Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego

Although I had been warned about the weather conditions in Southern Argentina, I was completely unprepared for what was about to hit me. I had arrived from Buenos Aires which baked in 35C heat and was shocked to find myself standing in flip flops on the airport tarmac in 5C temperature and complete day light at 11 pm.

So here I am, the tip of South America, El Fin Del Mundo. I was pleasantly surprised by Ushuaia. Images of a grey bleak port city quickly dissipated as I walked about town checking out the main street and the port beautifully set against the backdrop of snow-capped Andes mountains.

Having purchased a beanie hat to cope with the freezing temperatures I was ready to brave the conditions and go explore the Beagle Channel, its Lighthouse and the many sea lions and cormoranes that inhabit the area. The boat trip was extremely scenic and despite the strong winds we were lucky to get enough sunlight to have nice views of the coastline. It´s an odd feeling to look at the coastline and realise that well, that´s it...there´s nothing now until Antartica.

Talking about Antartica I had told myself before getting to Ushuaia that if there was an opportunity for a last minute deal I would take it. That is exactly what happened on my last day here. As i walked down to the reception of the hostel, a poster advertising an 8 day Antartica cruise for $1800 was there staring at me. A regular cruise goes for $5000 so the deal looked pretty sweet. Oh..what to do ?

(...)

Naaah....I am not in Antartica...but at the Perrito Moreno Glacier next to El Calafate. Cheeky I know :) although tempted I decided against Antartica. Instead I bought a flight to Easter Island for the end of February (I would much prefer to spend time checking out the hot Easter Island men! ).