So this is fin del mundo (or the end of the world)...

My first impression of Ushuaia was not great as it looked just like any normal town that happened to be situated in a very special location. Did the usual quick walk-around in order to get my direction right and checked out a couple of hostels (they were generally out of my budget). A guy called out to me (think he saw me hugging my heavy backpack) and told me (in fairly good English) to take a look at the hostel he was working in. That was how I got to stay in Hostel Aonikenk (just north of junction between 25 de Mayo and Magallanes, AR$25/S$11.90 per night).

As I was settling down (desperately needed dinner, a bath and a good sleep), Papa, the 74-year old caretaker of the hostel, held my forearm and offered to show me around. His kind gesture somehow reminds me of my late grandmother (she always brought me to the kitchen for lunch by holding on to my forearm). After the mini-tour, I went out and looked for dinner. All the restaurants (along Avenida San Martin) looked expensive and I decided to do some cooking by buying some food (and beer) from a supermarket. Rest of the evening was spent cooking, eating, washing and bathing. I slept like a dead pig when I finally hit the hay at 2am.

The first thing I did when I woke up next morning was to look out of the window. Just like what had been predicted, it was so hazy that the mountains nearby cannot even be seen. The sun had just risen but it was already 11am (daylight is a precious commodity during winter). Had breakfast and went for a walk. It was so cold (2°C) and I was so glad I had bought that jacket in Jujuy. Did not really felt good because of the unwelcoming weather and no good photographs could be taken. The weather forecast did not help; the haze was expected to stay for the next couple of days.