Thursday, 16 January, 2014
We awoke this morning cruising through the section of Beagle Channel known as Glacier Alley. There are seven spectacular glaciers in this stretch, and they are all very different . All have receded over the past century due to higher temperatures and less precipitation. There are no cities and no residents living in this region for over 350 miles. At 1PM we caught site of the southernmost lighthouse in the world, marking the entrance to Ushuaia (ooo-shoo-why-uh) translated meaning Bay-opens-to-the-west. This city of 70,000 residents is quite new as it really only began developing in the 1970's after the Argentina government, trying to populate the region, declared it a "no-tax" zone. It is known as the southernmost city on earth, hence the nickname, "end of the world."
The original inhabitants were Argentina's worst and most dangerous criminals who were sentenced to serve their time at the "end of the world". They not only had to build their own prison, but also the dock to bring future prisoners in. This city has the most incredible natural beauty I think I've ever seen anywhere in the world, and is surrounded by jagged Andean peaks and glacier blue lakes, rivers, and the Beagle Channel. The main drawback here is the weather, with long winters of very little sun. If you can handle that, then this is a wonderful place. Summer high temperatures run in the 50's and winter lows are around 10 below zero. They only receive about 3-4 feet of snow a year and about 20 inches of rain.
We also had the opportunity to travel to Tierra del Fuego National Park, translated means "Land of Fire" as named by Ferdinand Magellan. It too is also the most southern national park in the world. We saw many examples of some of the most beautiful birds anywhere in their natural habitats. Part of our journey today was to travel on the final 5 miles of the Pan American Highway, which originates in northern Alaska and continues for over 17,800 kilometers (about 12,700 miles) until it reaches its final terminus point here. We had about an hour to visit downtown Ushuaia until returning to the ship and departing for our next destination. As we awaken tomorrow morning we get to experience a round trip circumventing Cape Horn, the final spot of land before heading into the dreaded 650 miles of the Drake Passage to reach Antarctica. We won't be stepping on land again for quite sometime.
Dinner tonight consisted of Caesar salad, chilled banana soup, crab cakes, then Marla enjoyed grilled Mahi Mahi and I had Carne Asada (Beef Fajitas). Dessert was mango sorbet and a mixed berry crisp topped with ice cream. We're doing fine and are really enjoying ourselves. Take care, and we'll try to stay in touch as we now head into the great unknown of the southern latitudes and the Antarctic Circle.
Love you all
Tom and Marla
We awoke this morning cruising through the section of Beagle Channel known as Glacier Alley. There are seven spectacular glaciers in this stretch, and they are all very different . All have receded over the past century due to higher temperatures and less precipitation. There are no cities and no residents living in this region for over 350 miles. At 1PM we caught site of the southernmost lighthouse in the world, marking the entrance to Ushuaia (ooo-shoo-why-uh) translated meaning Bay-opens-to-the-west. This city of 70,000 residents is quite new as it really only began developing in the 1970's after the Argentina government, trying to populate the region, declared it a "no-tax" zone. It is known as the southernmost city on earth, hence the nickname, "end of the world."
The original inhabitants were Argentina's worst and most dangerous criminals who were sentenced to serve their time at the "end of the world". They not only had to build their own prison, but also the dock to bring future prisoners in. This city has the most incredible natural beauty I think I've ever seen anywhere in the world, and is surrounded by jagged Andean peaks and glacier blue lakes, rivers, and the Beagle Channel. The main drawback here is the weather, with long winters of very little sun. If you can handle that, then this is a wonderful place. Summer high temperatures run in the 50's and winter lows are around 10 below zero. They only receive about 3-4 feet of snow a year and about 20 inches of rain.
We also had the opportunity to travel to Tierra del Fuego National Park, translated means "Land of Fire" as named by Ferdinand Magellan. It too is also the most southern national park in the world. We saw many examples of some of the most beautiful birds anywhere in their natural habitats. Part of our journey today was to travel on the final 5 miles of the Pan American Highway, which originates in northern Alaska and continues for over 17,800 kilometers (about 12,700 miles) until it reaches its final terminus point here. We had about an hour to visit downtown Ushuaia until returning to the ship and departing for our next destination. As we awaken tomorrow morning we get to experience a round trip circumventing Cape Horn, the final spot of land before heading into the dreaded 650 miles of the Drake Passage to reach Antarctica. We won't be stepping on land again for quite sometime.
Dinner tonight consisted of Caesar salad, chilled banana soup, crab cakes, then Marla enjoyed grilled Mahi Mahi and I had Carne Asada (Beef Fajitas). Dessert was mango sorbet and a mixed berry crisp topped with ice cream. We're doing fine and are really enjoying ourselves. Take care, and we'll try to stay in touch as we now head into the great unknown of the southern latitudes and the Antarctic Circle.
Love you all
Tom and Marla
No comments:
Post a Comment