Winter in Ushuaia

The winter has been long although with almost a record low snow fall. It was a good thing that I never got the job in the ski resort, as the season only lasted for about 2 months. Instead I warmly welcomed all the Brazilians the in reception of a hotel in down town Ushuaia!

We did however get a one or two pretty stellar dumps of snow with around 15cm in a day or two...although it was all metling over the next few days. Still, we did have at least a white cover over the city for most of the 2 months of winter. 

You notice many of the older houses are shaped to hold through tougher winters with a lot more snow and wind. Looks quite cozy! 

 

Always a treat with a hot "yerba mate" when you get home!

To give you a better idea of what Ushuaia looks like. I took these on a sunny day I had off work. 

The view of the canal and the mountain ranges never gets old. 

These mountains are actually in Chile, as the canal 

(which you cannot see) draws the boarder to Argentina

The winter has taken its toll...

Its been a few months but it feels like not more than a week or two. The winter has been tough, with non-stop working, little time for free-time activities, but still with its glimpse of joy, friendship, and drinking "mate". I will dedicate a few posts to what has happened here in Ushuaia up until now!

I go over the pictures I have, and remember the world cup (Argentina did pretty good, even if they were not satisfied at all). We organized an Asado (BBQ) for the people living here with us. It was a good run, and every victory was celebrated with long parades down the main street in little Ushuaia!

Traditional Argentinian food, Meat

Yerba Mate, is a traditional caffeine-rich infused drink, very popular in Uruguay, Argentina, southern Brazil, and Paraguay. Nowdays I drink almost no coffee at all, but enjoy daily a thermos of mate with friends. Although the mate is consumed in many different ways, I prefer the stronger and bitter mate yerba more commnly found in Uruguay. 

My room mate, does mix his yerba mate with sugar,
lemon and a tea bag

...and does juggling at night, usually with fire

Recently, we receieved a new Brazilian member to our family. He occasinally works as a DJ mixing music from the 80s.

...and my little friend Frida! A co-workers newest member of the family!

I live up there, in the middle

Ushuaia - At the End of the World!

In the night of the 18th of Mars, I first rolled into Ushuaia! (Picture taken later!)

King Penguins & The Last Stretch to The End of The World

I took the ferry from Punta Arenas to Porvenir in the morning, leaving me with the last 500 km to reach the ultimate destination: Ushuaia. I was excited to say the least! I bought some supplies for the ride, fueled up and took off!. The dirt road navigated through the vast and open country side, and up and down the coast line. At one point I saw flamingos, but the first stop was to be the King Penguin Colony at Bahía Inutil (The Useless Bay), which I had circled on my map since early on.

The park is run by an incredible person whom took it upon her own shoulders to protect this King Penguin colony from disappearing through damaging and unmanaged tourism. Now she manages the park so that all can enjoy this incredible close-up experience of the King Penguins without jeopardizing the longevity of the colony. The penguins do leave during the winter months, so be sure to check when they are home!

We were immediately reminded to respect the boundaries and not invade the penguins territory. She explained that these penguins do not cross where humans have walked before, so it is imperative that the boundary is respected. Still, the Penguins remain just on the other side of a small stream, which allows you to get close enough to fully enjoy the experience!

http://www.pinguinorey.com/index.php

I arrived at the boarder shortly after leaving the park, crossed it with little difficulty and later arrived at Rio Grande. As I pulled into the gas station, it was already late in the afternoon, and I knew that I wouldn´t make the last 200km to Ushuaia before sunset. Still I was not ready to ride around and look for accommodation, so i saddled up and hit the very last stretch toward the Most Southern City of our planet.

I must say this very fact gave me some chills. It made me think about the long road I had ridden so far, through both Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. Even though it was getting really cold and my @ss really started to hurt, this very unique sensation of being just before the goal line made me fully enjoy every second of the ride! Yet, it got to a point when the sun had set long before, and I was carefully navigating the snaky road through the last mountain pass. The darkness made me unable to orientate the impressive landscape around me, and the long day was taking its toll. It felt like I would never arrive!

Still, at some point I finally passed the last turn and found the small town, lit up in the dark night, by the Beagle channel. Cold to the bones, walking cow-legged, and entirely exhausted, I checked-in at the first hostel I found. - Ushuaia, I had a strange sensation that my visit would no be short-lived! 

