Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia

"El fin del mundo o donde todo comienza" - "The end of the world, or where it all begins"

I've loved Tierra del Fuego and really liked Ushuaia as a city. Having learned about Magellan and Drake's circumnavigations as a 10 year old, and how they found a path through to the Pacific and then subsequently hearing people talk of Cape Horn in a tone of awe and respect, the area has had a latent sense of magic with me that I wasn't fully conscious of. However, on leaving Rio Gallegos on a very windy day, but with an enormous sense of relief that the bike was running properly again for the first time in a week, and successfully negotiating my first border crossing to get into Chile, it was amazing to get to Punta Delgado where the road runs into the Magellan Straits to wait for the ferry. The wind was incredibly strong and all there was to do was wait (I've learnt that this is the norm in Patagonia). Even the wait was an experience, chatting to other bikers, having maté for the first time, and then, as the day was coming to an end the ferries started running again. The crossing was windy and rough, but the bike stayed upright and then rode off the boat onto the land of fire. Three weeks later as I was heading in the opposite direction I saw some motorcyclists coming off the boat and could hear them whooping to themselves inside their helmets. The crossing just has that sort of effect on you.

The voiceover is: "It’s Iain, it’s Friday, I’m crossing the Magellan Straights, hopefully my bike is upright, this is awesome"

Then there are the mountains. After a couple of weeks of flatness, or very slight hills, as you leave Rio Grande you can spy ice capped mountains, although at first you might think they're clouds on the horizon. Tierra del Fuego is at the border of two plates, and the mountain range just north of Ushuaia is the border and creates the most amazing motorcycle ride up and over.

Then you have Ushuaia itself, just after the most southerly ski resort in the world. The city's not particularly attractive, but its charm lies in the fact that it feels like it's the end of the world, a real frontier town with an eclectic mix of permanent residents, new arrivals seeking a fresh start and visitors, from cruise ship passengers to cyclists and motorcylists (looking for the end of the road, either at the beginning, end or middle of their travels) to scientists on their way to the Antarctic. I spent most of the three days there walking around with a broad smile on my face, and not just because I was there for St Patrick's day.

There's a glacier 8km out from the city centre (my first in Latin America and at this stage hadn't been spoiled by Perito Moreno) with great views over the town and the Beagle Channel.

Then about 20km out of town there's a national park which is amazingly pretty, with mirror calm lakes and stunning views, and from my perspective, then end of the road (Ruta 3).