The end of the world
Trip Start
Oct 25, 2007
1
34
36
Trip End
Apr 17, 2008
Ushuaia,
Argentina
Thursday, March 6, 2008
I am pleased to report that for once I did not manage to loose anything, or have anything stolen. Am I learning from my own mistakes? More likely I have nothing of significance left to loose. In fact, it was so windy that I was forced to acquire something, being a goretex windbreaker. You can't miss me - I'm the bright red blotch in the middle of the photos...
The weather was kind to me. Well, maybe except for the time when it poured rain all night and it was still pouring when I woke up the next morning. That was the day I was supposed to hike around in the National Park - needless to say that did not happen. Instead, I went for a hike with some travel friends in a random forest outside of Ushuaia, and it was one of the most beautiful experiences I can remember. We walked up to a series of cascades and waterfalls, then continued walking upstream until we completely lost the trail and had to jump over and duck under fallen logs, cross the stream by balancing on those same tree trunks, and wade through the marshy grass. The forest was really dense, so dense that you could not see more than 20 meters ahead. I had a lot of fun trying out new photo techniques with my camera, and some of the shots came out not half bad.
The thing to do in Ushuaia is go-a-sailing. That is, if you're not there to catch a ride over to Antarctica - and there were certainly quite a few wealthy Japanese people in town doing just that. But Antarctica would destroy any ordinary person's travel budget so it will have to wait for another time. I went to the Antartica tourist office (!) out of curiosity, and found out that the kind of journey I would be interested in starts at around 8,000 USD. Ha!
So sailing. Down the Beagle Channel. Tierra del Fuego was visited by some legendary sailors, explorers and pirates, including Magellan (after whom the Magellan Straits are named - but that was too far up north for me), Captain Fitzroy (who first sailed here with his ship The Beagle in 1830) and Darwin. Getting into a yacht and navigating the rough waters of the Channel sends your imagination sailing back into history and is a most exciting experience. Tierra del Fuego - land of fires - even the name sounds like a fantasy from a pirate story. And no wonder, since Magellan himself named this land after the numerous fires he saw on the shores of the islands when he first sailed this way. These were the fires of the native Yamana (pronounced Zhamana) indians who lived very primitive lived, walking around almost completely naked and feeding on sea lion and whale fat, living under the open skies and in the waters - without houses of any type.
The numerous islands around the Channel have extensive sea lion and penguin colonies. The penguins are so CUTE!!! They're every bit as adorable as you would imagine them to be. They waddle on the ground and swim fast as torpedoes in the ocean. They're very curious creatures, they will sit motionless less than 2 feet away from you (as you are zapping away with your camera) and stare at you, shifting their heads from left to right. I saw three different kinds, one of them (Rock Hopper) had bright yellow feathers sticking out above its eyebrows, long as whiskers. Our guide told us that this species is endemic to Antartica and the Islas Malvinas (Falklands); and that this particular individual must have somehow lost his way - so it was a rare and rewarding sight.
But unless you ARE headed to Antartica - 3 to 4 days is enough for Ushuaia. I was quite glad to head back to Buenos Aires. Once again, I made friends here that I hope to keep for a long time. Among them are two crazy Brazilians who were convinced they were seeing naked women running down the windy shores (humph, typical, haha); a Russian girl who curiously reminded me of, well... me; and a Dutch girl who tried to get us lost in the forest, for fun.
I can't help but think about the end. Because this was the whole point, wasn't it? To reach the end of this vast continent. Yes, sure, I skipped many experiences on the way... for example, I never made it to the jungle (saving that for whenever I visit Brazil), or Paraguay (should I have??), or any of the -uams up north. But hey, life is long and I have plenty of energy left in me.
Energy, that is, for another long trip, another time. Right now I am starting to slowly feel tired. Tired of changing hostels every few days. Tired of bumpy bus rides. Tired of wearing the same clothes. Tired of not having a cell phone - oh, wait, that I'm NOT tired of! Seriously, though, being a travelling bum is hard work. I know you don't feel the least bit sorry for me, I don't feel sorry for myself either. But I'm not upset that my travels are drawing to a close soon. In fact, I am looking forward to having my own bed and seeing my old friends once again.
Before I come back, there is one last thing I need to do - and that is, get warm again. Gosh, I am such a sea creature. Cold water does not cut it for me. I need perpetual sunshine and a warm ocean. So I'll be heading back up north soon, either to Ecuador or Colombia. Right now I am trying to figure out exactly what the hell is going on in Colombia, and where it's going on. Trying to find some locals and others to talk to and see how safe it is to travel around the Carribean coast. Don't worry, mom, I won't do anything stupid. Oh, wait, I forgot it's me talking here.
Not so fast though - first I will enjoy a couple of weeks in Buenos Aires and do all the things I did not have time for last year. Like visiting the museums, going to a football game, and even a Dylan concert. That's right, y'all, I'm going to see Dylan this weekend. And its costing me less than a dinner at a Chinese restaurant - eat your hearts out!!!
Before I sign off, I just want to say that I recognize it's mid March and many of my faithful readers (thank you all for being so supportive) are busting their behinds right now trying to meet deadlines. So please take this all in good humour, I hope it adds a touch of amusement to your overly stressed and unbelievably lengthy workin days. The end is near, for you and me alike - and I shall see you back in the good old U.S. of A.
