Day 192 - after 6 months of heading south I finally have to turn around

So - Ushuaia… the southernmost town of note in the world… situated at the base of the large island known as Tierra del Fuego (land of fire), which forms the tip of South America’s “cone”.

Ushuaia itself is a busy port town, with a population of some 45,000 catering for a thriving shipping and tourism industry (this is of course the jumping off point for most tourists heading to the Antarctic). It is, by and large, a pretty unimpressive looking town, but its beauty lies in its setting. From the base of the mountains behind it, it looks south over the Beagle Channel - a wide and at times very inhospitable section of water that cuts off the last tip of this large island, leaving only a few virtually uninhabited chunks of land to the south belonging to Chile. At the end of these is Cape Horn… and then nothing until you hit the ice of Antarctica.

But if that makes you feel chilly just thinking about it don’t worry because Ushuaia, being such a touristy place, has plenty of bars and restaurants to stay warm in. The traditional Argentine Parrilla has, over recent weeks, become my favourite - it’s a restaurant where there’s usually a huge open circular stone slab in front of the window with a blazing fire on it and a couple of carcasses dangling just above the flames. You grab your plate and go and see the chef as many times as you can to load up on the excellent lamb cuts and steaks. James, Sarah and I tried one of these places the first evening in Ushuaia and then, although virtually in a coma from the amount of meat, headed for a night out to meet Jane and Heidi who we’d travelled with in Peru and had pretty much been following (though not in a stalker-y way I promise!) all the way down Argentina - just missing them by a few days each time.

It’s actually quite strange, but not unsurprising, that as you proceed down the Gringo Trail it obviously narrows to the final point in Ushuaia and, although there are plenty of places to branch off and take side-routes on the way, you do end up running into a lot of the same people again and again… actually ending up with strange “Mission Impossible” or “Truman Show” moments where you can look round a restaurant, bar or hostel and spend a while trying to work out where you’ve seen the various people before - because most likely you have. I’m sure the couple at table 5 went past me in a canoe in the jungle in Bolivia….

Anyhow we had a fun night out with Heidi and Jane - so good we may possibly be the talk of the town for weeks to come… but that’s another story! Ushuaia was pretty much their last stop before heading off home to Kent but hopefully we’ll see them again once we’re back too.

Now I did say in my last blog that a lot of what I’d seen of Argentina up to that point had been the scenery and the food (it’s actually very difficult not to as both are fantastic and everywhere). So in an effort to prove that I am learning something as I travel I figured I ought to be a bit more studious and spend some time at a museum. Given the sea-faring history of the area, I headed to the maritime museum which actually gives a good insight into the whole history of this southernmost bit of South America (I guess it should given that most of the history is made up of people arriving here by boat). My knowledge of the intrepid ocean-goers isn’t great but it seems a good majority made it here and a few of the more recognisable names were Fernando de Magallanes (the Portuguese chap who sailed through the strait that was named after him in 1520 and gave the name Tierra del Fuego to the island after observing its shores illuminated by the blazes of the bonfires set by the Ona natives), Francis Drake (the renowned English pirate who sailed here in 1576 and was one of many who would have done battle with the native Ona and Yamana Indians) and Charles Darwin (who passed by the area on The Beagle which studied the region and its native inhabitants in 1831 before heading to the Galapagos).

Having had enough of the academics of the seas though, we figured we ought to at least take to the waters ourselves. So we hopped on a sailing boat for an afternoon out in the freezing, windy Beagle Channel, getting as close as we could to the wildlife that inhabits the various islets that are dotted along it and admiring the fantastic views you get of the Tierra del Fuego coastline.

Back on dry land the next day, having booked bus tickets for a mighty 27 hour bus journey north, we felt the need to get some more exercise in so headed up the Cerro Martial hill (which sits behind Ushuaia) for a play in the snow and a view of the channel. Then we went for a 5 hour stroll in the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park enjoying all that we could of the evening sunshine - which in Ushuaia at the moment doesn’t set until gone 10pm.

And that was the end of it - the furthest south I’ll get to go for a while… So the next morning, after 6 months of heading one way, we changed directions to make our way north. The ordeal started with a 6am bus that took us back to the mainland and into the town of Rio Gallegos in time for a quick meal, before an overnight bus that got us into Trelew at midday the following day. All in all a pretty pleasant journey, reading, watching a few films, sleeping… and in between doing a lot of gazing out over the never-changing flat expanse of the eastern edge of Patagonia’s 900,000 square kilometre wilderness which, although virtually featureless save for the jarilla bushes, is absolutely magnificent in its vastness.

