I see the Tierra, but I don’t see the Fuego!

First stop, End of the World. The town of Ushuaia, in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, bills itself as the southern-most town in the world. That’s true only if one doesn’t count the many settlements around and on Antarctica, some of which are town-sized. The various governments that lay claim to parts of the 7th continent don’t call them towns because by international treaty they’re only supposed to be science outposts and the like.

Why am I here? I’ve always wanted to visit Antarctica, and that’s what this leg of the trip is about. Tomorrow I board the Professor Molchanov, a converted Finnish research vessel that is used for adventure cruises in polar regions. The Prof. Molchanov is operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. You can find some nice photos and a description of the vessel here, though you have to navigate around the site a little.

Ushuaia is a busy tourist port, where cruise vessels, large and tiny, depart for the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Georgia Islands and other polar points. Tierra del Fuego is by far the closest continental land to any part of Antarctica, and so this really is the gateway to that continent. My vessel is on the tiny side. 52 passengers, and a crew of about 20. Ulp.

It’s the height of summer here in Ushuaia, warm during the day, but fairly cold when the sun slowly, slowly falls. The spiky, dramatic mountains that surround the place combined with the outpost feel of the town make it seem possible that this is in fact the end of the world. If so, the world ends genially, as Ushuaia is a pleasant enough place. Definitely a tourist town, but not as in-your-face as most. The architecture is a fusion of ramshackle Latin American dwellings, alpine snow cabins and Swiss chalets.

The slow movement of sun and light through the sky sets a pace different than in mid-latitudes. It’s a nice feeling to look up in the sky after a half hour of doing something, and to notice that the light hasn’t changed much. It really helps slow one down. On the other hand, time gets away from you, as you eventually notice that it’s 10PM and you haven’t even thought about dinner yet.

I’m pleased to discover that my Spanish is working out OK. I think I’m more relaxed about speaking Spanish incorrectly than I used to be, and so communication with me is not so trying (I think.) Sometimes I don’t even think about what I’m saying, and of course it comes out all wrong. Interestingly, this often produces a better result than when I bite my lip and stammer out the most correct Spanish I know. At times I just approximate the words I want. I can’t believe it’s taken me 30 years to relax in this way. I had a very nice conversation in Spanish with a young woman at the local tourist information kiosk. She told me just that – don’t worry about your Spanish, just speak!

What has sparked the most conversations so far is an electronic e-book product I carry with me called a Kindle, marketed by Amazon.com. This was a very generous early Xmas gift from S. It’s great for travel, because you can load many books and periodical into a small, battery-efficient, e-paper-based gadget. So far two different women have approached me with a “What’s that thing?” question. I have to admit, it is a pretty cool device, but it’s surprising to me that it such a conversation starter. It’s been around for a year, though there isn’t widespread awareness of it, especially here at the end of the world. I’ve loaded Amundsen’s account of his successful conquest of the South Pole, a book on the scientific and philosophical examination of religion by Dennett, and Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine”. I wanted to put some good comics on the Kindle, but the titles available are generally the lowest book humor around - joke books, “You know you’re a redneck when…”, and the like.

I’m staying at the Hotel Albatros (www.albatroshotel.com.ar), directly across from the only pier in Ushuaia. I can see the tour, cruise and cargo ships coming and going from my room, if I try hard. From the restaurant bar, there is a great view of the bay. The Albatros is convenient, but not all that helpful (they haven’t been able to [1] store luggage long term, [2] find me a local shipper/Fedex office, [3] give me directions to a good restaurant, or [4] locate for me a barber shop.). It’s also loud in the rooms, which is surprising since I don’t think there are all that many people staying here. The location is great, but I’d stay somewhere else next time. The best thing is having a glass of wine in the bar and looking out across the Bahia Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel to the mountains in the south.

I’m getting mixed messages about the local economy. The hotel is not all that busy, but the cab driver told me that the financial collapse and global economic crisis has had not effect here, because this destination is for the richer tourists. Not sure I believe it, as I see signs all over town trying to sell the last berths on the Prof. Molchanov.

One night I went to dinner at a nice place recommended by Lonely Planet, “Maria Lola Resto”. The food was good quality, good ingredient, though bland. I’m beginning to think that is what Argentine cuisine is about. Good seafood and meats, prepared well but with little seasoning or spice. Anyway, the view from MLR is spectacular and panoramic. That’s really the attraction. It’s slightly off the main tourist drag, and so it’s a peaceful place. A full dinner there was about $30 US, which is less than you’d pay for a pedestrian meal on the tourist streets of Maipu or San Martin.

Friend and travel agent M recommended I try the local specialty, “centolla” (centosha). Centolla is actually a kind of Pacific king crab, rather than a dish, but it gets prepared in particular few ways and they’re all referred to as centolla. On my first night (2 nights total here) I had a kind of stew with tomato-based sauce (I think), some cheese and lots of crab legs. This crab is everywhere here. I don’t know if they’re in environmental trouble, but they are delicious. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more centolla aboard the Prof. Molchanov, though my understanding is that these trips don’t involve catching seafood or fish en route. Never having been on a cruise of any type, I really don’t know what to expect…