Ushuaia - Merry Christmas from the End of the World


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South America » Argentina » Tierra del Fuego » Ushuaia
December 29th 2006
Published: December 29th 2006
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Merry Christamas from the bottom of the world! Sorry about the amount of photos but these represent just a small selection of the snap-happy amount I took!

The bus journey from Rio Grande was what you hope every journey will be like - short (3 hours), comfortable and beautiful scenery. It’s just a shame that the city of Ushuaia didn’t quite impress us as much as we had hoped. Perhaps we hoped for a quaint pioneer frontier town or something like Bariloche, but anyway, the place is very functional and generally very expensive.

Even so, we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay. On Christmas Eve it was hard to find places open and charging prices we were prepared to pay. It seemed that every restaurant upped its prices fourfold, and even the tenedor libres (buffets) wanted 100-120 pesos rather than their usual 25-30. We managed to meet up with some of our new-found biker friends to celebrate the passage from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. Complimentary champagne was given out so that everyone could toast to friendship.

We spent Christmas Day walking in the National Park. It was about 8km in all through woodland and along the edge of the Beagle Channel. The scenery was generally wonderful and we were surprised by just how many people were doing the same as us. Once again we had lunch in a beautiful spot by the water and watched a family of ducks teaching the ducklings to dive and swim. At the end of our walk we met more biker friends who were camping. They were halfway through cooking a barbecue feast for Christmas Dinner, must be the Aussie influence!!

On Boxing Day we trekked up to the Martial Glacier. After Perito Moreno it was a bit disappointing, but to be up above the snow line was great. The views over the city were incredible. On the chair lift (to save us about an hour each way) the air was decidedly chilly!

We had been very lucky with the weather but the forecast for Wednesday was not good. That’s not the sort of news you need ahead of 9 hours cruising on the Beagle Channel! Fortunately our luck held out and we had a fabulous day viewing Imperial Cormorants, Sea Lions, Black Petrels and, of course, more penguins. This time the chicks had grown and were starting to take their first tentative steps towards the water. We also passed a lovely red and white lighthouse in the Beagle Channel, but I was disappointed to learn that it is not in fact the one which inspired Jules Verne’s novel, The Lighthouse at the End of the World. The trip ended up with a tour of the Harberton Estancia and an overview of the history of the area. It was fascinating.

On our final day we caught up with the museums where we saw how the prison used to be. They had to move it to Ushuaia because conditions on Isla del Estado were just too bad for both the prisoners and the wardens. It was also useful to find out more about the shipwrecks we had seen on our cruise. We also needed time to check out the hot chocolate on sale in town!!

So, despite not being over enamoured with the city of Ushuaia we have had a terrific time here. It has been good to meet up with friends again and, thanks to the Dublin Irish Pub, we have had some happy reunions and some sad goodbyes.

Next stop, Chile!!



Additional photos below
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Pan del indio - Indian BreadPan del indio - Indian Bread
Pan del indio - Indian Bread

It´s a fungus which grows on the trees and was used as a stomach filler in desperate times.
ChimangoChimango
Chimango

These birds of prey are so common around the campsites they are almost tame!
Great views from the glacierGreat views from the glacier
Great views from the glacier

Just a shame the glacier seemed to be a snowdrift rather than an enormous block of ice
Trish poses againTrish poses again
Trish poses again

A nice view from the back of our boat
Bottom of the food chainBottom of the food chain
Bottom of the food chain

Two seagulls fight over a cormorant chick
Thankfully we arrived safely backThankfully we arrived safely back
Thankfully we arrived safely back

unlike the poor souls on this boat
The former prisonThe former prison
The former prison

was actually very interesting to look around
InmatesInmates
Inmates

We´re innocent!!
The Old AlmacenThe Old Almacen
The Old Almacen

A general store now a coffee shop. Lovely after some heavy rain and cool winds.


9th January 2007

I fell behind a little bit with your travels but I have really enjoyed catching up. The blog is great. You keep doing fun and amazing stuff and we will live vicariously through you.
9th December 2007

Snowing in Ushuaia...
Hi guys, loved reading your descriptions of Ushuaia. We arrived this morning, greeted by snow! So much for summer arriving. We're planning to spend xmas here too, hope we have as good a time as you had.

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