Ushuaia

The town of Ushuaia is fascinating. We can't believe how many young people walk the streets at night. The only other folks are tourists. There are many kids hanging out everywhere. When asked, our guide said there are many single parents (45%) and the sad joke goes that a kid asked his parents if they were poor because all his friends had 2 homes and he only had one! Apparently in the '90s, the government wanted more people to settle in Ushuaia so they made a push for young settlers and allowed squatting. The population doubled in a just a few years and there are no grandparents!

The weather is bizarre. Sunny one minute and raining the next (we have lucked out). The winds can come up in a minute and practically knock you down. The temperature rarely goes below freezing because it is near the water. Many Olympic hopefuls come here to train for the ski events. This is the most expensive area of all Argentina and Argentineans from other areas cannot visit because of the prohibitive prices. They are actually fairly comparable to the US. AND the vino is SHITO! Mendoza is El Rey (the King) of the wine provinces. In fact, there is only one winery in all of Patagonia so there is no competition. They are, however, famous for king crab, black hake (fish from 600 ft below the ocean) and lamb. We have not been impressed with any of it. They really overcook their seafood--rubber is good for the road, not the tummy!