Ushuaia
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| And on my way to the end of the continent, or very close to it. This location is about 100 miles south of the Falkland Islands. As you can see, from Punta Arenas one can fly, but that's an international flight and a bit costly, one can take a boat, not so expensive (depending) but slow, or one can take the bus to Ushuaia. That was my choice. You start by crossing the Strait of Magellan and then, following almost the road that took me to the King Penguins, turn east at a 'T'-section and head for the border crossing at San Sebastian. The same bus continued to Rio Grande, a small harbor town, where I changed over to a mini-bus that took me the rest of the way to Ushuaia. Being nice, got me a very crummy seat, but at a stop at some village along the way, that person got out and I moved to where I had planned to sit all along. I go to Ushuaia just before dark, and had just a short hike to my hostel from where the bus let me off. The tour, which took me east in the Beagle Channel, took me a little more south, but that's about it. There are tours that will take one even further, or all the way, to Antarctica, only about 1000 km (620 miles) from here. |
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Back to the very busy ferry port which took us across the Strait of Magellan where you see lines of trucks waiting their turn to be ferried over, and this is where I met the Michelin Man, btw. |
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Approaching the border between Chile and Argentina, that somehow managed to carve out a part of this region. |
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Having departed Rio Grande, on the way to Ushuaia. Those are, I believe, the same mountains that I saw in the distance from Punta Arenas |
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Yes, people come here to ski, when it's summer in the northern hemisphere |
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The mini-bus broke down at some point, and a replacement had been sent from Ushuaia. After that I lost my seat next to the driver. Not that it mattered. The light was fading, and the windshied was a spotted mess. |
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The next morning I was up and about town. I needed money, and there were a few ATMs inside of banks. I finally figured out the best one with the shortest lines. This is the main shopping street and at night, bumper to bumper cars of the young wanting to party. Like in the 60s in small towns in the US. |
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Ushuaia has the mountains on one side and the H.M.S. Beagle Channel on the other. An adventurer's dream. |
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The important harbor where container ships and cruise ships moor, and from where daily tours into the Beagle Channel are departing. |
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One of the all important container ships being unloaded |
Already in Punta Arenas I noticed that all satellite dishes we nearly horizontal. This is necessary because the communications satellites are over the equator in geo-stationary orbits, meaning, they are visible way north of here, just above the horizon. |
3D