At World's End - Ushuaia

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Howdy everyone!!!

I've spent the past 5 days chilling here at the end of the world - Ushuaia, that is....
Well, for those of you who haven't heard of it, it is the Southern most CITY of the world.

Technically, Puerto Williams is the southern most city...but I was told that its mostly just a Chilean naval base, hence is "discounted"??

Anyways, let me catch up with where I left you all last time.

So I was in Bariloche when I posted the last blog and trying to upload some fotos, but it didn't happen until I got into Ushuaia a couple days ago actually.

My impression of Bariloche was okay... I mean it is impressive to be in front of a very windy lake, and immediately across from the lake you see snowcapped mountains! Behind you pretty much more and more mountains. It was IMPRESSIVE I have to say. However, while I was there in Bariloche, the weather simply refused to co-operate....it was pretty much raining or cludy three quarters of the time that I was there.

I originally had planned to stay a couple more days to enjoy the scenary, but having lost 2 days to the stubborn weather, I decided to jump onto the next bus to El Calafate to see the Glacier Porito Moreno.

Ironically, the weather decided to change for the better on my last day...what a bummer.
I did manage to enjoy what Bariloche had to offer at the least...the view.....and some cold weather...which is "normal",...oh and the chocolates. The main street is literally paved with chocolate shops!!!

What happen on my last day in Bariloche basically entailed going to the bus station and waiting for the bus...which was supposed to come at 5 pm...but didn't arrive until almost 9. Up to that point, I wasn't impressed AT ALL about the Argentinean transportation system..... I am sure it is nice, but I have just been unlucky I suppose.

Long story short, I arrived in Rio Gallegos (which is the main city in Patagonia that happens to be where all the buses connect, ie buses that head to Calafate and to Ushuaia) at 1 am. It was easy to decide where I would stay - pay 12 dollars to stay at the cheapest hostel or stay at the bus station until 7 in the morning. I chose the latter.

I thought that I was going to be able to sleep until 7 at least...when all the bus companies windows open to sell tickets, but the security woke everyone up at quarter past 5. But I got a couple hours of sleep at least, and managed to get my bus tickets reserved for Ushuaia...and also hop on the next bus to Calafate..which is 4 hours away.

"Luckily" I sat beside a really tall guy, and since we were at the very front of the bus, there just weren't enough leg room for this giant that was sitting next to me. So being nice, I sacrificed my leg room a bit, so he can have an easier time and get some rest. I understand that he was trying to be nice and friendly....... but he chatted with me the whole way into Calafate...and knodges me whenever he saw something intereting...... that being said, I don't think I need to explain how much rest I got out of this little short bus trip.

I got into Calafate really tired, and just wanted to sleep,.....but I couldn't - because it was a Friday!
Because I had remembered what happened in Cordoba, where I was strainded with no money and no place to change my travellers cheques. So the first thing I set off to do after I settled down at the hostel is to run to the closest Casa de Cambio - place for exchanging money, travellers cheques, etc, and change my 10th travellers cheque. The good thing is I am still doing pretty good with my available funds..the bad thing is ...I had to pay a whopping 7 dollar commision to the casa de cambio. I wasn't too happy.....would you have been"

But I changed the travellers cheque anyways, since I have to book and pay for my tour to see the Glacier Porito Moreno for the next day...and other things.

That was pretty much my first day in Calafate.

The next day,after a great nights sleep, I got up and enjoyed the heated floor at the hostel a bit while I had my breakfast. Turned out that two of my roommates, Tanya and Cassandra of Switzerland, were headed on the same bus with me to see the Glacier.

We went and saw the Glacier...it was really nice...impressive.....
but once again I didn't dress adaquatly (I could have used a windproof jacket and a pair of gloves - now I understand why there are so many places that "rent" cloths in Calafate and Bariloche!) The 5 hours of being at the Glacier turned out to be more of a punishment than enjoyment.... everyone was oooohhh-ing and aaaaaaah-ing at the icebergs as they broke and fell into the water, while I was doing the oooohhh-ing and aaaaaaaah-ing in my head, my teeth were performing a small orchestra for free for the glacier-watchers standing next to me - if I had put down a hat or cup of somesort, I could make some extra bucks...just like the two guys I met that were taking pictures for people with the glacier...1 picture for about 10 pesos.

After the glacier, the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to Calafate was to hop in and then take a long hot shower. But then when I got into the city, it turned out to be quite calm and warm ....what a difference an hours bus ride can make in the weather, eh?

