Hi,

Tierra Del Fuego (the land of fire), so called apparently by the sailors making their way around the tip of South America on their way to the west coast and seeing the fires of the natives burning on the land. It is also known as El fin del Mundo (the end of the world). This was to be our next destination. There can be a certain curiosity about visiting the very far flung places of the earth and this location certainly qualifies. Tierra del Fuego also boasts a very highly rated national park.

Thursday 22nd November

The flight from Trelew for the 815 miles or so to Ushuaia took about 2 hours 15 minutes. When we descended into Ushuaia the most noticeable thing was that temperatures, which were in the low 20s in Puerto Madryn had descended to a very Scottish November temperature of 4 Celsius with snow capped mountains surrounding us. However the difference was that with it being late spring going into summer, daylight starts about 0430 and remains until 2200 or so.

We wasted no time after booking into our hostel and after some empanadas and refreshment boarded a catamaran for a three hour cruise on the Beagle channel. We were able to look back at Ushuaia, tumbling down the hillside to the sea with its neat gridded streets, surrounded by the Andes Mountains. It claims to be 'the southernmost city in the world.' This is disputed by those who favour Puerto Williams on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego. My understanding is that Puerto Williams has only about 2,000 inhabitants so therefore is struggling to make the case for being a city, so maybe Ushuaia does hold the advantage. By the way the name "Ushuaia" means "bay that penetrates to the west.

Anyway the catamaran trip was a great success. We stopped on an island and sailed very close to another two, spotting lots of marine wildlife, mainly sea lions and cormorants. We turned back at the lighthouse. It was an overcast day but the pictures should give you a fair impression of the scene. The wind was biting so the unlimited coffee included in the fare was gratefully received.

Friday 23rd November

We took a trek into the Tierra del Fuego National Park and completed two hiking trails totalling about 12 kilometres. We really experienced the saying about Patagonia: 'all four seasons in one day'.

First it was overcast, then it rained, then snowed intermittently and by the afternoon it was sunny. The photos should reflect this. It sound like a bit bleak but the experience was enjoyable. Even when it was snowing you could view snow capped mountain peaks in the distance bathed in sunshine. Localised weather indeed! There were great views of lakes, mountains forests and meadows plus lots of local birds to capture on camera. This was my first experience of 'Stormin' Norman and his fast walking pace, but we soon settled to an amiable compromise. This experience would get us in tune for tougher trails when we reach Torres Del Paine.

Saturday 24th November

Today we headed up towards the Glaciar Martial Mountain Centre. The main plan was to see the glacier if possible but also to get a different perspective on Ushuaia and the surrounding area. Norman and I teamed up with Friedrich from Frankfort who shared a taxi up with us to the starting point. We eschewed the chairlift and walked up the hill and then trekked onwards above the snow line. The route to the glacier was closed so we walked along side one of the hills for some great views which you can see in the photos posted on this site. We met some people from Hawaii on our trek. As you do. We moved to a quieter hostel (La Posta) for the weekend and met up with our friends Ludovic and Adrienne whom we met further north. Later in the day we had time to check out the Museo Del Fin Del Mundo. This is spread over two buildings and I had read that there was a lot of settler material in the museum, but the displays must have been changed and I was a bit disappointed as I feel that this aspect of the trip has not really been explored.

Reflection: despite its strap line of 'El Fin del Mundo', Ushuaia and indeed Tierra del Fuego does not have that real feeling of 'falling off the end' that you get in Land's End, John O'Groats or even Ness! This is possibly because you can see land beyond Ushuaia. It is however a place well worth visiting and I hope the photos bear that out. Next trip: into Chile for a visit to the famous Torres del Paine National Park. Stay with me!

All the best

Murdo