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Published: June 21st 2009
To most people Ushuaia is considered to be the end of the world. Sitting at 54 degrees, 48 minutes south of the equator it has long been thought of as the most southerly city in the world. There is in fact another settlement further south - Puerto Williams, but due to a technicality from the Chilean government (a minimum of 5000 inhabitants are required to create a city and Puerto Williams sits around 2000) it is not considered to be a 'city' and so Ushuaia continues to hold the title. Having begun our South American adventure very close to the equator, we are now beginning to realise the significance of distances on this continent with how far we have come in 99 days. Who knew that you could get that much further south than Tasmania?!
In the days that we spent at the end of the world we also found it to be the perfect example of what a small world we live in. Within hours of arriving at our super funky hostel Free Style Backpackers, we were joined by our friends Annah and Andy who we had previously spent some time with on a tour in the Bolivian region
of the Amazon. Since meeting them almost 2 months before we had all been following a very similar path as we made our way south but our itineraries never seemed to cross. There was no intention of meeting up again in Ushuaia and luckily fate intervened and they recognised our names on the register when checking in. Not only were we in the same town at the same time, but we were also staying in the same hostel! The second example that gave us proof of the small world phenomenon happened a few days later. Lottie was taking a shower and the bathrooms were located very near to our dorm room. While dressing she could hear Steve chatting to what had to be a new arrival for the night. When she came back in to the dorm and Steve made the introductions Lottie found Kate, from a tour of Morocco three years earlier, sitting on the floor. This time not only was she in the same town at the same time and in the same hostel, but she was also allocated to the same dorm room for the night! It's a very small world that we live in.
Now
back to Ushuaia...the city itself is not among the most attractive that we have come across but in saying that it still holds an unexplained appeal. Located on the shores of the Beagle Channel and with the dramatic Martial mountain range as a backdrop, Ushuaia is exposed to all the elements. The weather here is unpredictable and at times dangerous. What can be guaranteed is that the days are likely to be cloudy, windy and wet. So why would anyone want to visit this place we hear you ask? Well for one thing there is something to be said about visiting the 'end of the world' - definitely on the tick list. Another draw card is the accessibility to numerous adventure sports and activities. We believe that most people underestimate the amount of time needed to enjoy the area and leave wishing they could magically come up with some extra days to play here. Many people visit Ushuaia to pick up one of the departures for Antarctica which would be a great experience with a spare US$5000 (minimum) per person to drop! One day.....
We spent a number of hours in our first two days in Ushuaia negotiating with
various agents in an attempt to avoid the upcoming 51 hour bus journey which appeared to be our only way out. We heard several rumours from reliable sources, including our friends Annah and Andy, of ways that we could still secure a flight at a reasonable cost. Clearly our negotiating skills require some polishing because after 48 hours we had in our possession two bus tickets.
Among the list of things to do while visiting Ushuaia (in the summer months) would have to be canoing, hiking in Tierra del Fuego and sea kayaking on the Beagle Channel and being located at the end of the world apparently means that prices can be raised to the maximum level. These adventure activities are no exception but we figured it would be a shame to come all this way and not take advantage of the opportunities. Luckily for us Annah and Andy have the negotiation skills which we lack. While we were busy tending to our bus tickets they were able to do some research and found a company that offered a two day tour combining all the things that we wanted to do at a high but reasonably discounted price.
Hostel view
Next stop, AntarcticaWith an 8am departure on the first day of our tour we headed out to make the most of what there was to be seen. Our guides for the tour were Augustino, a local with incredible knowledge of the area and instantly impressive comprehension of the English language, and Beto, a man of few words who represented Argentina in the 1988 Seoul Olympics on the kayak team and didn't hesitate to jump to the rescue on our drive back to Ushuaia in order to chop up a tree blocking the access road using an axe and with bare feet - it was like he was some crazy cave man. This first day saw us enjoying a number of experiences which we were expecting including an inflatable canoe along a small and peaceful river which led in to the Beagle Channel as well as a couple hours of hiking. There were also a number of experiences which we did not expect and only added to our enjoyment. We visited Estancia Haberton which is a popular and historical site of the region. It was Tierra del Fuego's first estancia and founded in 1886 by Thomas Bridges, a Scottish missionary. It remained a
Ushuaia port
Antarctica straight ahead working station until 1995 when basically all the sheep and cattle were lost to harsh winter conditions. These days the Estancia makes more than enough money from the entry fees paid by tourists wanting to visit the penguin colony situated on the property and hasn't bothered to replenish the stock. A second unexpected experience was visiting this penguin colony. Thousands of Magellan as well as a small community of Gentoo penguins greeted us on the shores of the Beagle Channel and allowed us to observe their interactions. The visits are controlled so as to disturb the penguins as little as possible. One particular Gentoo male put on a little show for us - playing around within the territory of a pair of Skua birds and threatening their young chick, although Augustino assured us that the penguin meant the chick no harm, and then parading before us on a platform which he jumped up on. The third and final unexpected experience for the first day was only a short walk from where we were spending the night on Gable Island. A number of beavers inhabit the area and have built dams. These shy creatures are mostly active during the early morning
Steve & Charlotte
Super calm paddling waters and evening and while it is difficult to see much of anything we clearly make out some movement in the water. They are checking us out as much as we are checking them out and frequently slap their tails against the waters surface as a warning signal to each other.
The cabin which is to be our accommodation for the night is very basic and lacks most creature comforts i.e. beds and toilets of any kind, but it is adequate and certainly has character. The best feature would have to be the store room with the back wall stocked floor to ceiling with red wine bottles. Considering there is no vehicle access to this cabin we have no idea how this wine found itself to be here, nor do we care! Our evening consists of perfectly cooked bife de cerizo steaks eaten by candle light and washed down with red wine followed by stories around the camp fire under the stars. Retiring for the night means rolling out our sleeping bags and relaxing on the wooden floor boards. Our pillow suggestion (sleeping bag cover stuffed with clothes) is well received by the others in the group.
Somewhat refreshed
and after a relaxing morning we are keen to get day two under way. This second day of the tour is all about sea kayaking on the Beagle Channel. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather so far and day two does not disappoint. The clear, blue skies and warm temperatures are welcomed by us - not a breath of wind keeps the Channel calm and makes for easy paddling. It appears that we make quite a good team at this although we do spend the day chasing the Olympic kayak representative...no surprise there! We had many wildlife viewing opportunities during our time spent on the water including Flightless Steamer ducks, a giant male sea lion dominating from a rock island as well as a smaller female playing around in the water and finally a baby King Crab on the Channel floor.
Our final night back in Ushuaia brought with it the downpour of rain so typical of this region. With aching muscles from our expedition, it was time to say goodbye to 'the end of the world' and board our bus departing at 4:40am to head north. It's been a long time since we've gone in a
northerly direction, but we have the next 51 hours to get used to it!
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