Italian Glacier
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Along the way we were entertained by sea lions alongside the ship as we headed for the port of Ushuaia (pronounced oos-way-ya), our first stop in Argentina.
The
area was originally inhabited by the Yamana Indians until Captain Robert
Fitzroy arrived in 1833 on a British missionary voyage. Rev. Thomas Bridges devoted himself in the late 19th century to creating a dictionary of the native language. Sadly, the natives were wiped out by disease by the early 20th century.
The town of Ushuaia is a former penal colony nestled in a U shaped cove adjacent to the Beagle Channel. The prisoners constructed the town's railway, hospital and port. Now a metropolis of more tha 70,000 residents, it is the gateway to rugged wilderness adventures by boat, rail, 4X4 or on foot. It is also one of the emnarkation points for cruises to the Antarctic.
On our catamaran cruise of the Beagle Channel, we saw many native birds - Imperial cormorants (which look like penguins), rock cormorants, kelp gulls, skuas, and kestrels. A male sea lion with a mane oversees about ten lighter coloured females.
Once again we were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day - temperature 14 C (57 F).
