November 27th
Sol’s family was kind enough to book me an excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park! By some stroke of luck, the weather was perfect that day—a rarity, as I learned from every other overcast, freezing, or drizzly day while I was in town. With our guide Sebastián and a group of seven others, we started the morning with a coastal walk through the forest, climbing little cliffs that overlooked the Beagle Channel. The water was insanely clear and bright blue, sparkling in the little alcoves we passed.
The day before, I’d visited the park on my own and had noticed these little orange balls growing in the notches of trees. I meant to Google them later but completely forgot. Luckily, Sebastián explained they’re called pan de indio, or Indian bread, a soft fungus that grows on lenga trees and was a traditional food source for Indigenous peoples in the region. Sebastián plucked a couple of the mature fungus balls from a nearby tree and asked who wanted to try one. Naturally, I was curious to try the poisonous-looking fungus. It was spongy on the outside, but biting into it was crunchy and watery, like a mildly sweet cucumber. Not bad at all—I finished it right up and wouldn’t mind eating another (although for reference the other people that tried said they would probably not eat it again lol).
In the afternoon, after a hike and a lunch break, our group split into two raft boats to paddle through Lapataia Bay toward the Beagle Channel. Our guide couldn’t stop talking about how this was one of the best weather days he’d ever had working here, and we all agreed we were very grateful not to be battling against wind or waves. The water was so calm and peaceful as we floated along, with Ushuaia and its mountainous backdrop on one side and the Chilean peaks across the channel on the other. A couple of sea lions popped up, curious and playful, swimming beside us enjoying the beautiful day along with us. It was the perfect end to an already incredible day in this wild corner of the world.
