December 1st - Ushuaia

We had a very acceptable simple breakfast in the hotel, then went out shopping for gifts to take home - mainly penguins! It was raining a little and wasn't very warm. We then went for a drive to some of the local ski resorts, although it was out of season and we knew most places would be closed. The first two we came to - Solar del Bosque and Nunatak - were not open, but then we found Tierra Mayor, a house with a restaurant on the ground floor which was open, with tables set for lunch, even though there was nobody in it.

Next door was a kennel housing a large number of huskies, with sleighs nearby. They are obviously used for rides in the winter season.

The people serving in the restaurant were very pleasant and we ordered pumpkin soup and ravioli, which seemed to be cooked specially for us. The food, which was not bad, was served in huge portions and we couldn't eat it all, but the dining-room was attractive with very scenic views from our table in the window. Before we left, a whole extended family with quite a few children arrived for lunch. I think they were relatives of the owners, but we left them to their meal shortly after.

Back in Ushuaia, I went for another walk along the main street, San Martin, to buy Christmas tree decorations and a scarf. It was a beautifully warm and sunny afternoon and very busy in the centre of town, with lots of children and young people and also, a puzzlingly long queue at one of the banks. We had coffee and hot chocolate in the hotel and afterwards, I showered and washed my hair. The bathroom hairdrier caught fire as I was using it, but the hotel staff I summoned didn't seem overly concerned!

We had dinner at Kaupe, where we had eaten twice 7 years ago. It was as good as we remembered and we had a lovely evening.

The Kaupe brass napkin rings that we bought to take back to London. I had forgotten we did the same thing in 2001!!