Adios South America

Nice day


Smoky day


Next week's workforce (left) and happy travellers (right)

The final week of our trip has been in Buenos Aires, spent sight-seeing and beginning the re-engagement process with the developed world. It's a bustling place with wide avenues, fashionable shops and lively locals. Unfortunately the views on most days were degraded by the smoke haze across the city caused by farmers burning wide areas of nearby countryside as part of their dispute with the government. But once the air (and our throats) cleared we had a good shop and rounded our time off with an OUP reunion with Blanca and Jon, who are themselves travelling around the continent in 2008. So sadly it is now 'Home Time' and we return to the UK with strong legs, great pictures and a multitude of memorable experiences. It has undoubtably been an awesome journey of great cultural and scenic variety, although maybe next time we'll go somewhere a little less hilly than the The Andes...

We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

The end of the world at last

Pto. Williams from Cerro Bandera

A chilly campsite

Seals and cormorants

Ushuaia from above

Autumn colours

Well, the 5-day trek didn't quite go as planned - for the first time in 8 months, the weather did not co-operate. We took a very small boat (6 passengers) across to Puerto Williams over an uncharacteristically calm Beagle Channel. A real highlight was a short detour past the Isla de los Lobos, a seal colony - it was so lovely to see them in their natural habitat, all lounging about in the sun and seemingly unconcerned by our presence.

We started the trek the same day and reached the first camping spot at dusk - so far so good, lovely clear skies and splendid isolation. But then we were woken in the small hours by the unmistakable sound of snowflakes brushing against the tent - a very wintry scene greeted us at breakfast! Given the remoteness of the trek, the challenging terrain and potential route-finding difficulties, we decided to go down instead of go on and thankfully there was an easier valley route back to the town.

We then ended up stranded in a B&B for 2 days waiting for the boat back to Ushuaia and spent our time huddled round the wood-burning stove, watching the incessant rain, sleet, hail and snow. There´s not a lot going on in Puerto Williams so it was quite a relief to get back to the relatively urban and civilised Ushuaia. And it´s still snowing so we´re just going to do a couple of day walks before flying to the capital on Monday. We are prepared for the culture shock and looking forward to an increase in temperature of about 20 degrees.

The end of the world (almost)

Greetings from the southernmost Argentine town, Ushuaia, where we arrived yesterday by plane from El Calafate. Since Torres del Paine, we have been relatively inactive by our standards. The bicycles have now been dismembered - the wheels and other bits boxed and sent as air cargo to Buenos Aires and the frames are still with us in home-made (beautifully-crafted by Clive) cardboard packages. However, we haven't been idling our time away completely. In Puerto Natales we met Clive's second cousin Anne and her family, who run a cafe in town - a big hello to the delightful Lucas and Mica and many thanks to you all for your hospitality. And I spent a day in a different kind of saddle - had a fantastic time galloping around on horseback in beautiful unspolit countryside but experienced some difficulty walking for a few days afterwards ...
We have nine more days in Ushuaia before flying to Buenos Aires and we're going to do a 5-day trek on the remote Isla Navarino, involving a short boat trip across the Beagle Channel and a final return to Chile (the 4th and surely the last time we cross the border).