Postcards from:
Big Bear Lake USA
San Jose Costa Rica
Granada Nicaragua
Managua Nicaragua
San Salvador ElSalvador
Tegucigalpa Honduras
San Pedro Sula Honduras
Copan Ruinas Honduras
La Ceiba Honduras
Utila Island Honduras
La Ceiba Honduras
San Pedro Sula Honduras
Belmopan Belize
Belize City Belize
Orange Walk Belize
Lamanai
Mayan Ruins
Panama City Panama
Bogata Colombia
Cali Colombia
Popayan Colombia
Ipiales Colombia
Quito Ecuador
Galapagos Is. Ecuador
Puerto Ayoro Galapagos
Guayaquil Ecuador
Cuenca Ecuador
Tumbes Peru
Lima Peru
Nazca Peru
Cuzco Peru
Ollantaytambo Peru
Machu Picchu Peru
Machu Picchu Photos
Cuzco Again
Lake Titicaca Peru
Lake Titicaca Photos
Copacabana Bolivia
La Paz Bolivia
Arica Chile
Iquique Chile
Antofagasta Chile
Santiago Chile 1
Valparaiso Chile
Santiago Chile 2
Easter Island Chile
Santiago Chile 3
Chillan Chile
Valdivia Chile
Puerto Montt Chile
Castro Chile
Chaiten Chile
Coyhaique Chile
Puerto Chacabuco Chile
Coyhaique Chile
Punta Arenas Chile
Puerto Natales Chile
Punta Arenas Chile
Puerto Williams Chile
Ushuaia Argentina
Buenos Aires Argentina
Puerto Iguazu Argentina
Montevideo Uruguay
Colonia Uraguay
Caracas Venezuela
Ciudad Bolivar Venezuela
Puerto Ordaz Venezuela
Porlamar Venezuela
PortOSpain Trinidad
Georgetown Guyana
Corriverton Guyana
Paramaribo Suriname
Cayenne French Guiana
Pointa A Pitre Guadaloupe
Gosier Guadeloupe
Dominican Republic
Miami Florida
Back Home in California
Ushuaia Argentina: Old House, Antigua Casa Bebam. The restored old
buildings are now used by the government.
Ushuaia Argentina: Old House, Antigua Casa Bebam. The restored old
buildings are now used by the government.
Ushuaia Argentina: Hotel Los Naranjos is located nearest the road from
the wharf where our rubber boat from Puerto Navarino docked. At $104 I
did not consider it a good value, but convenient.
Ushuaia Argentina: An interesting mural decorates the exterior of this
building. This is the second picture... sans the accidental bystander
who obligingly moved out of the picture.
Ushuaia Argentina: Off to the right of an another interesting mural that
decorates the exterior of this building.
Ushuaia Argentina: Looking down Avenida San Martin, the main street.
Ushuaia Argentina: View of the harbor. One of the large cruise ships in
the background.
Ushuaia Argentina: View of the harbor.
Ushuaia Argentina: Another view of the harbor.
Ushuaia Argentina: View of the harbor as seen from the dock where our
boat from Isla Navarino came in.
Ushuaia Argentina: View of the harbor and one of the large cruise ships.
Everyday several of these vessels docked here.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the large catamaran used for cruising the
Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the large catamaran used for cruising the
Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: Looking toward the shore from the catamaran cruise of
the Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: The lighthouse at the end of the world.
Ushuaia Argentina: The double deck bus used during the full day city
tour.
Ushuaia Argentina: The double deck bus used during the full day city
tour.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel...
and aboard our catamaran cruise ship.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: The Lighthouse at the End of the World.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel...
and aboard our catamaran cruise ship.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Gretchen, the English speaking receptionist at the
Hotel Cesar Hostel who helped me find a room in the hotel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Entrance to the Hotel Cesar Hostal where I stayed
most of the time until they finally were "fully booked!" |
9-15 February2006
Greeting from
Ushuaia Argentina,
Ushuaia is the southernmost large city in
the world. The dock used by the channel crossing arrivals in
Ushuaia
fortunately is only about 600 meters down a gravel access road from the
town's main street and the way is well lighted. Now close to midnight with
nearly deserted streets I grabbed the nearest hotel to the docks and
didn't bother unpacking. The next morning revealed a sobering reality:
most of the decent hotels are expensive and fully booked for the rest of
the week, this being the high season here at
The End of the World.
Then I stumbled on the inexpensive
Hotel Cesar Hostel,
also fully booked. The friendly English speaking receptionist suggested I
return at 11:00 after checkout time when one of the guests might leave
early making a room available. For the next four days I repeated the cliff
hanger routine waiting to see if a room would again become available. At
100 pesos or about $33 this place could have charged twice that amount and
still have been among the best values in town.
This is a tourist town that lives
mainly on the huge cruse ships stopping here on their way around the Horn
or down to the Antarctic. Everyday hoards of obnoxious overweight visitors
in their Bermuda shorts and tasteless gaudy shirts and dresses crowded the
sidewalks. Periodically throughout the day, one of the ships would sound
their loud "fog horns" to alert passengers of an eminent departure. Every
shop along the main street displayed something of interest exclusively to
tourists. Two restaurants offered all-you-can-eat
Parrillada.
The racks of lamb are roasted over an open pile of glowing coals visible
from outside the restaurants forming an irresistible subject for the
constant stream of photographers pausing to admire the heat and meat. I
tried the $10 fare three times and always left happily bloated. Ushuaia
retains much of its old historic character so none of the western fast
food outfits have been allowed to penetrate the traditions... yet. Most
people are employed in the tourist industries, but in 1974 the government
instituted financial and tax incentives to promote the growth of industry
in Tierra del Fuego. As a result of the higher subsidized salaries, a
flood of workers came to the Ushuaia area. A heavy concentration of
electronic assembly firms attracted by the abundant labor pool then
located here.
