Ushuaia

I was really excited to get to Ushuaia, the southern tip of Argentina, for 2 reasons - firstly, I would be meeting Rebecca and Oreste again and secondly, I would be 1 step closer to Antarctica.

Airport

Ushuaia's Aeropuerto Internacional de Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas is easily the prettiest airport of all of the South American countries I have been.

Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International Airport

The predominantly wooden structure gives a warm ski resort feel while the glass windows provide natural light and views of the mountains that surround the airport. 

City

Ushuaia calls itself "fin del mundo" (end of the world) for being the southern most city in the world. It is the capital of the province Tierra del Fuego and the departure point for all boats to Antarctica.

Tierra del Fuego

Rebecca, Oreste and I met for a hike in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego. It was the day before the supposed "day of end of the world" and if Rebecca and Oreste were not returning home the next day, I would have proposed coming to the end of the world on the day the world ends.

The national park was created in 1960 to protect 63,000 hectares of subantarctic forest from Lake Kami in the north to the coast of Beagle Channel in the south. It has a variety of mountains, forests, valleys, rivers, lakes and beaches that shelter sea birds. (Source: www.turismoushaia.com)

Our first stop was the post office in the park. It is the southern most post office in the world (which, I would like to dispute since there are post offices in Antarctica) and has had the same post master since 1948. He now looks older but still has the same moustache.

Post office

Post master

Rio Lapataia

It was raining all day but was far from gloomy - Rebecca and Oreste provided great company as we reminisced our "breezy, patagonian flat" days in Torres del Paine. Due to the rain, the tracks were slippery and muddy. We sometimes became overzealous in finding the "alternative route" from the muddy path and it was a hoot as we overtook each other while overcoming silly obstacles:

Climbing over fallen trunks

Despite the wet weather, the national park was still very beautiful and had an abundance of avifauna. It would be a prettier sight on a sunny day. 

Steamer ducks swimming in treacherous conditions

Cormorants

Great grebe

Upland geese with chicks

We saw beaver dams but unfortunately, not the beavers.

Beaver dams

Our final stop was the end of Route 3, a road which would eventually end in Alaska, 18,000km away.

We were getting wetter and colder by the moment and we were dancing and doing jumping jacks as we waited for our transport back to Ushuaia.

Video: Keeping warm

Oreste and Rebecca

How to get there:

From the central bus station at Ushuaia, board any one of the vans that leave for the national park. There are several transport companies and they charge the same price and leave hourly from 9am. At the entrance, alight to pay the park entrance fee. The vans stop at all bus stops in the national park. To return, go to any of the bus stops at the stipulated time (at 1, 3, 5, 7pm) and board a van from the same company that you have arrived with. A trekking map of the national park can be obtained from the tourist information centre at Ushuaia or from the national park entrance.

Buenos Aires

Lego flag at Ezeiza International Airport
to commemorate 200 years of forming a union
1810 - 2010

I visited some historical sites in Buenos Aires such as the National Congress, the Cathedral and Casa Rosada (the official residence of the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández).

Congresso Nacional

Cathedral

Casa Rosada

What I liked most, however, was an accidental discovery. I was at the Fine Arts Museum when I decided to write my journal in a park next to the museum. There were some dog walkers gathered under a tree having a chat. Their dogs were having a great time making friends and running around, carefree. It was hilarious when the small dogs thought that they were the hugest dogs around and barked at/ bullied/ chased the big dogs. It was also really cool how one of the dog walkers could get all of his dogs to follow him without holding to their leashes. Of course, some dogs had to get their leashes tangled on the lamp posts somehow. A few of the dogs came to me for pats. I needed them more than they needed me.

Pretty please?

I saw the cutest ladybird and brazilian cardinals, which reminded me of Angry Bird.

Not sure what ladybird this is

Brazilian cardinals

Who are you?

There were not many people around to share this moment. I guessed everyone was busy at work. How many of these moments have I missed at home?

El Calafate

While Puerto Natales is the gateway to Torres del Paine from Chile, El Calafate is the gateway from the Argentina border.

From Torres del Paine, I travelled 3 hours on bus to El Calafate, where I visited Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, a UNESCO World Heritage. Parque Nacional Los Glaciares got its name from the the glaciers that occupy almost half of its area. At 14,000km2, the glaciers form the largest continental ice extension after Antarctica. Also known as Patagonic Continental Ice, 13 of the 47 glaciers flow to the Atlantic. There are also more than 200 smaller glaciers, unconnected to the Ice Caps. The enormous pressure of the antique ice and the subsequent thaw has given rise to three big lakes. Two of the lakes, Lago Argentino and Lago Viedma, are inside the national park, the waters of which flow as Rio Santa Cruz to the Atlantic Ocean crossing the province. (Source: http://www.losglaciares.com/en/parque/index.html)

Glaciar Perito Moreno and Lago Argentino

The glaciers in the park look spectacularly blue, a result of the red (long wavelengths) part of white light absorbed by ice while the blue (short wavelengths) light transmitted and scattered. The crevasses appear more blue because of the longer path of light travelled.

Crevasse

Perito Moreno is probably the most famous glacier in the national park. A cyclic forward and backward movement causes dynamic changes which results in spectacular ice falls from its frontal walls in Lake Argentino. UNESCO describe the park as the best place to watch glacial activities in South America. (Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/145)

When I visited Perito Moreno, every now and then, small chunks of ice will rain on the lake.

Video: Ice falling into lake

When bigger pieces of ice broke off, there would be foreboding cracking noises followed by a thunderous rumble and splash, giving rise to big waves as a new iceberg makes its way into the lake. The most massive calving I saw created a splash almost half the height of the glacier. About 32 people were reported killed before 1988 and barriers are now erected to prevent tourists from getting too close to the glacier.

Icebergs in Lago Argentino

Post card picture depicting a massive icefall

How to get there

From the central bus station at El Calafate, take a bus to the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. There are 3 bus companies that make daily or twice-daily departures to the national park 80km from the town centre. They leave 8am/ 1pm and return at 12pm/ 4pm and cost the same (one has to specify the time slot to leave for and from the park when purchasing the bus ticket). The buses make 3 stops - at the gate so that the entrance fee of ARS100 can be paid, at the bottom of the park to allow tourists to take a boat ride on the lake and at the top of the park to allow tourists to visit Glaciar Perito Moreno.