Friday, March 16, 2007
Well we arrived in Ushuaia but sadly not without hassle. The flight departure time from Buenos Aires changed three times during the course of the day and when we got to the airport we found that it had been delayed. So we finally boarded the plane about 30 minutes after it was originally supposed to land in Ushuaia and after a flight full of stormy rain and turbulence we arrived in Ushuaia at last. After the sheer heat of the last two months I was absolutely gagging for some cool weather and Ushuaia didn’t disappoint. The first thing I experienced as I stepped off the place was a majorly refreshing cool 7 degree breeze which was crisp, fresh and clean. Unfortunately as we were delayed it was pitch black when we arrived and so had to wait till the morning to see the beautiful surroundings of Ushuaia. The hostel had these incredibly comfortable beds with duvets and as we snuggled down for the night we were grateful to be in a place that actually warrants the use of such warm bedclothes.
We had originally bookmarked our first day in Ushuaia for doing absolutely nothing. The last 3 weeks or so had just been full of activities and partying so all we wanted to do was spend the day reading and relaxing. And absolutely no alcohol! Unfortunately this plan was thwarted when we learned from a couple of Israelis at our hostel that buses out of Ushuaia were few and far between and that it is recommended to book the second you arrive in Ushuaia. And so we found ourselves on our day off walking around the town looking for bus companies which is the last thing I wanted to do. However, the Israelis were right. The soonest bus to Punta Arenas in Chile which is where my penguin lives wasn’t for 9 days! We decided that that was too long in Ushuaia and at the expense of seeing my penguin we booked a bus to El Calafate in Argentina. Gutted to get so close to my penguin and not see him but to wait 9 days and then go to Punta Arenas and THEN onto El Calafate would just take too much time.
Since we were down in the town we decided we might as well make the most of it and visit one of the several museums. It was the “Museum at the end of the world” which had all sorts off artifacts from the age of indigenous people. I don’t know how they survived in this cold weather with just a few flaps of seal skin to cover their meat and two veg. We then hit the supermarket as cooking for ourselves was something we hadn’t done in a long while and we were dying for some meat and two veg, not the indigenous variety. Dinner was good and we had an early night. The next morning we were up early since the Ireland V Scotland game was at 10.30am our time. The owner of Galway Irish bar promised us the day before that he would open early for the match however we were sourly disappointed when he turned up just before the game and wouldn’t let us in! We had also persuaded another group of Irish in Ushuaia who we knew to join us there and since they were out the night before and hadn’t slept yet, they weren’t very happy! We had to do something to appease the angry Irish mob so we decided to bring them back to our hostel which we knew had satellite tv. We only hoped that the game would be on ESPN – the South American sports channel. Sure enough it was and we were happy. But only for a short while. Ireland played far below their ability and were lucky to scrape a 19-18 win. Also, rumors that an attempt had been made on Ronan O’Gara’s life at the end didn’t help matters!
After the match we began our healthy living regime in earnest with a hike up a nearby mountain behind the village. Although the trail was poorly signposted we found our way somehow. Most of it was through a forest of thin, tall trees but as we got higher up, the trees became smaller and at the edge of the tree line they were mere stumps. Really weird! After the tree line we were onto the bare side of the mountain. We had already come a long way and the trail actually ended before the top of the mountain so we only continued a short way further up the mountain before turning back. The view over Ushuaia from the where we got to was incredible though. Again we cooked in, delighted with ourselves and although Fi went off for a few bevies with the Irish I still wasn’t ready to douse my liver in alcohol just yet and so headed off to the local cinema to watch Apocolypto – the new film by Mel Gibson. English films in South America are actually in English but with Spanish subtitles so I went along thinking I’d be fine. But as it turns out, the film is originally in Mayan, a South American indigenous language with English subtitles. So the Spanish version is still in Mayan but with Spanish subtitles. Having not taken Mayan in school I didn’t understand the dialogue but as it turns out the plot is simple enough to understand anyway. Another great sleep was had.
