Photos from Ushuaia

These are the houses built when people first settled here.

Last night this chap stood at the junction sounding his air horn and shouting. He was selling 'fresh, homemade' churros from the car.

Beagle Channel

We did a 3 hour boat trip which took us out of Ushuaia bay and in to the Beagle Channel where the Atlantic meets the Pacific and which serves as a cut through to avoid Cape Horn.

We stopped off to walk over a small island where native people used to live. Hard to credit how they survived in such exposed conditions.

After lunch Martin hiked up to a glacier in the mountains behind the city whilst I sat in the sun on the front then walked back and Martin arrived home not long after. He had a tale to tell about being harassed by two dogs on a quiet dirt road - the owner was present but did nothing to call them off.

View of the glacier and back over the bay

Ushuaia - at the end of the world

The buses only run half hourly here so we decided to walk to town to visit the Tourist office for maps, advice etc.

Not a good impression; graffiti, rubbish everywhere, abandoned broken cars, shabby houses and huge potholes even in major roads. Tonight I popped to the supermarket - a 10 minute walk, the wind had got up and I had to walk through a dust storm.

Also there are these signs with the sentiment officially endorsed on all buses too;

Then we came across a huge memorial for those lost in the battle for the Falklands. We discovered later that there is a channel on TV which broadcasts live CCTV of the memorial with accompanying sentimental music. I started to feel a bit uncomfortable and wondered how we would be received in the town remembering the Top Gear debacle. Little did I know it wouldn't be the people I needed to worry about.

We walked along the front and I saw my first albatross. Incredible wingspan. They were swooping over the water and over us too. I have never been this far south before - the souvenir shops make a big thing about the 'end of the world' claim to fame.

I came across a year old article in the Economist which described how the Argentinian government were worried in the 1970s about Chile building up military bases on the western side of Tierra Del Fuego. They decided to encourage people to migrate down here with tax exemptions and they gave companies incentives too. The population increased five fold but gave rise to haphazard building in the town. Things have gone a bit pear shaped in the last few years with the economy and the withdrawal of some incentives - maybe this goes some way to explain why the town is like it is. It does have a beautiful setting though.

We continued our walk along the front then turned uphill through a residential area to make our way back. A dog came out of nowhere and started barking at me. We've had this before but this bl**dy dog bit down on my foot and would not let go. I had my lightweight walking boots on and I could feel the pressure of it's teeth. No amount of shouting or kicking out made it stop. It was terrible. In the end Martin got a plank of wood and whacked the dog. I've got a hole in my boot - hopefully the dog has a really sore backside. I'm just lucky my boots protected my skin.

A - Z - B

Originally we had booked a direct flight from Bariloche to Ushuaia. A week before we left home the airline emailed to say the flight had been cancelled and now we had to fly back up to Buenos Aires then get on another flight all the way south to Ushuaia. Meaning it would take all day. We didn't have much choice and had to go with it. We have had several further emails over the past 2 weeks with time changes - only quarter of an hour each time but it was a worry each time such an email popped in to the inbox.

Last night we were sitting in the lounge of our B&B and Martin received three emails from the airline. The first stated that the flight from BA to Ushuaia had been put back to 16.00, the second stated that the flight from Bariloche to Buenos Aires had been cancelled..... We took a deep breath and didn't start to panic.... The third email said we had been rebooked on another flight and it was still in time to get the connection. Phew.

The day started with catching the airport bus which thankfully we had investigated the previous afternoon as the route shown on the web wasn't the route it took. At the airport they kept changing their mind about the gate number - not sure why as there are only 4! The flight left a little late but we were serenaded whilst at the gate by a passenger with a guitar.

We caught our connection and had everything crossed that our bags had made it too. When we came into land we had a great view of Ushuaia with the mountains and the sea. Our bags were some of the first out and our host at the rooms we had booked met us and drove us to drop our bags then kindly took us to the supermarket.

There are more 'Malvinas belong to Argentina' signs here and it feels quite like the wild west. We are both looking forward to the next few days in this very different part of the country.

Junin de los Andes

Back in the town we went into the tiny museum. The curator did not speak English but followed us around to each exhibit room. With Google Translate and sign language we managed to understand the age of what we were looking at including the huge dinosaur bone.

We walked down to the river to eat lunch. There was a school party on the river bank and they let off steam afterwards playing football on an empty school yard.

Then two chaps brought a horse down and they tried to get it into the water. It wasn't keen and there was a stand off until the chap won the battle. However once the horse was in it refused to come out. Great entertainment for us, not so good for the horse when it got whipped to get it moving.

The riverside path was very pleasant and the town had spent some money creating it. Trouble was there was a shanty town just the other side of the fence - which was much more in need of funds.

