18 March 2006 - Celebrating 32 years at the end of the world

Matt and Lynne with the legendary traveller´s friend Luca Toscani


Lynne says...

Ushuaia, Argentina - the southerly most city in the world.

We´d spent the last few days staying at Cruz del Sur - an independent hostel run by a charismatic 32 year old Italian man called Luca Toscani. The place was small and not particularly spotless yet Luca´s personality made up for everything. The hostel was his home, the kitchen was his kitchen, the main room was his living room and he slept in a room out the back where travellers used the internet during the day.

He was the kind of guy who never turned anyone away, even if he was full. Instead, he offered them the floor for free and always threw in breakfast as well. Needless to say, most people who crashed on the floor ended up staying longer than they had planned.

After only a few hours he´d given us his life history and explained how he fell in love with the place over eight years ago, "I just kept coming back until I decided just to stay here...my mother wasn´t very happy". He´d been running the hostel for the past two years.

"I met my girlfriend here. She´s from Canada and was travelling at the time. We corresponded by email for a while and then she changed all her plans and came back to Ushuaia. She´s moving here from Canada in a few months time - giving up everything".

The weather in this part of the world is very changable and unfortunately it took a turn for the worst on my birthday. We´d spent the previous day trekking in Tierra del Fuego National Park so I was more than happy to take my time and relax - I´m sure my feet were pleased too after climbing to the summit of Mount Guanaco, overlooking the Beagle Channel (I would have some pictures to show you but the camera battery ran out - could anyone recommend a professional photographer?).

Despite the weather, we decided to take a four hour boat ride on the Beagle Channel. We sailed close to sealions, seals, penguins and cormorants and also disembarked for a half hour walk around an uninhabited island.

The Latin name for the main species of plant found on the island is "Bollocks" so you imagine the hilarity it caused amongst the English contingency, Island of Bollocks, load of old bollocks, big bollocks etc. Even the Argentian tour guide couldn´t stop smirking when she tried to explain the joke to the Spanish speakers amongst us.

On the trip we met a lovely couple from Manchester and their eight year old daughter who were also on a six month trip around South America. They certainly gave me plenty to think about...

We decided to blow the budget and treat ourselves in the evening. Luca had recommended a restuarant high in the mountains overlooking the Beagle Channel, Chez Manu. A French restaurant that used local ingredients to produce fantastic cuisine. Three courses, a bottle of Saint Felicien and complimentary champagne and it still came to half the price of an equivalent restaurant in London.

Did I mention that "Happy Birthday" was sung to me in four different languages back at the hostel?