Feb 24 - Ushuaia, Argentina

SANDY SHORE : This very cool little village is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world! You would never know by it’s quaintness and kind residents that Ushuaia was originally a prison for most of the first half of the 20th century! Argentina modeled this concept after the British with Australia and the French with Devil’s Island. Escaping from the unforgiving terrain of Tierra del Fuego was impossible!

The city is filled with some 65,000 residents and they host nearly that many more annually... those who come to the last stop before the Antarctic to find provisions and fuel and some come for safe haven until the unpredictable weather and tumultuous seas calm long enough for them to pass safely.

Waking up in Ushuaia heightened by senses… being back in the Pacific is like home for me and it comforts me as I know that I am closer to reconnecting with all that I value. The temperature today in Ushuaia is like home… 50ish with crisp, cool sunshine. No matter where my life may take me, I will always have a very strong bond with this ocean. It must be woven into my soul by now.

Donna and I always said that we’d go to the end of the world together and I’m glad that we made it. We’re so far south that we’re practically north… This is a turning point for us as I believe this may be where she and I change the destination of our journey. We are driven girls who will never be done, so in reality there is no ‘end of the world’ for either of us. No finish line…

So for me, on this day, the end of the world seems more like the beginning of another… ~ss

DONNA KAY PHILLIPS : Still "on fire" from our sail yesterday past Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) and around Cape Horn, and thinking nothing could top it, I stepped out onto our balcony this morning to one of the most majestically beautiful sites to ever greet my eyes.

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and gateway to Antartica, is a perfect mix of Alaska and an Alpine Village with touches of Monterey Bay kelp, pebbly beaches and plants thrown in. It is, by far, the most pristine of any of our stops in Argentina and has the enviable position of being one of the perfect launching points for visitors and explorers to Antarctica. Therefore, Ushuaia enjoys a steady flow of toursit dollars.

We departed the port on one of the best hermitcally-sealed buses yet, very comfy. Our guide spoke great English and did an excellent job conveying the details and informing us of the ins and outs of her town of 25+ years.

We drove to the Parqué Nacionál (National Park) to catch the view at Beagle Channel and to take a ride on a narrow guage old steam engine train up into the forest. Along the way, we saw another wild mash up of architectural styles, ornate Alpine roof lines with color corrugated roofs on anything from log cabins, to stone and mountain style homes to basic wooden slat and adobe walls all this with Argentinian character.

The visit to Beagle Channel was breathtaking and reminded me of the expansive mountain lakes I've visited in Alaska. I was curious to compare the water temperature to that of the frigid Monterey Bay and was surprised to find that the calm shallow waters actually felt much warmer. I found kelp, beach pebbles and mussel shells much like I do on my walks with Basil around Asilomar. It was like completing a circle between the extreme North and Southern Pacific - very cool and kind of comforting to find so many similarities in flora and fauna at the end of the world to my own piece of world.

The ride on the original steam engine (with seats to fit 2 people comfortably) chugged us up to the train station in the mountains where we hiked to see a waterfall.

The train and station were used to transport prisoners back in the days when Ushuaia was a place for Argentina to stash their ner-do-wells. An Argentinian band played at the Cafe and Bar and although the views seemed to convey the location as somewhere in Switzerland, the Bandonion player brought us back to Argentina.

In town we saw many healthy happy dogs running around, out of town we saw many healthy happy horses roaming wild in the lush foliage and meadows, some even sitting down to rest in the midday sun. Ushuaia has been formed by receding glaciers and it has the many resources that are usually left from this type formation. The waters run crystal clear and the bays are full of crab, fish, sea lions, sea brids and penguins - life thrives here. Hence the population increase.

A mere 3 hr flight south from Buenos Aires, Ushuaia is a lovely get away for the city dwellers as well as being only 1000 km north of Antartica. We are currently docked across the pier from 3 smaller exloration ships that are loading their passengers and provisions and will head out this evening for the 2 day sail to the continent as well as the Fauklands and Georgian Islands.

We scored major booty in this sweet southernmost city and were thrilled to be able to spend a day here at the very least. We managed to pillage some Cape Horn Stout, Ale and Beagle Channel Stout which are excellent and quite different from the Quilmes Stout from Buenos Aires which is sweeter. We found so many cool items, that our cabin is beginning to look like that of South American adventurers;-) -dkp