End of the Road in South America; Gateway to Antarctica

Day 29, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica

Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023; Ushuaia, Argentina

It’s hard to be a photographer or reporter when sometimes you just want to be a lazy tourist.

Such was the case this evening when we left Ushuaia, Argentina — “the end of the world” — as they like to call it. It was mostly a misty and sometimes drizzly afternoon in town, but by our departure around 8 p.m., the clouds dispersed, and the jagged snowy mountain peaks sparkled in the late sun.

Alas, I was enjoying dinner. We had a great view from our table in the dining room, but not so much a stunning photograph opportunity through the streaked window.

I feel a twinge of envy, of regret for being “scoped,” when I see on social media and blogs what others captured and reported. It’s a hangover from my days decades ago as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor.

Oh well. Others will always take better photographs. Five years ago, I decided to leave my professional camera equipment at home (my shoulders thank me). My iPhone camera suffices, and I brought a small DSLR camera on this cruise to fill in for the iPhone’s inability to zoom.

That camera came in handy for our morning of cruising of the Beagle Channel and its Glacier Alley on the way to Ushuaia. And from the port side of the ship, I had the best views. Every five minutes a new valley appeared with its own glacier.

When I compare a picture I took this morning (the second photo) with one from the same spot in 2020 (the first), I wonder if the glacier has receded. Given that they were taken more than two months apart, it’s hard to tell.

But the snow is heavy this early in the spring season, making a sharp contrast with the dark rock of the ragged peaks.

Earlier I had been disappointed to see we would not arrive in Ushuaia until 2 p.m. In 2020, we overnighted here. But now I realize that we needed the morning for the sail through Glacier Alley. Upon arrival at the dock, several groups of passengers left for tours to the Tierra del Fuego National Park and the southern point of the Pan American highway, which starts in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

I set off on my own walking tour of town, only in search of another cup of wonderful hot chocolate and a new t-shirt. I only have a handful of t-shirts as I don’t wear them much these days, but I couldn’t pass on one from Antarctica – or at least as close to Antarctica as we would find a shop. I also added another tiny nativity to my collection.

We had arrived just in time for siesta, so many shops were closed until late afternoon. It’s a big jumping off place not just for expeditions to Antarctica, but also to the wilds of Patagonia, and hiking, biking and outdoor suppliers line the main street. Mixed in with them are gem stores, chocolate confectioners and, of course, souvenir shops.

In 2020, we were joined on the Ushuaia pier by large boats loading frozen fish bound for China, I believe.

This time it was all expedition ships. As I noted in 2020, the stacks of Zodiac inflatable boats identify them. Their passengers will be able to go ashore – 100 at a time – in Antarctica.

Some time ago I decided that just cruising around Antarctica – rather than going ashore – would be enough for me. Should I include it on a list of “continents visited?” It doesn’t really matter to me. And I know I have only seen a tiny portion of the continent, but I’m satisfied.

Tomorrow morning we will sail around the island of Cape Horn (assuming the weather allows) and then head south across the Drake Passage. Two days to get to the Antarctic Peninsula, four days sailing around there, and another one to reach the Falkland Islands, our next opportunity to step ashore.