I flew back to Ushuaia from Buenos Aries. It was a 3 1/2 hour flight. If you ever fly out of the domestic airport, you need to go two hours ahead to get through the long check-in line.
When I arrived, I learned that the next day was a planned strike, so no flights would happen. Luckily, I’m not going until the day after.
It was also the warmest day Ushuaia had all summer, 20 Celsius. I’m seriously beginning to question my packing choices. I think I have several colder weather items that just won’t get used.
The main part of town is the tourist pier, where all the cruises going to Antarctica depart from.
Many restaurants and shops can be found here as well as other Ushuaia and End of the world tour groups.
About two blocks up is the main street. It is full of souvenirs, food, chocolate makers, and hotels.
Ushuaia’s history is important and linked to its geography. It is completely cut off from the rest of Argentina, surrounded by the Beagal Chanel , the Andes, and Chile. The weather is also winter like all year long.
It’s not a place that many people would choose to come to or stay in. Desperate for a permanent population, Argentina opened a prison here. The wardens and guards would stay with their families here as well as military personnel.
Since the surrounding area is so cut off and inhospitable prisoners would routinely escape, only to die because of bad weather and lack of food. Many escapees would return to the prison for food and warmth.
To help develop the area, the prisoners were put to work building the prison, and a short train was built to transport the prisoners to the work areas. This history is embraced in the town.
Of course, that’s not Ushuaia only history. Its name comes from the native group that used to occupy this region, the Yaghan. This is a kick-ass group that used fat smeared on their naked bodies to protect against the wind and cold – not clothes- fat.
They also spent a lot of their time in canoes and figured out a way yo keep a fire going in the center of the boat without it burning up, so they always had fire available to them. Smart.
https://www.adventure-life.com/patagonia/articles/tierra-del-fuego-culture#:~:text=The%20very%20name%20of%20this,dotted%20with%20man%2Dmade%20fireshttps://www.adventure-life.com/patagonia/articles/tierra-del-fuego-culture#:~:text=The%20very%20name%20of%20this,dotted%20with%20man%2Dmade%20fires.
Ushuaia is an interesting place to visit whether you’re looking to get to Antarctica or not.
Chasing Summer - 
Leave a comment