Blogs from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, South America - page 7

A DIVE LIKE NO OTHER Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego The zodiac skimmed the smooth surface of the Beagle Channel off the tip of the Argentine coast, leaving a beautiful wake; spray splashed over the sides of the rubber pontoons. Silvina and I followed Carlos’ example and pulled our dive hoods over our heads like caps to protect our ears from the wind. This is much more comfortable for the twenty minute ride to our dive site than wearing them the normal way. I was surprised to see a dock in the middle of nowhere. We tied to it and Carlos began searching through the snow under our seats for our dive weights. My heart sank when he pulled out a knotted old harness and told me it was mine. I just discarded my own weight harness ... read more

I am back in Ushuaia, but only for a few hours. I sit here at a rustic wooden café sipping on some of, what I believe to be, the best hot chocolate in Argentina. Thick and smooth, not too sweet, a dash of spice, a generous topping of cream, spattered with chocolate dust… The chit-chat, the gossip, a young couple, some well-travelled backpackers! It’s a beautiful café, full of old tins and bottles, paintings from times-gone-by, its friendly atmosphere vibrating through my mug as I sip on this treasured beverage… And a slice of cake! Ushuaia is a colourful place, climatically, culturally and historically, and vibrant in the arts too! The city at the bottom of the world is an anomaly. Why is Ushuaia here? What do people do here? It has grown at an accelerated ... read more

Federico Gargiulo wrote a book, ‘Walking on Fire’… It was a book of adventure and courage, as he, and two others walked for more than a month around the remote and fairly unknown Peninsula Mitre on the far south-eastern tip of Tierra del Fuego. Their adventure had them wading across rivers in storms, scrambling up unnamed peaks, getting trapped by the tides and running out of food. A harrowing tale of how three young men, just out of college, had a desire to head into the wilderness to explore the magnificence at the edge of the world… Federico (Fede) is originally from Rosario, Argentina, but has lived in Ushuaia for about twelve years or so. I work with Fede - he is the historian on board Sea Spirit. One sunny afternoon on deck 5 aft, Fede, ... read more

Brrrr!!! 6 degrees here today. Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes on Facebook and by email - I felt very special hearing from everyone and had a great day exploring the area of Ushuaia.Fine day here apparently, weatherise, it is known to blow gales here but not windy at all. It is known as the "Siberia of Argentina" - very remote but beautiful! Once a penal colony now a thriving travel gem with a population of 70,000. Got a private guide just John and I and he took as out to the "End of the World Highway" the termination of the Pan American Highway - you will see it is 17, 848 kilometres from Alaska to this point - Marky! it's a long way - but its on the bucket list! The trip took us ... read more

Footsteps on a Forest Floor. “To the south we had a scene of savage magnificence, well becoming Tierra del Fuego. There was a degree of mysterious grandeur in mountain behind mountain, with the deep intervening valleys, all covered by one thick, dusky mass of forest. The atmosphere, likewise, in this climate, where gale succeeds gale, with rain hail and sleet, seems blacker than anywhere else. In the Strait of Magellan, looking due southward from Port Famine, the distant channels between mountains appeared from their gloominess to lead beyond the confines of this world” Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle, December 17th 1832. The area surrounding Ushuaia is stunning! I had a week between contracts so off I hiked into the vast emptiness that is only a few minutes from town. I spent a full day in ... read more