As you read this we have left Ushuaia in our mirrors and have started the drive north to warmer climates, more penguins and most likely a few glaciers. Eventually I hope to see a few coconut palms but we’ve a long hike to get there.
Before we left Ushuaia yesterday afternoon we took a boat tour on the Beagle Channel, one last chance for Layne and Therèse to have a natter.
One last chance for me to ponder the intrepid explorers aboard HMS Beagle in the 1830s.
Rusty slept through our entire trip and when we got back to him after nearly five hours he was on his bed snoring. I missed him far more than he missed me, but we had a joyful reunion.
I can’t get over what a historic place this is and looking up the channel to the east in this case I was completely absorbed trying to imagine what it looked like 200 years ago. Just like this I guess.
We got to travel in comfort below decks with a well equipped back bar and central heat. We did not suffer.
I thought of Webb Chiles when I saw this solo sailor in an unsuitably small ultra light sailboat. He looked like he was having fun even under power on a wind-free day.
An aluminum hull is considered a good idea if you plan to sail high latitudes service and rocks abound. This boat was taking passengers for hire:
I got a close up of a granite point on a mountain, a common and odd feature around here:
First pause uncomfortably close to rocks was to observe Patagonian cormorants. I think that was what I was told they are.
A visitor to the ship. A black bird. That’s all I know and pretty brash it was too.
Oh Argentina, so beautiful and so messed up.
We landed for 45 minutes on an island where everyone rushed off to take a short walk to an overlook and Layne and I had breakfast, a toasted cheese sandwich -and maté, (“mah-tay”). The matécane in a tea bsg arrangement and we did add some sugar but not every Argentine does.
It’s their national drink and argentines carry around a special bag with a cup, a thermos of hot water and a bag of lawn clippings. You stuff the dried clippings in the glass and add a dash of hot water. Then you stick a metal straw in with a flat filter on the end like a paddle. It’s a drink that tastes like creosote but I suppose they would disagree.
Little wonder Magellan saw fires all over this island when he came by in 1520, you’d need fuego if this was your home:
In Ushuaia there are three languages in common tourist use, Spanish, English and Portuguese (below). Brazilians sick of their tropical heat love to come here and shiver. Who knew?
In Argentine Spanish the original settlers called Yaghan are pronounced Shag-an. You’re welcome.
I don’t selfies much, you may have noticed but everyone else was posing and smiling for the camera. I quite enjoyed watching them primp.
Ushuaia second the waterfront under the Martial Mountains, the end of the Andes.
It turns out the border between Argentina and Chile is the deepest point in the channel and that means most of the islands here are in Argentina. Chile wasn’t far away:
I wished we could have shipped GANNET2 to Puerto Williams to done week exploring the only road on Isla Navarino in Chile.
Time to get up and see something!
Sea lions:
I enjoyed the three hours we spent on the water.
Antarctic expedition cruise ships:
See Antarctica in luxury. We might after Rusty.
Or work your passage on Europa, and it’ll still cost you $16,000..
Still there, waiting:
Therèse knew a place for lunch nearby.
I had pork shoulder with cloves. I loved it but Layne wasn’t too keen so Rusty got hers for dinner and he agreed with me.
Argentine pesos exchange at a little more than a thousand to one US dollar.
Look at that, below, two hundred miles to the Pacific. Amazing, I love the Beagle Channel:
We did laundry yesterday in Rio Grande and today we plan to cross back into Chile and take a ferry across the Straits of Magellan back into mainland South America.Cabo Domingo, Argentina:
Our proposed route out of Tierra Del Fuego.
