The End of the World

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Places visited: Ushuaia(Argentina), El Calafate(Aregentina), Puerto Natales(Chile) & Punta Arenas(Chile)

Having done my first month or so enjoying the sunshine and beaches of Brazil and Northern Argentina, i decided it was time to unpack the fleece and venture to 'the end of the world'...

From Buenos Aires I took a flight down to Ushuaia in the south of Argentina. Known as the ‘End of the World’, Ushuaia’s claim to fame is that it is the most southern city on the planet. This means one thing, it is extremely cold!!!
As soon as I stepped off the plane you could feel the stark contrast in temperature from the rest of my trip so far. The icy wind, snow capped mountains and chains on tyres let me know it was time to dig out my winter gear.
The city itself has a real alpine feel, lots of chalets, steeply inclined streets with white mountain backdrops – my hostel even had heated floors which was a real treat. The one other thing that was clearly apparent here was that the Falklands (or Malvinas as they stubbornly call them here) was still very much a live issue. Numerous signs indicating that Ushuaia was the ‘capital’ of the islands and quite a few anti British daubing on walls showed the general feeling on the issue (this was actually the place where the Argentinean Air Force was based for the conflict). At this point I decided it was prudent to pack away my Falklands flag and tone down the renditions of Jerusalem and get on with seeing the sights.
A boat rip along the Beagle channel to see the most southerly Lighthouse in the world and some sea lion and penguin colonies was a highlight. Along with a trip to ‘Tierra del Fuego’ national park which was an incredibly stunning and peaceful place to wander around.

Acclimatised to the temperatures, I then flew to El Calafate to go and have a look at the Perito Moreno glacier. Here I did a full day glacier hike which was amazing – viewing ice caves and water pools, and then actually hearing the thunderous cracks as pieces of the glaciers fell into the water below. We then enjoyed a boat trip along the front of the glacier where we were treated to a whiskey with some ice freshly carved from the glacier (I think this was the one occasion when I felt it wasn’t sacrilege to have ice in a whiskey).

I then made my first excursion into Chile, getting a bus to Puerto Natales which is the stopping point before entering the Torres del Paine national park. Here is stocked up on provisions and hired some camping gear (yes, really) and set off to the park to complete the ‘dubbya’ (W) circuit which takes around 4 days to trek around. Luckily, in the hostel, I had met an English couple who took pity on my clear lack of any camping knowledge and we completed the trek together in what we think must have been a new record time. It was an amazing place, and mixed in with some long treks, tough climbs and the realization that my rucksack was far too heavy, I saw some amazing scenery. We even managed to find a hotel at the end of the trek to have a well deserved beer before the bus picked us up.

Now with aching bones I write this update from Punta Arenas where I wait for my flight up the coast as I head back to slightly warmer climates. Thankfully I have managed to get rid of the ridiculous bum fluffy beard I was sporting after 4 days trekking and I’m now looking forward to some water sports in Barriloche and then some wine tasting in Mendoza. Will let you know how it all goes in a couple of weeks

Ciao

Charlie

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Photos

Ushuaia
The southern most town in the world

Ushuaia
The hostel had great views but was on the basic side

Ushuaia
Ushuaia by night

The end of the world
The lighthouse at the end of the world

Tierra del Fuego
Me at the end of the world

El Calafate
In search of the pot of gold

Perito Moreno Glacier
Ice hiking on the glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier
One of the many ice caves we explored

Torres del Paine
The view of the national park

Torres del Paine
The local wildlife

Torres del Paine
The view at the end of day 1

Torres del Paine
End of day 2

Torres del Paine
End of day 3, when the weather turned

Torres Del Paine
The well earned beer at the end of day 4

Comments

[jo]

wow
I was very excited to see a new post- which I took as a sign that you were safe from your camping trip. However those photos are so spectacular that my jealousy has reached new levels. I expect those kinds of images from national geographic- not you. I cannot imagine how amazing it was to see scenery like that in person. would it not be possible to mention blisters, worries about getting lost forever........anything like that to make it not seem like the most perfect experience ever??? You are not missing much here- arsenal are making the life of a fan something of a rollercoaster which i fear will end in a massive trough and royal wedding mania is reaching its peak :( loads of love. xxxx

[Becky]

Hola Charlie
Hi from London Charlie where the skies are blue and the sun is shining... don't know if you heard about the incredibly hot easter weekend we were lucky enough to experience but it's all feeling very cosmopolitan here at the moment! Really enjoying your blog and looking forward to your thoughts on Mendoza - another epic experience! If you cycle the wine route (highly recommend it) get your bikes from 'Orange Bikes' - absolutely hilarious guy runs the show... Well, enjoy. Ciao for now Becky

[jo]

waiting....
The fact that i am having to comment on this entry pretty much says everything- when is the next installment coming?? Some of us are vicariously living through you so you have a responsibility to keep us entertained. Now you appreciate what pressure the arsenal boys feel....

[jo]

failure
My reference to the Arsenal boys in the last comment obviously made you feel that you had to do as badly as them in responding to the pressure......it was meant to encourage you to show them how it was done. A fan asks for a new blog (decent performance against a useless side) and you give them a new blog (decent performance against a useless side)....not implode completely!! :)