Look Mom! I'm on the Bottom of the World!

Ushaiia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina(Jan 28-Feb 2, 2012)

Traveling to Ushaiia, the furthermost city in the southern hemisphere, aka "El Fin del Mundo", was my introduction to Argentina. And I must admit that it came as a bit of a jolt - pricewise! I'm not necessarily talking about the cost of accommodation but rather eating out in cafés/restaurants and even more so, the cost of bus transportation. For example, on the dining front, there was one day I walked around town desperately looking for a place to have dinner and eventually wound up eating in a fast food burger joint. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, small French fries and a beer. And the grand total was...$12!!! Another time I was searching for a café with WiFi and I could scarcely believe that theses cafés were charging close to $7 for a simple cappuccino! Finally, when it comes to bus tickets, Argentina takes the cake. To travel from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Ushaiia, Argentina, I paid about $60, which was roughly a 12-hour journey. However, to go from Ushaiia to El Calafate, both in Argentina, the ticket cost me 503 pesos ($115) even though the journey was only a few hours longer at 16 hours. In my Lonely Planet guidebook published in 2010, the prices quoted there are half what I have actually found them to be here. So what does it all boil down to? The fact is I have decided to change the date of my departure from Buenos Aires because I just can't afford to stay in Argentina until the end of March. In fact, as soon as I reach Mendoza, I am going to try and move up my flight by a couple of weeks. This will give me additional time in South Africa & Mozambique. Heck, I might even be able to squeeze in a trip to Namibia! Win win!

So where was I before I began ranting about incredibly over-priced Argentina? Oh yes, arriving in Ushaiia, the biggest city on Tierra del Fuego. The city backdrop is rather dramatic, for on a relatively clear day, you can see the snow-capped peaks which are situated behind the city. It is a port town as well with luxurious Antarctica cruise liners docked there daily, awaiting rich pensioners to board them. I didn't particularly love the town and was dismayed to find the weather less than accommodating. You can experience all four seasons in one afternoon; we're talking sun, clouds, rain, fierce winds and...wait for it...bloody HAIL! For the first time on my trip, I felt ill-prepared clothing wise and regretted having nixed bringing a pair of gloves.

What does one do in Ushaiia? Well, there's a hanging glacier located in a valley just above town which can be reached via taxi or by simply following a yellow brick paved winding road for 7 kilometers. I went there on Sunday afternoon, Jan 29 (after watching the riveting final of the Aussie Open between my stud muffin Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic), with an interesting lady I met while waiting for a taxi in front of my hostel. Nicoleta, from Moldavia, ended up sharing that very same taxi with me as she was also headed to the glacier. I enjoyed having her as my walking companion as we discussed rather philosophical things pertaining to humanity such as whether humans are inherently barbaric at their very core...or not. I see us peeps as being ultimately flawed but would be willing to debate the point with anyone, as long as that someone provides a bottle of wine!

The other primary activity for visitors to Ushaiia is a trip to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, which is 12 kilometers away. There are no local buses that go there but one can hitch a ride on a microbus for the measly (cough cough) price of 85 pesos round trip ($20). Once at the park, foreigners must pay an additional 85 pesos admission fee whereas locals pay only 25 pesos. Ouch! But what choice does one have but to cough it up? So off I went on Tuesday morning (Feb 1), with the drizzle bearing down on me and mucho clouds obscuring much of the view, at least for the first few hours of my visit there. I ended up hiking 10 kilometers along the Lapataiia Bay and then an additional 5 kilometers around the area. It was definitely pretty, but due to the somewhat inclement weather, not particular breathtaking.

One final thing I feel impelled to mention is the fact that for the FIRST time since embarking upon this backpacking trip way back in October 2011, I managed to successfully call my parental unit in Chicago using Skype!! Apparently my pop was within hearing distance of the computer when I rang and the connection was clear besides-Hallelujah! We chatted for around 30 minutes at least and it was beyond fantastic to hear their voices and to talk at length. I seriously have to admit I had been really missing family/friends back home and this call made this abundantly clear.

To sum up then...I love you Mom and Pops. Dearly. Whether I am at the top, bottom or middle of the world, you are both smack dab in the center of my heart & mind. Xox


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