Arrival in Ushuaia, Argentine Tierra del Fuego

A short flight and we're back in South America... a quick stop over in Punta Arenas and an early morning departure for the 12 hour bus journey to Tierra del Fuego, crossing the Straight of Magellan and then the border into Argentina.

Arrival into Ushuaia and our Hostel Aonikenk with a fabulous view over the Beagle channel and the mountain range that surrounds the city. A perfect place to catch up with emails at the panoramic window. First thing first, off to a fabulous Parrillas place (roast meat) for a meaty delicious meal and a beer. No real plans as such at the moment... likely we'll not do overnight trekking in the national park, but opt for the "softer" day treks... and plan our next moves!

A bit of a sad story yesterday... one of our fellow guests was "pick-bagged" yesterday when we got back, and was trying to contact her bank in Switzerland... lost all her money and cards, so we helped her use the internet ad find the right contacts. Turns out her husband wrote the first edition of Trekking in the Patagonian Andes from the Lonely Planet, but had died three years ago, and she was returning with his ashes to scatter them in the hills in Puerto Williams across the Beagle Chennel in Chile (where the authorities had named a mountain after him). When she entered the US on the way here, customs took a sample of him to make sure he wasn't drugs or anything sinister. A brave woman on a hard journey.

Must say it's very bizarre after the Falklands to arrive in Argentina, and see signs everywhere proclaiming "The Malvinas are Argentine and always will be", with all maps showing the Falklands as the Malvinas, Stanley as Puerto Argentina and so on... passions still run very high here, and it's a very sensitive subject.

For some initial pictures of Ushuaia, click here!