End of the World

Wind greets you immediately upon landing in Ushuaia. Our descent into the airport was met with heavy turbulence, and our walks around the city were often confronted by sudden, dramatic gusts. Up above, the clouds race visibly, opening and closing the skies so quickly that we were left wet within minutes on perfectly sunny days. But we’re not its only targets. The wind presses its will on the landscape here, too. The pale grass looks forever windswept, and the trees, shrubs and even fences all lean in mesmerizing angles, spellbound to an invisible master. Only the Andes remain unfazed, enveloping the town in 270 degrees. Their proximity, stillness and infinite sharp peaks are both beautiful and intimidating against the changing skies.

Windswept Ushuaia

The scenery in the world’s southernmost city, and our first taste of Patagonia, was pretty awesome. After living in a big city for almost a decade, the natural environment here is addicting to take in, and the last 3 days in Ushuaia have me even more excited for the next 3 weeks in the Patagonia.

The last few days also provided some perspective on what long term travel looks like. From maintaining flexibility during a WiFi or ATM meltdown to dedicating weekly time slots for trip planning and grocery runs, learning a new lifestyle is going to take time.

Ok, some highlights of the city.

We took our first boat ride (unfortunately not to Antarctica, although 90% of Antarctic expeditions leave from here) around the Beagle Channel. We had a great experience with Patagonia Adventure Explorers island-hopping to Isla Bridges, watching seals lazily bathe under the southern sun, and generally pretending to be Darwin (maybe that was just me), who had voyaged to Tierra del Fuego and the Galapagos as part of his research on evolution. At the end of the trip, we even won the captain’s Argentinian flag to take home with us.

Fun fact - Ushuaia is not the end of the world. However, outside of Antarctica and the small Chilean village of Puerto Williams, it is the southernmost city in the world. And Jules Verne’s famous novel Lighthouse at the End of the World mistakenly used Ushuaia’s lighthouse on its cover, which probably didn’t help either. But hey, the city took the marketing and ran with it.

“Faro del fin del mundo,” or Lighthouse at the end of the world. But not really.

Also not to be missed is Tierra del Fuego National Park. Our hike through the Costera Trail was stunning. A 20 minute bus ride from the city brings crystal blue lakes and purple mussels to your feet with skylines of snowcapped Andes on every side. And don’t forget the post office at the beginning of the trail. We also mailed postcards from the end of the world to our parents (yeah, they really ran with that marketing).

Next up - a short stop in Punta Arenas on the way to Puerto Natales for the W Hike at Torres del Paine National Park!