U is for...

USHUAIA

Tierra del Fuego
(Added Later....Guess I should have included a pronunciation:  Ooshwhya)

One of the most fun things in my life has been the opportunity to visit some of the places I read about as a child and never dreamed I would actually visit. 

Ushuaia is supposed to be the most southerly city in the world. It is part of Argentina and is located on the most southerly tip of South America.  It is part of the province of Tierra Del Fuego -- the Land of Fire. The Beagle Channel runs between the city and the island of Tierra Del Fuego.  The Beagle Channel is where the HMS Beagle sailed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.  This saved traveling around the Horn thereby avoiding one of the most treacherous stretches of sea in the world. 

Probably taken in the summer. (Our winter)

As you might expect, Ushuaia is quite similar to the cities in northern Alaska, and is set against a background of snow covered mountains. It was cold, especially the morning I got up very early to ride the catamaran that took us around the rocky islands to see the bird life and the seals. I was so excited I felt I must be dreaming. Almost everyone else aboard the catamaran was sitting in the warmth of the cabin, but I, my face beaming, just had to stand out on one of the floats and survey the landscape as we chugged through the water. What a memory! 

Birds in the Beagle Channel

Seals in the Beagle Channel

Returning from our trip in the Beagle Channel.  Our cruise ship in center.

I learned about Ushuaia from my Geography class. Do they teach Geography any more? You might wonder, if it's so cold why do they call it the Land of Fire? No, not because of volcanoes. Apparently the passengers of the Beagle were treated to the sight of near naked Indians who lived on the island. At night the island was dotted with fires from their encampments, hence the name, Tierra del Fuego -- the Land of Fire.

 

We did actually sail around the Horn on that trip, but it was sunny and the sea was as flat as a millpond.  The captain said in his 45 years of sailing he had never seen the very tip of the cape so calm.  Consequently we were able to spend more than half an hour just sitting in place and taking as many photos of the tip as we wanted.  That's another blog.

This is my entry for ABC Wednesday, so ably and faithfully led by Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger Owen Green.

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