After two days of hiking and canoeing, I decided to skip yesterday’s hike and spend some time in town. Unfortunately it was a holiday so the museums were closed but I still enjoyed walking around the marina. 

Ushuaia is the last stopping point for cruise and other ships headed to Antarctica so it’s a fairly busy port. 

And finally success in finding the local specialty, king crab. Although after a fifteen minute wait, watching as crab after crab in the window tank was taken out and  marched without fanfare to their deaths, I was tempted to perform a rescue instead. I’m sure you can imagine me, crabs hanging on everywhere charging across the street and into the bay. 

But I’d heard about the prisons here so I resisted and had the crab soup instead.  It was delicious.  

The weather was more wintry with snow and wind. The peaks are now covered with their first coat of snow. It really adds to the foreboding aura of the are. 

The weather here is considered temperate as the oceans keep the temps within 10dC of the average 0dC. So while it rarely gets very cold it also never gets very warm. 

I also found a street named for my birthday!  25 de mayo.

Patagonia, literally translated, is Land of the Big Footed. Apparently the Europeans needed some good stories to justify the cost. They told tales of 4 meter giants with accompanying foot prints. The prints may not have been too overstated as the locals wore leather sandals to protect their feet. And they did stand maybe 7 feet tall. 

Yesterday we were stalked by sea lions while canoeing. They are very curious and like following the boats around and watching people. Probably wondering what the heck we’re doing and why we go so slowly. 

We also saw a few steamer ducks. They’re rather larger and are flightless. They look rather judgy and put off. There are albatross here as well and we saw a few from a distance — or at least that’s what our guide said. 

There really is not a lot of wildlife here because it’s an island. During WWII, some wildlife was imported (because that never ends badly) so the Europeans would have something to hunt while the rest of the world was off fighting. The Canadian beavers really took to the area (no annoying predators around), so while taking a penguin as a souvenir is discouraged, taking a few beavers home is highly encouraged. Sadly we saw no beavers so you all won’t be getting one for Christmas. 

The hike and canoe were in the national park of Tierra del Fuego. We had to switch the order as the winds were from the north, which brings warmer weather but also stronger winds, which is not ideal for canoeing. 

It poured during lunch and none of us were keen on hiking but it cleared and the hike was beautiful, along the Beagle Canal. 

The hike ended at the southernmost post office, which unfortunately was closed so I wasn’t able to get stamps from there for my postcards. The hike started at the end of highway 40, the longest road in Argentina. From there, it is a mere 18,000km to Alaska. It is also known as the loneliest highway. I suspect taking spare gas cans and tires would be highly recommended. 

I forgot the quote from the first day. After responding “no” to any dietary restrictions, Sebastian, with obvious relief said, “Good, you’re normal.”

Well that’s not something I’m called every day. 

Yesterday’s quote. After offering one of the Iranians on the tour some wine, his friend explained, “He’s Muslim –he only drinks whiskey.”

I saw my very first whale yesterday. It was dead.  Not much else to say about that. 

Yesterday was a hiking tour of Gable Island, the first white settlement in the area, done partially as a thank you but mostly to establish it as part of  Argentina before Chile could claim it. It’s the southernmost forest, with Chile,  Cape Horn and Antarctica all that’s south. 

And of course, burying the lead, penguins!! There’s an island that they’ve taken over (they were originally on Gable and left years ago ). Most had already headed north for the winter (having all the seasons backwards from what I’m used to has been fun), but there were some hangers on.  We watched them from the boat, just hanging out, enjoying the last of summer. 

Sadly, the restaurant I went to last night did not have king crab but they had an amazing salmon sashimi and pòbano fish, both from the area.  It even had seaweed from Beagle Canal. I could have just grabbed lunch while canoeing. Lunch by the way was sea bass, also from the area. 

Not too much to report on my first day in Argentina. After two days of traveling, it felt amazing to sleep in a bed. Planes have not gotten any more comfortable. 

I’m in Tierra del Fuego, which apparently was originally named Tierra del Fuma (land of smoke) because of all the fires when the white people landed but apparently that name didn’t land right, so Tierra del Fuego is now what it is. 

I did get a chance to wander a little in Buenos Aires between flights, along the widest river in the world, Rio del Plato, river of silver which looks a little tarnished as I was near the confluence, a river from Brazil and Uruguay I believe. 

Here, the Beagle Canal is where the Atlantic meets the Pacific and is apparently quite turbulent. Chile is on the other side. I’ll be on it soon.

Seafood is a specialty here (specifically king crab) so that is dinner tonight. Last night was Beagle Ramen, with mussels, shrimp and calamari.  

English isn’t well spoken here so my high school Spanish is being sorely tested. 

It is cool and damp today. The low clouds add to the ruggedness of the landscape.  Some glaciers have held on all summer. 

And today is penguins!