"For ME this is Heaven" Part 3 (Ushuaia part 2)

Last post, Mila and I walked up a mountain to see a glacier, took a train to the end of the world, and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes we'd ever seen.  I stopped writing as we were coming back to Ushuaia. 

Headed back into town

After our morning outside, we had decided to spend the afternoon inside. On the train we heard about the prison that the tracks were built for. That prison had been turned into a museum that commemorated not only the prison, but also the area.

The "chucu-chucu" cutter sitting in front of the prison

The museum not only covered the harsh life that the early-mid 20th century prisoners endured, but also maritime history of Antarctic exploration. Many of the exhibits were reconstructions of huts and lean-tos where explorers attempted to survive. Some did, many did not. Additionally, there was a large display of model ships that showed famous Antarctic trips.

Magellan's Trinidad

The Duchess of Albany which may have been scuttled for insurance money

There were many more models, but those were the highlights for me. The museum is set up like a hub and spoke, and the next area we chose to explore had been kept similar to the original prison. This, of course, meant that it was about 20 degrees colder than the other areas. Gotta keep it close to the conditions that the prisoners lived in.

I don't know that this hallway had been renovated much since the prison shut down 80 years ago. It certainly doesn't look it.

Mostly the hallway contained empty cells that we could look in. However, there were some exhibits as well.

getting to know one of the guys

        

I was recreating this famous picture of journalist Juan Jose de Soiza Reilly interviewing "The Telephone Killer" Roque Sacomano. Sacomano was convicted after police beat a confession out of him. He killed a "cable girl" after mistaking her for a prostitute. At the prison, he was kept under double guard while performing dangerous and grueling jobs such as dynamiting and hand carrying rocks. 

the renovated hallway leading to the non-renovated area. While not exactly super fancy, (does a prison museum need to be?) at least the heat was on.

original inhabitants of the area.  they must've been chilly all the time

Scientists from the 1902 "Swedish Expedition" their supply/transport ship got crushed by pack ice and they were forced to survive all winter. They split into three groups and, somehow, all survived until the Argentine Navy was able to rescue them in 1903

goals

municipal building

                        

These souvenirs bothered me. They celebrated one of the most famous inmates of Ushuaia prison - The Big-Eared Midget himself Cayetano Santos Godino. (no, that's what it says there and what the media dubbed him) He was a child serial killer. As in he was a child and killed multiple children in some truly diabolical ways. He was a real-life Pennywise. You could buy all sorts of trinkets with his likeness at just about every little souvenir shop in town.

Our hotel had agreements with certain local tour providers and a listing of all their offerings. Noticeably, the penguin tour was crossed out. You know, the main reason I wanted to go down there in the first place. Oh well. Even if we weren't going to be able to see penguins, we still wanted to explore. We walked down to a part of town we hadn't much noticed before, where there were dozens of little cottage style buildings housing different tours.

a few of them mentioned penguin tours.  hmmm

We were early so we wandered around, spotted our cabin, and then took advantage of the time to take some typical tourist pictures

The boat was a little smaller than I'd expected, but not too small. Good for a three hour tour.

more tour boats

We loaded up with maybe ten more people and a small crew. (3 including the tour guide if I remember correctly) and stood on the back of the ship as we watched Ushuaia and Argentina slip further away behind us. In front of us, towards the south, loomed Chilean mountains.

Even after the town was too far to see clearly, Mila wanted to get pictures. Of course

belleza

I like how I caught that bird just as it was entering the water. Entirely on purpose, Mila almost got in the way.

The tour guide went around taking pictures for us.

no, I'm not hiding

These guys... I got so excited seeing them standing there. "Mila! Pinnnnguinnnnsss!" Now, the tour guide could have let me have my moment. She did not. She chose to inform me that these are Imperial Shags (named by Austin Powers?) and that penguins are further out. They DO see penguins on another tour, just not that one. So we picked the wrong tour.

We went inside the cabin and our guide told us about the channel, including sea life, human exploration, and geology of the channel. We also had some snacks. Between the heat, snacks, and the rolling of the boat, most of us started feeling seasick. No one threw up, but we all spent a while out on the deck in the cold wind and spray.

Before too long we came to an island covered in shags and sea lions. As much as they annoyed me on weekend mornings in Monterey, it was still nice to see them.

a rival tour boat was there too

yes, we could still hear them

Next up was the lighthouse at the end of the world of Jules Verne fame. OK, so it was not the actual lighthouse, but it was the one that appears on the cover art. Apparently the actual lighthouse was squat and not nearly as picturesque. And, well, also 200 miles east and now destroyed.

The Les Eclaireurs lighthouse was constructed in 1920, years after Jules Verne died. It was used as the model for the lighthouse in future media and book covers. Here is a picture of the actual lighthouse from around the time Verne would have been writing. Les Eclaireurs is located in the Beagle Channel, roughly five miles east of Ushuaia.

