Day 5 – The land of Fire

Tierra del Fuego (named after the bonfires which the natives lit when they saw something that terrified them) forms the tip of South America. Behind it lays only the vast ice fields of Antarctica. It is an island separated by the Strait of Magellan from mainland Argentina. It is shared by both Argentina and Chile. Due to its wild nature and freekish weather, you really  get the feeling of being at the end of the world. The island is characterized by a maze of waterways, fjords and large and small mountainous islands. Andes forms the northeastern to eastern border. The wind is often stormy, often blowing from the southwest.

In Tierra del Fuego is the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, located. She is situated on the south side of the mountains overlooking the Beagle Channel and the mountain peaks Andes Monte Olivia and Cinco Hermanos. There is a large naval base. The name Ushuaia comes from the name given by the indigenous inhabitants of the region.

The first part of the twentieth century the city was built around a prison for heavy criminals. The Argentines hence followed the example of other countries that built prisons on an island (in this case the island of Tierra del Fuego), so escape was virtually impossible. The first prisoners arrived in 1896 and were employed in the logging industry around the city. They are ultimately the colonists who built the town. The prison was closed in 1947.

Today we travel to Ushuaia, where we land after a flight of about two hours. The wind blows firmly, that we can feel  when landing. We are finally at the end of the world.

Our hotel is located in the city, which is convenient when we have some time to ourselves to stroll around. Not only the location is beautiful, we can equally not complain about the rooms as every room turns out to be an apartment. Enough space in any case.

We arrive at noon and it does not take long to think of an idea for lunch. Ushuaia is widely known for its king crab, caught in the Beagle Channel. We go with a few  to a local restaurant to eat a delicious crab. King crab is only caught during a certain period of the year in order to maintain the species. King crab has difficulty procreating. To catch this crab,  traps are being launched and the crab sorted after collection. Only mature male crabs are retained, young ones and females are thrown back in the water.

Then it's time to explore the city. Weather in Tierra del Fuego is unpredictable and we notice that too. Heavy cloud cover alternates with rain showers. Temperature-wise it is not too bad. Ushuaia resembles a bit San Francisco with its steep streets. It's a mishmash of architectural styles including wooden houses covered with corrugated iron to prevent fire. But not really warm I think. When you consider that the summer temperatures are  around 15 degrees, and that 20 degrees is a heat wave, you know. The city has grown rapidly in recent years. She now has about 60,000 residents.

There is a large shopping street, San Martin. This is just around the corner from our hotel. Here are next to shops also restaurants and bars.

We don't have to miss out on anything in the most southern city in the world.