Blogs from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, South America - page 11

We arrived in Ushuaia on 8th April 2013 after 3 flights. Puerto Madryn to El Calafate, El Calafate to Rio Gallegos, Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia. When we decided to come to Argentina I always thought that Ushuaia would be a highlight of the journey and it hasn´t disapointed. Sitting on The Beagle Channel and surrounded by mountains you just have to step outside to see some of the most amazing scenery. This is where the Andes meet the sea, the most southerly town in the world, many expeditions to antartica leave from here. Charles Darwin came here aboard The Beagle on his famous journey around the world making his study of the natural world, back then it would have been only inhabited by the native Yamana (almost wiped out by British missionaries shortly after). The Beagle ... read more

We are ready! This morning went for an hour jog alongside the lake, few days without much activity was driving me nuts - needed some exercice. We have got all of our stuff ready today though, food and all the equipment required for the W trek. Lunch was great, we had Chorizo sandwiches outside our hostel and tonight after dinner Willy the owner sang us a few songs. Anyway, we are ready to go, weather forecast does not seem bad (a little rain forecasted), bus will be picking us up early tomorrow. Speak to you in a few days x... read more

After soaking in the sun up North in Iguazu, we headed down to what was once known as the "end of the world", the city of Ushuaia. Ushuaia is located in Tierra del Fuego, the most southern inhabitable island in the world. Upon landing in Ushuaia we busted out our jackets as the temp was ~40-50 degrees F. Ushuaia is typically used as a launching pad for Antartic cruises so the city itself felt like a nice small ski town with the main focus on tourism. Right outside the city is the Tierra del Fuego national park which stretches along the length of the island. We spent the first full day here hiking around the park (including taking a relaxing rafting trip around the bay) and the second full day taking a cruise around the Beagle ... read more

Allez, on ne peut pas quitter Ushuaia sans aller voir les pingouins !; Une excursion est proposée par une agence ‘écolo’ pour s’approcher des pingouins Magellans, les seuls habilités à débarquer . Avant cela, il nous faut rejoindre la partie est de la baie, à 1h30 de route en bus quand même. Je ne vous ai pas dit, il fait un temps POURRI, il a plu toute la nuit sans interruption, un vrai bonheur, et le pire, c’est l’été !. Rien que pour ça je ne pourrai pas vivre à Ushuaia (et aussi car je m’ennuierais bien vite, et me sentirais un peu isolée !) Bref, avant de mettre le pied sur l’île aux pingouins, nous nous arrêtons dans un petit musée bio-marin, très intéressant où logent des internes en biologie pour rassembler et identifier les ... read more

On the eve before Ushuaia, the Captain's address thanked everyone for their cooperation with regards to the code 'red' situation and the step up in hygiene. The reported numbers of Gastric flu have remained the same so he is hopeful that things should return to normal within 36 hours. Some of the crew were taking this a little too seriously. Roisin and I carry a small thermos mug, which we fill up with either tea or coffee from time to time. On one occasion I put my mug down for the assistant to fill with tea. He used a ship's mug to fill with hot water before transferring the contents to my thermos. He did this without coming in to contact with my drinking vessel. So far so good. However, when he added the milk, the ... read more