Ushuaia - by day

Punta Arenas

This part of La Patagonia is very, very plain, vast, and windy. It may not be so surprising that at the time, to give the Argentinians most of Patagonia was a fair bargain to settle their greed when Chile was occupied fighting both Perú and Bolivia in the Pacific War 1879. Still, Argentina was unable to fully achieve its intention of direct access to the pacific ocean. Evidently, the Pope intervened, hence the most southern point of South America still belongs to Chile.

Enough of history. In Punta Arenas, the last Chilean "city", I wanted to look for a new bike tire (my old one with an impressive 15,000 km through pretty rough terrain). I was able to find one of the only Honda retailer after circling the city for a some time, and I was recommended a place to buy the new tire. The generous older gentleman also helped me changed the tire for a fair price, and afterwards gave me a great recommendation for accommodation.

The next day I was off to the mainland of La Tierra de Fuego, The Land of Fire, and the last stretch on my route to the end of the world!

Torres del Paine

I must admit that Torres del Paine gave me one of the strongest impressions on my trip thus far. This may have been for several reasons, but the it is unquestionable that the extraordinary landscapes have something to do with it. The park is a must, if you are passing through these descolate parts of South America, especially if you are mobile with your own vehicle. ...

I put myself in a tricky situation with very few Chilean Pesos in my pockets, which ultimately limited my stay to only one night camping in the park. Therefore, instead of doing the famous "W" which incorporates some of the most impressive landscapes in the park, I decided to do the first hike in the "W", to the actual Torres del Paine.

I located the camp ground near the mountain and cooked some pasta with a delicious tuna tomato sauce before hitting the hay. I decided to wake up early the next morning to make most of the day, ...which implied a rise before the sun rise. After the legendary battle against the heavenly-soft-and-warm-sleeping-bag was won, I hadn´t lost too much time, thus ate some oatmeal, dismantled the tent, and prepped the bike for departure. (Early rises are less enjoyable not only because of the hour, but the dew outside which makes everything wet).

Fellow Honda Tornado Rider at the parking spot

The morning was foggy, I put my hopes on that it would clear up. The hike started with a steep climb, and then moved into a valley, with a river, with some small huts built deeper into the valley. ...you get it, I was entering the valley of Imladris (Lord of the Rings ref.). I think the expected duration of the trail was 4 hours one way, so I marched on. 

Eventually I made it to the glacier lake in front the the impressive Torres del Paine... except that I couldn´t see it. But I tell you, it would have been epic!.

For those of you as disappointed as myself:

http://www.iumiratravel.com/img/turismo-paine.jpg

As some people were waiting for the winds to change and chase away the fog, I decided to save the time to explore the park on my bike instead. I must admit that was a little sad to have come this far and not have the time to do the "W", nor actually see the Torres del Paine.

Art made by creative hikers 

On the hike, I stumbled upon someone I had met in El Chaltén. He told me he had already run into 4 groups of people randomly on this hike, that he had already met in La Patagonia previously. I thought about what he said when we departed, and right then did I run into the forth random person I had met before on my trip through La Patagonia. Coincidence! hahaha

The Japanese Crew

Sometimes I am torn between just enjoying the moment riding on the bike through epic landscapes, and interrupt "the moment" to take pictures (and make the memory eternal). This day I was forced to stop and take some photos, and I really should have stayed another day to further explore the park. I made frequent stops through out the day, and then cruised on at minimum speed. 

At the end of the day, I was exhausted and almost desperately looked for a spot to camp before the sun set. I did find a spot on the side of the road, of the side of a lake, magically reflecting the light from the fullmoon above. Fortunately I was outside the park, as the fine and possible jail time for camping outside of camping areas, would have been extremely unnecessary.

The next day proved tricky, since this road was under construction, and the next day I came to realize that the traffic was directed only in one direction. I can only say that they were confused to see me drive by at the various check points, ...not to mention the surprised drivers I had to creatively dodge in the sharp turns. The destination for the day was Punta Arenas, the last "city" in Chile on my route southbound.

I was determined to keep up the pace as the cold weather and winds were starting to really freeze my bones.