"This is Ushuaia"

I think the most incredible part about being in Ushuaia is just saying "I'm at the end of the world!" How's that for a destination!! I even have a stamp in my passport to prove it!

Located at the very tip of Argentina, Ushuaia, pronounced oosh-y-yah, is the southern most city in the world therefore giving it the grand title of "The End of the World." (It's actually somewhat funny to say when you're surrounded by land, I guess I had imagined it a little differently)

The city of Ushuaia itself is actually not that interesting, but the stunning backdrop of the Andes mountains and the vast number of hikes and activities surrounding Ushuaia definitely makes for one incredibly backyard.

During my very active 6 days and 5 nights in Ushuaia I managed to see quite a bit of the surrounding region. My first few days I was lucky enough to catch a bit of nice, yet cool, weather, but my luck seemed to run out on the day I decided to go kayaking in Lago Escondido when it snowed!! When I asked the guide if we were going to be kayaking in the snow his reply was "This is Ushuaia!" Needless to say that was not my favorite day in Ushuaia.

I spent my first full day hiking along the Costera Trail in the Tierra del Fuego National Park with a lovely English couple and a red-headed guy from California I had met. The part of the hike along the the Beagle Canal was incredible. The water was crystal clear and deceivingly inviting. During one part of the hike it almost felt like you had crossed into some magical land...bunnies grazing on the soft green grass, geese waddling around, the sunlight shining perfectly through the clouds, a perfect view of the canal.....it looked like the perfect spot for a little cottage.


Another really great hike I did that I hadn't originally planned on but was a last minute type of ordeal was to Lago Esmeralda. One of the guys working at the hostel and a Polish girl heading to Antarctica had invited me to join them. My legs, still sore from the 7 or so hours of hiking in the national park the day before, were really begging me to pass on the invitation but in the end I was glad I had decided to go. Despite the muddy and cold shoes at the end of the hike the lake itself was quite rewarding. Lago Esmeralda, I believe, is made from water from the glaciers. You would have to see the lake to really understand how brilliant it looked. The color of the lake was this beautiful pastel, frosty green shade. I heard that the day before an Argentinean guy had jumped into the lake!! He had to be insane because the water was freezing!!!