Last day in Ushuaia

The morning shone brightly, but finally the forecasts matched the reality & the weather set in big time: frEEEEzing & a little rain.

I had organised a car rental for today. But first a visit to the post office (inexplicably?? called the Western Union) where 4 stamps were required for mail to Australia & paid for in $US with change given in local Argentinian pesos.

My Friend picked up the car - a cheap Chev Corsa - & we managed to lose each other for over half an hour as we waited on different street corners in this somewhat peculiar town which looks to me like a frontier town: something out of the "wild west".

We drove 170 kms to Harberton Estancia. An estancia is a farm - and Haberton Estancia is the oldest in Tierra del Fuego, established in 1886. The history is quite interesting: it was set up by a missionary, Reverend Thomas Bridges, with the 50,000 acres of coastal marshland and wooded hillsides a gift from the Argentine government; and it continues to be run by descendents - in this case a great-grandson, Tommy Goodall.

It is an assortment of white-washed buildings on the shores of a sheltered bay 85 kms from Ushuaia along Ruta 3 (which is paved) for about half the distance via Cerro Castro (a ski area) & then the remainder along Ruta J (which is dirt road). There was some pleasant scenery enroute, including the Arboles bandera trees for which the area is noted: the force of the high winds causes them to grow horizontally.

We joined the guided tour & were taken through the large barn which is half saw mill and half shearing shed for the 90,000 sheep which used to live on the property. Nowadays the farm no longer keeps sheep; a harsh winter in 1998 killed 80% of the stock and wool prices have fallen making it less profitable. We then saw inside the boat house, which also inexplicably contained a dead Condor strung from the ceiling. The main farm house was next with a pleasant English cottage garden surrounding it.

My Friend quite enjoyed the Maritime Museum of Natural History of the region’s marine mammals and bird and asked lots of questions whilst the group we had joined for this tour froze their toes off whilst the tour guide answered.

By golly it was cold: it had become a 2-parka day again today. Furthermore, the stench in the "bonehouse" sorted the boys from the girls. My Friend stayed for the long haul but the rest of us were driven out by the smell - back into the cold!

My Friend took this great photo which I thought (later) was great; but at the time, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

The guides are volunteers, some there just for a month adding the experience to their studies in Biology, Vet Science, etc.; one of the girls was a marine researcher working there for 6 years after 8 years of study to be a Vet.

I was particularly interested in the family cemetery high on the hill behind the estancia, especially for the views over the farm & the bay.

We returned to Ushuaia via a quick diversion up a mountain pass to a panoramic lookout over Escondido Lake. The pass had snow all around & I'm sure it was sleeting whilst we were there. The car temperature was 4 deg C.

And then, just as we filled up the car with petrol ready to return it in the morning, the clouds lifted & the sun shone; so we managed to find the way up through the myriad of one-way streets to the Martial Glacier overlooking the city & got wonderful views over the harbour & the Martial Mountains lit up in the evening light.

Another wonderful meal back at our B&B after a brief rest - and I couldn't resist another calafate berries & icecream for dessert! They tell me there is a saying here: "quien come el Calafate, vuelve por más" which apparently means "those who eat Calafate come back for more."

And off to bed for an early flight out to El Calafate in the morning.

We will miss the nice facilities here - especially the lovely chocolates put out on the bed each night & the heated floors!