Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

Prior to our 2 weeks in Buenos Aires, we made a list of everything that we wanted to see and do while there. One of the things that I really wanted to see was a tango show. Some of the people that we had become friends with from our class said that they were going on Tuesday… and then when Tuesday fell through, they said Wednesday…. and then they were tired on Wednesday, and that fell through, so Ryan and I were going to go on our own on Thursday… but then there was a traffic strike on Thursday. For those of you who know me, I am a bit of a control freak, so this type of thing drives me mental. It’s one of the things I’m attempting to work on while traveling, so I was trying to not let it bother me, even though it definitely was bothering me. By the time Friday rolled around, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to see a show because we were flying to Ushuaia early on Saturday morning and we didn’t want to miss our last dinner with Amanda. Since most of the reasonably priced shows included dinner, this made it difficult to find a show that would work. Fortunately, the event coordinator at our language school was able to steer us in the right direction, and we snagged 2 tickets for Cafe Tortoni’s incredibly reasonably priced 10:30pm show.

So after a spending the evening packing up, we had a lovely final dinner with Amanda and then headed downtown to Cafe Tortoni, where we were led through a small door, down a windy set of stairs and into a dingy basement with a tiny wooden stage. I was a bit skeptical; however, the show didn’t disappoint. Between the slightly pudgy man singing the story of the show, the suave Argentinian men with their gelled back hair, and the sexy Argentinian women with bodies that almost every girl dreams about, the show was spectacular. It dripped with the passion, yet had an element of humour without being too over the top. On top of that, the wine was cheap, and the show was just long enough. This is definitely the type of show I would recommend for a tourist wanting to see a tango show, without breaking the budget, and not feeling like a super gringo. Ryan enjoyed it, so it must be good!

We got home around 12:30am, and went straight to bed, with our 6am wake up call looming in the very near future. Amanda was so sweet when we got up the next morning, as she arranged our taxi to the airport, and walked us down to make sure everything was alright. As we hugged her goodbye and said our thanks, she got a little bit emotional, which of course made me even more sad to say goodbye to her. It is always amazing to me how quickly complete strangers can become dear friends. Amanda took us in and treated us like her own children, which was far more than we had expected. Doing a home stay was something that was important to me while in South America, and this was definitely an experience that will stay with me forever.

Arriving at the International Airport, we (although mostly Ryan) were reminded of our dislike for airport travel. It was busy, loud, and by the time we made it through security, there was already a long line of people waiting to board. We boarded by row so this was a complete waste of time for most of those people. We proceeded to board onto one of the largest planes I have ever been on, and I asked Ryan with all seriousness if there was an Ushuaia in another country. After determining that we were definitely headed to the right city, I plugged in my headphones and drifted off to the sounds of country music. That was great until I was awoken by a not so nice flight attendant who informed me that I couldn’t listen to my music because it was on my iPhone and phones have to be turned off for the whole flight. Not only did she tell me that it didn’t matter that my phone is on airplane mode AND that I don’t have a working SIM card, but she also proceeded to hover over me until I proved it was off. Meanwhile, in Europe, they have planes with wifi on them. When in Argentina, I guess.

Three music-less hours later, we made an extremely turbulent landing in the city of Ushuaia. Stepping out the airport, we were greeted with gale force winds, which surely would have lifted me up if I hadn’t had that second helping of dinner the night before. Despite the wind and the 15-20 degree temperature drop, the scenery was breathtaking. The Beagle Channel lies to the south, and the mountains surround the city to the north. The mountains are equally as impressive as Rocky Mountains, and gave me a wave of homesickness for my own beautiful country. Although the mountains look similar, that is about the only similarly that Ushuaia has with my area of the world. The city is quite unique in that it is the mosts southerly city in the world, and is most well known for hosting tourists passing through to Antarctica or to the neighbouring Tierra del Fuego national park. The city itself approximately 60,000 habitants, and can only be accessed by a plane or a ferry from Chile. Unlike Buenos Aires, the people here have a more native Argentinian look about them, and the spanish is slightly easier to understand. Ushuaia has one Main Street that is lined with restaurants, a few pubs, coffee shops, and tourist shops. The port is only a few blocks south of the Main Street, and has tiny houses with different companies doing Beagle Channel tours, as well as larger ships headed further south to Antartica.

After settling into our hostel, we headed out to explore the tiny town, which didn’t take long. Of course, I took a photo with the famous “Ushuaia: Fin del Mundo” sign, and I couldn’t help but smile to think that I have now travelled 12,500 km south of Calgary to this unique, desolate, and undeniably beautiful cities. Although I am incredibly happy to be here, I have to admit that I am freezing. The temperature is about 5 degrees celcius, but the wind off the channel chills straight to the bones. Coffee will definitely be an essential to prevent freezing while in Ushuaia!