Snow in Patagonia

---

Today was a bit of a surprise. I knew it was raining out when I woke up, but I didn't realize how ugly the weather was. My boat trip was cancelled due to the weather, which meant I had only a few minutes to make the decision to take a taxi to the Train to the End of the World. I made it on time, but was shocked that it was snowing. In the first couple pictures, you can see snow on my coat and outdoors. What a change from the humid 90 degree days of Rio and Iguazu. I am now glad that I packed all of the extra warm clothes. Who is the rookie traveler now with 2 suitcases? Not me, I was warm, dry and happy. The train was a nice ride up into the mountain. I wasn't sure what to expect and was pleased to sit and enjoy it. By the time I returned to the station, the weather had cleared and was warm. Some others were going back to the center of town, so I hitched a taxi with them. Lunch was INCREDIBLE. I went into a small local restaurant and had the King Crab Parmesan. It was baked in a light Bechamel sauce with Parmesan and a touch of nutmeg. Holy King Crab it was good. I ate it all while doing my happy food dance in my seat. Thankfully the restaurant was mostly empty so not many people had to see that.

After lunch I grabbed a taxi back to the hotel and arranged a boat tour for the afternoon. It was with the same company as I had planned on using this morning, but was a smaller tour. Still, I was glad that I was able to do it. Once that was booked, I took some time to write postcards and get myself organized. Soon, however, it was back into a taxi and off to the docks. It was a nice catamaran that took us past sea lion rocks with birds that were not penguins. If I had my own internet I would look up what they were, but here I only have a few 15 minute tokens for the internet, so will keep typing. (Update, I think that they were Cormorant, birds that look like penguins, but are able to fly.) We sailed past an old lighthouse that shows in many Ushuaia brochures. Nice pictures. From there it was onto a penguin colony. We didn't go ashore, but he did pull the boat very close to shore. I can´t wait for tomorrow when I will be able to walk on the colony. Somehow I had a ticket to the VIP upper deck. It was so fricking cold on the way back that I was happy to be in a small warm room. The trip back was long, so I took advantage of the changing light to take a bunch more pictures. It is amazing how the light and clouds can make such a difference in photos. Each time, I would bundle up and head out on deck. It is not an exaggeration that I had to put my camera on a railing to hold it steady enough to take the picture. The wind was that strong.

Once back, I strolled the main drag before deciding on a restaurant. Ordered a fire grilled filet with mashed potatoes. Can´t complain about that. I am seriously having a great time here in Ushuaia. This place is off the beaten path and so beautiful. Mountains and the Beagle Canal surround the place, offering scenic views every direction.

---