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Ushuaia
Tierra del Fuego, Antártida and Islas del Atlántico Sur Province
- Argentina
A travel by the end of the world (Automatic translation, under review)
I decided to travel to Ushuaia with the credit that it had to me to grant the airline company Argentine Airlines, by the terrible service gave that me in the flight which I realised to Miami in October of 2007.
Ushuaia is a very particular city, is the capital of recently created province of Tierra Del Fuego (before it was a national territory), is located in the channel of Beagle and is most austral of the world.
Is city more near the Antarctic and as it likes to say to those who live there, everything is “of the end of the world”.
I must say that the expectation that it had of the city saw opacada by a reality a little different from the awaited thing. The place presents/displays incomparable a natural beauty, but the city in himself has not been constructed in harmony with the nature, far from it.
I found to the quite careless city and something dirty. Being a small and tourist city it hoped to much more find it well-taken care of in its details. Being walking by the city podés encontrarte with paths of all type, all different, without a standard. Suddenly the path can finish, inviting to us to put our piecitos in the fueguino mud, for a little more advanced to return to continue in a new path. Part of the dirt of the public space I imagine that it is related to the continuous one to drive of the wind dragging earth. What I could not be explained, is since there were rest of stone in paths and streets. During the 13 days that I was, only once I saw a street cleaner cleaning a street (and he did not put much persistence either to him), which remembered the resistance to me with Curitiba immediately, where there was a true army of workers cleaning day and night.
Besides the typical tourist places to visit (that I will indicate down but), I it would like to realise some commentaries on the political and social reality that was called on to me to see, since several things surprised to me enough. One of them is that social La Paz of the city is in danger. During the short period in that I was, I saw an amount of marches, unemployments and poles that really surprised to me.
Weeks ago classes in the school by educational unemployment were not occurring, I saw a march of autoconvocados requesting that to them earth give and another one of municipal employees requesting wage increase. Now, the best thing was a day than a near city had the intention to visit Tolhuin () and the same teachers who did not give classes were burning covered and cutting the route! , the unique access route of the city. So I was hostage of these gentlemen, until the desire occurred to release to me to the step and power them to follow.
Really lamentable all this, especially considering that the best pays of the country are in the Patagonia and the tourism is a fundamental entrance for the city. If a tourist wants to go to visit the zone and a unionist cuts the route to him, the tourist does not return more, as it will be my case. In spite of its immense beauty, the city already is quite hostile with its climate, like for in addition adding the union hostility to him.
A serious problem that has the city of Ushuaia is the residential crisis, that is to say, few houses for many people, or much people for few houses, as they want to see it. This problem more and more motivated a fort increase of the value of the properties of Ushuaia, doing difficult the access to the same. To make matters worse, the city is locked up by natural barriers and it does not have more space to expand. The india berry that finishes off the situation is really chilling: for inescrupulous years, some politicians (of those never they lack in no country of the world) the passages to citizens of the Buenosairean conurbano paid to them who lived in emergencia towns (like the sadly famous “Hard Apache”) so that they settle in Ushuaia, promising to them gold and the Moor. All this in exchange for simply “a vote” (one by election, clearly). Most impressive of this situation it is that this “brilliant one” moved of social engineering took prepared the delinquency to a city that was totally healthy. That is to say, they deliberately degraded the quality of life of the inhabitants of the city in exchange for the stingy personal development of a few politicians.
The final element of this terrible picture is that since there is residential crisis this people usurped fiscal lands and now they train another group of protest that protests that the lands are #***aed-refl mng to him.
Finally, the reclamation of the old settlers so that this people go away was resisted by those who the “human rights” of these delinquents hoist, indicating that they have freedom to move freely by Argentina, because is a constitutional right.
They listen to as well as, instead of to defend it the interests of the city, the interests of this people are defended who break the law when usurping lands public, make worse the residential crisis and install the delinquency in the city.
I knew many cases negligence and political stupidity, but I believe that it is not easy to find another one like this in the history of Argentina.
Where to go:
Street San Martin
It is the main street of the city and commerce of all type can be found exceeds she.
Those of specific clothing for very cold zones like Ushuaia drew attention to me. As it were to be expected the settlers of the zone use high tech in his clothes, to support the hostile climate pleasantly. He is peculiar like unlike Bariloche, where the more traditional weaves with ciervitos and clothes predominate, in Ushuaia use clothes of the high tech more.
I learned that the best way to get dressed to tolerate the cold is by successive layers of clothes and with different characteristics. A typical scheme would be to use thermal underclothes (very fine), soon a polestar wind block or micro polestar to generate heat and on this one country wind to stopper to block the passage of the wind.
