December 13, 2022, Tuesday: Cruising the Beagle Channel & Glacier Alley on Our Way to Ushuaia, Argentina
What an extraordinary day! We started it very early as we had been notified that the Oosterdam would be within Glacier Alley by 6:15am. Well, it wasn’t quite that early as we had a nearly 3 hour delayed start the evening before due to a mechanical issue. The captain did attempt to make up time and the first glacier appeared about 7:30am. It was quite fortunate that we had a late start as the very beginning of our viewing was misty with one significant squall obliterating our view totally. Ugh! The visibility gradually improved until we were in brilliant sunshine and blue sky—spectacular!
There are 6 glaciers visible from Beagle Channel but we could spot more higher in the rugged mountains. Our Apple Maps came in handy when we used the satellite view, giving us a much broader picture of the ice sheet, snow fields and glaciers.
Most of our viewing was on the ship’s port side so we camped out in the Lido, in the pool area, and occasionally dashing out on the small deck in front of the fitness center to get the “perfect shot”.
The cruise through this amazing section of the Beagle Channel lasted about 3 hours until we could see our next port in the distance: Ushuaia.
Ushuaia (oosh-why-ah) is the southernmost city in the world, with a population of 90,000. It is located on the “Big Island” of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The Oosterdam docked on the pier in the center of the city. We walked from the ship to explore this city and obtain Argentine pesos, a real adventure.
In Argentina, there are 2 exchange rates. One is the “official” exchange rate ($1=170 pesos) and there is the “blue market” rate ($1=270-330 pesos). The inflation rate is incredibly high making us wonder how people can eek out a living. We went to the Tourist Information center and given instructions on where to get a “fair” exchange rate.
After about a 4 block walk, we found the Jupiter Exchange, went in and when attempted to exchange our $20 bills were told that we could only get a $1=240 peso rate. The ship’s onshore guide told us to accept nothing less than $1=270 pesos. Oh, yes, we could get $1=300 pesos if we had $100 bills. Back to the ship and to customer service where we exchanged our $20s for a $100 bill and back to the Jupiter Exchange. Now we were feeling extraordinarily wealthy with our 30,000 pesos!
We were scheduled for our “Train to the End of the World” excursion at 4:30pm so we walked around the main shopping area but, given our inability to use a credit card (that would be the $1=170 peso exchange rate), there wasn’t anything worth buying. Making our way back to the ship until our excursion, we experienced high winds on the pier that made walking nearly impossible. We just made it on to the ship when it started to pour, drenching the other passengers making their way back. We wondered if we should bother to go on the excursion!
When 4:15 arrived the weather had cleared and the sun was peeking out. It was still quite chilly at 43-degrees but less windy. On the bus and off to the end of the world!
Current events entered our excursion when we heard the ship’s horn blow at 4:35pm and car horns beep. The World Cup is being played and it was Argentina vs Croatia with Argentina making its first goal. Yay!
The weather was absolutely perfect for our drive on the gravel section of the Pan American Highway to the Tierra del Fuego National Park where we would board a steam-powered train. The history of this area was interesting in that was populated by prisoners from Buenos Aires, similar to Australia. It became a penal colony in the late 1880s and the prison was built (by the prisoners) in 1902. It had the reputation of being the worst prison in Argentina. It was closed in 1947 with a change in the political landscape.
The train ride took us through a pristine landscape, along the meandering Pipo River. The U-shaped valleys were evidence of glacial formation and retreat, scraping hillsides and depositing gravel in moraines. We saw wild horses and flocks of Sheld-geese, traveled through heavily wooded areas and stopped a couple times to view a waterfall and beach. In the meantime, Argentina scored another 2 goals and triumphed over Croatia!
Our last stop before returning to port was the Ensenada Zaratiegui Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, a stunning location on the Beagle Channel looking south towards the Chilean Antarctic Province. There were a few trails and an area with informational posters on the history of the area. The wind was exceptionally strong so we didn’t remain outside the bus for any length of time, just enough to snap a few photos and read the posters.
This was one of the best days of so many on this cruise! The weather cooperated, we learned so much about this part of the world, enjoying the people and the largely unexplored land around us. Although it is summer, the temperature doesn’t rise much above 40 degrees with the ocean remaining a cool 50 degrees. Ushuaia is remote but is the port where 90% of excursions to Antartica begin.
We returned to the Oosterdam, noticing the increase in traffic and car horn honking but reached the ship in time for a late dinner, absorbing the events of the day.
