Posted 20 March 2007
Argentina agents don't volunteer information to make it easy to get to Chile, and vice versa. We spent hours trying to sort out a move to Torres del Paine in Chile and eventually gave up and decided instead to fly direct to the El Fin del Mundo, ie Ushuaia (Argentina), even though Puerto Williams (Chile) is further south on the other side of the Beagle Channel. It cost only 280A each, 47K, and although we were warned in advance of a 2 hour delay we decided to waste the extra time at the busy new airport, which as a bonus had a restaurant selling competitively priced food.
We took a taxi from the airport for 10A straight to Hostal Malvinas 175A or 30K. Like the choice of name?. Note that Argentine claim all the Antarctica in the sector including Argentina , Falklands and South Georgia. I think that Britain claim most of that as well - and Chile too, in fact I was sure at the time that we took South Georgia before invading the Falklands simply for Antarctic territorial reasons.
We were also reminded of being 13,750km from London.
The Beagle Channel is quite an impressive place and Ushuaia is surrounded by peaks. The weather changes several times a day. One day it was raining when we entered a museum at 10am, then brilliant blue sky from 11am until about 5pm by which time we had completed a walk along the Senda Costera, with fantastic views of the channel and lots of photos in proof. It began to pour again as we reached the road but a minibus stopped and although full except for the front seat for her majesty they took us back to town - yours truly had to do with sitting on a pile of rucksacks!
Next morning as we left for Punta Arenas at dawn the peaks were all covered in a sprinkling of fresh white snow as in the picture postcards. When it's fine the weather is idyllic, but when the sun disappears and the cold wind blows it is distinctly freezing.
The day before we had signed up for a combined minibus and boat trip to a penguin island just off-shore from the Haberton Estancia. That was a great success. Again the guide was full of information, this time it was Daniella a young woman from Buenos Aires who came to Diego del Fuera a year ago and liked it so much that she is intending to stay.
She told us of the problems of conservation which had been caused by the introduction of beavers from Canada in the early 20th century because it was hoped to make a profit from the sale of skins. However it turned out that the beavers did not produce valuable fur in this environment, even worse they multiplied rapidly having no natural predators to replace the bears of Canada. They now estimate the population of beavers is 90,000 compared with the human population of 50,000 in Ushuaia.
She showed us a spot where they had dammed the river to create a small lake which in turn caused the desirable waterlogged trees to die. One valuable resource was the peat bogs, for fuel and as a complex chemical. Nevertheless the surroundings close to the Beagle Channel were still pretty enough with a great deal of tree cover and even grassy fields. We were surprised on leaving to discover that the large majority of the island was almost as flat, tree-less, windswept and boring as the pampas, although with a little better pasture for sheep.
We transferred to small boat to go on a very bumpy ride to the island (Isla Martillo) where we saw a penguin colony at close quarters, two types, Magellanes and the larger red beaked, yellow footed Gentu. Most of this year's young had left for warmer northern climes, but a couple remained as did a few examples of last years young who were malting so as get their adult plumage.
The adults were regaining weight after breeding so as to be fit enough to follow. We saw their only predators the Skuas, who now fed by frightening the penguins into sicking up their food, though in easier times they had fed on eggs and young chicks. This island had been selected in preference to the many others nearby because it had some foliage to provide their nests with some cover from the Skuas. We also saw a shoal of sardines be driven onto the shore by swimming penguins.
The island was the property on Haberton Estancia, which still belonged to the English missionary family who were the original founders of Ushuaia. (Argentina declared all offshore islands as property of the state - including of course the Falklands and South Georgia, but left many in the Haberton Estancia. The family were determined to conserve the area and allowed only 45 visitors a day to set foot in the penguin island.