As they will see the terminology is highly technical and is necessary to put all our ability to include the ample range of options that is offered.
I crossed some extremely beautiful places, like for example:
National park Tierra Del Fuego
Going by route 3 towards the west of Ushuaia, we will find the park. The same was created in years 60 and presents/displays leafy vegetation (lengas, coihue, etc. will be able to be seen) and turbales (process by means of which the vegetation transforms itself into mineral coal, advancing for example on Lagos, surrounding them more and more until they disappear).
One of the first tourist points that we found is the “train of the end of the world” in which a stroll can be done, that I did not do.
More towards the west, is the Lake Rock, where I made a shutdown. Besides the beautiful thing of the place I crossed myself many rabbits giving returned freely.
In the South coast in the final end of national route 3, is the Lapataia Bay. Place that has a small wood way, with railings, perfectly realised well so that the visitors do not damage the nature.
By the zone I saw a castorera that really me left hit. The castorera is the fruit of the work of the beavers, that turn aside the rivers while they construct the docks. The docks are extremely rigid, really is incredible the work that these tiny beasts do.
Like color data, I will say to them that the beavers are not original of the zone. They took in the decade of 1940 with the idea that they reproduce, thus to create an industry selling his skin. As it could not be otherwise, speaking of the government of general Perón, the thing did not leave according to the glided thing. The industry never arose, the beavers reproduced until becoming plague, since there are no natural predators, and generated a great damage to the ecosystem, reason why the government pays by his slaughter.
These tiny beasts destroy as much old woman trees as young, they modify the course of the rivers and flood zones that previously were not flooded, harm the development of the trouts, etc.
The Black Lagoon is a stroll that is realised walking, the route is to circulate and when I passed the lagoon it was congealed. This it is an example of how the turbales are advancing closing the lagoon, until a day disappears.
Old Military prison of Ushuaia (present Marine Museum)
It is a very particular and interesting place to visit that surely it will be in my retina by many years.
By the end of century XIX the creation was had the military prison, that originally was in the Island of the States, but in 1904 it was transferred to Ushuaia for humanitarian reasons, since the conditions of life were very hard in the first island.
I imagine that the conditions in Ushuaia would not be very many better. The place tells on 5 pavilions prepared in the form of rays and that they come together to a central hall.
One of the pavilions was conserved so what was used by the presidiarios. I assure to them that to be there, with the temperature below cero that did, the solitude and the silence of the moment at I visited which it transported, me in the time. I put myself to think it last about it of the life of those lost bores in the borders of the world. The anguish sensation that would feel the presidiarios there had to be frightful.
For that reason, immediately I asked myself so that demons will have deactivated the jail, since it was a place more than suitable for dangerous criminals, like whom in that one and this one time we have.
The prisoners who went to this one jail not only were of the dangerous ones, as the case of “petizo orejudo”, one of the first assassins in series of Argentina, but also were political cases, like the one of the anarchist Simón Radowitzky, who assassinated to the head of the police Ramon Falcon in 1909. Also some common prisoners lodged and until there was overcrowding of prisoners. He is even created that Carlos Gardel was in this jail before being the singing well-known that was.
In the museum some photos can be seen that to us it last portray it of the life in that one place and as they carried out works in the present National Park, where they were transferred by a train that is in the outer part of the prison.
In one of the pavilions dolls can be seen that show the prisoners in their cells, acclimating the same more faithfully possible.
Finally, the Marine Museum of Ushuaia can be visited, a very interesting place for those who we liked of navigation to candle. There models can be seen scale, of boats of all type, realised very well. Besides charts and abundant photographic material of different expeditions that were realised to the zone or the Antarctic throughout the years. He is exciting to travel in the time with those photographies and to try to imagine the moving bodies that could have these people to realise so hard trips, without technology, GPS, radio communications, thermal clothes. In spite of all these missing ones, many were the explorers who with their work groups and an enormous anger crossed the zone.
One of these trips was the realised one by young captain Fitz Roy, that also took to young the Charles Darwin in the famous boat HMS Beagle, that gives name him to the channel.
In the museum also diverse adminículos of nautical use can be seen, very interesting.
The cost of the entrance was of 20 pesos Argentine, about 6,5 dollars.
Stroll in boat by the channel of the Beagle
I realised a stroll in boat, leaving the commercial port of Ushuaia. In the street Maipú and Roca you will find several puestitos, with varied supply of strolls in boat.
The stroll that I took cost about 40 dollars, lasted 3 hours I recommend and it totally.
