The End of the World

Today we visited the end of the world, aka Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina. Here everything is billed as being the furthest south, although some of the claims probably should not be examined too carefully. The ship had been docked overnight so it was an early start; breakfast at seven and on the coaches by eight. Funnily enough Ushuaia does have a sort of frontier town feel. It was originally a penal colony and the whole town was centred on servicing the prison. Now captive tourists seem to have taken over, as it is a hopping off point for Patagonia and people taking tours to Antarctica. There were several expedition ships docked as well as the massive Norwegian Sun, I could not get Marion to swap.

Appropriately our first stop was the prison that had been turned into a museum. Certainly life as a prisoner down here in the first part of the Twentieth Century was not a bed of roses. The cells were small, damp and the heating and sanitory arrangements primitive. There were some interesting exhibits particularly of the areas s maritime history. Not surprisingly there had been many wrecks around the channel leading to the harbour.

From the prison we drove through the town to a national park on the outskirts of the town. Inevitably we came to a post office billed as the most southerly in the world. Well given we were able to post cards in the Antarctic courtesy of the Chilean government it obviously was not. Apologies to Millie and Martha, they will receive cards from different South American outposts, in no relation to the chronological order that they were posted.

So then the highlight of the morning, a visit to the narrow gauge railway that the prisoners had used to gather wood for fuel. It had been restored and now runs as a tourist attraction. I think that it is the same gauge as the North Bay Railway, but the engines and carriages are considerably bigger. It was also one of those hybrid affairs where they had tried their best but compromised by using modern technology. The engine was actually powered by some sort of liquid, certainly not coal or wood. It was a lovely ride through a valley with a visit to a waterfall on the way. However good news for Laura as there is something being brought home for her office bragging rights.

 We returned to the ship just in time for lunch and for Marion to attend a question and answer session with Sir Tim Rice.  Not sure she asked any of the difficult questions like why is he a Sunderland supporter? I enjoyed the beautiful departure from Ushuaia and spent all afternoon on deck as we turned north along the Beagle Channel through and area called Glacier Alley under Mount Darwin. Although showery the sun often made for spectacular combinations of light and shade. The glaciers were more alpine in nature than we had been used to. At points they ended in spectacular waterfalls that cascaded into the channel. Originally inhabited by native Indians there are now no inhabitants at all, no roads, no nothing. Great scenery, not unlike that which Barbara and Iain will enjoy in the south of New Zealand.

So it is time for a pre-dinner drink as we head towards Punta Arenas in Chile, the last country of our tour.