The wife of the present owner had created the well displayed museum, a monument to a quarter of a century of collection of marine mammal carcasses, which continues to this day. Whales and dolphins of all kinds, purpoises, sea lions, seals, plus a few sea birds and penguins. The current workerse were four women, three Argentinian vetinary students plus Vanessa a qualified vet from Brazil. They took us on a conducted tour of the museum displays in Spanish.
Then showed us the room where all the other skeletons were stored, plus their latest arrivals, a Sea lions head, on which they was beginning the process of removing of the flesh (mainly by soaking in warm water for up to a year), cleaning, measuring and storing.
There was a recently received Petrel in full plumage and huge wingspan. Vanessa's main interest was in trying to save sick mammals, such as the whale which recently beached in the Thames, and on this assignment to improve her knowledge of Spanish.
On the way back we noted the various ski lifts as the area tried to develop around the year tourist economy. Also the large packs of husky dogs which were used to pull sledges in the snow for pleasure seekers. The flat peat bog areas were being developed for cross country skiing.
El Estancia in Ushuaia was a carvery with a lot of difference. For 30A or 5K you were invited to eat as much meat as you wanted. Since there were always four whole lambs being spit roasted in a very attractive window display you would be right to conclude they were never short of customers. Saturday night I got a huge chunk of prime leg meat which was delicious but was not quite as lucky the next night, largely because the less experience chef had almost run out of carcasses ready for eating. I should have changed to beef, though sausage and chicken were also available, as were a full range of salads and much else plus a choice of good sweets. The only minimal extras were mineral water and wine.
Again when trying to book our way out to Punta Arenas we found they went out of their way to make it difficult to cross the border. At least three agencies offered buses, but non of them had a bus every day, and they claimed not to know which days or what times the others offered. The first had no bus on the day we wanted, and in any case it left at an inconvenient 5.30am, the next also had no bus the day we wanted, but at least theirs (a Chilean Bus) left at 8am, they suggested we investigated a third option of minibus to Rio Grande and come back to them for the connection on to Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) but the only mini early enough left at 6am. So we went back and booked the 8am Chilean bus for a day earlier than we had intended. Bad enough logistics in itself but these were agencies not a bus station, so each visit involved a 45 minute wait in a queue whilst they sold tickets to Antartica, Hertz rent a car, hotels, local tours etc. There was an unexpected treat because dolphins accompanied our ferry most of the way to Chile.
Today in Punta Arenas we have mapped out the rest of our holiday. We will go on a three day two night visit, a day and one night in Puerto Natales and next day a minibus tour of Torres del Paine where we will stay in a top class hotel in Torres del Paine 80K for two. On Sunday 25 March we have an air flight with Aerolineas del Sur (2 x 80K) booked from Punta Arenas to Santiago and on Thursday 29 March we leave for home with LAN Chile and Iberia from Madrid.
Concepcion and Valporaiso will have to wait for another time. But given decent weather in Torres del Paine (and that is a big ask) we will have covered the south pretty comprehensively. More later about Punta Arenas where we became friendly with three young people from Malta, and Torres del Paine.
Argentina agents don't volunteer information to make it easy to get to Chile, and vice versa. We spent hours trying to sort out a move to Torres del Paine in Chile and eventually gave up and decided instead to fly direct to the El Fin del Mundo, ie Ushuaia (Argentina), even though Puerto Williams (Chile) is further south on the other side of the Beagle Channel. It cost only 280A each, 47K, and although we were warned in advance of a 2 hour delay we decided to waste the extra time at the busy new airport, which as a bonus had a restaurant selling competitively priced food.
We took a taxi from the airport for 10A straight to Hostal Malvinas 175A or 30K. Like the choice of name?. Note that Argentine claim all the Antarctica in the sector including Argentina , Falklands and South Georgia. I think that Britain claim most of that as well - and Chile too, in fact I was sure at the time that we took South Georgia before invading the Falklands simply for Antarctic territorial reasons.
We were also reminded of being 13,750km from London.