The next day was the arguably more important rugby match of the weekend – England v France. My hopes that England would actually pull through and win a game for us were low, especially since the messiah was missing. But they did it blowing the tournament wide open! And deservedly so too. Apart from the fact that Ireland have a good chance of winning the championship now, it will make for a good Paddy’s day on Saturday. We watched the game in one of the Irish pubs in Ushuaia with some English, Irish and a Frenchman. Because I hadn’t drank in a good few days, I was well up for a few beers. But one or two later, it was clear they weren’t going down well so I gave up on it. We just spent the day in the bar chatting to the various people and after some Fuegan lamb for dinner we hit the sack. The next morning we were up fairly early to catch the “train at the end of the world”. Everything in Ushuaia is something “at the end of the world”. But the train sadly promised a lot more than it could deliver. Crawling along at a snails pace with irritating music and cheesy commentary we were grateful to arrive at our destination – inside the national park. Here we embarked on a 4 hour hike up to the top of a mountain. The first two thirds was through the forest alongside a stream. The terrain was kind of difficult but fun as we had to duck under branches, hop across streams and drop down ledges. Soon the trees become smaller and less frequent and we found ourselves at the edge of the tree line with a great view over Ushuaia. Unfortunately from here on in, the terrain changed to an almost swamp like marsh. Fi stepped wrongly and as a punishment was up to the top of her sock in mud. Thanks to having lost a hiking boot I was actually walking in my good going out shoes and having seen what happened to Fi I said no thanks! So we decided to call it a day and turn back. We’d already done the majority of the hike including the most difficult bit so we didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty running back down to the bottom having not quite reached the top.
Being a bit wrecked the next day from our previous day’s hike, we figured we’d lie in and stroll up to see the nearby Martial Glacier at our own pace. We jumped in the overpriced chairlift that takes you within a 45 minute walk of the glacier (apparently). As it turns out, the “walk” is up a steep hill and at the top you can only see a view of the glacier. To actually get to the glacier and see it close up, a further hike is required which involves scaling the side of a large rock face to get to it. Although it wasn’t the easy stroll we had expected we decided to go for it since we were there. However close to the top, a serious mist descended and people from the top came back down leaving us alone on the rock face. Fi decided to stay just below the absolute top while I legged it up quickly. I didn’t spend long there and I was soon on my way back down to pick up Fi and head for the bottom of the rock face and out of the mist. We made it down fine and it was never really that dodgy but when we were on the side of the rock face and couldn’t see more than an arm’s length in front of us it was quite freaky. Being a sucker for punishment, the next day I actually climbed the glacier again. Fi didn’t join me this time but the general experience was better because I had bought some brand new hiking boots and there was a perfectly clear sky. Since we hadn’t drank in a while, we allowed ourselves a night out that night as it was our last in Ushuaia. We rocked into bed at 4am, just in time to get an hours kip before our 5am rise to get a bus to El Calafate. The bus was actually epic. For a start, we had to change buses in Rio Gallegos. On top of this, the route from Ushuaia to Rio Gallegos is through Chile. So we had to get off for Argentinian emigration, again for Chilean immigration, off again a few hours later for Chilean emigration and off a fourth time for Argentinian immigration. As a final annoyance, there was a ferry ride in the middle of all this causing more delays and more getting off the bus. Needless to say, only having one hour’s sleep didn’t help. And finally, since all your bags get checked at the Chilean border, all the nice food we had bought for the journey was confiscated resulting in having to settle for a second rate re-heated Milanesa in Rio Gallegos. Grrr!
Still we arrived in El Calafate in one piece at about half past midnight. Somehow we managed to book ourselves in for a tour to the Moreno glacier for the next morning. Not that surprising actually since the Moreno Glacier is the only reason anybody comes to El Calafate. The Moreno glacier is the world’s only static glacier. That is to say it is not growing or shrinking. While most of the world’s other glaciers are melting away, the ice in the Moreno glacier is replaced by snow on the south side as fast as it melts on the north side. This morning we embarked on the tour and it seriously impressed. On a trip like this where you are constantly exposed to new and amazing things, you become immune to amazing things and only REALLY amazing things actually amaze you anymore. But Moreno glacier did deliver. Our drive on the coach through the national park gave us a good view of the glacier as we approached it from a distance. Our first activity here was to take a boat right up to the glacier. Although the weather was quite warm in the national park, close up to the glacier it was bloody freezing! But it’s an awesome sight. This massive chunk of ice just sitting there right in front of you with loads of mini icebergs floating around the boat. After the boat ride, our tour guide (mmm) took us on a walk along the lakeshore to the side of the glacier. At this point we were actually closer to the glacier than we had been on the boat. Thankfully so as during the 45 minutes we spent there, sheets of ice of varying sizes calved off the glacier and plummet into the water with a mighty crack and a sound like thunder. The noise and waves caused by this calving seemed much bigger than it should for the size of the ice slices. After some time chilling out in the snack bar we boarded the bus for the 2 hour ride back to El Calafate. We are currently assembling our plans for St. Patrick’s day tomorrow. We initially thought it would be a bit of a non event since El Calafate is in the middle of nowhere – not even an Irish bar! However we have cobbled together a Motley Crue of Germans and Americans who are going to help us celebrate Paddy’s day and support Ireland in their quest for that elusive 6 nations trophy. We even managed to find an Irish girl from Kerry on the tour today who postponed her bus to El Chaltan tonight just to celebrate with us tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
We had originally bookmarked our first day in Ushuaia for doing absolutely nothing. The last 3 weeks or so had just been full of activities and partying so all we wanted to do was spend the day reading and relaxing. And absolutely no alcohol! Unfortunately this plan was thwarted when we learned from a couple of Israelis at our hostel that buses out of Ushuaia were few and far between and that it is recommended to book the second you arrive in Ushuaia. And so we found ourselves on our day off walking around the town looking for bus companies which is the last thing I wanted to do. However, the Israelis were right. The soonest bus to Punta Arenas in Chile which is where my penguin lives wasn’t for 9 days! We decided that that was too long in Ushuaia and at the expense of seeing my penguin we booked a bus to El Calafate in Argentina. Gutted to get so close to my penguin and not see him but to wait 9 days and then go to Punta Arenas and THEN onto El Calafate would just take too much time.