My next bus that would take me from Calafate to Ushuaia was scheduled to leave at 3 in the morning...so that means I had to stay up the whole night until 3 to catch yet another 15 hour bus ride all the way to the "end of the world". While I waited, I shared dinner with Tanya and Cassandra, afterwards we went out as they had a couple bottles of beer I had a couple rounds of desserts! (those of you who know how much I LOVE desserts should be impressed at how much time I have done without any sweets! It had been almost 1 month!)

The 15 hour busride from Calafate to Ushuaia wouldn´t really rank as one of the most exciting things I´ve encountered so far....... I did find it funny that we had to go through customes 4 times...all within a span of just less than 5 hours! I had to leave Argentina to enter Chile....and leave Chile again to enter Argentina. I wonder if the bus drivers, having to do it at least once a week, have perfected their routines enough to do it blindfolded.....

I got into Ushuaia actually a couple hours ahead of the scheduled time (I was told I would arrive at 9 pm), but we arrived at about 6, which was nice and early and gave me some extra time to find out which hostel I would stay at.

I went to this supposedly ranked 5 star hostel (Freestyle) ..... it was superb! They had great music and pretty entertaining staff. Very accomodating. I can see why its a 5 star hostel. I met some really funny people too, the two columbians that I was sharing a room with...they let me taste the Columbian cachaça (Blanco it is called!), and they were dancing Salsa by themselves (2 guys)!

I also managed to squeeze myself into a "special" tour involving a 4X4 and a yacht....a tour that is only ran in highseasons (right now its actually the "low season" in Ushuaia)....it was quite special indeed....everything was explained in Spanish!!!!! but the good thing is I saw the Flag Tree, penguins, sealions, some sea birds, the southern most lighthouse...and crossed the Beagle channel where Atlantic ocean and Pacific ocean meet. Just before the tour was about to be finished, the wind picked up and the wave started getting really violent. I stayed on the deck to take pictures and to enjoy the sunset. Let me just say that I felt as if I was standing right in front of the mouth of a jet engine. I was perfectly sober, yet I was walking as if I had chugged an entire barrol of rum.

Anyways, I was kinda glad the the tour ended, and to be back on shore...where I could take a HOT shower.

Afterwards, I moved to another hostel La Posta, which is way closer to the airport and very far away from other things...but it is a family ran hostel, so its a lot more personal than Freestyle. Both are really nice hostels.

The owners from La Posta even came all the way to Freestlye to pick me up with my luggage!!! I also learned afterwards that they had came all the way to the bus station with a sign that said something along the lines of "Welcome to Ushuaia, Cliff!!!"

They were happy that I made to their hostel after all!
For me it was a nice change, since I was a little tired of being with so many people in so little space (not sure where I picked up this claustrophobia). I guess partly because the cafeteria is just too small at Freestyle.

At any rate, I moved to La Posta, and was happy there. I spent actually my last day in Ushuaia just walking around the town and taking pictures. Its a really plesant little town i must say. Visited the "unofficial" botanical garden there, and spoke with the gatekeeper for a good 2 hours, while only understanding 50% of what he said all together... but for whatever its worth, it seemed like it made his day more enjoyable, and I got some useful info out of talking with him for 2 hours... that was a fair trade, no?

Though my few days stay in Ushuaia wasn´t exactly eventful - other than the penguins! I really adored watching them - what prolific swimmers they are I really have to say!!! I cannot deny that I was, for the first time, happy doing nothing and simply enjoying being at the southern most city of the world - the end/beginning of the world, however you look at it!

Another interesting little incident from Ushuaia was that I had hitchhiked for the first time in South America...because i wanted to see the tree that had grown in a really funky shape because of the strong winds in the area (also called the Flag Tree)...not knowing how far it was, I decided to walk it anyways. So i walked and walked...and i must say it was really hard walking into the wind that was blownig at you at almost 50 km/h, long story short, I didn't really reach the "flag tree', it was getting dark and starting to rain, so I decided it would be better and more sensible to head back and seek other ways to see the flag tree (which i did see in the previous mentioned special Penguin tour), I was actually almost 3 hours away from the city itself, so I decided to hicthike...not knowing what would happen, and someone picked me up in less than 5 minutes! I tried to talk to the driver with my limited Spanish... it was really fun anyhow. I was stoked at the fact that I hitchhiked in South America...hehe

anyways, that's it for now, until the next update.

***** No pictures this time, because I haven't been able to locate any decent computer with fast enough connections....and most likely I won't be for another little while..sorry
***** as of now I am in Guatemala actually, I will be perhaps heading to Mexico and then back to Guatemala then Belize (perhaps El Salvador from there), then finally Honduras

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