We took so many pictures at the lighthouse.

what's that face?

sealing

it's like those flag colors are on purpose

The lighthouse was our turnaround point. From there, we were headed back west to Ushuaia. First, however, we stopped at an island large enough for us to get out and walk around. We got out at Bridges Island and wandered around.  here's the 2026 interesting part - First I uploaded a couple of pictures into ChatGPT to see if it could identify the island. It came back with Isla Navarino on the Chilean half of the channel. I thought it was odd that I couldn't remember anything about going to Chile. Then, I remembered that I'd worn my Garmin and actually recorded our walk.  Telling me that we were actually on Isla Bridges. ChatGPT says it cannot be Isla bridges but... I was able to find other pictures and a tourist charter's website with some of the same pictures as me. You lose this one, AI.

that's our boat

This lichen grows only a few millimeters a year, meaning this spot is well over 100 years old. We had to be careful where we stepped so as to not damage the lichen.

wow

We walked up a small hill on single trek, careful to not disturb the scrub on either side of us. There are no trees and the tallest bushes only stand a couple feet high. After being told about the calafate, a blueberry-like berry indigenous to the region, we were on the lookout. We were able to try a couple of them without leaving the path and you could see calafate-flavored products throughout the shops in Ushuaia. The flavor was similar to blueberries and the ubiquity kind of reminds me of the Montanan huckleberry. 

the top of the hill

yes, I'm wearing a Patagonia jacket in Patagonia

breathtaking

on our way back

berries!

why did I take this picture?

We made our way back to the mainland and after a rest at the hotel, decided to go check out Patagonia Brewery, after tasting a few of their beers on our trip.

less than $1 in the hotel lobby, much needed to keep going

we got the flight, and a great view of the harbor. Their amber is particularly good

The SS St Christopher, a WWII cargo ship that was damaged after it had been sold to Argentina in the 1950s. It was too expensive to fix, so it was towed to Ushuaia and left to slowly rust.

That night, we went up there to a fancy hotel, Las Hayas, overlooking the city for dinner. We got a ride in a Hilux up the twisty, windy, dark dirt road that leads up the mountain to the hotel and the driver definitely skidded it a few times. The view was pretty awesome, but being incredibly dark, could not quite be captured with our cameras. Maybe next time we'll go up during the day so we can see.

The next day we had a late flight and decided that we should give Cerro Martial another go, trying to see if we could get closer to the glacier itself. It had been above freezing quite a bit the last few days, so it may be easier to climb. I had my media luna and cafecito for breakfast at the hotel and off we went.

let's go!

much of the snow had melted, making these bridges less treacherous. We could see a group ahead of us

appreciating neature

Messing with slow-mo

this bridge wasn't completely cleared of ice, but it was the crusty kind that isn't as slick

a bit muddy, innit?

there's the glacier!

pretty sure it's the ski run

the refuge that was closed and run down. not sure how long it's been closed

taking a rest after all that subiendo

we followed this little stream for much of the walk

As we went up, the way became snowier and icier. According to my GPS, we went up about 750 feet of elevation in just over a mile.

It was at this point, we decided to not go up further. Although it wasn't that cold, the path was getting slipperier. We hadn't rented the metal spikes or trekking poles and were slipping around. So, we decided to take tons of pictures of the area before heading back down the quick way. (plus we had a flight to catch)

I had to zoom way in to be able to capture them. To the naked eye, they looked like ants up there on the mountain.

wild calafate

taken right after I tripped and fell

you can just see Ushuaia down there

We HAD to get one more milanesa before heading back to Buenos Aires.

These things were ridiculous. I gained close to 10 pounds in our 2 weeks in Argentina. Literally took me over a year to drop that Argentina weight. Milanesas, alfajores, and pastries definitely played their part in that weight gain.

I love when airports match the area's aesthetic. We got in super early.

She LOVED these luggage carts.

We came back in time to grab some late night arepas at a small Venezuelan restaurant next to our hotel. The owner sat and talked with us for a while, telling us about events that we "had" to catch later in the week. Unfortunately, we had less than 24 hours left in country. 

The next morning was drizzly but we wanted to stop at an icon that we'd almost missed - Cafe Tortoni. Tortoni is the city's most famous confiteria, having been in continuous operation since the mid-19th century. It is also located between the Casa Rosada and the National Congress. In that time, pretty much every Argentine luminary has stopped to eat, drink, argue politics or art, and be seen.

you really did see people of all types sitting at the tables

the chocolate was very good, but not ideal

the place looks nice and is in an upscale part of town but our waiter told Mila to put her phone away when she left it out on the table. He said it wouldn't be surprising if someone grabbed it and ran.

We next went to check out the Basilica de San Jose de Flores. This was Pope Francis' boyhood church and they still have the baptismal font he was baptized in. 

There was a historical presentation going on when we walked in. I don't remember too much and it was hard to hear in the echoey nave. 

someone should clean the lens

the ceiling is meant to make congregants feel like they're directly under heaven while worshipping

Basically Pope Francis' resume

the view from up the stairs by the altar

                        

the baptismal font, kept in a room behind the altar where they have additional information about his time at the basilica

from the street

Afterward, we made one more tourist stop, the top rated art museum in Buenos Aires. Not being a huge art fan, this was left as a time filler option on the schedule. well, we had some time to fill.

OK, so this one caught my attention, a 16th century winter scene from the Netherlands

sure

Neat, ancient Egyptian art

modern art, I call it fabric in stacks. When Mila sees this around the house, she gets annoyed with me.  She just doesn't understand my artistic vision

One more thing to do - lunch. We decided to check out Buenos Aires' Chinatown and figured we could just pick a spot at random. Which we did. And, we were pleased. We also stopped in the little shops with Mila pointing out things she found interesting, me asking if she wants it, and then her wrinkling her nose before saying no. 

This was a trip. It's been nearly two years and we find ourselves mentioning something that happened nearly daily. That's not just from the quartet of diverse magnets on our fridge or the chiviado Maradona Bocas' jersey in the closet. (Hey, it's still standing up after all those washes, pretty good for a $10 shirt). We went from the jungle in the north all the way down to the southernmost city in the world and spent a considerable amount of time in one of the largest cities in the world. There were moments that surprised us and people that made us feel at home. In short, this trip was emblematic of everything I love about traveling and exploring the world.