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Fri 9/3 I took the bus to Ushuaia from Puntas Arenas which took 11 hours, one less than expected:-) It left at 9am so not too early a start. The bus journey was fine and we also did a short ferry across the Strait of Magellan which takes you into Tierra del Fuego. I saw a penguin swimming nearby but missed the dolphins which also were apparently out there. As we drove the unpaved road through this part of Tierra del Fuego there wasn't much to look at, the land mostly flat with occasional farms. From Puntas Arenas it was approx. 5 hours to the Argentinian border so I made it to my 5th country of the trip! At the border I quickly ate my fruit as there was a sign saying you couldn't take it across but turned out I didn't need to worry as there were no checks on the Argentinian side. We changed from the coach to a mini bus at a place called Rio Grande and started the final part of the journey at about 5pm. Here the scenery started to change and became more mountainous. Arrived in Ushuaia at about 8pm. I went for dinner with some people from my hostel, to an all you can eat restaurant. I was pleased that the buffet style food was Chinese style but to really get your money's worth (90 pesos- approx. £13) you needed to eat the meat that was cooking traditionally over a fire- the others all said it was really delicious. Patagonian lamb is supposed to be a speciality. I had my first top bunk of the trip but luckily the next day I could swap to a bottom bunk. I have done pretty well really to not have had a top bunk before now!
The next day, Saturday 10th, was a really nice day so I decided to go hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park. I got some bread and crisps for a packed lunch and got the next bus to the National Park. It's not cheap, costing 85 pesos for the return bus fare (about 30 minute drive) and 85 pesos for entry to the park. Everything is more expensive down here though (ie dorm 90 pesos- £13) so it is to be expected and it was definitely worth visiting the National Park. I was really lucky with the weather and had blue skies and sunshine. I chose to do the 8km/5 mile coastal walk which was a good walk for me. The scenery was beautiful as the walk goes through the forest and follows the shoreline. The views were great and I really enjoyed the walk. I also saw the southern-most post box in the world, but decided not to send a postcard from there as they were charging a minimum of 30 pesos! Towards the end of my walk I saw a Fuegian red fox- I looked up from my resting spot and it was standing there looking at me. I didn't get a picture as I tried to keep really still, just in case! At the end of the walk I went to the visitor's centre and had a drink and wrote some postcards as I was too late for the 3pm bus and had a 90 minute wait for the next one. I couldn't manage any more walking as I was aching. Once back in Ushuaia I went to the tourist office and saw a girl who I had met in Colombia in Tierra Dentro and Popayan in November! We met later for dinner and managed to find pizza for £6, one of the cheapest options available.
The Sunday ended up being a bit of a wasted day, looking at onward travel options, etc. I had decided on a flight to my next destination to avoid the 18 hour bus journey and it didn't cost that much more than the bus. After internet research I had a wasted trip to an airline office as it was closed and then when I booked with them online you then had to call them to pay, was kept on hold for ages and gave up in the end. In the end when I booked a flight with a different company the price had increased but I decided it was worth paying, plus I had missed the chance to go out on the Beagle Channel so would need another day in Ushuaia to do that- I hate times like that when getting stuff organised doesn't work properly!
Monday I spent a couple of hours wandering around and down by the water, it was another beautiful day weather wise with blue skies and sun. It's still cold but as long as you wrap up warm it's ok. The cold reminds me a bit of the crisp cold of being in the mountains skiing. The views out to see to the Beagle Channel were beautiful- I was definitely lucky with the weather. They are building an Islas Malvinas (Falklands Islands) memorial park and there are flags all along the sea front. There are signs at the port saying "English pirates are not welcome" and an information board which says the Falklands since 1833 have been under the illegal occupation of the UK. You very quickly see that Argentina still consider the Falklands to be Argentine. One shop had a sign in its window "Guillermo (William) Go Home".
At 3.30 I went on a boat trip on the Beagle Channel. I chose the catamaran trip as it was cheapest, 200 pesos (£30), but some people from the hostel did small boat trips which sounded good.It was cold and windy out at sea but there were good views and we saw islands with sea lions and cormorants. You can also go to see penguins here but I didn't as I had been at Puntas Arenas.
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