We leave in a crucerito with capacity for 10/15 people, although éramos only 4. For who as I am customary to sail in the Estuary of the River of the Silver, is very peculiar the depth from the channel of Beagle that divided equally the 50 meters during the trip. In the River of the Silver, he is not strange to see beached boats of 1.60mts of openwork for want of water.
After minutes of trip, while we took coffee and we saw some books with photos of the fauna and old natives of the region, we arrived at the Island of the Wolves, peculiarly full of wolves of sea. It had never seen a so great colony, many were in the island and others swimming around the boat.
Without descending we followed trip until the following island, this plagued time of cormorants, likeable tiny beasts of the zone.
But ahead we arrived Small barren islands Eclaireurs, where is Them the most famous Light Them Eclaireurs, inevitable postcard of Ushuaia.
Finally, we went to the Bridges Island, place where formerly it inhabited a tribe of yámanas, nomadic natives of the region. In this island we descended to see the rest of a house. It is incredible as they lived half-naked in those so extreme conditions. The precarious houses around had to his rest of marine shells, forming a true wall that helps to protect them of the wind.
Martial glacier
In Ushuaia there is a glacier, surprised to know it to me because it did not have nor idea of it.
Aerosilla is one that supposedly takes to see it to you, but lamentably when I was in maintenance stage, so I had to raise on foot.
The stroll is very pleasant. Walking on the snow (congealed in this case) some rivers are crossed that in some parts also are covered with snow. Once it is arrived at the base of the glacier, a very pretty view of the city of Ushuaia is appraised, the airport and the channel of Beagle.
This place has a ski track, where the sport can be practiced.
Some lunatic ones are amused walking on the glacier and playing in their cracks.
Hill Beaver
Leaving Ushuaia (and if no pole prevents it to you) you will be able to take route 3 towards the east. The way is not in optimal conditions, but the landscape is majestic. After to walk minutes Beaver arrives itself at the Hill. This it is “the” place to ski in Ushuaia, but lamentably also it was closed when I was since the season begins in the middle of June, after first snowed.
One week before my trip it had snowed, but soon this snow became ice by the cold and during my demurrage it did not return to never snow.
Garibaldi step
Continuing by route 3, the way becomes winding and in certain point we arrived at the viewpoint Garibaldi Step. Fantastic place, from where it is possible to be seen the Hidden Lake and the Fagnano Lake.
Hidden lake
A little advanced more in the way towards Tolhuin, will be due to realise a curve to the left, to take a small way from debris, parallel to the route will lead that us to the Hostería Petrel, located to borders of the Hidden Lake. Doubtlessly he is one of the most beautiful places and magical than I have known in my life. It is difficult to transmit the enchantment of the place, is really splendid. I hope that the photos transmit, at least to a certain extent, which I felt.
Tolhuin
More ahead in the route, we will arrive at a called town Tolhuin and the Fagnano lake.
Lamentably, I could not cross much of the place, because the beautiful pole that it prevented me to leave the city in time caused that it arrived very behind schedule.
The beach of the lake did not please much to me (it did not please anything in fact to me), because she is full of stones and it is not very pretty. As I said, I could not know nothing the city, except for the famous bakery “the Union”, a very colorful place, plagued of photos of the owner putting next to artists of the most varied sorts of Argentina.
Climate: Definitely who committed the biggest mistake in my trip was the choice of the period of the year in which I did.
In June there is still snow, the ski resorts are closed and many tourist spots are not enabled.
As I say, the best time (and high season of tourism) is the summer.
And if the desire is to go skiing, August seems a good time because the weather does not present instability in June and already there will be an interesting layer of snow settled.
It is curious as the days shorten significantly in June, every day was shorter than the previous one. At 10 am it was still night and 5 pm and darkening.
Besides the sun never comes fully to climb, and was always in an acute angle the horizon, moving from east to west to disappear behind the mountains.
Those who live in these places must have a large temple, because the hostile climate and lack of sunlight can generate a depressive effect, discourage leaving home and interact with other individuals. At least is the impression I take away.
Traveler's nightmare: The worst thing was the season where I was.
La ciudad me pareció demasiado sucia y desordenada. The city seemed to me too dirty and disorderly.
Los conflictos gremiales me generaron más tensión que si me quedaba en Buenos Aires, con sus 20 millones de habitantes y todo :) Conflicts generated more tension guild me that if I was in Buenos Aires, with its 20 million inhabitants and everything:)
Things you should not miss: There are places of great beauty who can not stop being visited, such as Tierra del Fuego National Park, Glacier Martial, Lago Escondido, an incredible place! y un paseo por el canal de Beagle. and a walk through the Beagle Channel.
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