Hare k'shorre josh ('The wind is very strong' in Tehuelches native language)

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Ushuaia- the Southern Indians

Since Tierra del Fuego (earth of fire) was named by Magellan after his sighting of the smoke from the indians's fire, things have changed drastically for the natives.
Hardly mentioned by our guide during our day Penguins Walk tour, the indians of Ushuaia and Patagonia have melted in history with the surrounding ice. The confiteria (tea house) from where our zodiac left had maps of the 2 migration paths taken 6000 to 9000 years ago: the Yamana/Canoe people and the Selknam/Ona across the Chilian sourthern islands and the Argentinian coast. I found it hard to find information about the native indians and even harder to find accurate one with no survivors left, tribes with 2 names and information spread out accross countries. It was great to be able to walk amongst the penguins with their chicks still covered in fur in January. I wondered if it would have been that easy hunting them in early ages. Fast swimmers, with a curious nature and a funny walk, I certainly wouldnt be inclined to hunt them (but then again I wasn´t the one of Shackelton´s crew stuck in Antartica for 1.5 year in 1916).
Similarly, a boat tour in the famous Beagle channel (separating the 2 countries and makning way to Antartica) got us close to seals and cormorans (and the much photographed Pharo not existant in the days the Indians fished those waters!). Hard to imagine the harbour of Ushuaia with its main street of coffee shops, chocolaterias and antartica-weatherproof clothes stores; set back 6000 years ago.
Virgin of 26000 tourists per month (Dec 2005) and daily cruise ships, this area of Tierra del Fuego would still offer its beautiful flowers, green valleys with ocre patches fungus growing (only after passing the dirt road part and flat landscapes with grazing guanacoes and rheas emu looking big birds).
I didn't go to the National Park of Tierra del Fuego, leaving the 3 musqueters (now reunited for the last day), symbolicaly complete their 6 months bike journey at the end of N3, south east tip of the Ushuaia bay.

Not tempted either by a visit to the old penitenciary (Ushuaia became a convict station in 1886), I concentrated on looking for the elusive 'ultimo minuto' cruise ticket to Antartica (last minute place on an freshly accosted ship). Bill, by complete fluck met an old mate -now a guide to Antartica- who will try to get good discounts on their next ship (cross fingers...).

In the meanwhile (and whilst Ted is overseas for 5 weeks) I decided to jump on a tour with 34 other people doing Patagonia in 15 days on a truck. We had met the truck driver (a keen motorbike rider) at the Chilean border and the next day at a pub we found out prices and availability (1 sfree spot!). So off we all go in different directions, I on my tour, hoping to catch up with the 2 studges in Bariloche around the 23 Feb and Ted (back in Ushuaia with the bike) on the 18th February.

There is a song that asks 'What do you do when you dream come true?' In our case reaching Ushuaia was a milestone, and one even more appreciated by motorbike riders (and to think that Ruta 40 of Patagonia is still to come!). It looks like that after the goal is reached you just create another dream and travel a bit longer towards it. Not from a lack of satisfaction but as a natural flow (as the nomadic indians here did naturally, carying their hut covered in guanacoe skins), and for us hopefully developing a purpose in the process.
I wonder what the Natives dreamt of their future... probably not their extinction. Their spirit of energy giving Hani-Yaka couldn´t face this wave of white visitors with deadly diseases.

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