After leaving  Antarctica where we were during the highest temperature there ever recorded, (18.3 degrees Celsius), we spent a day in Ushuaia, Argentina. Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, is nicknamed ‘The End of the World’. The ship needed to refuel, take on provisions and some guests disembarked.  We spent the morning with a young taxi driver Juan, who is studying to become a lawyer at night school. He took us around the Tierra del Fuego  National Park which is jointly owned by Chile and Argentina. It is an absolutely stunning region with waterfalls, lakes, glaciers, lagoons, a marine coast, peatbogs, great mountain forests and is a part of the famed Patagonia. We saw  many campers scattered near to the rivers taking advantage of the  good weather over the weekend. After driving us around the park and after a short hike, Juan dropped us back in Ushuaia.

In the afternoon we went to the fascinating jail-maritime museum-art gallery (all together in one building). While all jail cells are hauntingly claustrophobic and difficult to enter, here the cells were used as wall space for the  amazing art works exhibited. Seafarers, ship wrecks and the history of Ushuaia is explained. There is an acknowledgment of the role played by the Spanish in the decimation  of the indigenous  people who had previously been living there. With the arrival of the Spanish people, smallpox arrived as well, tragically killing multitudes of the indigenous people. Also through the introduction of formal religion and getting the indigenous people to wear clothes (which were often filthy and full of bugs) the indigenous people died off completely – they would previously have worn very little clothes and washed themselves in the river water.

In Cape Town a few years ago, various artists were gifted a fibre glass rhinoceros to decorate as they saw fit. So while walking around the Waterfront, or when visiting the Alphen Hotel you can notice interestingly decorated rhinos. In Ushuaia the same idea has happened. Here artists  were gifted fibre glass Emperor penguins with a young one which are decorated in unique and varying ways. One penguin and her chick  are wearing the colours of the Argentinian soccer team but others are much more creative and interesting.

After Ushuaia we headed north through the magnificent Chilean fjords. Two days cruising with views of high snow covered mountain peaks, glaciers, waterfalls and lush forest. The fjords are very deep and  often  not too wide. I imagine that North Americans might be familiar with this scenery but for us it was totally different, gorgeous and cold. 

After spending time at a few small ports in Chile anchoring at Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt, we spent a day in Valparaiso, Chile. ‘Valpo’ as it is fondly known by locals has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. It is a dynamic city  which was the centre of Chilean  life before the establishment of the Panama Canal in 1914 meant that ships no longer had to pass through Valparaiso and Cape Horn or the Magellan Straits in the South of Chile resulting in a huge decrease in shipping, business opportunities and growth. The city has more than 40 hills with many narrow, winding roads. Many stairways are used as well as various sets of ancient elevators to ascend or descend to the town. I am not sure who first thought  of the idea of painting the small houses and various buildings with colourful  graffiti. Now, when you walk through the old part of town,  you see numerous decorated walls by very skilled artists. Steps are painted, buildings are bright  yellow, purple, pink or red with at times the artist painting the wall as well as the street lamp in front also painted as part of the scene.  It is a nonstop feast for your eyes. You as a visitor are gob-smacked by the various decorations which are all over the neighbourhood. There we saw  jewellery workshops, ceramics, paintings , home made paper,  woodcuts or artisanal make-up. I am aware though that as pretty as the place looks, it must be uncomfortable to actually live in the small, dismal apartments.  

We went by taxi to the nearby area Vina del Mar  where people live in smart apartments overlooking the sea. Very different from “Valpo”! Here you could imagine being on the Tel Aviv beachfront. We saw a yoga class happening on the grass across from the beach as well as many people selling tsatskes,   probably from China). 

Valparaiso is now back on the charts as a cruise-ship destination and is also since 1990 the legislative capital of Chile. We are mindful that we are merely passing through these cities, but they are interesting,  fascinating to visit and we have had a small opportunity to see how people in other countries live. 

Written by Sheryl