Ushuaia - National Park, treasure hunt and 48 hours in prison

Now is the time. We have arrived at our final destination to explore on this trip. After that, we only have to go back to Germany through Punta Arenas, Santiago, and Sao Paulo. Here we treat ourselves to 5 more nights in a beautiful cabin in the woods. Even though we have to walk a few steps to a specific tree where the router hangs in order to use the internet, well, you can't have everything.

On the first day, we organize bikes for the next day because the weather is amazing and we want to hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park. The park is about 12km outside the city, and since it seems a bit overpriced for the two of us to pay almost 40€ for the bus there and back (and that doesn't even include the park entrance fee of 15€ per person!), we decide to go for the more athletic (and cheaper) option. We can even take the bikes with us the night before and pedal up to our cabin. Because it is located about 3km outside, quite high up. But that means we can roll down in the morning and arrive at the park long before the first bus. Yes. In theory, at least.

But when we drag ourselves out of bed at 7 o'clock the next morning, it turns out once again that theory and practice don't always go hand in hand. Because: Lisa's bike has a flat tire! Annoyed that there's always something, Jan starts pumping it up. We even got a spare tube, but the problem is the pump. We just can't inflate the darn tire! The valve doesn't fit and all the air escapes. That means we have to push the bike 3km downhill to the bike shop (which only opens at 10 o'clock!) and can only start riding after that. We try not to get too upset (after all, it really is beautiful here), but it doesn't quite work. At least we're lucky and find an auto repair shop halfway there that pumps up the tire in just 5 seconds. So we can at least roll down the rest of the way. The shop also opens on time and in just 10 minutes the tube is changed. Well, at least! We ride into the park, go for a short hike (it's too late for the long one now), and lie down by the clear waters of the Beagle Channel for a while. The weather forecast didn't disappoint, it's over 25° Celsius and the sun is shining. The morning's excitement fades away and we enjoy the view and the partial quietness (unless there are loud chattering tourists passing by). We like it, but to be honest, we liked Puerto Williams better. Much less touristy, quieter, and friendlier. Here, a bit away from the city, it is also very idyllic, but with nearly 60,000 inhabitants, there is simply a lot more going on. There is also a larger airport and various cruise ships dock daily, flooding the city with thousands of people. This, as always, has an impact on prices and the density of tourist shops. After a long break by the water, we ride back to the city and enjoy the (presumably) last bit of warmth until summer reaches Germany. The next two days will actually be gray and 10-15 degrees colder. But anyway, we want to visit the museum in the old prison, which includes exhibitions about its history, as well as maritime history, Antarctica, and art galleries. The ticket is valid for 48 hours, so we split the visit into two days. But before we visit the museum, we go on a treasure hunt. We hear from a friend that there is currently $100 hidden in a bottle in Ushuaia as part of a Ukrainian TV show! This show regularly hides $100 in different locations around the world and releases a short video that indicates the exact location. We receive this video of Ushuaia and actually recognize the spot! We set off and search in every bush but only find empty, old glass bottles. Someone must have been faster than us! Nevertheless, the search was a lot of fun :)

In the evening, we dare to use the gas oven for the first time and enhance our standard dinner with a new taste highlight: homemade sweet potato fries with chimichurri-grilled vegetables! We are thrilled by the reactivation of many of our taste buds that have been in hibernation lately, because you can't buy and cook such a variety here most of the time. It tastes so good that we cook the exact same thing again the next evening :) On the last day, we go for a short and beautiful hike towards the glacier through the forest, and in the evening, we visit an Argentine restaurant for the last time. And now, the last 5 days in Ushuaia are over! We are becoming more and more aware that our honeymoon is almost over. This triggers very mixed feelings. On the one hand, there are many things we are looking forward to at home! And - as silly as it sounds - we are also done with Patagonia. Since November 21st, we have been here (with a short interruption in Buenos Aires) and it feels like we have seen everything. Even though that's not entirely true, we have traveled most of this beautiful piece of earth with a lot of time. Which was absolutely right, and we absolutely enjoyed Patagonia! But since we left the Carretera Austral and the high season has turned many quiet, idyllic places into temporary tourist hot spots, we have often been frustrated by the exhausting organization, disproportionately high prices, and lack of tranquility. If we had more time, we would probably continue in countries like Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, or Mexico. But we don't even have to think about that, because time is almost up. And so we are torn between joy for the familiar home, family & friends, and the fear of quickly developing wanderlust and the difficult return to work and the associated everyday life. We can hardly imagine how it is for others who have been traveling for 1 year or longer. In Villa O'Higgins, we even met a French couple who have been on the road for 6 years! As much as we love traveling, we can't imagine that either. So we try to keep the many beautiful things at home in mind and enjoy the last few days.

The next day, we take the bus back to Punta Arenas in 10 hours, where we will have 2 more nights before the flight marathon begins... But more on that in the next, probably last, post.