Ushuaia, the end of the road.I was very lucky to have convinced Alda and Andrea into joining me on a journey to the bottom of the world. Ushuaia, known as the city ¨fin del mundo,¨ or end of the world, sits at the site where the Atlantic meets the Pacific. From El Chalten, it took us around 20 hours to get there, crossing two borders (You pass into Chile before crossing back into the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego) and weaving between green mountain passes. The majority of Patagonia is covered in shrub, very dull to the eye, powered with drought and extreme winds. However, when you get to the side of the Andes Mountains, lush vegetation and beautiful snow capped peaks unravel the amazing tranquility of the southern Argentine landscape.
Entering Ushuaia, the port town is obvious, filled with cruise liners, touring yachts, sail boats, and cargo ships. The back drop of Ushuaia is a beautiful white mountain side with a glacier sitting right up in the middle. The buildings are of middle European style (as seen in Switzerland and Austria) and the climate is a cool wet 40 degrees...unfathomable, being that it is in the middle of summer and the sun is up from 5 in the morning until 11:30 at night.
We found a lovely hostel filled with lovely people from all over the world...I should admit that 90 percent of them were from Israel. And even though these Israelis had spent multiple years in the military, they have terrible manners and do not clean up after themselves. The hostel was small and crowded, so the noise volume in the evenings was to be dealt with.
Nonetheless, we woke up early the next morning to go on a hike up to the glacier that overlooks the city and ocean to the south. Once again, it was raining on us, and unfortunately, sweet Alda had a sprained ankle and stayed at base camp while Andrea and I walked up to catch a piece of the ice. The weather inhibited any view of the city and ocean below, so after a couple of photos above, we made our decent to base camp to catch up with Alda.
Later that day, I took a boat trip by myself off into the Atlantic. Just as the weather started to pick up, we passed an island filled with penguins, sea lions, and elephant seals. It was a riot, everyone was attacking each other. I could not tell if they were playing or trying to kill. The boat continued on to the lighthouse, the last remaining lighthouse at the end of the world. Its red and white stripes stood out in the dark blue seas and grey mountain scape. The lighthouse is now run off of solar energy and is a ticket into the major port of Ushuaia. On the way back into Ushuaia on the boat, you could definitely feel the current that the oceans bring when adjoined together. The boat rocked up and down, causing more than ten people to vomit, and the rest to sit at the back to avoid the turbulence. The power of the oceans was felt and it could scare any man on a bad day.
The second full day in Ushuia took part in the National Forrest. We hiked around the coastal line of Beagle Chanel, visiting many lakes and rivers that curved through the mountain sides into the two oceans. The shore lines were lined in mussel shells, and the mountainous backdrop of Chile off in the distance gave one the feeling that it was actually a lake rather than the ocean. Yet the water contained salt and life forms were seen on the sandy shore, verifying its reality.
We took off the next morning to Rio Gallegos, where I split up from Alda and Andrea. They went up into the lake district of El Bolson, just south of San Bariloche where I had spent Christmas. I went directly north back to Puerto Madryn to visit the Penguins and Sea Lions. I just want to say, that the time I spent with Alda and Andrea was incredibly special and wonderfully educational. I learned so much about the Latin American culture, the language, and about myself. I learned to be more patient, to understand the differences between cultures and linguistics, and how to absorb the love across borders. I will never forget the time we spent together...dos gardenias para ellas...te adoro.
Entering Ushuaia, the port town is obvious, filled with cruise liners, touring yachts, sail boats, and cargo ships. The back drop of Ushuaia is a beautiful white mountain side with a glacier sitting right up in the middle. The buildings are of middle European style (as seen in Switzerland and Austria) and the climate is a cool wet 40 degrees...unfathomable, being that it is in the middle of summer and the sun is up from 5 in the morning until 11:30 at night.
We found a lovely hostel filled with lovely people from all over the world...I should admit that 90 percent of them were from Israel. And even though these Israelis had spent multiple years in the military, they have terrible manners and do not clean up after themselves. The hostel was small and crowded, so the noise volume in the evenings was to be dealt with.
Nonetheless, we woke up early the next morning to go on a hike up to the glacier that overlooks the city and ocean to the south. Once again, it was raining on us, and unfortunately, sweet Alda had a sprained ankle and stayed at base camp while Andrea and I walked up to catch a piece of the ice. The weather inhibited any view of the city and ocean below, so after a couple of photos above, we made our decent to base camp to catch up with Alda.
Later that day, I took a boat trip by myself off into the Atlantic. Just as the weather started to pick up, we passed an island filled with penguins, sea lions, and elephant seals. It was a riot, everyone was attacking each other. I could not tell if they were playing or trying to kill. The boat continued on to the lighthouse, the last remaining lighthouse at the end of the world. Its red and white stripes stood out in the dark blue seas and grey mountain scape. The lighthouse is now run off of solar energy and is a ticket into the major port of Ushuaia. On the way back into Ushuaia on the boat, you could definitely feel the current that the oceans bring when adjoined together. The boat rocked up and down, causing more than ten people to vomit, and the rest to sit at the back to avoid the turbulence. The power of the oceans was felt and it could scare any man on a bad day.
The second full day in Ushuia took part in the National Forrest. We hiked around the coastal line of Beagle Chanel, visiting many lakes and rivers that curved through the mountain sides into the two oceans. The shore lines were lined in mussel shells, and the mountainous backdrop of Chile off in the distance gave one the feeling that it was actually a lake rather than the ocean. Yet the water contained salt and life forms were seen on the sandy shore, verifying its reality.
We took off the next morning to Rio Gallegos, where I split up from Alda and Andrea. They went up into the lake district of El Bolson, just south of San Bariloche where I had spent Christmas. I went directly north back to Puerto Madryn to visit the Penguins and Sea Lions. I just want to say, that the time I spent with Alda and Andrea was incredibly special and wonderfully educational. I learned so much about the Latin American culture, the language, and about myself. I learned to be more patient, to understand the differences between cultures and linguistics, and how to absorb the love across borders. I will never forget the time we spent together...dos gardenias para ellas...te adoro.
Park outside of our hostel in Ushuaia.
Last remaining lighthouse on the southern end of the world.
National Park in Tierra del Fuego, outside of Ushuaia.
