End of the Road..... Ushuaia

Ushuaia, tucked between the Beagle Canal and the southern slopes of the Andes, is the southernmost city of the world. It is literally at the end of the Pan American Highway, a 26,000-kilometer road from Alaska to the end of Route 3 in Tierra del Fuego National Park, just outside the city. A mere 700 miles from Antarctica, it is the closest of the two outposts for excursions to Antarctica, the other being Punta Arenas.

Monument to the Ancient and Pioneer Villagers Sheltered in the Wings of a Large Albatros

Tierra del Fuego is the name of the Argentine province, and the name of the triangle shaped island shared 50/50 with Chile. Named by Magellan as "The Land of the Smoke" because of the smoke seen upon arriving as indigenous people sent out warnings of oncoming outsiders. Where there is smoke, there must be fire, so the name was changed a few years later to "The Land of Fire".

Glaciers above the city supply water

British Jesuits were the first colonizers and built their settlement on the south side of the small bay because that was the area that saw the sun all year. The main part of town is on the south side of the mountains, so when the sun comes up for 5-6 hours during winter, it is still behind the mountains for the rest of the town. The missionaries had the natives come together in a group of 3000 around the mission. Unfortunately, this allowed European diseases to spread quickly and within a few years, their population had dropped to 1000. Today there are very few natives left.

Old Prison, now a Museum

Argentina tried to figure out what to do with this island, and decided because it was so remote, it would make a perfect place for a prison. The prison was meant to hold up to 300, but at its peak, it had 800 inmates...at first hardened criminals, but later also political dissidents, some who were tortured. Prisoners not only built the prison, but most of the infrastructure of the city. It closed in 1946.

In the 1980s, Argentina encouraged people to move to Ushuaia by taking away taxes.  Because of this, industries have moved in, much of it assembling electronics with parts being shipped in by boat and then assembled and exported by trucks. The city grew from 7000 to 20,000 within a few years, straining the city. People will move to Ushuaia because of the high salaries and work here for a few years and then move away because they do not like the weather and the remoteness. One has to like living with nature to survive the cold damp climate where the average in summer is only 50 degrees and hovers around freezing all winter.

This cemetery used to be outside the town, but as the city grew it is now in the middle. These are above the ground mausoleums like we saw in Buenos Aires. Most have glass windows so you can see the caskets on shelves. Inside are mementos of the loved ones that tell the story of their lives and the love of those that they have left behind.

Along the waterfront is a huge and very moving Memorial Park to the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands War. Although some believe it was begun to bolster the military dictatorship, other Argentines believe the Falkland Islands or "Malvinas" as they call them, are rightfully part of Argentina. One of our fellow cruisers wore a new Falkland Islands T-shirt, and a Ushuaian said, "Nice T-shirt...not".  Still some hard feeling regarding that war.

The city is bustling with the main employer being the government... the navy, national parks, schools, etc. Tourism is second. Then fishing and factory work as noted above. Viking supported the fishing industry and brought on King Crab for an incredible seafood buffet.

Proud of its Fishing and Penguins

Display by the crab salad buffet at lunch

Downtown were many hotels and restaurants and three chocolatier shops. Maybe the high demand for gourmet chocolates is due to the need to improve spirits in the dead of winter. Suicide rates are among the highest for any place in Argentina. Houses were mixed in with businesses on the city streets and some had beautiful gardens, also perhaps to bolster moods. This man proudly invited us in to see his garden and gave an explanation, in Spanish of course, of the flowers, trees, rhubarb, herbs, and potatoes.

Note the Wire Basket Trash Receptacles seen all over the City

Tierra del Fuego became an official Argentine province in 1884 after it finally had a large enough population to be counted. There has been an annual march down the main street ever since to celebrate this. In 1984, commemorating the 100th year anniversary the city built a stairway leading to a year-round fountain that would freeze in the winter and become ice in the shape of a flower. Unfortunately, the fountain has not been used for 20 years and the wooden stairs are in disrepair.

In the mountains north of the city are glaciers that supply the water. There is a concern of global warming as the glaciers are receding and in 50 years water may be a problem, especially if the city continues to grow.  On the other side of the mountains is a large area, the steppes, high flatlands for grazing and vegetables.

We took a bus ride into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, to the end of the highway. Forests were dense with beech trees and evergreens.  We didn't see any animals except for ducks and waterbirds, but the views were fabulous. The park is having a problem with beaver, rabbits, muskrats, and mink. These animals were introduced to begin a fur industry. The animals did well, but people got tired of trying to catch them. The business died, but their destruction continues.

                                                         Tierra del Fuego National Park

Boardwalk Hike

                   

At the "Fin del Mundo", End of the world road, tourists had a chance to mail a letter....and then later to hug a sign for the beginning of the Pan American Highway!

 Ushuaia is quite proud of its "End of the World" status!