Ushuaia Hotels
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En (Tierra del) Fuego
Entry 10 of 52 | show all | print this entry |
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We made it to the bottom of the world (or at least the end of the road.) This afternoon as we began to hit the Andes we saw our first trees in days and then the massive mountains that we found on the Carreterra Austral. Ushuaia (until now my spelling has been short a vowel ) is surrounded by steep peaks on one side and the Beagle Channel on the other side. There are various islands to the south, but the road ends 24 km away at a small sign (we will visit tomw by bike.) Beyond these islands is a lot of ocean and Antarctica. Many of you have asked if we are going to Antarctica. Unfortunately, a trip costs $4000+ per person and requires spending several days on a boat crossing one of the world's roughest oceans. Sounds like a yak-fest to me. Although we are close and it is tempting, we will pass.
The oceans are rough because Argentine Patagonia gives new meaning to the word 'windswept'. Kia, the windsurfer, tells me that my previous estimate of 20+ mph was way too low. I am surprised they do not use windpower for electrical generation down here. (We did see three towers in Co back in Chile, but none since.) Many of the estancias and small towns generate their own power, but choose diesel generators. There is enough wind down here to make a serious dent in oil usage if one could only solve the transmission problem.
Do you remember the Falkland Islands war? The Argentinians still do. Basically, the war was started by two unpopular leaders (Thatcher and President General Galtieri) who were looking pick a fight in order to distract their populations from what was going on at home. Thatcher swatted them like a fly and went on to a long and productive administration. Galtieri´s junta, on the other hand, was quickly overthrown. What I find interesting is that Great Britain has long forgotten this little skirmish, but Argentina commemorates it as an heroic event. (Britain's attitude may have something to do with having won a few more important battles over the years. They have no shortage of monuments in London.) Every town in the area seems to have a street name 'Heroes de Malvinas' (Malvinas being the local name for the Falklands.) In one town we found several large monuments to the events including one that continued to claim possession of the disputed territory.
In the states, we have had a very difficult time figuring out how to commemorate our loss in Vietnam. Our (lone?) memorial simply lists the casualties and generally treats the war as a tragic loss. Argentina feels like a peaceful and prosperous country as we drive through it, but there seems to be much glorification of war in their treatment of this conflict. I am concerned that we may be overestimating the desire for peace in a lot of smaller countries, particularly when they are less wealthy. If you look closely at a map of the area, you will find that Chile's border actually extends to the Atlantic for a few miles around the Straits of Magellan. For a southbound traveler this requires two border crossings. These were uneventful but tedious with lots of lines, forms and rubber stamps. I learned much about the personalities of the two countries by watching how each country treats the customs process. An Argentine customs officer will look you up and down with an imperious glare, briefly glance at your fistful of forms and then give them a resounding thwack with a giant rubber stamp. His Chilean counterpart, on the other hand, will barely glance at you and will instead studiously cross reference each of your various forms, looking for inconsistencies. (Did you use the same middle initial? Does your license plate number match your insurance card? Do you have the right stamps?) When an inconsistency is found (with my knowledge of Spanish and attention to detail, there are usually a couple) it is not a 'gotcha' moment that is used as an excuse to deny you entry or to otherwise ruin your day. The Chilean will simply correct the form and gently apply the rubber stamp. I think the Chileans are just a unique people that find beauty in a properly filled out form.
The Straits of Magellan were inspiring for me. We crossed a narrow point in a small ferry and the wind and whitecaps turned a 20 minute boat ride into a nauseating experience. Look at a map sometime. Imagine Magellan, without a map, in a small sailing ship, trying to find his way through the mass of islands and false passages. The wind is constantly whipping and the temperature is cold. This was truly a great feat of exploration. Future seabound travelers tended to just go around the cape at the bottom, but Magellan had no way to know what was down there. Ushuaia seems to have an energetic, almost urban, buzz that we have not yet found on our travels. There are numerous trendy shops (Kia is excited), bars and nightclubs. The city seems to be a hip destination for young people from Buenos Aires to fly down for the weekend. We hope to explore and report back to you.
In a couple of days we begin the long trip northward and toward home. More thumbnails ...
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