Seabourn Quest approaching Ushuaia

Ushuaia “Capital de las Malvinas” read little signs around this town along the Beagle Channel at the southern tip of Argentina. Argentina continues to lay claim to the Malvinas, known to us as the Falkland Islands, and we have seen signs of the ongoing contention with England over ownership. When we departed Buenos Aires, a group of protestors had lit tires on the dock and carried signs to protest our intended visit to the islands. They needn’t of worried since weather prevented our visit to the islands.

Ushuaia, situated on the Beagle Channel at the foot of the Martial Mountains, is a jumping off point for ships sailing to Antarctica. I am surprised to find five cruise ships here arriving from or departing for Antarctica. When we sailed to Antarctica in 1986 there may have been this many ships traveling to the Antarctic total; now I have heard about 25 are sailing these waters.

Prison Museum

I stroll around town and Wolf accompanies a train excursion. Argentinean prisoners built the railroad in 1910 from Ushuaia to Tierra del Fuego National Park — it became the southernmost railway in the world. They had arrived in 1896 for the formation of a penal colony. The train ride through the foothills near Ushuaia led to the national park overlooking the dramatic Beagle Channel.

The train to the end of the world

Forest in Tierra del Fuego National Park