River on the left;

Contrast on the right;

We have seen several of these signs along the road into San Martin de los Andes so I was surprised to see Londres on the signpost on the lakeshore.

The next day we drove out again on gravel roads to do a walk which we thought might be a bit tame but we were running out of options. However,  There was someone on duty at a gate to the village who wanted £25 so we turned round. We drove to the other side of the lake for a short walk. Once home we decided to go and read in the main square. Once again we were entertained. The Department of Science had set up several tasks for groups of children who thoroughly enjoyed the challenges so we had a good time too.

Spotted a gaucho;

We have now arrived back in Bariloche and dropped off the hire car, we think in one piece! Tomorrow we fly to Ushuaia - and the name of our accommodation? .... The Malvinas...!

Volcan Lanin

We decided to drive up to Junin de los Andes and Lago Huechulafquen about an hour and a half away. We were hoping for a glimpse of Volcan Lunin an extinct volcano. It suddenly came in to view as we rounded a corner just before the town - lucky it was just the right weather.

We carried on driving but had to go onto gravel roads which was really tedious and there were constant bangs from the underside of the car from the loose stones. Once we got to the lake the wind was fierce and freezing so we only jumped out to take photos before turning back to the town. When we got out we were followed by 3 dogs - the black one stuck to me like glue and didn't go away even when we got in the car! 

Lovely walk

We woke late this morning - probably catching up on sleep lost as I've had a cold and been coughing at night. One of the walks recommended was out by bus then trek back so we walked down to the bus station knowing we needed the no. 5 at 11.40. I always forget how confusing and mad bus stations abroad can be. I needed to load the Sube card but there was a massive queue at the Sube office with locals wanting to purchase their first card.  I think this Sube system has only just rolled out nationwide. There were no self serve charging machines. The bus station was full of offices of numerous bus companies but I finally managed to find someone helpful who could charge my card. I found Martin outside keeping a beady eye on the no. 5 bus.

The bus dropped us at a village

and the start of the trail was easy to locate. Apart from one tour party of Americans on our first day in the Lakes we have not heard any English spoken. On the bus were two New Zealanders who have been in Argentina since June touring on motorbikes. We had a quick chat before letting them get ahead on the trail.

This walk was very different to all of the others we have done in the Lakes so far. It was lovely with open space rather than just forest, lots of birds,  birdsong and it was like a real nature walk.

I accidentally stood on this chap (there were lots on the path) but he picked himself up and carried on his way.

We think they live in these holes - I would have had a real shock had something else appeared whilst taking the photo!

Other photos from the walk;

There was a thrush type bird with a striking red breast but I wasn't quick enough to photograph it.

Driving north

We said a fond farewell to Marisa with promises to keep in touch and she is going to follow our blog.

It was a rainy day so our plan to stop for a walk and lunch on the way through the lakes was thwarted. The good thing was that all of the road was tarmac.

There were roaming cows, sheep and horses along the way.

We discovered that signs for turn offs are only at the actual junction - there is no pre warning so Google maps served us well.

There were advance signs however advising that the Guardaparque office is coming up and there are bollards in the middle of the road. I presume in summer everyone has to stop and pay the entrance fees as they enter each National Park.

In the towns there are 4 way crossings and it is the first car to the junction which takes precedence. However, yesterday I saw a police car stick its nose out and 2 cars determinedly drove across the junction in front of them. Not sure if that's a measure of lack of respect for them.

The roads in the towns all have the same names - usually past leaders and Generals. We had some difficulty locating our accommodation so I went in to a pharmacy to ask for help. The staff all had a discussion over the address and, in the end a nice young man came outside and walked with me up the road until we found the right house. We have a small studio apartment which is in what is probably a converted garage next to the owner's house. We can cook our dinners again so we stocked up at the supermarket. However we bought some big fat sausages which I cut length ways to cook them properly but they were disgusting.

The garden outside our annex;

We visited the tourist office and spent 20 minutes going through walks we could do over the next 3 days. At the end the chap recommended that we check with the National Park office who have a better understanding of snow conditions etc. We went across the square to the office. The chap in there did not speak English but proceeded to put lots of crosses on our map saying "cerrado", "cerrado", "cerrado" (closed). Note to self; visit the Park Office first.

Getting ready for Christmas using plastic bottles;

There are proper gauchos here complete with hats and baggy trousers. I will try to get a picture but will need to be surreptitious.

We walked up to a mirador to take in the view of the lake and the town. Near the top there was a small Mapuche settlement and a shack with a boy charging an 'entrance' fee - we were a little suspicious but it was only 50p each and the views were worth it.