Monday, 10/14. Flight to Ushuaia. Passed a shantytown. Like a scene from a Ruined Earth movie. Very sad. Mostly immigrants.
Oddly, the temp in Buenos Aires this morning was the same as Ushuaia, 3,000 kms south. At the airport we passed a statue of Columbus (a gift from Italy). Argentines keep moving it around, swapping it out for a more famous person. Argentina also celebrates Columbus Day, but they too are finding something else to call it.
Slept through most of the 3.5 hour flight. (Argentina, turned 90 degrees, would reach from San Francisco to New York.) Descended through clouds. Then magic. The view of the Magellan Strait was magnificent. Crystal clear air. Blindingly white snow, dark ground, blue seas and skies. Worth the trip.
The town of Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Or, “THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY IN THE WORLD!” They don’t want you to forget it. It’s exploded in size in the past two decades as government has made the region a tax-free zone for manufacturing. From 8,000 to 80,000. It shows a little, but the mountains are still spectacular. For lunch I had Beef and Chips. The cool thing was they didn’t ask how I wanted the beef. I’ve noticed in both Brazil and Argentina that they assume you want it medium rare, how God meant it to be. Homemade chips. I added sparkling wine, because, duh. Total cost, about $15.
There’s one main street. Most shops are interesting. Erred by entering a chocolate shop. The box I bought is a weight on my mind. I’m clearly an outlier because most people had winter coats, scarves, gloves, etc. and I had a short sleeve shirt and long sleeve wool shirt. Got my shopping done. The city has a bundle of monuments and memorials. Many are about the Argentines’ Antarctic explorers.
All 21 of us attended a home hosted dinner. Big house, wonderful family, who were friends with our Trip Leader. I made some balloons, printed some photos. Avoided situations that brought on my anxieties. Everyone had a great time. Evening sunset was phenomenal.
May be last post for five days. Boarding a ship tomorrow evening that prides itself in having no connectivity.
Just breathtaking. 
How they cook lamb. 6 hours. There was a dog outside watching. 
Lunch. A top ten meal. 
Another reminder that grandmothers will continue to search for the 30,000 missing. 
The battle for the Falklands (what they call Malvinas), isn’t over. 
This is a valid example of the city’s architecture before it grew. 
Very nice memorial of a ship obviously lost at sea. 
Interesting monument. Not sure why it’s there. 
From left, grandmother, daughter, mother, companions. 
The is just what it looked like.