From Cape to cape. Expeditions by land and sea.

[drron]

The museum costs 350 pesos-$US22.But an OK experience.Starts off with a short history of the original inhabitants the Yamani.Their history was indeed short after Argentina decided to populate this area.30 years and they were basically gone-

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Next a section of model ships important in the history of the area-

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A renovated part of the jail.Cells mainly had items such as the jails of the world and Antarctic history on display-

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And more historical photos-

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One of the 5 wings is now an art gallery another a shop.These had cute painted penguins-

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[bPeteb]

Then we went to a little café which advertised American coffee.I don't think the Americans would recognise it.

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Just catching up. I've joined the work-funded flyers for the next six months (just read Mr Hancock's thread) and I'm pooped at the end of each day away...

Loving being taken back to Peru. Seems like only yesterday we were there.

This post made me chuckle. Americans recognise coffee?

 

[bPeteb]

and over the road to the Japanese Gardens.An entrance fee-95 pesos,$US6.Worth it.

Interesting that you liked the gardens drron. I'm pretty sure I said to give them a missed in my tr! I think it was all of the concrete that turned us off but they do look much greener than when we were there last year.

 

[drron]

My coffee remark was meant to be just a tad sarcastic but more along the line that why would you want to advertise that the coffee was American.
As to the gardens we love Japanese gardens.The pathways should have been stone as with some of the lanterns etc but we still felt it quite reasonable.Of course we were there at the end of their 6 month rainy season which explains the green.

 

[drron]

The shop had interesting models for clothing-

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One wing has been left unrenovated-

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The central area from which the 5 wings radiate out-

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And the final image of the prison-

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[drron]

Time to leave the prison.Only an occasional shower now.Roses grow well here-

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I stopped for lunch at the Moustachious restaurant.A very good lamb dish washed down with a half bottle of Patagonian malbec-400 pesos.

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The fellow at the next table ordered lamb from the slow cooking grill.I had been tempted to order this but the serving was huge.I could not have done it justice.We had been told of the stray dogs in Ushuaia but had not seen any.But now from my table there was this collection-turned out to be 7 of them

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Also an ice bar-

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Walked down to the port.Some different ships in plus something different-

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[drron]

The demonstration had grown and now much noisier plus blocking the road past the port.A little worried as the shuttle comes this way.-

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Whilst the boys were just having fun jumping in muddy puddles.

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This was an interesting sign-

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The basic demo is against the Government limiting pay rises to 20% this year as they expect inflation to be 17-18%.In 2016 it was 42%.So I was intrigued as to where the 82% came in.Turns out the government returns a proportion of land tax to some.82% want this directly credited to their bank accounts but it hasn't always happened.The one guy who spoke English told me he hated the British but the Argentinian Government was no better so he wished that Tierra Del Fuego would secede and join the Falklands as an Independent country.Somehow I think he doesn't stand a chance.
The security fellows then moved in and got the road open so soon I was on the way back on the shuttle.This is a tug on the foreshore.It's owners went broke but the court case took so long that when the bank was granted ownership salvage was not worthwhile so here it has sat for 50 years.

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Rugby post everywhere.

 

[drron]

Sunset-

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Wednesday and we sleep in.Today we board the Silver Explorer.Of course it is a fine day so take another stroll for a final look over the Beagle Channel-

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One of the hotel staff told me this place was owned by an Argentinian soccer player.Well it does have soccer goalposts on the lawn-

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For this season Silverseas had not made the flights to Ushuaia compulsory and that suited us fine.They did have a package with the flight AEP-USH,transfer to a hotel for lunch and then to the ship for $US590 each.Seeing our flight was on our Global Explorer ticket that had no appeal.But the Silverseas Sydney office insisted the only way we would be able to board would be on the official shuttle and that would cost us $US49 each and we had to make our way to the hotel on the other side of Ushuaia.Quote for taxi was ~ $US55.Balderdash.Took it higher and of course you could make your own way to the ship.
Now our hotel had complimentary transfers to the airport but wouldn't transfer us to the port.So we got the transfer to the airport-had to time it for a departing flight and then walked straight outside and got a taxi to the port for $US8 including tip.

 

[drron]

So it was easy to access the port.Once again Argentinian security is a joke.There is an xray macine for all your bags.Only one fellow present who helped me lift my bags on and off the conveyor.Noone looked at the screen.We met the chef-Pia-on our way to the ship.We have cruised with her before and have enjoyed her cuisine.So the Silver Explorer.

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Pictures from our balcony-

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That's the old airport.The new one is over this hill-

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The afternoon cruises depart as does the flight our hotel thinks we are on.Now a helicopter display-

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[drron]

Birds and boats pass us by.

