Monday, May 11, 2009

May 8-10: We’ve arrived at the end of the world – and lived to talk about it! The end of the world as we know it is Ushuaia, in Patagonia, Argentina. It is the last stop before Antarctica and the last stop on the Pan-American Highway, 17,894 kms from the start of the highway in Alaska. Ushuaia is on an island, Tierra del Fuego. While man has been here for 10,000 years, most of the time there were only hundreds of half-naked Yamana natives. Missionaries started to become active only in the late 1800s. When the Magellan strait started to be viewed as an important bioceanic passage, the Argentinean government saw it as necessary to establish a population as a way to claim sovereignty in a long dispute with Chile. Borrowing the idea from the French in Algeria and the English in Australia, Former president Julio Argentino Roca decided there was no better way than create a penal colony in the region and send the worst criminals – one step from the death penalty – south, as far from Buenos Aires as possible. Criminals started arriving in 1896 and Ushuaia was born. What was once a densely forested region, it has few trees today. A railway was built and the prisoners helped cut virtually all trees down. Today the train is for tourism only and runs to the National Park. On a cold morning, with fresh snow, we embark on the train ride through the Rio Pipo Valley, towards Mount Susana. Along the way we pass a “tree cemetery”, with thousands of stumps looking like natural tombstones poking up through the snow. Little imagination is needed to see the gaunt faces of prisoners who cut the trees down, freezing to death in the elements. The prison is now a museum and is filled with fascinating history. Once in the National Park we load a tour bus and drive deeper into the southwestern reaches of Argentina. We learn that locals see few Canadians here, perhaps because it is so similar to Canada. We are surrounded by snow-capped Andes, the brothers and sisters of the Rockies. It is only here that the Andes run north and south, and east and west. There are plenty of fresh lakes and streams. And, it is cold. This morning it is -8 C. It will now stay cold forever. The reality here is that it never does warm up due to the cold currents all around and the fact it borders the Beagle Channel. The average temperature in the summer is only 10 C. There is the odd freakish day, like the record 28 C day a few years ago, when locals suffered as cars and homes are not equipped with air conditioning. Our hotel is up on the mountain, only a 20-minute walk from the small ski hill used by locals. Our view is majestic, overlooking the city and the Beagle Channel. A day earlier we tour the Channel by boat and witness hundreds of birds, along with sea lions and fur seals. During the summer months, penguins come north from Antarctica. The last penguins we’ve seen were in Galapagos. We don’t see any on this day. Our hotel is full with Russians. An oddity we’re sure. It turns out the 100-strong Moscow Symphony Orchestra is here for a festival. Tony threatens to find one of the flutists to give Alana some tips. She has left her flute in Mexico and recoils in horror at the thought of blowing the wrong note in front of such esteemed musicians. We get a sample of a trumpeter’s prowess on the boat, when he pulls his horn out of plastic bag and gives an impromptu concert to surprised passengers. Despite the severe climate, the city is growing rapidly and in a much disorganized fashion. The government a few decades ago, decided to encourage population growth and development by creating a tax-free zone. Thousands of people rushed to the frontier to take advantage, even though few services or housing were available for them. Even today there is still a shortage of housing and Peruvians and Bolivians here illegally have built what amounts to squatter settlements on the side of a mountain, complete with plasma TVs and new cars. Ushuaia attracts young Argentineans from Buenos Aires because of opportunity and higher-paying jobs. Tourists from around the world will continue to come here to see the “End of the World”. It is also the launching pad for trips to Antarctica. Argentineans come for the snow and skiing, along with national ski teams from 14 countries, including Canada. Besides our skiiers, Canada has made two other contributions to the regions -- neither we should be proud of. Due to the tremendous population growth, residents scoured the world for affordable and quick housing. It appears our country is known for its pre-fab housing. Dotting neighborhoods here are Made-in-Canada homes. None are interesting or attractive. Our Canadian beaver is also wrecking havoc on the landscape. Locals introduced the beaver about 50 years ago, hoping to strike it rich on the fur trade. Argintineans never took to beaver pelts, instead favoring more expensive fur like mink. Beavers don't have predators here so they are everywhere, and large, and build funny dams. The average beaver here is twice the size of those in Canada. As well, because they don't have predators, the dams are very shallow. The beaver has gotten lazy.

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