It's the End of the World as we know it

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Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't see that title coming did you? You didn't? Shame on you. Michael Stipe would be very upset, and so am I. I did play with using "At least its not the end of the world" but I plumped for the obvious instead. I don't regret it at all.

Anyway, enough of that. I arrived in Ushuaia quite late at night, so just had enough time to pitch my tent in the lovely Pista del Andino campsite before it got dark. Tired from the bus journey, I ate then slept fairly soon after. Excitement all the way.

So, the next day I woke and after breakfast went off to explore Ushuaia a little bit. It's actually a nice city, and is obviously cashing in on "End of the World" tourism. I can't criticise though, as it's precisely the reason that I was there. After walking around for a bit, I went back to the campsite for lunch. Imagine my surprise when Pete and Becky, 2 friends of mine from university, were there and had pitched their tent right next to mine. Did you imagine it? I hope you imagined minimal surprise then, as we had of course planned to meet here, so seeing them was completely expected, but still very nice. After lunch, we went for another wander into town, before cooking and having a bit of a catch up.

Just outside of Ushuaia there is a popular walk to the Martial Glacier so the next day we decided we'd have a go at it. Turns out have a go was the correct turn of phrase to use, as we managed to take a wrong turn, and instead of ending up on the trail to the glacier like we expected, we followed a cross country ski path to a farm. Darn. We felt even sillier when we found that the campsite had a map of the walk, and if we'd just asked rather than assume we would find the way all would have been OK. Ah well.

Friday 13th March (uh oh)

Remember how Friday 13th went badly back in Cohaique? Well there was another one in Ushuaia, and it did a good job of copying the last one. During the night, there had been quite a lot of rain, and not for the first time I was sleeping in a swimming pool. I was kind of used to this by now though, and bailing out was a job carried out with military efficiency (sort of). Some stuff was left inside to dry, and I left some other stuff in the porch of Pete and Becky's tent as we went to visit Isla Martillo, home of a colony of Magellenic Penguins.

Friday 13th decided to let us enjoy this bit of the day, and the sun came out for our short crossing of the Beagle Channel to the island. When we got there, we were able to get off the boat, and spent about an hour walking around with the penguins, first visiting their nesting sights, before sitting around and chilling out with them on the beach. They aren't exactly shy critters, and seemed quite amused to see this strange gaggle of mostly pale creatures with arms and legs staring at them, and looking at strange box shaped things (cameras).

However, as soon as we got back to Ushuaia, Friday 13th launched its full assault. The walk from the city centre to the campsite is about 20 minutes, and quite pleasant in the sunshine. However, in driving rain it really isnt, and by the time we got back I was pretty miserable. Having waterproofs might have been a good idea. My mood really wasn't improved when I found that one of the dogs that hung around the campsite had broken into the porch of Pete and Becky's tent, and eaten all my food which I'd stored there (tied up in a plastic bag). This included my Dulce de Leche, which I was very miffed about losing. Oh, and my tent was still soaking.

After a meal of dry pasta, I was starting to contemplate the very real possibility of going back to try and sleep in the tent. But this is when salvation occured, and the campsite owner said I could sleep inside for one night, and one night only. Phew.

After Friday 13th

The next day, the weather had improved, and we set off for another go at getting to the Martial Glacier, this time armed with a map. Unsurprisingly, we made it this time, and climbed right up through the snowline for excellent views over Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel, and of course of the glacier itself. However, I've got to say that by this time, I was getting a little bit glaciered out. It's not a case of you've seen one you've seen them all, as they're all different, it's just over the last month or so, I've seen a hell of a lot of glaciers.

On our last day in Ushuaia, we set about trying to sort out our respective transport out, myself on a flight (cheaper than a bus) to Buenos Aires, and Pete and Becky to Puerto Natales, as they start going back the way I've just been. Doing this on a Sunday was pretty silly, as everywhere was shut. Luckily for me, I could book my plane on the internet, but they were faced with the possibility of getting up at 4:30am for a bus they may or may not be able to get on. Rather them than me, although they did get lucky in the end.

So, that was Ushuaia, and at the same time, that was Patagonia done for me. Depending on where you draw the line, I've spent anywhere between a month and 2 months in this remote part of the world, and apart from the occasional tent mishap, I've loved it. The weather has actually been really kind on me, which is kind of lucky really, as I didn't bring proper waterproof clothing with me. But from here it was up, up and away, to Buenos Aires.

Stewart

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Photos

Penguins and hawks and rainbows
I really like this one

Ushuaia and Beagle Channel
Look at those slow coaches