The little town of Ushuaia in Argentina bills itself as
the town at the end of the world, the fin del mundo. The problem is that this is not quite the case. Yes, the town is
at the very tip of the South American continent, no question about that. But whether it is the furthest town south on
the continent, well, that is a matter of some debate. It turns out that the more likely candidate for this honor is the
town of Puerto Williams on Isla
Navarino.
Now, I am proud to say I have actually been to Puerto Williams, and whether or not is the furthest
southern city is of some consequence, of course. I mean it’s cool to be able to say you’ve been there, right? But more
than that I should tell you that Puerto Williams is rather fascinating. I pulled up there years ago when I was
hitch-hiking aboard a Chilean Navy ship called the Aquiles. We were staying overnight, so I headed out and went for
along, long walk through and out of the town. At one point, I cam upon a little factory where long rows of women were
shucking sea urchins. The place smelled horrible, but it was a fascinating sight to see these long lines of women
plucking the guts out of sea urchins.
Well, Puerto Williams sits below the 54th parallel and truly is the
last slice of civilization before you head into the Straits of Magellan and then into the gnashing maw of Drake’s
Passage. I was tickled so see that the LA
Times had an article on the town. Though short on detail, it brought back a ton of memories of my travels down
there. I love that part of the world, and recommend you check it out if you have the chance, and make sure you drop in
on the folks at Puerto Williams. It is at the end of the world as we know it, and you’ll feel fine.