Since we were down in the town we decided we might as well make the most of it and visit one of the several museums. It was the “Museum at the end of the world” which had all sorts off artifacts from the age of indigenous people. I don’t know how they survived in this cold weather with just a few flaps of seal skin to cover their meat and two veg. We then hit the supermarket as cooking for ourselves was something we hadn’t done in a long while and we were dying for some meat and two veg, not the indigenous variety. Dinner was good and we had an early night. The next morning we were up early since the Ireland V Scotland game was at 10.30am our time. The owner of Galway Irish bar promised us the day before that he would open early for the match however we were sourly disappointed when he turned up just before the game and wouldn’t let us in! We had also persuaded another group of Irish in Ushuaia who we knew to join us there and since they were out the night before and hadn’t slept yet, they weren’t very happy! We had to do something to appease the angry Irish mob so we decided to bring them back to our hostel which we knew had satellite tv. We only hoped that the game would be on ESPN – the South American sports channel. Sure enough it was and we were happy. But only for a short while. Ireland played far below their ability and were lucky to scrape a 19-18 win. Also, rumors that an attempt had been made on Ronan O’Gara’s life at the end didn’t help matters!
After the match we began our healthy living regime in earnest with a hike up a nearby mountain behind the village. Although the trail was poorly signposted we found our way somehow. Most of it was through a forest of thin, tall trees but as we got higher up, the trees became smaller and at the edge of the tree line they were mere stumps. Really weird! After the tree line we were onto the bare side of the mountain. We had already come a long way and the trail actually ended before the top of the mountain so we only continued a short way further up the mountain before turning back. The view over Ushuaia from the where we got to was incredible though. Again we cooked in, delighted with ourselves and although Fi went off for a few bevies with the Irish I still wasn’t ready to douse my liver in alcohol just yet and so headed off to the local cinema to watch Apocolypto – the new film by Mel Gibson. English films in South America are actually in English but with Spanish subtitles so I went along thinking I’d be fine. But as it turns out, the film is originally in Mayan, a South American indigenous language with English subtitles. So the Spanish version is still in Mayan but with Spanish subtitles. Having not taken Mayan in school I didn’t understand the dialogue but as it turns out the plot is simple enough to understand anyway. Another great sleep was had.
The next day was the arguably more important rugby match of the weekend – England v France. My hopes that England would actually pull through and win a game for us were low, especially since the messiah was missing. But they did it blowing the tournament wide open! And deservedly so too. Apart from the fact that Ireland have a good chance of winning the championship now, it will make for a good Paddy’s day on Saturday. We watched the game in one of the Irish pubs in Ushuaia with some English, Irish and a Frenchman. Because I hadn’t drank in a good few days, I was well up for a few beers. But one or two later, it was clear they weren’t going down well so I gave up on it. We just spent the day in the bar chatting to the various people and after some Fuegan lamb for dinner we hit the sack. The next morning we were up fairly early to catch the “train at the end of the world”. Everything in Ushuaia is something “at the end of the world”. But the train sadly promised a lot more than it could deliver. Crawling along at a snails pace with irritating music and cheesy commentary we were grateful to arrive at our destination – inside the national park. Here we embarked on a 4 hour hike up to the top of a mountain. The first two thirds was through the forest alongside a stream. The terrain was kind of difficult but fun as we had to duck under branches, hop across streams and drop down ledges. Soon the trees become smaller and less frequent and we found ourselves at the edge of the tree line with a great view over Ushuaia. Unfortunately from here on in, the terrain changed to an almost swamp like marsh. Fi stepped wrongly and as a punishment was up to the top of her sock in mud. Thanks to having lost a hiking boot I was actually walking in my good going out shoes and having seen what happened to Fi I said no thanks! So we decided to call it a day and turn back. We’d already done the majority of the hike including the most difficult bit so we didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty running back down to the bottom having not quite reached the top.