The Beagle Channel is quite an impressive place and Ushuaia is surrounded by peaks. The weather changes several times a day. One day it was raining when we entered a museum at 10am, then brilliant blue sky from 11am until about 5pm by which time we had completed a walk along the Senda Costera, with fantastic views of the channel and lots of photos in proof. It began to pour again as we reached the road but a minibus stopped and although full except for the front seat for her majesty they took us back to town - yours truly had to do with sitting on a pile of rucksacks!
 |
| A BEAUTIFUL WALK ALONG THE BEAGLE CHANNEL |
 |
| USHUAIA, SUN and STORM OVER BEAGLE CHANNEL |
The day before we had signed up for a combined minibus and boat trip to a penguin island just off-shore from the Haberton Estancia. That was a great success. Again the guide was full of information, this time it was Daniella a young woman from Buenos Aires who came to Diego del Fuera a year ago and liked it so much that she is intending to stay.
She told us of the problems of conservation which had been caused by the introduction of beavers from Canada in the early 20th century because it was hoped to make a profit from the sale of skins. However it turned out that the beavers did not produce valuable fur in this environment, even worse they multiplied rapidly having no natural predators to replace the bears of Canada. They now estimate the population of beavers is 90,000 compared with the human population of 50,000 in Ushuaia.
She showed us a spot where they had dammed the river to create a small lake which in turn caused the desirable waterlogged trees to die. One valuable resource was the peat bogs, for fuel and as a complex chemical. Nevertheless the surroundings close to the Beagle Channel were still pretty enough with a great deal of tree cover and even grassy fields. We were surprised on leaving to discover that the large majority of the island was almost as flat, tree-less, windswept and boring as the pampas, although with a little better pasture for sheep.
 |
| A SKUA FISHING |
The island was the property on Haberton Estancia, which still belonged to the English missionary family who were the original founders of Ushuaia. (Argentina declared all offshore islands as property of the state - including of course the Falklands and South Georgia, but left many in the Haberton Estancia. The family were determined to conserve the area and allowed only 45 visitors a day to set foot in the penguin island.
 |
| ISLA MARTILLO, HARBOUR |
 |
| PRIVATE MUSEUM of HABBERTON ESTANCIA |
 |
| SKELETON STORE |
 |
| VANESSA and THE SEA LION'S HEAD |
There was a recently received Petrel in full plumage and huge wingspan. Vanessa's main interest was in trying to save sick mammals, such as the whale which recently beached in the Thames, and on this assignment to improve her knowledge of Spanish.
On the way back we noted the various ski lifts as the area tried to develop around the year tourist economy. Also the large packs of husky dogs which were used to pull sledges in the snow for pleasure seekers. The flat peat bog areas were being developed for cross country skiing.
 |
| USHUAIA CHANGES AGAIN |
Again when trying to book our way out to Punta Arenas we found they went out of their way to make it difficult to cross the border. At least three agencies offered buses, but non of them had a bus every day, and they claimed not to know which days or what times the others offered. The first had no bus on the day we wanted, and in any case it left at an inconvenient 5.30am, the next also had no bus the day we wanted, but at least theirs (a Chilean Bus) left at 8am, they suggested we investigated a third option of minibus to Rio Grande and come back to them for the connection on to Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) but the only mini early enough left at 6am. So we went back and booked the 8am Chilean bus for a day earlier than we had intended. Bad enough logistics in itself but these were agencies not a bus station, so each visit involved a 45 minute wait in a queue whilst they sold tickets to Antartica, Hertz rent a car, hotels, local tours etc. There was an unexpected treat because dolphins accompanied our ferry most of the way to Chile.
 |
| LEAVING USHUAIA after SNOWY NIGHT, shot taken through bus window |
Concepcion and Valporaiso will have to wait for another time. But given decent weather in Torres del Paine (and that is a big ask) we will have covered the south pretty comprehensively. More later about Punta Arenas where we became friendly with three young people from Malta, and Torres del Paine.
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