One morning I
decided to walk to the entrance of the nearby Tierra del Fuego National
Park. About an hour out the paved road ended and passing cars and trucks
kicked up so much dust I detoured up a parallel hiking path through the
adjacent hills. Then it started to rain on the already muddy marshland
trail and circumstances forced me to blaze my own trail back to the road.
Working my way through the trees toward the traffic sounds I finally
spotted it and noted the rain had knocked the dust down. Now tired from
all the trekking and sloshing, a city bus happened along and I gratefully
jumped on for one complete circuit up and down the narrow developed areas
along the coast. Another day I took the three hour catamaran trip around
Bahia Ushuaia (an Indian name that means bay that enters the sunset)
to see the sea lions and penguin islands. For the first time the
difference between sea lions and seals became obvious: old male sea lions
have manes not unlike their feline counterparts. We never saw the
penguins.
I kept hoping
things would develop for a voyage down to the Antarctic, but eventually
fate dictated otherwise. Of the three possible
ships advertising last
minute availability during the latter half of February only the 18 day
cruise had space remaining in a triple room designed for two. I weighed
the $4700 fare and the prospects of sleeping with strangers on a top
bunk-bed in a rolling ship with several nighttime trips to a toilet
designed for sailors and decided to skip this particular adventure. More
hotel shopping no longer interested me and my accommodating hosts at the
Hotel Cesar Hostal finally reached a day without an unexpected
cancellation and unceremoniously kicked me out.
Getting out of
Ushuaia is an adventure all its own. The day I checked, all modes of
transport to anywhere were fully booked! Airline seats were completely
unavailable for several days into the future. That day I became convinced
my best bet would be taking a bus north a couple hundred kilometers to Rio
Grande. The bus company indicated getting a seat for that destination
should be no problem tomorrow. We will see.
Peace
Fred L
Bellomy
Ushuaia Argentina: The sign says it all: "Ushuaia, end of the world."
Ushuaia Argentina: Striking sculpture at the harbor is a monument to the
Islas Malvinas .
Ushuaia Argentina: The sign says it all: Ushuaia, end of the world...
Beginning of everything!
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the building where customs formalities are
conducted for passenger between Argentina and Puerto Navarino Chile
across the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Garden at the entrance to the harbor where our boat
from Isla Navarino docked.
Ushuaia Argentina: Plaza Islas Malvinas near the harbor.
Ushuaia Argentina: Old House, Antigua Casa Bebam. The restored old
buildings are now used by the government.
Ushuaia Argentina: An interesting mural decorates the exterior of this
building. Notice the man in the foreground. Once he realized what I was
up to he moved and I snapped a second picture.
Ushuaia Argentina: The town sits on the side of a hill. This is one of
the streets running down to the harbor area. Large cruise ships like the
one in the background come and go all day long; always leaving with
several blasts on their loud "fog horns."
Ushuaia Argentina: The double deck bus used during the full day city
tour.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the large catamaran used for our cruise of
the Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel: sea
lions bask in the sun.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Many tourists boats like the one in the background visit these islands
full of life.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is a part of the Argentine Armada as seen
through a space in the monument commemorating the loss the the
ARA Fournier.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is a part of the Argentine Armada.
Ushuaia Argentina: Anti-war protesters make their feelings known. In
English: Stop the killing in Iraq... and in the world Peace now!
Ushuaia Argentina: This same poster decorates a number of walls around
town.
Ushuaia Argentina: The Lighthouse at the End of the World.
Ushuaia Argentina: Sunset over the town.
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Ushuaia Argentina: Striking
sculpture at the harbor is a monument to the Islas Malvinas .
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the dock where our little rubber boat stopped
near the building where customs formalities are conducted.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the harbor area near the building where
customs formalities are conducted.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the building where customs formalities are
conducted.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the dock where our little rubber boat
released its frazzled passengers near the building where customs
formalities are conducted.
Ushuaia Argentina: Monument on the hill overlooking the Old House,
Antigua Casa Bebam.
Ushuaia Argentina: Painting hanging in the lobby of the first hotel I
used, the Los Naranjos.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate: some of the kids.
Ushuaia Argentina: One of several interesting sidewalk murals on one of
the public buildings near where teenagers congregate.
Ushuaia Argentina: Plaza Gendarmeria Nacional near the harbor.
Ushuaia Argentina: Sweet pea flowers like these in many colors are
planted all over town.
Ushuaia Argentina: Not much of a view from the window in my room at the
Hotel Cesar Hostal, but the room itself is O.K.
Ushuaia Argentina: Flowers in a small park near the harbor.
Ushuaia Argentina: The sign says it all: Ushuaia, end of the world...
Beginning of everything! - this time in Spanish.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is a part of the Argentine Armada.
Ushuaia Argentina: This is the large catamaran used for our cruise of
the Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on board the catamaran used for our cruise of
the Beagle Channel and islands.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel...
and aboard our catamaran cruise ship.
Ushuaia Argentina: Life on one of the islands in the Beagle Channel...
and aboard our catamaran cruise ship.
Ushuaia Argentina: Union of workers protest poster.
Ushuaia Argentina: Anti-war protesters make their feelings known. In
English: Stop the killing in Iraq.
Ushuaia Argentina: Where on earth did the protesters find this
unflattering photo of the big man?
Ushuaia Argentina: That is the unimpressive on the mountains in the
background.
Ushuaia Argentina: Another couple cruise ships making a port call here.
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