Ushuaia - World´s End

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Fri 23rd Nov:
As a footnote to my recent entries, I have had difficulty putting some of the photos on the blog. The internret connections in Patagonia are not very good and volatile. Consequently many of the photos of the Perito Moreno and around that time did not upload.
I didn´t get to the chocolate factory on Wednesday as I ran out of time. I got a shuttle to the airport only to join a queue for over an hour with a group of unhappy travellers waiting to check-in. We´re told that the departure is delayed an hour and a half and then we have to pay airport tax. The waiting around is most tedious part. Uneventful cramped flight, but spectacular views of snow-capped mountains as we approached Ushuaia. I checked in at a fantastic hostel - large wooden open-plan structure with panoramic views from the top storey common room. Good facilities and staff there very helpful and friendly. After a bite to eat at a local restaurant I had an early night. ´Shared dorm with Mexican chap and an Austrian girl. The underfloor heating was very effective - too much so as the room got very warm. The Austrian opened the balcony doors to cool down the room, while the Mexican closed them again after about ten minutes. This ritual went on throughout the night.
´Had a good breakfast next morning - much better that in previous hostels/hotels in Argentina. ´Rented a bike from the hostel and went for a long scenic ride along the coast. I went as far as a lighthouse about 6Km outside the town; an easy ride there but difficult coming back when the wind was against me, so much so that at times I had to pedal hard going down some hills. I had booked a visit to the National Park for the afternoon, so when I returned to the hostel I had a brief siesta before venturing out again. ´Took the bike with me for the afternoon and did a mixture of cycling and walking around the park. It is very large but only a small section of it is open to the public. Lots of wildlife and fauna with a brilliant backdrop of scenery. The cycling was fine, but at one stage I went off the path while walking, slipped and fell into a quagmire of mud - no damage, just dirty! The real problem was my boots; although I had worn them a few time previous, they were now cutting into my toes on both feet, particularly one on the left foot. When I got back to the hostel I noticed that that toe had becme infected, so treated it and put a new plaster on. I decided to get rid of the boots at this stage and look for another pair. I was also feeling tired from the day´s activities and long cycly rides, so had a relatively early night.

My two companions in my room had moved on so I had the room to myself - lots of space. ´Had an early start as I had an e-mail from the airline company that the plane was leaving earlier than scheduled. However when I reached the airport for check-in at 8:30, I was then told that it was delayed until 3:00 in the aftenoon and would not get into Bariloche until 8:00 this evening. I wasn´t very pleased; after some "discussion" they got me a taxi back to town, gave me a voucher for a meal of my choice in one of the better restaurants and a taxi back. They also ´phoned my hotel in Bariloche to hold my reservation.("The squeaky wheel gets the oil"!) With some time on my hands I visited a few places I didn´t have time for previously.

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Photos

Beach Cycle Ride
A scenic shot along the coast outside Ushuaia.

Inside the National Park
Although the National Park in Tierra del Fuego is huge only a small section of it is open to the public. I cycled around quite a lot of it and abandoned the bike for about an hour´s trekking.

Lakes, Islands and Snow-capped Mountains
The wind had died down and it was like a beautiful spring day, and 'was surrounded with stunning scenery.

Comments

[Raúl Ayude]

Muy bueno
Hello Joe: Que bueno que estes recorriendo el fin del mundo. Realmente los comentarios de la gente que ha estado ahi son muy lindos. Espero que te lleves un hermoso recuerdo de Argentina. Que continues muy bien lo que te queda de viaje. Un abrazo, saludos de Pato. Raúl Ayude