Ushuaia, Argentina... Only 3 Weeks Late

OMG - I am so far behind on my blog posts that we traveled through South America to the Polynesian Islands and I haven't written shit! So instead of boring you all with each port - there were many I decided to pick the top 4 and not waste the great photos and videos we took. I also figured I would take the time to describe "life on board" as we hit the about mid point mark of the 4 months at sea and are now in the swing of things, have made a few friends and have a routine of sorts.

Let's start with Ushuaia, Argentina. Ushuaia is a resort town in Argentina. It's located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America,

It's the last stop before Antarctica hence why they call it The End of the World.

We arrived for 2 days and one overnight. The city is famous for many things - the last stop for travelers before they embark on their trek to Antarctica, the old prison and the prisoners who built the railroad there, how it was used for filming in the Leo DiCaprio movie the Revenant (apparently it was the only place they could find snow in the world when they were finalizing the movie) and for the colony of penguins that live on an island about 1 hour by boat off land.

Day one we decided to take a "ship excursion" - something we avoid like the plague for the reasons we were reminded on the tour. But we followed the troops to a boat which took us through the Beagle Channel (it was cold) and passed a small rock island where we saw these majestic sea lions and birds that looked like penguins but we were quickly told were not.

Another 20 minutes on the water and the boat pulled up to the shore of Martillo Island and land of two penguin colonies the Magellanic and Gentoo penguins. The island is only accessible by boat and between the pushing and shoving of our fellow passengers - more about that in my "life on board" blog post, we managed to get to the front of the boat and I swear it was breathtaking. Thousand and thousands of penguins from babies to old couples lounging on the beach, chasing each other, swimming in the waters around the boat - they were everywhere. It was incredible. I honestly could have have stayed forever.

Each penguin almost told a story - two were swimming back to shore and you could see "mom and dad" waiting for them like kids who were late for dinner. Then another two who got into a fight slapping each other and chasing each other until a huge dive into the ocean was the only escape reminded me of some domestic dispute where "drunk dad" came home too late and "mom" was so pissed she chased him back to the water where he swam away from her. Andre got a video that was such a winner it's my favorite video of the whole trip so far.

While I wanted to kill 99% of the rude passengers - it was worth it to see the island and these incredible birds who can live on land and in the sea and who have such personalities.

It was a whole day adventure.

The next day we were also booked on a ship excursion to take the trip on "The End of the world Train" and then wanted to venture off on our own for lunch and a trip to the famous prison.

A little of the history of The End of the World Train: The Fuegian Southern Railway, also called The End of the World Train, is the railway line that connects Ushuaia, with the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Although the route covered is not very long, only 8 kilometers, it meets the requirement of being the southernmost train in the world still in operation. It was build in 1902 and for and by the convicts of Ushuaia. The Ushuaia prison operated as such until 1947. With the closure of the prison, the train stopped operating a few years later.

The Fuegian train only started operating again in 1994, but for purely tourist purposes. Of course, the three locomotives are replicas of the original ones and are all steam locomotives. The current route is only a third part of the original route, but it still preserves all the magic of the landscapes of The End of the World, crossing enchanted forests with wild horses and cattle roaming around. Trees that were cut down by the prisoners over 100 years old still lay dead where they were cut and due to the climate things "weather" at a much different speed. You can buy postcards at the train station which will stamp them with the "End of the World" stamp. I bought several there and brought others I had written in Spain but had yet to mail and stamped them all and will explain later why they were FINALY mailed from Tahiti. I figured those who I wrote them to got a "2 in 1" - sometimes "3 in 1" with postcards as far back as Barcelona, stamped in Ushuaia and mailed from Tahiti. I'd say that was really being part of our journey!!!

We got off the train at the last and only stop and found a cab who took us to the famous Ushuaia prison. It was in operation between 1904 to 1947 and was considered not only the safest but almost like Alcatraz due to the its climate and location. Although the 600 convicts that occupied the 380 cells in the Ushuaia prison up until its closure in 1947 were not exactly town citizens, their work was integral to the daily life of the city. Public works projects and houses were often built by prison labor, which also supplied the southern Argentine town with such staples as firewood, bread, and electrical power; prisoners and citizens relied on each other. The presidio is defined by a central ward from which radiate five cellblock spokes.

We got to see the cells of some of their infamous prisoners like the serial killer Mateo Banks who was called "the mystic", Cayetano Santos Godino sadly known as "petiso orejudo (big-eared shorty)" and anarchist Simon Radowitsky. Those prisoners with good behavior were rewarded with the chance of working outside the jail, or in the workshops. This was paid work, fact that enabled some of them to save some money for the moment they were released or to send it to their relatives outside. Among the workshops there were: press, photography, shoe repair, tailor, carpentry, bakery, medical service, pharmacy and so on, all of which gave Ushuaia’s inhabitants the basic supplies in order to live. Otherwise they would depend on ships arriving to the port only once a month, or even less. In this way Ushuaia’s life was being built around this prison and along with it. Our prison visit worked up and appetite so we walked the main road "Martin" and landed at a small local seafood restaurant - apparently Ushuaia is know for it's King crab. Dre has a sort of baked crab pot which was delish and I had crab ravioli which was INCREDIBLE - our ship food is so awful we live to eat at each Port.

Two full days in Ushuaia were so memorable. Between the penguins to the train to the prison and a full belly - it was a Port I would grade an A+.