Ushuaia - The most southern city in the world

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At the very south in Ushuaia- December 27-December 30

Accomodation matters!

Ushuaia is a much bigger city than El Calafate with about sixty thousand people. As we drove along the highway and through the port it was remarkable how underutilized the beauty of the port. Instead of a waterfront street lined with cute shops and coffee houses it's a highway. They do have that street, but it's a block away and it's called St. Martin. Walk it once, maybe twice, but anymore and it gets repetitive.

In Ushuaia, we were staying in Cabanas del Beagle. These cabins would be considered majestic tree houses by the imaginative 5 year old. So yeah, it was an awesome tree house for me. I've probably stayed at some 300 some hotels/motels/hostels/B&B and this is was perhaps the most unique. The material costs were relatively low, but the painstaking detail and craftsmanship of it was overwhelming. The cabins are super relaxing, especially in the evening with a fireplace and lounge chairs, and of course pasta bolognese prepared by Maria. We were really glad to cook dinner ourselves. Sun sets late..10ish and rises early 5ish...

It's all about fun
As for the fun staff, we did two excursions. One of them was adventure driving (by someone else) with a 4X4 Land Rover through tough terrain and along the river banks. Eventually we reached a shelter where we had - you guessed it - grilled steaks and wine. The best part for me was to go off road through the water. The car, I bet, was fun to drive, but somehow I expected a bit more thrilling ride. As often the case, the great part was about meeting new people. We shared a ride with a fun couple from Belgium who started their 1 month trip in Argentina. They had twins at home and on the way to the shelter and back being my twin sister became a big joke and the driver periodically called Ms. Olga. Dinner and wine at the shelter and we were back home. Maria wished they let me drive a little bit for the price we paid, but of course it would have cost much more than 225 dollars that we already paid. We asked how much it would cost to drive and the driver 'kinda' said unofficially about 500-600 and he would make something happen (so keep that in mind if you really want to drive).

Next day was a penguin exersion. Fun trip, but too long to drive there. Watching penguins nesting ground and their chicks is a much more interesting experience than at the zoo. Chicks were only 15 some days, but they were really fat - apparently they need to eat half of their weight every day because they grow that fast. And yes, very fishy smell when you first get on an island. Another surprising thing is how close the penguins let you come to them - definitely not a skwimish bird

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