24 little hours... The weather yesterday was cloudy and very windy. Today, radiant sun and very pleasant indeed! Although you'd still have to put a sweater or a jacket on, it's only around 10 degrees.
Yesterday in the afternoon I went on a boat trip on the famous Beagle Channel, separating the Argentinian Tierra del Fuego Island and the southernmost Chilean islands, just south of Ushuaia. The sea was quite rough in the high winds, and tops of the mountains on either side were shrouded in fog. The waves were so strong the boat was bobbing up and and down like a rollercoaster. Some older ladies at the front were having the time of their lives. Bless.
Had I gone on that trip today instead, the sea would have been calm and the mountain tops would have been clearly visible and made for some great pictures. Oh well. My take on the Beagle Channel cruise: only do it in fair weather and if you want to take some pictures of the scenery. The trip itself is nothing special. As on Lago Argentino, they take photos of you during the trip and try to flog them to you at the end. The onboard cafeteria is of course also fully stocked for the captive audience. We went close to a few islands with cormorants and sea lions, and a lighthouse. I paid 750 pesos, mostly for the bragging rights. You got a stamped certificate at the end, so that's something to show the grandchildren, I suppose.
This morning I went on a half-day tour to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. An altogether much nicer experience, partly because of the vastly improved weather conditions. About half an hour outside of Ushuaia, there is a narrow-gauge railway that used to transport prisoners but now is packed like a sardine can with paying tourists. A nice enough little trip of just under an hour one way, but by no means a religious experience. Those who didn't fancy the train stayed on the bus, and we all met up again where the track ended.
We then went on to a few beauty spots in the park. Green Lagoon, Lapataia Bay at the end of the Panamerican highway that starts in Alaska, Lago Roca (stunningly beautiful!), and finally the southernmost post office in the world, adjacent to Isla Redonda. I did a typical tourist thing and paid 30 pesos to have a special stamp in my passport!
So I have learned that Antarctica is still 1000 km to the south from Ushuaia, and the South Pole is 4000 km away. If you are interested in spending a couple of weeks seeing nothing more than snow, ice, and the same faces, be prepared to cough up at least $5000 for the privilege. Even if I had that kind of money sitting around gathering dust, the last thing I would think to spend it on would be the above. I could very well imagine a cruise, but in a more pleasant climate and with a proper stateroom that I never had to leave.
There are more expensive experiences to be had around here. The 3-4 day cruise between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas runs you a cool $3000, and it is the only way to see Cape Horn and the southern fiords of Patagonia. They were advertising last-minute discounts so for a laugh, I sent them an email. They still wanted almost 3 grand for the privilege, but for a single cabin that actually is a good discount! Even the very basic ferry service from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt runs you several thousand dollars, and the accommodations are abysmal. The best (?) "bargain" if you fancy seeing Patagonia from the sea is the 30-hour journey between Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams on the south side of the Beagle Channel. This is about 100 quid including food, but accommodation is only a reclineable seat. Getting to Puerto Williams is another story. You can cross by ferry from Ushuaia, which is another 100 quid! My conclusion is that travel between Chile and Argentina is quite difficult and expensive. If you stay within one country, it gets cheaper and easier. There are for instance no flights between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas, the only direct option is the 11-hour bus journey I'm about to embark on tomorrow.
Ushuaia is reputed to be the most expensive city in Argentina. I can certainly confirm that accommodation is severely overpriced. Eating out, however, is not too bad. Seafood is surprisingly expensive, but you can have the staple milanesa with chips for about 110 pesos, or a pasta for about the same price. I happened to walk past a pizza restaurant yesterday that advertised 50% discount on all pizzas on Wednesdays. Guess where I had my lunch today! I tried Argentinian pizza in Buenos Aires and found it very bland. I think it's because the cheese, which they call mozzarella but I have my doubts, is quite tasteless. Anyway, for half off, I wasn't going to turn my nose up. First the waiter brought me the wrong pizza. Then I got the one I actually ordered, with spiced sausage to at least give it some flavour. I was still left disappointed. But hey, half off is still half off, and I'm economising with my last Argentinian pesos before leaving tomorrow. I now have only 72 pesos left to spend in the supermarket in preparation for my long bus journey tomorrow.
I have enjoyed my two days in Ushuaia (especially today), but two days is enough. One more day and I would have been bored. I will be in Punta Arenas next for three days, then start heading north to Puerto Montt and finally Santiago. The Chilean capital has around 30 degrees now, so after the cool weather in Patagonia, that will be a bit of a shock to the system.
