To the bottom of the world... and back up!

Wow. Busy week! I made it down to Ushuaia without too many problems, aside from the fact that the power kept going out when I was trying to cross the Argentinian-Chilean border (which you have to do twice to get to Ushuaia -- you drive through Chile for about three hours and then cross the border back into Argentina) and without power, none of our documents could be processed. And of course I failed to realise that I wouldn´t be allowed to keep the healthy portions of my lunch (the tomatoes, bananas and half an avocado) because of course fresh food isn´t allowed across the border... this despite the fact that I didn´t actually leave the bus in Chile! Sigh. Anyway. For whatever reason, despite the very large signs posted everywhere indicating that cheese was forbidden, the customs agent looked at my block of cheese and put it back in the bag, so I did have some lunch, anyway.

Most of the drive from Rio Gallegos was very bleak -- desert and scrub land and ranches (or estancias, as they´re known here) so large that they merit their own street signs on the highways -- but when we turned inland a little ways we hit some of the most beautiful countryside I´ve seen yet. The Cordillera Darwin and the Tierra del Fuego is stunning. Lakes and ocean and snow-covered mountains. And a spectacular sunset on the ride into Ushuaia, so I guess I forgive the customs officials for taking so long, as I might have missed it otherwise!

Here´s a picture to show just how far away Ushuaia is:

I didn´t really have long enough in Ushuaia to do everything I´d wanted to, but I did get to take a boat trip out to see the local sea lion and cormorant colonies. It is mating season, so the rookeries were full and we were able to get very close indeed. So awesome! The cormorants look a lot like penguins, except they can fly and they are smaller. Apparently they are considered to be an evolutionary link between penguins and flying birds in that family. Very cool, at any rate. The only disappointment was that we didn´t have enough wind to actually use the sails on our sailboat (an almost unheard of event in this season) so we had to use the motor. Even still, a great experience!

I also had a crazy run-in with a guy at a restaurant where I decided to try lamb (it being the Patagonian specialty, after all). This older gentleman and I were both sitting at our own tables reading books, while waiting for our respective lunches to arrive and he suggested that we join tables and talk instead of reading. Seemed okay by me, except that he turned out to be a complete git! Turns out that Hans the Danish doctor has a major Great White Explorer complex (he travels to the ends of the world (polar regions, remote African and Asian communities etc.) during his four months off each year) and felt the need to inform me that if he were my father (we´d already established that he doesn´t have kids) he´d "forbid" me to travel in Africa (hello?? Where exactly do you get off?!). I ended our lunch shortly after these remarks... and that doesn´t even get into where he maintained that our environmental problems are entirely due to overpopulation issues in the 'third world'. GAH! At least the lamb was good...

Anyway. Another marathon set of buses brought me to Puerto Madryn, where I´ve been since yesterday. I leave tomorrow for Buenos Aires and the parental units arrive mid-afternoon on Tuesday. The bus trip to BA is comparatively short -- only 18 hours! And I´m on the cama bus (yay!), so it should be fine. Next post I´ll put up some pictures of my trip to the penguin colony today (so cute!!), but for today, here are some pics of the bottom of the world...