Ushuaia: The City At The End Of The World, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
We approached Ushuaia around midnight. It looked like a brightly lit island since it is surrounded by high mountains and the sea. There was still a streak of light in the skies. So it felt less odd that we still had no place to stay. We trekked the empty streets passing busy restaurants uphill to try our luck at Hotel Rio Ona, although our reservation was not until two days later. And luck we had. Continue Reading →
The wind was so strong on the Magellan Strait that day that the ferry could not dock. We had thus to wait for almost three hours for the wind to get down – Beagel Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
After 16 days in Chile we are back in Argentina, in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, as it likes to pride itself. Obviously it has marketed itself much better than Puerto Williams, in Chile, on the other side of the Beagle Channel. This is the TRUE southernmost settlement in the world, but not more than a couple of houses. Being almost at the 55th parallel south, it is further south than any other city on any other continent.So Ushuaia mercilessly sells its unique location claiming the title: “El ciudad en el fin del mundo”, attracting more and more tourists every year. So we considered it as the best place to meet Gilles’ family for Christmas! Continue Reading →
Heidi in the Lake District
(Heidi) El Bolsón lives a bit off its myth being the first non-nuclear zone of the country way back in the sixties and the first to be named an ecological municipality. That the nearby Cerro Piltriquitron is considered one of the earth’s energy centers just falls in line with this image. There are a few nice hikes, but otherwise it is very “tranquilo”. To exemplify this very quietness: I wanted to do a boat ride on a nearby lake, but the boat did not leave because there were only four tourists who wanted to do the trip! Continue Reading →
Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, a baroque Colonial church built in 1732, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina is the fifth country we are visiting in South America. As already mentioned in previous reports, even though these countries are on the same continent, they are worlds apart! But after 7 weeks in Bolivia, arriving in Argentina was a shock to us in many respects. Continue Reading →
The best about Gaiman and Dolavon: the Welch afternoon tea!
These two places found their way into a traveler’s itinerary because of their incredible history. In 1885, a group of Welsh settlers, frustrated by English domination, arrived near Golfo Nuevo, today Puerto Pirámides. Looking for a place to retain their language and cultural identity, they asked the Argentine government for land and eventually were allotted the lower valley of Rio Chubut. These “Gales” had learned about this area through the reports of Captain Robert Fitz Roy, who had explored the region in 1833. Continue Reading →
Many Penguins sing … Actually, let´s call it scream! Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), Punta Tombo, Peninsula Valdez, North Patagonia, Argentina, South America
About 120 km south of Trelew is the other main attraction of this region: the biggest penguin colony outside of Antarctica. An estimated 175.000 couples (some say 200.000 couples) of Magellanic Penguins arrive here in August / September to build nests and lay eggs. Continue Reading →
Home of sea lions and sea elephants
A male sea elephant can weight up to 4 tons and has a harem of up to 200 females, Peninsula Valdez, Argentina
On the second day, starting from Puerto Piramides, we drove around and across Peninsula Valdéz, a very long drive of about 220 kilometers on gravel roads. There are mainly three places to go. Continue Reading →
Punta Delgada, Peninsula Valdez, Argentina
At the airport in Trelew, we rented a car and went straight north to Puerto Madryn, the small town at the entrance of the Peninsula, a 65 kilometers ride on a perfectly straight road crossing northern Patagonia. Here we got a first taste of what the landscape in this area of Patagonia is like: flat like a pancake with low growing bushes, extremely monotonous no matter which direction you go. Well, nobody comes here for the flora but for the whales, guanacos, sea lions, sea elephants, penguins and lots of other wildlife! Continue Reading →
Crossing the Border from Bolivia to Argentina…
What a trip! Going from Potosí / Bolivia to our next destination, Trelew (pronounce it “Tre-le-o”) in northern Patagonia, was a long journey of almost 4.000 kilometer. It took us no less than 5 days! Continue Reading →
