The End of the World - and Beyond
Trip Start
Sep 2005
1
31
52
Trip End
Sep 2006
Ushuaia,
Argentina
Friday, January 20, 2006
So this is it - the end of the world! The worlds southernmost city. Alias the penquin capital of the world. To get here you have to cross the Magellan Straits, which is no great shakes. About twice the width of Strangford lough. You don't even have a chance to get sea-sick. Then you drive on what is easily the worst rod in Patagonia. In 3 hours I got a cracked windscreen and 2 smashed headlights. Eventually you arrive in Rio Grande. I don't know the word in spanish but in English it is shite-hole. They also have the worst tourist information I've come across. This place calls itself the trout fishing capital of the world, and the tourist office didn't even know if there was a fishing tackle shop in town. They sent me to a funeral parlour instead of a hotel. So I didn't hang around for long, and quickly headed for Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world), where I wanted to get my kacks washed in the southernmost laundry in the world, and camp at the southernmost campsite in the world
01 Crossing the Beagle Channel
. Notice a theme developing? I camped on the shores of the Beagle Channel, where I had a great opportunity to road test my tent. It's definitely waterproof as it lashed down all night. Next day I headed up North again, hoping for softer climes. There was less rain but the winds were about 5 mph off being a tornado. It seems they were fairly used to it out at lake Fagnano, and you actually camped inside a wooden hut which made me feel a little more comfortable. The winds were so bad that it ripped some of the planks off the roof. Luckily it threw them away from the tent. I've had better nights sleep. The next morning I met some bloke in the toilets who said he loved hairy edeems. I knew from his face he wanted me to say I did too, but I was a bit reluctant to help him out. After a bit replay I realised he was talking about Gerry Adams. It was just the situation, the location, the body language, mind you he is a bit on the hairy side.
Fortunatley the weather was changing so I headed up to the Rio Ewan. I'd stopped off for a chat with the owners of the land at the Estancia Villamont on the way down. The owners were Irish. Well they'd been to a Christian Brothers school in Buenos Aires which out here seems to make you an honorary Irishman
02 The southernmost lake in the world
. I wanted to fish on his land, who was I to dispute his nationality. They suggested that I camp out on his land at the river estuary as it was a bit of trot a way. About 10km through some very beautiful meadows to be more precise about it. Land where the guanacos run riot. Guanacos are a type of deer who because they don't have horns defend themselves by spitting in your face. Not a creature to be crossed. But I managed to piss them off quite a lot, and still stay gob-free. Fortunatley they prefer to make a hell of a racket, stamp the ground a bit, and then run off rather than stand their ground and sling gob. The spot where I camped was almost the perfect camping spot, just not many fish. Well none. But the meadows, wildlife and sunshine(!) all made up for it. You can't come to Tierra del Fuego and not fish the Rio Grande river. Unfortunately all the decent water on the Argentinian side is a little too pricey for my budget. $1000 US per day is typical. So I headed into Chile which caters better for cheap skates like myself. At the Cameron lodge the guy told me I'd be better off camping at the river if I could find some shelter. The winds down here can turn into gales very quickly. So I found a spot under a bridge which seemed perfect. I was admiring my handiwork and the sunset when I spotted a few beavers swimming right towards me. Then I noticed the tent was about 6m from their dam. There was no harm in them, they just wanted to show me their new project. My only complaint was the noise they made all night, beavering away at their dam.
