Jan 12-13: Battle for the End of the Earth!!

Saturday January 12
I had a nice, lazy day around town today. Some good local exploring, and some good pub conversation. And I actually managed to eat a little leftover BBQ for dinner. Mmmm, beef !!

Sunday January 13: Battle for the End of the Earth!!

Rivalries abound in the complicated relationship between Chile and Argentina. Many Argentinians are still angry that Chile helped the British during the Falklands crisis. (Apparently the French helped the Argentinians, so the French are popular here.)



One of the main problems this rivalry causes for travelers is that border crossings are limited and overly bureaucratic. I took a boat across the Beagle Channel today, moving from Ushuaia (the world's southernmost "city"), to Puerto Williams (the world's southernmost "town.") The ferry they use is a glorified Zodiac, an inflatable rubber raft. The international bureacracy has a loophole for tiny boats and for tiny airplanes. My Zodiac held 7 passengers. The tiny Mosquito single-engine planes carry a maximum of 4 pax. The Argentinians seem to be trying to prevent the growth of Puerto Williams. If it ever becomes a true city, then Argentinian Ushuaia will no longer be the southernmost city in the world. Both sides seem to be missing the concept of a rising tide lifting all boats. If they made it easier and more pleasant to explore this region, both sides would get more tourism revenue. But the provincial authorities remain unconvinced for now.

On my tiny boat, on the way across the Beagle, we stopped at a rocky outcropping to see the "Lobos marinos." That translates literally to "sea wolves," but they are what we would call fur seals. Very cute and somewhat feisty creatures!

Nobody was home when we got to customs in Puerto Navarino, so they told us to drive to Puerto Williams and proceed directly to the customs guy's house. We did that, but he wasn't there either. After a series of cell phone calls, the shuttle driver found the agent, and within minutes, we were legal visitors.

I walked through town, and found that only one of the 3 restaurants was open, so I had a nice lunch there. Then the proprietress, on her way to take a siesta, dropped me at the trailhead for the Cerro Bandera hike. After a couple of hours of up, I was looking out at the fjord-like Beagle Channel. The town of Puerto Williams was the only sign of development visible in any direction, and it was tiny! Southern Patagonia just isn't very populated.

After a nice hike, I stopped for a beer and a bite to eat at the same cool little cafe in town. Then off to bed, as I have an early morning business meeting tomorrow (??!!)