hursday 21st
February 2013.
We overnighted from
Cape Horn in reasonably calm seas to the sea port and city of Ushuaia which is
the capital of Argentina’s Tierra de Fuego. It was a cold and overcast day and
a temperature of about 8 degrees.
The ship was programmed
to berth at the pier, however the cruise ship “Celebrity Infinity” beat us to
the dock, so we had to anchor in the bay and tender into the port.
Ushuaia is a city of
about 70,000 people and lays on the foreshore of the narrow Beagle Channel
which separates the southern most part of Argentina from the Chilean islands of
Cape Horn. The city of Ushuaia is regarded as the southern most city on earth.
What a place this is,
the city is nestled in at the bottom of snow capped Martial mountain’s, which
are part of the Andes range. The panoramic scenery and landscapes are
spectacular with evergreen forests and rugged mountaintops.
We had a land excursion
arranged for a half day city and scenic bus drive which took us along the
Panamerican Highway through the Garibaldi Pass, the regions highest point of
the highway about 40 miles from Ushuaia. The scenery was absolutely
breathtaking and a sight to see with densely forested areas, river valley’s and glacier and
snow capped mountains. We also visited a ski lodge and hotel for morning tea,
which also included a Husky training centre of about 100 dogs who are used as
transport in the winter snow season. The tour was well worth the effort.
The city itself, whilst
not large, was bustling with people and
easy to get around. We visited the old Military Prison and Museum which gave us
a good insight into the city’s history from it’s founding in 1831.
This is a very pretty
place and one which should not be missed if there is a chance of visiting this
area.
Tomorrow we overnight
and visit Punta Arenas in Chile.
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