The Holy Elevator

The lifts in the Hotel Arakur are clad in a scented wood called "Palo Santo", or "Holy Wood".  

Bursera graveolens is a wild tree native from Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula to Peru and Venezuela, that inhabits the South American Gran Chaco region (northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and the Brazilian Mato Grosso). It is also found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and on the Galápagos Islands. The tree belongs to the same family (Burseraceae) as frankincense and myrrh (so Google tells me).

Palo Santo oil was used during the time of the Incas for its reputed spiritual purifying properties. Today, Palo Santo essential oil is traditionally used for relieving common colds, flu symptoms, stress, asthma, headaches, anxiety, depression, inflammation, emotional pain and more.

Part of the citrus family, this sweetly scented wood has sweet notes of pine, mint and lemon.

I take deep breaths every time I step into the lift!  It reminds me of our sandalwood.

Hotel Arakur

I am now sitting with a gin and tonic in the Hotel Arakur, on the mountains above Ushuaia port, looking down to the harbour through the huge picture windows in the lounge.

I chose my room to have a valley view rather than a sea view, because I hunkered after some greenery. However, the first room I was shown to overlooked the carpark!  Management then kindly showed me to another room higher up, better views over to the valley, with good views of the nothofagus forest, since I was going to be staying 7 nights! In hindsight, next time I will choose the sea view, as it is hard to not get the carpark if one chooses a "valley view" room, which is a bit cheaper.

The hotel itself is very new, only 3 years old, and is still a work in progress.  It is all wood and stone, with copper-clad roof and sides which have already weathered to a beautiful verdigris green.

My room has wooden floors, auto curtains, and a bath with a picture window looking into the bedroom and beyond to the view outside the My room has wooden floors, auto curtains, and a bath with a picture window looking into the bedroom and beyond to the view outside the window. 

A very lovely place to chill out for a few days!

Back in Ushuaia Day 1

It is only a 3.5 hour flight from Buenos Aires down to Ushuaia - I left BA in the rain, and arrived in Ushuaia in the sunshine and warmth!  It is the warmest I have ever felt - 20C!! Usually the temperature has been in single digits, even with a minus!!

The cloud formations down in this part of the world are unlike anywhere else, particularly down in Antarctica. For the most part. flying down to Ushuaia is over water, and at the last minute the flight path crosses over onto the southern part of Tierra del Fuego, to land on an air strip that has clearly been built out into the water!  I guess there were not too many straight stretches of existing land on which to build a runway - it is pretty mountainous around here!

It has felt really good to be back in Ushuaia, knowing that there is another fabulous food-for-the-soul trip to Antarctica in the offing!