Being a bit wrecked the next day from our previous day’s hike, we figured we’d lie in and stroll up to see the nearby Martial Glacier at our own pace. We jumped in the overpriced chairlift that takes you within a 45 minute walk of the glacier (apparently). As it turns out, the “walk” is up a steep hill and at the top you can only see a view of the glacier. To actually get to the glacier and see it close up, a further hike is required which involves scaling the side of a large rock face to get to it. Although it wasn’t the easy stroll we had expected we decided to go for it since we were there. However close to the top, a serious mist descended and people from the top came back down leaving us alone on the rock face. Fi decided to stay just below the absolute top while I legged it up quickly. I didn’t spend long there and I was soon on my way back down to pick up Fi and head for the bottom of the rock face and out of the mist. We made it down fine and it was never really that dodgy but when we were on the side of the rock face and couldn’t see more than an arm’s length in front of us it was quite freaky. Being a sucker for punishment, the next day I actually climbed the glacier again. Fi didn’t join me this time but the general experience was better because I had bought some brand new hiking boots and there was a perfectly clear sky. Since we hadn’t drank in a while, we allowed ourselves a night out that night as it was our last in Ushuaia. We rocked into bed at 4am, just in time to get an hours kip before our 5am rise to get a bus to El Calafate. The bus was actually epic. For a start, we had to change buses in Rio Gallegos. On top of this, the route from Ushuaia to Rio Gallegos is through Chile. So we had to get off for Argentinian emigration, again for Chilean immigration, off again a few hours later for Chilean emigration and off a fourth time for Argentinian immigration. As a final annoyance, there was a ferry ride in the middle of all this causing more delays and more getting off the bus. Needless to say, only having one hour’s sleep didn’t help. And finally, since all your bags get checked at the Chilean border, all the nice food we had bought for the journey was confiscated resulting in having to settle for a second rate re-heated Milanesa in Rio Gallegos. Grrr!
Still we arrived in El Calafate in one piece at about half past midnight. Somehow we managed to book ourselves in for a tour to the Moreno glacier for the next morning. Not that surprising actually since the Moreno Glacier is the only reason anybody comes to El Calafate. The Moreno glacier is the world’s only static glacier. That is to say it is not growing or shrinking. While most of the world’s other glaciers are melting away, the ice in the Moreno glacier is replaced by snow on the south side as fast as it melts on the north side. This morning we embarked on the tour and it seriously impressed. On a trip like this where you are constantly exposed to new and amazing things, you become immune to amazing things and only REALLY amazing things actually amaze you anymore. But Moreno glacier did deliver. Our drive on the coach through the national park gave us a good view of the glacier as we approached it from a distance. Our first activity here was to take a boat right up to the glacier. Although the weather was quite warm in the national park, close up to the glacier it was bloody freezing! But it’s an awesome sight. This massive chunk of ice just sitting there right in front of you with loads of mini icebergs floating around the boat. After the boat ride, our tour guide (mmm) took us on a walk along the lakeshore to the side of the glacier. At this point we were actually closer to the glacier than we had been on the boat. Thankfully so as during the 45 minutes we spent there, sheets of ice of varying sizes calved off the glacier and plummet into the water with a mighty crack and a sound like thunder. The noise and waves caused by this calving seemed much bigger than it should for the size of the ice slices. After some time chilling out in the snack bar we boarded the bus for the 2 hour ride back to El Calafate. We are currently assembling our plans for St. Patrick’s day tomorrow. We initially thought it would be a bit of a non event since El Calafate is in the middle of nowhere – not even an Irish bar! However we have cobbled together a Motley Crue of Germans and Americans who are going to help us celebrate Paddy’s day and support Ireland in their quest for that elusive 6 nations trophy. We even managed to find an Irish girl from Kerry on the tour today who postponed her bus to El Chaltan tonight just to celebrate with us tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
# posted by Grum @ 3:29 PM 
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