The End of the World!!

7th to 10th Feb  Final countdown..

Desolate spot in Beagle channel

From Thurs to Saturday we were in Ushuaia - it is called "The End of the World" - unless you are going to Antartica!!  This is a big city and is the provincial capital of Argentina.  It is the hub of tourism for Tierra del Fuego and the starting place for all the boats departing to the Antartic.  Ferdinand Magellan found these straits connecting Argentina with Chile and the Atlantic with the Pacific in 1520 - hence, The Magellan Strait.  We had a boat ride through the Beagle Channel (The Beagle was Fitzroy's ship) to see the Lighthouse, cormorants, seals and other birds.  We were very lucky that the channel was calm - it can be very rough and stormy.  After lunch we did a 3 hour hike on the Costera Trail through forests by the channel - it was a really peaceful walk - apart from the woodpeckers in the trees!

Lighthouse in Beagle Channel

The food in this place is the best I have had in the whole trip.  I can recommend two good places to eat:  Kaupe and Gustini - both equally good - Kaupe is the most expensive but not in European terms - dinner about 25 pounds including the best Pisco Sour I have had and, an excellent Sauvignon Blanc (Rutini) - yes, I am still on the wine trail!!!  King Crab is the local specialty.  After dinner we went to a Milonga (a place where the local people do the tango) - they were really fascinating to watch - it is now trendy for young people to learn and do the tango.  I was invited to dance!!!  I declined due to my glaring lack of expertise and inappropriate dress sense!!  I really enjoyed watching how the tango should be done - maybe I will take lessons when I get back home!

Sea lions colony on Beagle channel

If anyone wants a list of the restaurants I have dined in, I can furnish you with it!!

I had a chance to go horseback riding or bring my blog up to date - the blog won!  I spent the afternoon visiting the former prison to see the Museo Maritimo y Presidio.  This is where serial killers and notorious criminals were incarcerated - the famous famous was Simon Radowitzsky (see In Patagonia).  This is Argentina's equivalent to Alcatraz.  There are models of famous ships to be seen in this museum.  While you are in Ushuaia you can take trips to Penguin Island, Harberton Estancia, El Tren del Fin del Mundo and lots of trails in the National Park.

Woodpeckers on our hike in Nat. Park