The End of the World

The bus ride was a long one. And ended up taking even longer than the planned 11 hours:/ We left Punta Arenas around 8am and picked up more people along the way. Unfortunately, at one point, a large group of very loud Italian tourists got on and sat right behind us for the duration of the trip.

We reached the ferry crossing around 11am. We had some time before the ferry actually docked and the bus got on board. We exited the bus and walked around the ship and found the passenger area with a little coffee shop. It was super windy and the current of the water looked visibly quick. After a few more hours of travel, we went through both border checkpoints like the last international bus we took. The Argentinian side was very lax with their rules – no bag screening or declaring anything, just a scan of your passport.

Once we got to within 15 miles of Ushuaia, it started blizzarding. Like whiteout conditions… in Summer. Driving down the mountain road felt exactly like I70 with all the twists and turns and snow covered mountains around us. The weather delayed travel a bit more and we got to the station around 8:30pm.

The climate was wet and cold and it definitely felt like we just reached the end of the world. There were even a few Antarctic cruises docked at port. We got a quick simple dinner and walked 30 minutes up the foothills to the Airbnb, which is further outside the city in a rural forested area. Mateo, the host, rents part of his cabin house as the Airbnb. His mom Patricia, his son, and 2 dogs and 2 cats were there to greet us. The wood floors and furniture and warm air gave the place a very cozy and homey vibe. Patricia showed us around the place and to our room, one of 3 that they rent out.

We woke up today to bright sunlight and a cuddly kitty. Now that we are somehow even further south, the sun only disappears for 6-7 hours max. We packed up and headed into town to drop off some laundry, do some shopping, and book a shuttle to see the National Park tomorrow (Tierra del Fuego or “Land of Fire”). The sun was shining on the snow-covered mountains and it actually felt like home.

A popular attraction here in Ushuaia is the Maritime Museum. We flashed our CU college ID cards and got a solid discount for entrance. Still coming in handy bringing that card around. Ushuaia was originally a Penal colony where the government sent prisoners. The museum is built inside the prison and each of the wings showcase different subjects. It was very cool to see how they converted the concrete and heavy doors into an actual museum.

There was an art wing, an indigenous wing, and an Antarctic expedition wing. Then, there was one wing that was kept pretty much unchanged as during the prison’s functional days, and it was eerie. The cells and paint chips and creaky wooden floors were how they were originally instead of renovated and painted like the other wings. There was also no heating in this wing, which made it even chillier and more real. The prison bathrooms were also interesting.

For dinner, we wanted to try some good seafood, and king crab is very popular here (and much more affordable for us than in the states). Unfortunately, we got to the restaurant and they were out of crab. The internet says crab is actually out of season right now, so sadly I guess that makes sense. I got a different seafood platter instead which was tasty and very fresh. Hunter felt risky today and tried EVERY single item in my dish, and to my surprise, actually liked it. A momentous occasion indeed. My favorite part though was when we were walking out, the couple sitting next to us (from Florida) started to make conversation and proceed to ask me if I worked on the cruise ship they disembarked from. Too funny. Guess I fit the part.