Day 389 Hotel to the train, to the Harbour and back to the hotel 67km

Last night we took a Taxi back into the “Centro” of Ushuaia. Peens chose a restaurant, Isabellas, all the food were stews served in big pans. We ordered only 3 Pans and at the end of the meal there were still a few potatos, bones and sauce left in each pan. I told the guys that my mother taught me not to waste any food. If you leave food on your plate a child in China dies of hunger she said, so as a kid I saved entire villages of Chinese kids, but sadly that caused my little weight problem. So last night we saved another few kids and ate every last drop of sauce from each pan and sucked on all the bones.

Yesterday I was doing the Blog and left Millsy in charge of planning, paying and arranging all the activities and excursions for today. As I was not involved Millsy of course stuffed up and as a result we had to wake up at 6h00, eat breakfast at 6h30 and then step outside into the arctic wind and cold and get on to our motorbikes to ride to a train station of the most Southern Railway in the world. Most tourists are happy to wake up at 8h00, have a leisurely breakfast, washed down with a Mimosa or two, then have a little bus collect them to take them to the Harbour where a nice warm boat would take you across the Beagle Cannel, see some islands, look at a few penguins and take photos of the lighthouse and some Albatross and sea Lions. But not us, Millsy had other plans.

This Railway was started soon after 1896 when the 1st prisoners were sent here as the Argentinean Government decided to make this entire Province\Island, a Penal Colony. Just as England had done with Australia, and all the murderers and rapist were sent here. The Prisinors were tasked to build this railway into the forest and chop down trees, which was transported back to Ushuaia with this Railway they built. The wood was then burnt in the town to make electricity and to heat up the prison and the few houses in town.

The ride to the station was only a few kilometers from our hotel. When we got there the cleaners had just arrived and we had to sit around in the cold until the ticket office opens, Millsy obviously did not do his research and we discovered the train ran several times a day, the later ones when the temperature had risen to over 10 degrees.  But, as Millsy said, the “The Early Worm Catches to Bird.” So we waited and eventually got on the 1st train of the day and sat in the 1st carriage. The train rode through the Tierra del Fuego National Park and stopped at a few stations. Mostly so that you could buy the photo they took of you before you got on the train.

They gave us a lot of information about the prisoners, the way of life and about all the animals and birds and trees in the National Park. I learnt that the indigious Red Fox had lots of food as somebody brought a few rabbits which over populated the island. Then some Bright Spark thought it was a good idea to introduce the Grey Fox from higher-up in Argentina to this area. The rabbitts became even more. Then somebody got some research done and discovered that neither the Red or Grey Fox actually eats Rabbits, probably because the can run so fast and have holes. Then, probably the same Einstein who brought the Grey Fox introduced the Beaver onto the island and this creature is still causing havoc here. I learnt that a Beaver is nocturnal. I also learnt that those beards I saw on the trees yesterday are called Indian Bread and was eaten by the local tribes, it is a type of fungus. I also learnt that Calafate, like the name of the town before “El Calafate” is a type of bush with yellow flowers on which blue berries grows. There is basically 6 type of trees that grows in this “Southern Arctic Forrest. I also learnt a lot of other things which I have now forgotten, sorry.

After the train ride we rode to the Main Gate and ticket offices of the National Park. When we paid for the train ride we also had to pay for the entrance to the National Park, so we had a ticket. Peens decided that as we had our tickets we could simply drive past the line of cars and busses, drive into the Park and not stop. Dog and I was behind the other guys and we saw the Game Rangers and Park Officials run out of their cubicles and try and stop us, but we were too fast. I saw in my mirror that the Oomie (UNCLE) was very upset and saw him shout into the Walkie Talkie, but we had tickets, so what is the problem? The road was a beautiful gravel road under the canopy of trees, later it snaked though the Park and we had vistas of mountains and rivers, lovely, until we got to the Road Block, like in a Rambo Movie, but no Police cars, just a few Park Rangers on Quad Bikes. We were forced to stop, and speaking to them in Afrikaans, Peens showed them his ticket, which surprised the guys as the Oomie on Walky Talky said we rode past the ticket office and did not stop to buy tickets. Long Story Short, I saved the day by pumping my arms ang going “Chookoe Chookoe, and then whistled like a train. They then realized what had happened, but every passenger on the train got off and into a bus to go to the National Park, it was only the 7 of us who went back to the park with our own transport, so not a common thing.

We were on our way to the actual End of the road. Where Route 3 starts, at the ocean, or ends if that is how you see it.  There were many other people on the walkways from the parking to the sea. Millsy and Tex had their towels, they wanted to swim, they had to. They swam at the top of the world in Prudoe Bay in the Arctic Sea, and now they were at the bottom, they had to swim, but their way was blocked.

No swimming here.

These are some photos of Roads End:

Dog got invited for Tea, ok, traditional Mate:

Dog also sent me this photo:

That is 17 000km from the top of Alaska to where we are now, but that is if you take the shortest route, and as you would know by now, we take the Looooooooooong Route and then still get lost to make it even further. You can see it took us 7 years to get here, as I said, we get lost often.

Then we asked Millsy what else he had planned for us for the day as he was in charge and it was only 13h00. He then said we had to ride to the Harbour and then see what trips we could do.

Some poor bus-load of tourist got to see more “Wild-Life” than what was mentioned in the Parks Pamphlet :

I was the unfortunate photographer of this photo and had to stand at the road, looking at the horror on the tourists faces as their bus drove past this little bay. I did however get to take one big photo, a great one:

When we got to the Harbour the wind was pumping and some of the group started to change color to green before we even heard where the boats were going too. We could do a 3 hour trip or a 6 hour trip. I dont get sea-sick, but even me chose that we go to a local restaurant and try some local wine.

Tomorrow we have another short day as we 1st going to visit a fishing village which Peens Discovered, about 70 km down the gravel road right next to the sea. The plan is to eat some King Crabs, but that is a story for another day, tomorrow, if everything goes to plan.

Hope your Weekend is special !!!!!

XXXXXXX

Fleisch