At the hotel I´m advised that my Antarctica trip includes a trip to the Tierra del Fuego National Park in the morning.
A coach drives a group of us (who I assume are my fellow Antarctic travellers) the 12 km to Lapataia Bay and Roca Lake but I´m left uninspired after Torres del Paine and barely take out my camera. I feel I could be anywhere.
The guide on the coach is fantastically knowledgeable about the area and I jot down several random facts which I´ll share with you.
- Ushuaia is pronounced 'Ooswaya' and means ´Bay that faces left´. It´s the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province. Tierra del fuego which means 'Land of Fire´ was named as such because when Magellan discovered it there were as many as 10,000 native Indians living here, who tried to keep warm by lighting fires.
- The city has a population of 60,000 people with an average age of 15-35.
- It used to be a penal colony but the prison was shut down by Juan Peron in 1947
- 25,000 people left Ushuaia for Antarctica last season (95% of visitors to Antarctica)
- The Pan-American highway which starts in Alaska ends here
- The national park has a big problem with beavers building dams which floods the area and kills all the trees
Back in town my luggage has been whisked off to be loaded on the boat. I´m due to board at 4pm.
(Photo - beaver destruction in Tierra del Fuego National Park)
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