Ushuaia is known as the southernmost city in the world. Actually there are places farther south like Puerto Williams in Chile (We walked around there as it was one of the stops on our Mare Australis cruise.) but Puerto WIlliams doesn't have the population to be considered a "city". The population of Ushuaia is about 46,000.
On the left is Ushuaia from across the bay. Our hotel is the white building on the hill.
Below is the "End of the Earth" train. The train used to carry prisoners to the areas outside the city where they would cut the wood to build the city. Now it takes tourists to the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
This is another view of the "Train to the End of the Earth".
The picture on the right shows the typical landscape seen along the train ride. This is where the prisoners cut the timber.
The weather our entire trip was amazing. We didn't have a day of rain or any weather that would hamper our excursions. It was HOT at times but you have to expect that in the jungle. It was a bit cool a few times when we were tramping around on our excursions from the Mare Australis. But generally, it was beautiful. So, we decided to play golf on in Ushuaia. What an opportunity - play golf in the southernmost city of the world. Unfortunately, it turned cold that day. No rain, but COLD! Still we braved the elements and went golfing.
The plants of the area were intriguing. This is a relatively cold area yet there were flowers that looked like orchids. And the fungi are always interesting.
We arrived in Ushuaia at night aboard the Mare Australis. Although we were docked, we couldn't disembark until morning. To the right is a picture of Ushuaia at night taken from the deck of the boat.
Yes, Granny and Grandpa were really there. Look at the distance from Alaska. That is about 11,090 miles! That's a LONG way! We were so far south that it didn't get dark until almost 11pm and it was light early in the morning.
Below are some pictures from the golf course. As you see, Granny is decked
out in sweater, jacket, golf glove and at times wore the club head cover on the other hand. All of this to play on what amounted to a "cow pasture".
On the right is the typical terrain of the course. However, it did have beautiful mountains in the background. And how many people can say they played golf at the southernmost golf course in the world? The course was 9 holes of which we played 8. We couldn't find one of the fairways and by the time we did, we decided that 8 holes was enough anyway.
Ushuaia used to be primarily a prison for serious criminals. This was because it is on an island (Tierra del Fuego) and is the most remote part of Argentina. Now it is one of the main starting points for trips to Antartica. It is very much geared to trekkers, hikers and explorers.
The kilometer post on the right is in Puerto Williams. It is almost 7,000 miles to New York and over 10,000 miles to the North Pole. If you go south from here, the next stops are Antartica and the South Pole.
It was COLD that day. And the wind was blowing which made it feel even colder. Look at the flag on the green where Granny is putting. Also look at the terrain of the golf course. It may not have been beautiful but it was something we'll remember and talk about.
