 AU! Ahhhhh. Oh well - I had to have it.

Lunch was in an amazing cabin perched on a hill looking straight out at the major mountains and the bog. Stunning. 

The BBQ was firing and on went the meat. We then sat for about an hour while it cooked with salami, bread and cheese and a nice Malbec. 

I skipped the red wine and the conversation - cause remember they all only spoke Spanish. But it was lovely. 

Among other things like chorizo, we had steak. I can say it is the best steak I have eaten. So tender. It was like it had been cooked for 18 hours. But I saw it raw when we arrived. Must have been very very aged or something. The meat was also very pale when cooked. Not dark like ours is. 

These Argentinians sure know how to run tours! This tour was brilliant!

When I got back into town I went hunting for the new card reader I needed. The tiny thing that lest me get photo off the big camera onto the computer. This $30 piece of equipment was crucial! In all my preparation.........it was a few weeks old.

The first shop didn't have them. I found one at the second shop. $129 AU! Ahhhhh. Oh well - I had to have it.

So, back to my upgrade, to a deluxe suite! ON MY OWN! Yay, a whole room to myself. 

My 21st cruise and my first upgrade. And if you were ever going to get an upgrade - a 21 day day cruise in a three share room IS THE ONE TO GET IT ON!

Off I went to Arakur Resort with a big smile. It’s a 5 star resort…and Oh My Goodness it is amazing. It looked like a Citadel up on the giant hill.

 Bottom line - life is not easy for a tree on this island.

I took my computer and worked in the lounge area, as it was so flash. Ginormous glass walls looking over the Beagle Chanel to Chile. This hotel was ridiculously luxurious. It was awesome. My room was amazing. Huge.

Maybe I would not go to Antarctica....maybe I would just stay here and play with my electronic blinds and curtains. I controlled them from the bed. You could use the towels as bed spreads. And there are so many lotions and potions in the bathroom you could start a shop. The view from my room was pretty impressive as well.

A quick check of the wave charts showed that it could be a lovely crossing! 

And the weather.

Feb 18th - Ushuaia, Argentina

I woke up to a stunning view. It had snowed overnight and had settled just above the hotel.

Everything had a fine dusting of snow, with crystal clear air.

Down in the harbour I could see the Celebrity Infinity. Then I realized the tiny wee boat next to it was not a tender but was my home for the next 21 days. 

Breakfast was pretty amazing - as you would expect then our first team meeting. One of the expedition leaders, Anja – the Polar Expert, who had summered in Antarctic, had come up to greet us and go through the plan for the day. They checked that everyone had arrived and had their luggage. Answered some questions and eased minds,

We were told what to expect, how things were going to work, and so on. Two Aussies arrived during the meeting. Delayed flights. Imaging spending that much money and then trusting South American planes to get you from Iguazu to Ushuaia with only a few hours to spare.

Our luggage had been collected at the very civilized time of 8am.  We were to meet at "The sign" at 3.30 to begin our voyage! The morning was our own.  So Wait! Time for an excursion.

Just in case I am not going to get enough time on the water in the next few weeks I went on a boat trip "Navigating the Beagle" - another brilliant trip.

Into a taxi and down I went to the pier to join my trip and got my first look at "M/V Sea Spirit".  And a stunning view back over Ushuaia.

Beagle Channel is fairly impressive.

We went out to the Imperial Cormorant rookery; a South American Fur Seal hailing out spot; a Rock Cormorant rookery and for a walk on Bridge Island to look at some archaeological sites.

We stopped at Bridge Island and saw some archeological sites of the Yamanas People. They were a very short heavy boat dwelling people. A very primitive race. They did not wear clothing, as it would get wet!!

Can you imagine that down here? They ate a lot of seal fat and coated themselves in it. Tough people. In bad weather they would come ashore and dwell in igloo like wood structures. Their middens were very similar to the Australian Aboriginal people. Muscles, Oysters bird bones and seal lion bones.

The island and the whole channel were stunning. The vegetation of the island was awesome. Giant 'pin cushion' plants that take hundreds of years to grow. Yet another amazing trip. Ushuaia Rocks!

We all met in the car park at 3.30 - near the Famous sign. Lot of "Hello"s and "Where are you from?"s

There we hopped onto big coaches. After a while the coaches headed off. It was a fairly tough trip – was all of 500m – but that was because there was a one way road and we had to go around the block.

The ship was about 200m from the car park. Very funny. Must have been about not walking 96 people through the port.

The bus pulled up next to the ship and off we got. There was the Sea Spirit. My home for the next 20 nights.

Length 90.6 meters (Radiance is 293metres), Beam 15.3 metres, Speed 15 knots, Passengers 108, Crew 72.

Many crew were there at the gangway to greet us, and we walked up through a walkway of people. We were handed hot wash clothes, cocktails and there was lots of hand slapping and greetings. We walked up the ramp and all sat in the lecture room. Nibbles and more drinks were passed around. People were then taken a few at a time to swap our passports for room keys. No waiting, no lining up. So civilized. We all had to go to our rooms and check our luggage.

Once everyone had confirmed that all of their luggage was in their rooms, we were right to go. How cool is that – no luggage is left behind. One person had a close call with the airline delivering it to the ship. Moral - fly in at least two nights before!

My room was on deck 4 – room 425. And it was big. Huge. Very similar to a Junior Suite. How surprised was I. Big king bed, large sofa, coffee table, arm chair and a big walk in robe. Good sized bathroom. TV with 2 channels – documentary’s on a loop and the daily planner. It had a big window - more than one-meter square. And at a great height above the water. There was an open deck all the way around deck 4. So it was really easy to run outside for a better view. The windows had a really great reflector on them - so short of pushing your face up against the window people outside could not see in.

Muster drill was like 10 years ago. You wore your jacket.

It was then time to explore the ship.

There were 16 Aussies, 16 US, 22 Israeli's, 20 Germans and a few Brits, 2 Canadians, 4 Chinese, 1 South African and 1 Argentinian. Lots of lovely people.

The trip is run in English with German as a second set of announcements. All lectures were given in English and they used a head set system, giving a simultaneous translation into German. Some lectures were also given in German as many of the staff were German speakers.