Ushuaia # 1
So, we looked at the possible excursions in Ushuaia and decided to go on our own. Turns out, that was probably the best option. We talked to some folks who rode the southernmost railroad – we’d talked about that – but when they got to the end, it was all fogged in and you really couldn’t see anything.
Instead, we booked Gaby (pronounced “Gabby”) who took us all around in her car – added advantage over exploring on our own, because Ushuaia is largely mountainous, coming up from the bay that was carved out by glaciers.
That means everything is uphill. Both ways.
The weather, however, was incredible. Usually, it is cold and rainy here. Think Seattle in the winter. Today we had broken clouds and temperatures in the mid-fifties. The first thing we figured out was that we dressed a bit warmer than was necessary.
The first thing to notice is that the roads here are much like they are in other extreme climates; specifically, they are frequently unpaved gravel, and those that are paved suffer from the winter freeze / thaw cycle. This made taking notes while she was driving a bit of a challenge. Average temp here is about 32F degrees, so getting a day that was warm and clear was a real treat!
There are several key mountains that surround Ushuaia. One is called Olivia and the other is Glacier Marial. There are lots of mountains all around the bay, though, and we learned that what we initially thought were snowcaps are actually what’s left of glaciers on them.
You can park and take the 2 hour hike up the side of the mountain to touch a glacier.
We took a picture from a distance instead.
This is a city with the combined population of the Hickory metro area, and only has 4 things upon which the economy is based – Manufacturing (electronic parts are shipped in and assembled to become tech things like cell phones), Government Administration (because they are so far away from the home office in Buenos Aires that somebody has to be in charge), fishing, and Tourism.
The government, to encourage people to stay here, subsidizes the factory jobs so those folks get free transportation and food (just like in the Silicon Valley)! Factories also close for vacation in January (high summer for them, remember) and so today was everyone’s first day back at work.
Like everywhere else in the world right now, there is a housing shortage and a drug problem, especially among young people. The natural conditions lead to high incidents of depression and suicide.
Instead, we booked Gaby (pronounced “Gabby”) who took us all around in her car – added advantage over exploring on our own, because Ushuaia is largely mountainous, coming up from the bay that was carved out by glaciers.
That means everything is uphill. Both ways.
The weather, however, was incredible. Usually, it is cold and rainy here. Think Seattle in the winter. Today we had broken clouds and temperatures in the mid-fifties. The first thing we figured out was that we dressed a bit warmer than was necessary.
The first thing to notice is that the roads here are much like they are in other extreme climates; specifically, they are frequently unpaved gravel, and those that are paved suffer from the winter freeze / thaw cycle. This made taking notes while she was driving a bit of a challenge. Average temp here is about 32F degrees, so getting a day that was warm and clear was a real treat!
There are several key mountains that surround Ushuaia. One is called Olivia and the other is Glacier Marial. There are lots of mountains all around the bay, though, and we learned that what we initially thought were snowcaps are actually what’s left of glaciers on them.
You can park and take the 2 hour hike up the side of the mountain to touch a glacier.
We took a picture from a distance instead.
This is a city with the combined population of the Hickory metro area, and only has 4 things upon which the economy is based – Manufacturing (electronic parts are shipped in and assembled to become tech things like cell phones), Government Administration (because they are so far away from the home office in Buenos Aires that somebody has to be in charge), fishing, and Tourism.
The government, to encourage people to stay here, subsidizes the factory jobs so those folks get free transportation and food (just like in the Silicon Valley)! Factories also close for vacation in January (high summer for them, remember) and so today was everyone’s first day back at work.
Like everywhere else in the world right now, there is a housing shortage and a drug problem, especially among young people. The natural conditions lead to high incidents of depression and suicide.
Just looked it up on map. Literally @ end of the road?
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