Arriving in Ushuaia

We got to the sign marking the entrance to Ushuaia, the most southerly town in South America, at around 3.15pm. We all got off the truck to take a group photo as people are leaving the tour here. Derk shared a screenshot of our journey so far, from the top of the continent to the bottom.

Ushuaia is a resort town in Argentina. It's located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, and is nicknamed the 'End of the World'. The windswept town, perched on a steep hill, is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel. It's the gateway to Antarctica cruises and tours to nearby Isla Yécapasela, known as 'Penguin Island' for its penguin colonies.

We continued to drive into the centre of town. We could see several Antarctic cruise ships docked in the harbour. The cruises are the main reason people come to Ushuaia. Very few do what we're doing!

From the truck, the town looked more colourful than I expected. I think the sunshine helped!

We arrived at Hostel Los Comoranes, where most of the group were staying, at just after 3.30pm. We said our goodbyes to those who are leaving the tour here because we were staying in a private apartment a 10-minute walk away. Those leaving include the two main protagonists involved in the problems on the truck. We knew they were getting off here to go to Antarctica, but the plan had been for them to rejoin the truck later. They have now decided not to. I can't say I'm sorry!

We got to our accommodation a little bit ahead of our 4pm check in time, so we had to wait for the owner to arrive with the key. He didn't speak any English, so we communicated through Google Translate. What on earth did we do before the internet?!

Our apartment was tiny, but it had everything we needed, including a kitchenette and a washing machine. We dropped our bags and went out to do some food shopping. The nearest supermarket was Carrefour, an 18-minute walk away. It was reasonably well stocked, but it didn't have the range or the quality we are used to in a French Carrefour! It was very expensive, too! I've got no idea how ordinary Argentines afford to live! It cost us £53 for food for three days! However, I know this is much cheaper than eating out. On the way back up to the apartment, we saw a takeaway chicken shop advertising a small portion of fried chicken and chips for £20!!

Back at our accommodation, we had something light for dinner (I had cheese and tomato on toast, and Mark had a sausage sandwich) and had an early night. We were both exhausted!Read more