We are now in the bus on our way from Ushuaia to Puerto Natales. From Tierra del Fuego to Patagonia. First part was in a mini bus, but for the remaining 12 hours we are in a big bus. We are now a bit more comfortable than in the minibus, but with the downside that this bus is a much easier target for the heavy winds. A few moments earlier the wind blew open one of the air vents in the roof, which now does not seem to close anymore. On our right we can see the Atlantic Ocean from time to time, with the wind pushing the waves even higher. Its quite a nice way to travel, the trip is a bit long but the views are great! 

We spent three nights in Ushuaia. The flight in was already quite a treat: the last half hour of our flight we enjoyed the views of Tierra del Fuego from above during sunset. Ushuaia is a relatively big town, layed out on the hills next to the Beagle Channel. This channel separates Argentina from one more island of Chile (Navarino) after which there is just 1000km of water till you reach the first ice of Antarctica. It feels very “arctic” here, though I'm not sure why; maybe its the style of the houses and the vegetation. 



In the two days that we were there, we did two beautiful hikes and went on a boat trip on the Beagle Channel. The boat trip was very special: it took about 5 hours and took us past rocks and small islands with Greater Cormorants (which look very similar to penguins), sea lions and finally penguins. Very funny animals those pe 

The hikes on the first and second day were quite different from each other. The first was to a glacier just behind Ushuaia. When asking for dirctions on the way up, a local offered us a ride. Very friendly, and convenient since we would probably not have made it to he glacier that day if we would have walked the entire way from town. The guy (who apparently worked for the local government) dropped us off at the starting point of the hike. From there it was about 2 hours to the glacier with some very nice views of Ushuaia and the channel. 



The next day we did a hike in Tierra del Fuego national park. Since it is starting to be low season, we had most of the trail all to ourselves. The track took us along outcrops of the Beagle Channel, and through some very interesting forests. During a break we read a bit about the original inhabitants in the lonely planet. The nomadic Yaghan people lived in this area for 6000 years, before the Europeans met them. Apparently they would live in this harsh area with snow, wind and rain, more or less naked. They believed that the oil on the skin was better protection against the elements than wet animal skins. Pretty cool. I think Wim Hof (The Iceman) would have liked them