Tierra del Fuego - Americas Southern tip

January 2007

December 24th, 2006

From our luxury .... breakfast table, we can look down on a small ocean bay. Groups of dolphins are training their synchronized swimming. After this luxurious meal, the well preserved track leads us to Camerón, where gauchos are gathering sheep to cut shear them, and further to Lago Blanco.

It is a great camp site with a view over the lake and to an island. On the horizon, snow-covered mountain peaks and behind us a Magellan forest. The poachter, not far from in a hut of corrugated iron, showed us his trophies. Three beaver's tails which he wanted to sell to tourist. We were not interested.

We decorated Robusto on the outside with a sprig of mistletoe, in the inside we used Christmas tree decoration. Sitting in our warm home, we listened to Christmas songs and thought of friends and family at home. Thanks to our big shopping in Punta Arenas, we also enjoyed some culinary delights.

For five days we enjoyed the company of wild horses, guanacos and condors. Unfortunately, we did not see any beavers, they usually build their dams at four in the morning or at ten at night. It was a time in a dreamworld for us.

Confidence

In order to conserve the special moments that we experience in digital form, we would have liked to have the much sought-after telephoto lens Nikkon 18-200. In Europe, the delivery time is currently 5 months. On the internet, we found out, that Nikkon had one such lens in the Zollfreiraum Iquique (Chile). After a phone call to Carlos, we took out enough pesos from the ATM and transferred the price. We then faxed a copy of the bank transfer to Carlos and received an order number from Chilexpress.

36 hours later, we picked up our parcel at the counter of Chilexpress in Punta Arenas. During these hours, the parcel had travelled several thousand kilometers, in addition, it made a stop-over in Santiago and had to be passed on.

And what was most remarkable: Nikon did not charge anything for this transport, which must have cost quite a bit.

Cherry stones

The product range in the city supermarkets is enormous. A land where milk and honey flows, so to speak. They currently sell also wonderful cherries. In contrast to Brigitte, I have always eaten them with the stones, with great relish.

We normally empty our fecal tank using an integrated chopper pump through a connected pipe. Recently, we were not able to pump out the tank and the pump sounded like a blender with Marmeln in it. We thus had to empty the tank via manual slide recently built in by Action Mobile.

After dismantling and taking apart the pump, I found my cherry stones locked in in the chopper chamber.

Unfortunately, when remounting the pump, I set in the pump impeller in the wrong way. The pump went crazy after that. After an additional half hour of screwing, this little problem was solved and the pump worked without problems.

I will continue to enjoy cherries. However, without the stones.

Weather on Tierra del Fuego

With regard to clothing, one needs bathing costume, rain jacket and Daunenjacke, a pair of Wellingtons, T-shirt, gloves and a wooly hat, due to the strong wind that lead to sudden weather changes, sometimes within only few hours. The climate is oceanic and kühl moderate. The temperature varies between 8°C and a maximum of 30°C.

Currently, the locals in Ushuaia complain, that the weather is too rainy for summer and too cold. Reminds us of ...!

In Robusto however, we feel at ease whatever the weather, whatever the outside temperature!

We now use the Verdunklungsrollo on our roof hatches to be able to sleep - daylight lasts from 4am to 11pm.

Old whisky

In El Calafate we took the opportunity to have a really nice meal out. The bar of the 5-star hotel looked very inviting, so we went in to have a first drink. Brigitte had a glass of white wine and I ordered a macann. When asked by the barman, whether I wanted to have the 12 or the 25 year old, I did not hesitate to order the older one. The glass was poured quite generously and I enjoyed the exquisite dring.

After a trout and an a savoury piece of Patagonia lamb, grilled on an open fire, we went back to the bar, so that I could quietly smoke a cigar.

The bill: The very old whisky cost as much as six bottles of white wine, or half the price of the entire meal including the wine.

This whisky I should have drunk a little bit slowlier.

Message of the month:

quote, saying: "to me, the Robusto website is more interesting than Playboy",
said an US Unimog owner, with an interest in technology.

Photos