From Chile back to Argentina and Ushuaia, the world's southern most city. Tuesday 14th November 2006.

Such a cool sight as we drive towards Argentina on the bus this morning is watching the driver (whom I am seated directly behind) and his sidekick passing Mate as we go along.

The highlight of this bus ride from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia is to be the opportunity to cross the Magellan Strait on a car ferry...not much bigger than that which crosses the River Dart in Devon.

The bus toilets are not the best and so I took my chances on the boat...no better, but it was touristy to take a leak on the strait and I had to get rid of the coffee somehow! The Magellan crossing takes place at Punta Delgada and we are to enter the Argentine province of Tierra Del Fuego here in the Southern Atlantic at San Sebastian.

The first sign you see as you enter Argentina here proclaims the Falkland Islands for Argentina...feelings still run deep in this country over the Malvinas.

As we continue our drive along the coast of the Southern Atlantic Ocean toward Rio Grande we pass many small drilling operations. This area feels like home in Scotland, with green rolling hills and a driving mix of sleat and snow; but unlike Scotland, I am not sure they get any nice days here. This is a land of lonely plains populated mainly by sheep as we journey to the End of the World.

Patagonia and the southern regions of Argentina and Chile remain far from the horizon of most of mankind, and if it were not for the Falkland´s War most people in the UK would not even know of the regions existence.

As you enter Rio Grande you are welcomed by a monument to the countries naval airmen closely followed by a huge memorial to the Falkland's War. Being so close geographically to the Falkland Islands, I imagine that this area was greatly affected by the war.

I get my answer to the nice days question on leaving Rio Grande, the weather affects another dramatic change, this time to sunshine.

We stop for snacks at La Union in Tolhuin and Argentina just gets better and better as we pass along lakes past snow capped mountains...this is one beautiful country!!!

As we climb up through Paso Garibaldi the scenery gets more and more like Canada.

In Ushuaia we are staying at the Mustapic Hotel, which was founded in 1972, the year of my birth!

Tonight we dine on wonderful Argentinian beef at Chicho's Restaurant and I enjoy calafate berry ice-cream.