A very early start today – 3.00am in order to catch the flight to Ushuaia. We all gathered at the designated spot at 3:45 am and everyone was on time. Soon we were on our way to the airport until one person realised they had left their camera and mobile at the hotel. So back we went to retrieve left items.
The flight was 3 hours and 20 minutes. We took off as dawn was about to break. I was surprised that they only gave a small snack not breakfast on the flight.
As we neared Ushuaia the terrain was very interesting as we flew over the Andes. Snow capped mountains glistened through the clouds.
It was spectacular! The landing approach was unique and took you unawares. You could see the land doen there, the mountains on either side and suddenly you feel the plane land. On what you think! There was a raised area that one could not see from the plane until after you land.
A beautiful sunny day, about 15-16C, greeted us. Plans were changed for the group so as to take advantage of the fine weather. We later found out it was most unusual weather. There are on average only about 8 such days per year. We were very lucky. Apparently they can have the four seasons in one day and the weather can change very very quickly. The average temperature in summer is 10C and in winter 0C.
Ushuaia was founded in 1884 as a penal colony and is the only Argentinian city on the other side of the Andes. It is also the only place in Argentina where the forests, mountains and the sea meet whilst Beagle Chanel provides the link between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The word 'Ushuaia' in the Yamana tongue means the bay that pentrates to the west; where the sunsets.
So we made the most of it and extended our tour today to include a tour of the country. As we passed Beagle Chanel we could see Chile across the other side.
The Martial galcier dominates the view out of Ushuaia.
We drove past glacial valleys full of peat bogs and past beautiful mountain ranges.
We went past the x-country resorts and sled dog training areas and then stopped to have a look a their modern alpine resort. This was keenly inspected by everyone on the trip as they are all very keen skiers.
It was interesting to see how and where the tree line was with the shale rock above it. It is at 600m above sea level.
We crossed the Andes and wound our way up to the Garibaldi pass.
At the top we took advantage of the view and took lots of photos of the stunning view of the Hidden Lake and Lake Fagnano.
From here we did a 3-4 kilometre walk down the mountain. Beautiful scenery!
On our return to Ushuaia we got allocated our rooms at a lovely Hotel Tierra De Fuego and had some free time.
We strolled along the main street for a quick lunch and a beer.
Ushuaia is an attractive little town- very different from Buenos Aires.
It was interesting to see meat cooking over a fire in a restaurant. Several hours later it was still cooking.
The port is walking distance – a block away. It’s a natural deep port and is used to move containers between Ushuaia and Rio Grande
We visited the Ushuaia Jail and Military Prison, Thierra Del Fuego History and Ship exhibit and the Argentina in Antartic exhibit. A pity that the building was so hot – they had fires going inside – as it made it difficult to concentrate on the exhibits in such stifling heat on the exhibits. However, it was a very comprehensive presentation.
Tired we made our way back to our room for a rest. In the evening we all went to dinner at one of the restaurants. We had a beautiful local lamb dish as a main.
It was a great night out finished off with a nightcap at the association president’s ‘penthouse’. The last member of the group finally joined us for a night cap after a 30 hour trip from Madrid. At least now we are not the only non Lithuanian residents on the trip.
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1 comment:
Hi Rasa - lovely photos - looks beautiful, enjoy yourself. kind regards Kim
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