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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| December 15, 2004 |
Ushuaia, Argentina – Football exchange at the edge of the world |
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| After a hard match |
Argentina is renowned throughout the world for its football talents and achievements. Having been twice the winner of the World Cup, producing international football stars such as Maradonna and famous clubs such as La Boca Juniors, the onboard Peaceball team couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play a friendly game with the locals. |
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| The Peace Boat under the majestic mountains of Tierra del Fuego |
Ushuaia is sometimes called the “edge of the world”. It is situated on the southernmost tip of the American continent and is the last city before the Antarctic. Belonging to an island known as Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), Ushuaia was originally founded by Spanish settlers in the 1500s and now has a population of 40,000. Clear blue skies, snow-capped mountain peaks and crisp, fresh air welcomed Peace Boat to this picture-postcard city at the far end of the world. |
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| Tsuyoshi after his first goal |
The Peaceball team started out with a visit to various scenic viewpoints around the city and then headed straight for Deporgol sports center, where they were greeted by Rumbo Sur, a local football team. Two minutes into their first match, Japanese player Tsuyoshi scored the first goal and went on to score a hatrick. The final score was 7-8 to Peace Boat, who were thrilled by the idea that they had won to a team in a country where football defines much of the popular culture. |
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| Presents for the local team |
Argentinean football skills seem to be somewhat original and creative and in the words of the members of Rumbo Sur their way of playing football is like “a circus act with a ball”. Having fun, however, was the main aim of the day and so after the match, Peace Boat participants and members of Rumbo Sur relaxed together over some local food and drink. Peaceball members wrote each of their names in traditional Japanese calligraphy and Rumbo Sur returned the gesture with a certificate of participation. |
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| The town of Ushuaia |
After enjoying a very informal, friendly exchange, where sign language, bits of Spanish and scrapings of Japanese were good enough, Peace Boat participants left their new friends and headed back to the ship. The fresh faces and mountainous landscape made an incredible departure scene, as Peace Boat sailed away and began a three-day journey through the fjords of Chilean Patagonia. |
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