Ushuaia Day 4

After getting up and having some cereal for breakfast, we got permission to leave our bags and went to head out for a bit to walk around Ushuaia before meeting our couchsurfers. We went for a walk around part of the bay, talking about all the travel plans we were looking at last night and the best way to do things. There were lots of wildflowers, and it was quiet because it was away from the main tourist area. We did forget to put sunscreen on because we didn't expect to be out as long as we were, so that was unfortunate.

After our walk we went back to the Albatross for a coffee and comfy place to sit and book the Sambadrome. There was a new year sale that we managed to take advantage of. Allan also got started on an email he wanted to write. Just after 3, we packed up, went to a food truck for a cheap lunch, and walked back to the hostel to collect our big bags. Then, it was the short 10 minute walk to the house we will be staying at while couchsurfing. Allan did couchsurfing a lot on previous trips, but this will be my first time.

Once we got to the house, we were warmly greeted by Gab and Gonza. They are both originally from Ushuaia, but did working holidays in Australia for a year. It sounds like Gonza has done a lot more traveling than Gab, kind of like me and Allan (but not as many places). They seem very nice. They have a super cute dog called Bonzo. He's 12, but you'd never know it based on his cute little face and bounding energy. We will stay at their house, while they stay at Gab's grandmother's house that they haven't sold yet. We didn't expect to have the whole place to ourselves!

After getting to know each other for a couple more hours, we got a tour of the house and then got in the car to head towards a glacier. We stopped along the way at a viewpoint and had some local snacks and maté, which is kind of like tea, but a little different. It was nice, but surprisingly bitter and strange to drink hot tea out of a thin straw. It's meant to be a popular thing that local people do, so it was nice to learn that and do it with them.

We continued the drive up to the glacier. Because we did a lot of chatting, we didn't walk all the way up to it, but still had a good view. Apparently in winter it's a popular place to go skiing. Bonzo was loving life, running around and being happy. Walks are always better with a dog.

After the glacier we went back to Ushuaia. We decided to drop Bonzo off at home and head out to the national park, Tierra del Fuego. We stopped for milanesa sandwiches and a beer to take to the park and picnic. We made a quick pit stop on the way to see the El Fin del Mundo Tren, the train that brought prisoners fo and from Ushuaia to cut and haul timber. It was so small!

We went to a lake not far into the park. Because Gab and Gonza are local residents, they didn't have to pay, and said we were there friends, which saved us a fair bit in the entry fee. The lake was very pretty with mountains on either side and a forest behind us. Directly in front of us was the snow capped Mount Darwin and Chile. It was really windy, so we decided to park facing the lake instead of eat on benches. The sandwich had a schnitzel, lettuce, tomato, fried egg, ham, and I'm sure a couple other things. It was a very nice sandwich.

Once we finished our sandwiches, we for back in the car, drove to another part of the part and had a walk in Tierra del Fuego. There was another lake with different mountains and a walking path deck built up to keep the walk out of any potential marshy land. It wasn't a very long walk, but the view was great.

It was late when Gab and Gonza dropped us back off at the house, so after our late night the day before, we showered and went straight to bed.Læs mere