The cruise ship arrived at night and the passengers slept dockside. At 6am the view from my cabin window was of a city set against a backdrop of high mountains covered with a fresh coat of snow. Here we are on the south coast of Tierra del Fuego on the Beagle Channel. From here begins my adventure to explore this large island shared by both Chile and Argentina.
Ushuaia (pop. 64,000) was the home for the Yamaná (or Yagán) people who settled here more than 7,000 years ago. They lived on both sides of the Beagle Channel, hunting sea lions and collecting shellfish from their bark canoes, spending most of their time at sea.
The first Europeans arrived on these shores in 1871 from the Anglican mission on the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands.
Ushuaia is a gateway city to Antartica, and many large cruise ships make a stop here. The city is ablaze with lupine flowers in a variety of colors rarely seen outside of Patagonia.
Tomorrow: a visit to the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
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