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Alas! (Sarge claims that this is a negative term, but in my book it means "great heavens!"- so read it that way) We've made it to the end of the world! Currently located in Ushuaia, we're a mere 3 blocks away from the Beagle Channel, sunken ships, and the legacy of Darwin. Not the prettiest of all port cities (but we're biased graduates of the College of Charleston), Ushuaia is more of a city on which to ponder the history than rave about the quaint Magellanic homes (which we still can't pick out). It was originally founded as a penal colony, and the old jail now serves as a great museum- there were 5 wings: one they turned into a nautical art museum, another an exposition on Antarctica and all the voyages that succeeded or were never heard from again, a third about the jailmates with some specific stories highlighting homicidal maniacs or political prisoners, a 4th we couldn't enter, and the 5th they kept without renovation. This 5th was the creepiest and was either kept around 30 degrees or filled with ghosts (I like to think the latter). But before the penal colony existed, native americans known as the Yámanas lived in Tierra del Fuego for more than 10,000 years. Pretty much killed off by the European immigration, their story makes you want to close your eyes and imagine what life was like before steel houses and imported goods. These small, disproportionate people lived without clothing in negative degree temperature and had a diet of sea lions and penguins. It's sad to realize how healthy and content they were until the English came and forced them into missions.
We just got back from camping for 2 days in the national park Tierra del Fuego- Sarge fished (and failed) and we took a hike and had lunch in Chile for a few minutes. Chile and Argentina have had years of indifference towards one another because of this southern land- and the map shows it. Craziest border line I've ever seen. Tomorrow it's off to sea! Unfortunately not to Antarctica (we didnt have the chump change to afford 2 tickets aboard an Antarctic excursion- and by chump change I mean 4,000 a piece...minimum) but rather down the Beagle channel. Muy emocionado.
But before we hit this southern tip:
We first stopped at the national park Los Alerces (where Sarge DID succeed with his flyrod). This piece of our travel puzzle was cut short thanks to rainy days stuck in a tent...we got colds and headed to a hostel in Esquel, where we drank a lot of hot Tang and ate a lot of soup and potatoes.
After meeting some great people and receiving some awesome advice (gotta love hostels), we, a German, an Englishman, and an Italian lady walked to the bus station to catch the bus down the famous route 40 to Chaltén- the national trekking city of Argentina and one doorway to the national park los glaciares. We spent 3 days hiking and camping next to glaciers and huge mountains with wild-looking, steep, slanting faces (cerro Torre and Fitz Roy) (side note: Fitz Roy was the captain of The Beagle on which Darwin rode- Sarge and I should have made this trip before we took History in College) We hiked over 20 miles, accidentally swam in glacier water, and woke up at 5 am to hike to the top of a mountain where we viewed the overwhelming Mt. Fitz Roy turn from black to blue to orange at sunrise.
From Chaltén we took a bus to Calafate and saw the Perito Moreno glacier. We had hours of fun just watching and waiting for 180 ft walls of ice to crack with a roar and break off the expanding glacier only to get sucked under water then bob to the surface.
Now were here. and Wednesday it's back to the trekking team- were hiking the 'W' in Chile's national park Torres del Paine.
And then Sarge will owe me a back massage.
Patagonia is a nature lovers dream. Life can't get any better than this...
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