Ushuaia Feb 21, 2013

USHUAIA – (oo-shoo-AYE-ah) THURSDAY FEB 21, 2013

Ushuaia – located at the very tip of South America we knew a visit here could be a challenge because of the ongoing dispute over the Falklands/Maldives between Britain and Argentina – with the recent posting of a certain royal prince and heir to his Grandmother's throne and the discovery of oil reserves off the coast of the islands recent visits by British flagged ships and since Princess is flagged in Bermuda and in our case with a British captain Princess thought they had assurances in writing that we would we able to dock without incident – while the local authorities may have put it in writing it doesn't appear that the port authority were serious about seeing that the contents of the letter were honoured for as we approached the pier the ship was told by the on board pilot that due to tides and currents etc the ship would have to tender.

Interesting a Celebrity ship which is not British flagged was able to dock without incident.

So while we could see a sparkling outline of the city with the Andes sporting a new crop of snow dropping to the sea and the lights of the town providing some very scenic photo opportunities it would be awhile before the tour arranged by redhead Anne would get underway.

So the ship had to put together tender operations on short notice and to further complicate matters only one tender spot was opened for the ship.

For here I have chosen a private tour organized by Redhead Anne and thanks to her persistence she was able to get us early tender tickets – we are all finally together and its time to start the tour and what a great day it was.

Our first stop was a Bahia Ensenada – and what a beautiful spot – a sparkling, gleaming seascape under clear blue skies ringed by the large jagged peaks of the Andes and which some new snow to boot. The southern most post office in the world is located here and while we don't have our passports many purchased post cards or got other items stamped.

Then it was back in the van and a drive to the end of the Pan-American highway but with a stop at a viewpoint where I would see more mountain views amid a marshy lagoon like setting.

At the end of the road – there is a short walk that takes you to the water and once again the views were impressive – we are at Bahia Lapataia in Tierra Del Fuego National Park – we are 17,848 Kms from Fairbanks, Alaska – literally the end of the road.

Leaving here we now head back towards town but with a stop at the Park headquarters on the shores of Laco Acigami where more beautiful mountain views are enjoyed – also a chance to purchase a pop or water – use inside plumbing etc.

Our last stop of the day will be a chairlift ride up to the Martial Glacier viewpoint – while no fan of chairlifts I survive – the other person also wasn't big on the chair lift so we were able to reassure each other during the approx. 10 minute ride to the top.

It was here that some confusion existed – I was sure that we were to have time to explore the area while the tour guide was singing a different tune – look at the view below you, take a picture and get back on the chair – well I decided to walk about 10 minutes up the trail – to get to the Glacier is over three hours so that wasn't an option – to a viewpoint that gave great views of the mountains containing the Glacier – next thing I know the tour guide is giving me a hard time for getting lost on her – well that is what she put in her report and in response to some of the issues Anne had with her English or should I say lack of it – how you can be lost of a well travelled trail with many people in plain view is opened to debate – it was a chilly ride down the mountain with her.

The scenery with the ocean and town below was great.

The tour ends in town and I spent some time walking around – have a beer and by some pop.

So it's time to catch a tender – a tender boat can hold upwards of 150 people and with only one boat allowed at a time I waited in line for over an hour – this deliberate action caused the ship to leave over two hours late which negated much chance of seeing the 4 or 5 glaciers that reach tidewater in the Beagle Channel before darkness set in.

It was a long and very enjoyable trip.

ED NOTES: As I preparing to write this report I checked the description provided by the tour operator AND it clearly states that there would be 30 minutes to walk at the top of the mountain.

Our delay in leaving would have a ripple affect in our arrival time in our next port – Punta Arenas, Chile.