Trelew, still in the Patagonian heartland, was a must visit destination in order to see the start of the Chubut Valley and the towns of Gaiman and Dolavon. This is where, in the freezing Patagonian winter of 1865, 153 Welsh immigrants landed on the barren stretch of coast where Puerto Madryn is today and, with the assistance of the Argentine Government and the sparse indigenous population, were allowed to settle in the valley of the Chubut River. They had left Wales because they felt oppressed by the increased domination of the English (which had arisen largely due to the increased demand for coal and iron originated by the industrial revolution). They felt they had been prevented from practicing their own religion, speaking their own language and keeping their traditions. The conditions they met in this area of Patagonia were fierce and it was perhaps only due to their determination and deep sense of nationalism that they managed to stay long enough to allow them to create the necessary irrigation channels that enabled them to eventually transform the river valley into a cultivatable area. The intention was to create “Little Wales beyond Wales” and after 1865 the colony was reinforced by further immigrants from Wales and the US. Unfortunately the last contingent arrived in 1911 and, although the Welsh language was kept alive here for four generations, it has sadly begun to die out. We could see virtually no evidence of Welsh settlement left in Trelew but the towns of Gaiman and Dolavon still form the heart of the remaining community. We spent a few hours meandering around the towns (which although riddled with more modern buildings do still have a Welsh pioneer feel) and took a drive along the valley, which is where the irrigated farmland lies dotted by several tiny chapels. Then we headed straight to what seems to be the most evident Welsh attraction in the area - one of the many tea-rooms in Gaiman where they serve traditional Welsh teas to the tourists! Sadly having just had lunch I had planned on just getting the tea and not the cakes. Apparently that’s not allowed though - it’s one of those ridiculous rules that you almost can’t believe someone can have created - it turns out you can’t have tea without cakes… you can have just coffee though! So after reaching stalemate with the stubborn waitress and not happy to order and pay for everything just so I could have the cup of tea, I ordered a coffee instead… and in hindsight I wished I’d have asked for it Irish.

There are two other fantastic attractions in the Trelew region: A little further south (actually 3 hours drive each way but out here that’s easily an afternoon tour) is the barren stretch of coast that leads to the peninsula of Punta Tombo. After miles of driving down a gravel track you park up, climb a hill and wander along a pathway… And then, as happened with us, you suddenly notice a little penguin standing amongst the bushes to one side of the track… At first we couldn’t believe it was real - it was almost like a garden gnome - but as you look closely you can see its eye following you as you move… And then you continue and spot another and another, and suddenly you round a corner and get a view of the whole peninsula which is covered with small shrubs and little holes - and there are literally hundreds of penguins pottering around them going about daily life and minding their own business. It had the feeling of being an outsider looking in at a strange village where nobody notices you... except all the inhabitants waddle strangely - kind of like they've got their trousers round their ankles. This colony of Magellenic Penguins, as they are called, is the largest such colony in South America. Up to half a million of these particular penguins arrive from September onwards to breed, with the male returning to the same nest hole as the year before and calling out for the same female as the year before (these penguins mate for life). The chicks are born from November onwards so we were lucky to be able to get the odd glimpse into a nest to see the furry little babies who will be able to take to the water early in the New Year.

The other big attraction near Trelew is the Peninsula Valdes, just to the north of Puerto Madryn. It’s a spur of land about 20 miles long by 12 wide joined to the mainland by a thin stretch of land. It’s a completely barren Patagonian wilderness, crossed only by a couple of gravel roads and with some of the most stunningly remote coastline you can find down here. And that makes it a nature lover’s paradise. It’s off the shores of this peninsula that Southern Right whales (vast 16m long baleen whales) spend their time from June to December. We were lucky to just catch them and even luckier to turn up at the last minute and get on a boat trip that got us right alongside a mother and her young who spent half an hour or so performing for us and diving under the boat (some people who had been the day before saw nothing). And if that wasn’t enough of a highlight - as we pottered slowly up the coast we saw Patagonian hares, wild rheas, guanacos and sea-lions. As a final treat, just as we were considering heading away, we saw a group of people gathered at a cliff edge so thought we ought to investigate. It only turned out to be another rare sighting - 6 Killer Whales or Orcas had turned up (and apparently rarely do) and were patrolling within a few feet of the beach below waiting for one of the many sea lions or elephant seals basking there to make the mistake of going for a dip. None did… but I left feeling that I’d witnessed one of natures many raw and wonderful moments at first hand all the same.