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Then the compulsory lifeboat drill.Sail away is delayed from 5pm until 8pm.So it is when we are at dinner so a little disappointing.Dinner with 2 American couples and we hear the saga of the Silverseas transfer from BA.Flight departed hours late so taken straight to the ship after landing and no hotel lunch.Glad we didn't do their thing.At least one other couple stayed at the lunch venue hotel the night before so then had to find their own way to the ship.
Looking back to the naval base and prison-

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That is the other hotel.Sunset and we pass another ship heading into Ushuaia-

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[drron]

The lights of Ushuaia recede as the sun sinks-

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The nights meal had a seafood theme-

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The next day was a sea day.Several lectures and the compulsory zodiac presentation.Lots of ocean and sea birds-

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One of the lectures was on Falklands history.The Historian is Russian so presentation a little slow.However the Argentinian claim to the Falklands is really not very strong.The first settlers were the French in 1764 then the British in 1765 unaware that the French were there.Spain took over in 1770 only to be temporarily ousted by the British a year later.The British left in 1776.The Spaniards returned in 1780 but left in 1811 after the Peninsula War.Sealers and whalers ran the islands.
In 1820 an Argentinian privateer visited and issued a letter claiming the islands for the United Provinces of South America but the sealers and whalers ignored him and he left after 6 months.The Portugese considered him a pirate as he captured a Portugese ship.
The next attempt was Luis Vernet getting permission from the Government in Buenos Aires to try an establish a cattle business because of the feral cattle on the Falklands plus the right to all seals.However he also got permission from the British Ambassador in Buenos Aires and his second in command was British.
He attempted to assert his seal rights by impounding 4 US seal ships.The US responded by sending the USS Lexington.Most of the settlers were taken prisoner.The Argentinians then set up a penal colony in November 1832.His sailors mutinied and killed the naval commander.So the British returned and took over formally on 3/1/1833.

In again a funny Argentinian view of history they now revere Antonio Rivero for leading a rebellion against the British in August 1833.In fact his target was the Vernet company and his gang succeeded in killing 5 including the 2 leaders and the rest of Vernet's settlers fled.

 

[drron]

Friday and my first view of the Falklands-

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We have company.Soon land on West Island and meet the birdlife-

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That is a small example of a Falklands stone river.I was in the group walking across the island to see the colonies of black browed albatross and rockhopper penguins-

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[drron]

Backing up a bit.Mrsdrron came to shore later so here I am boarding the zodiac and setting off-

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She then had a much more comfortable trip across the island in Mr.farmer's Land rover-

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So beat me there-

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We both then walked down the hill to the birds-

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[drron]

Penguins and albatross living in harmony-

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An albatross chick being fed-

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But a desolate place-

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[drron]

The flora of West Point Island-

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The airstrip-

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The couple on the island are managing the property for the elderly owner who lives in Stanley.They are uncertain of there future.They run sheep but the wool isn't great quality so they rely on cruise ships to supplement their income.We are the 33rd this year and 2 more are expected.In winter they depart and live in Stanley.They have tried to have guests but the airstrip is such that the flight in or out can only carry 2 passengers.It is not a regular service but an air taxi service-more of that when we get to Stanley.
Morning tea was provided-

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[drron]

Mrsdrron had beaten everyone to the home so here is how it looked before the mob arrived-

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They rolled out the red carpet for our departure!

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We got to go back to the ship with Dominic the Asst.Expedition Leader.We have known him from our first Silverseas cruise.He has come up through the ranks and a really nice guy with a ton of talent.

 

[drron]

Whilst we had lunch the ship sailed to Carcass Island-named after a ship not a dead body.This is a rat free island so our birders were keen to see the Tussac bird.I stepped ashore with one of the birding passengers and was told this bird was a song bird.So I said does it sing like this and gave one of my bird impressions.This little bird flew down on to the beach and walked up to me-

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It was indeed the Tussac bird and apparently it does sing like me.The we passed ducks,oystercatchers and the odd penguin-

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This pair put on a wonderful show.A parent feeding a chick-

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After dispensing a little food the parent would run off with chick chasing-

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[drron]

It continued into the water-

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Others were just swimming or coming home-

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Now that is a magellanic penguin,totally different to the gentoos.

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We then set off up the beach,past some more ducks to the rocks to go up to the track that would lead to our afternoon tea-

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[drron]

Our destination-

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Ducks presenting their best side and the caracara-the kleptomaniacs of the Falklands-

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Tussac birds everywhere and penguin burrows-

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The view-

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[drron]

More geese as we reach our destination-

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Just what the doctor ordered-afternoon tea.

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Once again mrsdrron got the zodiac direct to the settlement spying the caracara and a group of magellanic penguins-

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And once more beat most of us to the goodies-

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This place is run as a guesthouse as well as the sheep and cruise ships.A Chilean couple are the cooks.
On the way back to the ship in the zodiac the Royal Navy checks on us-

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