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Published: December 15th 2005
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Hola Chicos, thanks for all the messages!
We're beginning to get used to the lingo out here, faring a bit better than we did in Korea; at least we don´t get too many surprises when ordering food. Unfortunately we don´t quite have enough to ward off taxi drivers in the process of ripping us off!
Well we´re not in Antarctica, unless anyone feels like giving us a very nice Christmas present (any takers - go on, it´s only $3000 US.. each...) We could go, but it´d mean we´d be back by, erm, January!
So yes, we´re in Ushuaia, southern-most city in the world. (No-one ever mentions Puerto Williams, in Chile, which is quite a bit further down, simply because it´s impossible to get to.) Ushuaia´s beautiful and ugly at the same time; it´s a bright splash of colour, sandwiched between the Beagle Channel and the snow-capped mountains. The view as we landed has to be one of the most spectacular in the world: we popped out of the low lying cloud between soaring peaks and plunging valleys, before seeming to attempt landing in the sea.
Being typically unprepared, we hadn´t booked a hostel, so we headed to
Beaver Argentina!
Apparently the beavers in Ushuaia are bigger than anywhere else in the world (how´s that for a Trivial Pursuit fact?) Tourist Info for some help. They found us a room, and off we tramped, only to bump into the hostel staff 5 minutes later. Which was lucky as the hostel was at the top of the hill and they had a van. Our hostel is mainly constructed of and furnished with wood, but its staff are friendly and sinks (you´ll be pleased to know, Raci) are pube free!
The hostal organised a trip to Laguna Esmerelda. Little did we know, we had to trek through a knee deep swamp. We felt sorry for our friends. They wore trainers. After an hour and a half uphill we got to a very pretty tarn and it started to snow. Then we slid back down. The cafe at the bottom was attached to the husky training ground; the man also kept a wolf for breeding purposes.
We managed to make it onto the Beagle Channel the next day. Within half an hour we had seen an albatross. Mel didn´t think it was that big and forgot to be impressed. It was a really interesting tour though and the boat got us within feet of the animals. These included an island of
sealions,where there were several bulls with their hareems, King (yay!)cormorants, rock comorants and a variety of other seabirds . At one of the islands we watched a mother feed her newly born chicks. They had good fishing methods too, as many flew past, beaks full.
We went onto an island where the Yamana indians used to live. Our guide was telling us about their extraodinary skills. They used to dive in the channel to collect huge amounts of mussels and lived off sealions´ blubber. Apparently because of their diet their body temperature increased by one degree (vital because it´s really not very warm here). Then some clever welsh chap came along and introduced a more western way of life and killed them off via making them wear clothes which never dried and various diseases. There was also a plant on the island called bolax. With a Spanish accent, this obviously became
'bollocks´... imagine someone talking earnestly in Spanish and every now and then they chuck in the word. We stood at the back and sniggered. The guide then kindly explained that we were laughing because she kept saying "testicles". We felt so mature.
Then we went off on
a three day walk on the Paso de Oveja. The morning did not bode well. I melted Jim´s trousers and we hated our taxi driver. He took us to the wrong place, tried to make us pay 40 pesos to enter the National Park when we didn´t need to and when he eventually dropped us at the wrong end of our walk, 20km from where we wanted to be, he then tried to charge us 100 pesos. We argued down to 50. To get to the walk cost someone else 13. Some fast, angry walking gave us a good start and before we knew it we were in lovely meadow land looking down on the Beagle channel. A few hours later we were up a big mountain camping and all was well with the world. We had to walk through snow. Easily pleased.
A lot of woodland, some swamps, a mountain pass, a tarn, some condors and a couple of days later and we had finished. At the end of the walk we got picked up in a pick up. Easily pleased again.
A few relaxing days around town, a trip up to the local glacier and it´s
off to Chile!
Ciao,
Jim and Mel
xxx
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English Rocco
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Come on down to the boozer ya plonkers
I tried to read the adventures of Jim and Mel but I need it to be translated into PROPER English:) What does melting pants mean? And did you see any sealions humping or Shagging? Hope you two are enjoying yourselves. Ill prepare a nice cozy spot in my arms when you two decide to visit the states, or when I'm invited to the wedding, or when I'm chosen as Godfather to Rocco James King II. I fancy either. Miss you two, keep doing what your doing. Ill forever hold the trumpet up in the air for Lola's theme Jamsaah. Rocco