So leaving Peninsula Valdes feeling thoroughly spoilt by nature it was time to plough on north… and I hate to say it - spoil ourselves again. Sarah was leaving in just 5 days, James only had 10 left himself and I was celebrating my “6 months of travelling” anniversary (basically any excuse!)… and none of us had been anywhere near one of those legendary estancias - the great farms of Argentina that evoke images of galloping horses, Asado barbecues and the gaucho way of life. We knew it was going to be a treat to do it, but in all honesty I think we all felt that to come to Argentina and not spend some time on one would be a bigger regret.

So heading up from Trelew, an overnight bus took us to Bahia Blanca which is the first of many beach resort towns that wind their way up the coast to the capital - Buenos Aires. We were heading inland however so caught a bus that took us to a place just a couple of hours south of BA. This is the heart of the Pampas - Argentina’s massive agricultural powerhouse that produces all that fine food we’ve been living off. It’s also home to some of the most impressive estancias in the country and for the last few hours of that bus journey it was a marvel to stare out over vast fields that stretch for miles before ownership passes to another farm.

The trick with getting to stay on an estancia at the last minute is avoiding those that could feel too much like a Disney resort - I think that would have ruined it for me as really all I wanted was rustic charm in as authentic a package as we could get. We lucked out first time and found a beautiful working estancia with some impressive statistics - 1,500 hectares of land in mixed agricultural use, a 1,000 hectare lake for fishing, sailing, bird watching, kayaking or windsurfing and a stud farm dedicated to the breeding and training of show jumpers and Criollos. And we were the only guests there. Not bad hey?!

So for a couple of days we spent the time being looked after by Viviana, the lady owner of the estancia who miraculously seems to find time amongst other things to write, travel as a photo-journalist, be a psychologist and an interpreter and run several other businesses between BA and Uruguay that we only caught a hint of. I suspect there is far more too! It was a pleasure to spend time with someone who is so welcoming and has such a passion for what she does and ultimately meeting her was as much of a highlight as staying on the estancia itself.

Dragging ourselves away from that place on the last day after a morning ride, a huge asado lunch, a quick kayak and a couple of hours by the pool (did I mention there was a pool too!) was a real wrench. But we’d had the experience and it was time to move on. We also had to get to Buenos Aires in time for Sarah’s flight on to Australia where she’s continuing her travels.

And now you find us somewhere completely different… James and I at least… Sarah left a few days ago, but not before we had one last great night out watching a tango show at Buenos Aires’ most famous café - Café Tortoni, a fantastic last meal of - of course - steak at a great restaurant in the re-vamped dock area, followed by a whirlwind tour of some of BA’s best nightspots thanks to Viviana’s daughter Luciana who had offered to show us around (drinks in the uber-cool bar at the Philippe Starck Faena hotel were a real treat).

So now James and I are in yet another country - Uruguay - for his last few days - we’ve got ourselves right the way along the coast from the capital of Montevideo over to a very rustic, windswept, tiny surfer town called Punta del Diablo (to where we had to walk the last 5km because the bus doesn’t come this far). And we’re starving! Yes it may seem ridiculous but we haven’t eaten for 4 days!!! We’re sitting in a tiny basic shack of a cabin that’s costing peanuts (basically because it’s in the middle of nowhere) and having a few days out of contact with solid food in order to detox…. (apparently it’s something called the Lemon Detox program - you just drink tree syrup and lemon juice whenever you’re hungry!!). Very surfery. Anyway we’re actually coping quite well - although I am growing to despise lemons - but we’re feeling pretty healthy and it’ll take the guilt away from all the indulging we’ll no doubt do at Christmas.

Speaking of which I guess this will be my last chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas… it’s going to be strange not see friends and family this year but I’ll be thinking of everyone and hope you all have a great Christmas break and a Happy New Year.

James and I are back to BA in time for him to fly home on Friday - then I’m going to spend a while in town, where there seem to be a multitude of options building up for the festive season, before making my way over to Chile in time for the 8th of January when I leave this continent behind and fly on to the next part of the adventure - New Zealand.

Festive love to you all.

B



Argentina Slideshow

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