Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina - 26 December 2008 - 2 January 2009

Above: Ushuaia

Ushuaia, oh Ushuaia!! As the southernmost city in the world, it was literally THE End Of The World (or in Espanol, 'Fin del Mundo') in Ushuaia and as corny as it might be, I had to get my 'Ushuaia - Fin del Mundo' stamps on my passport at the Post Office and Tourist Information centre. :-) Since the road (specifically Ruta 3) ended here, there would be no where else to go but up (unless you wished to take a 10- to 11-day cruise to Antarctica, about 1,000 KM south from Ushuaia. Last I checked, a last-minute (filler) discounted rate was only US$4,800 per person - see evidence below).

I arrived in Ushuaia on 26 Dec after another dull 12-13 hour bus ride (one-way cost: 36,000 CLP or ~US$55) from Puerto Natales, Chile. The journey was punctuated by a few interesting moments of : 1) two bus changes (first in the middle of the road en-route to Punta Arenas, Chile and second at Rio Grande, Argentina), 2) the crossing of the Straits of Magallanes in Chile where I saw dolphins and penguins from aboard the Patagonia ferry, large enough to carry buses and cars across the Straits, and 3) the border crossing at Chile-Argentina.

Above right: Danger - Land Mines?!?!

It was bone-chilling cold and gusty when I got off the bus at Ushuaia. Quickly, I dug into my pack and pulled out layers to put on before I walked the few blocks to the FreeStyle Hostel where I had booked myself a 7-nights stay. The hostel was uber cool with an outstanding view of the bay from the top floor, and was staffed 24-7 with friendly and laid-back young men. It was the first time in a while when I was able to relax and not think about what I was going to do or see, or where I was going to next. Nearing the end of my grand tour of South America, Ushuaia became a symbolic 'goal-achieved' (as the southernmost point of my journey and hence a turning point upwards) and also the place for me to simply chill away the remaining days of 2008 and to welcome 2009 from the end of the world. My final 2 weeks in and around Buenos Aires, Argentina would be more or less a 'vacation' experience of a good life filled with tango and good food. Some shots of my (not-so-idle) time here in Ushuaia:

Above: A beaver dam; beavers (introduced to the region from Canada in 1946 for their fur) were a cause for the felling of trees in this region. To control the beaver population in this natural habitat of few predators, the local government had apparently offered a reward of 60 ARP (~US$20) for every beaver killed (with fur still intact)....any takers?

[Postscript: I'm pleased to inform that the above beaver dam photo has been released for publication in the Encyclopedia of Biological Invasion. Please check it out here]

Above: Isla Navarino, Chile (with the peaks) and Puerto Williams (the little patch of land) where a few military personnel were said to be based

As the penguins = south, a visit to the penguins colony on an island near Ushuaia was a must-do. So on 29 Dec, I joined a Walk-with-the-Penguins tour with Pira Tour and although it was pricey at 240 ARP or ~US$80 a person, I felt it was totally worth the money for the time spent on the island with these 'little butlers'. (For some reason, Pira Tour managed to hold the monopoly to organize land tours on the penguin island - passengers from the other agencies were not allowed to land on the island and had to make do with seeing and taking pictures of these waddly ones from aboard their boats.)

There were 2 species of penguins on the island - the Magellanics (white chest with black strips) and the Gentoos (yellow beaks and feet). Shown above (left) were the Magellanics

Above left: A nesting area for the Gentoos;

Above right: Skuas, a natural predator on the island, would prey on young chicks and penguin eggs

Above: A baby penguin with an adult

The next day on the 30th, I took a mini bus (round-trip 50 ARP or ~US$17) to Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego for a day's hike with new friends Aisha, Cyrille and David. Regrettably, the weather did not co-operate all the way and we found ourselves semi-wet with muddy shoes and dirt-laden pants at the end of the trail. Still, it was a fun experience. :-)

Above left: Using what was left of my torn rain coat, I found a way to protect my bag from the rain - aesthetics was the last thing on my mind!

Above left: check out the 'size 8-8.5' earthworm; Above right: the symbolic photo of yours truly @ the end of the road here @ the end of the world! :)

Above: After a day's hike in the cold rain, we treated ourselves to a great dinner at Tante Sara. I ordered the Patagonian lamb (38 ARP or ~US$13) and yes, it tasted as good as it looked. DE-LI-CIOUS!!

Above: I ushered in the New Year 2009 from the end of the world with the folks from FreeStyle hostel. It was a fantastic party complete with good food and great company. Happy New Year everyone!!!