Christmas Eve Dinner

Rewinding a little, just wanted to share a story from Christmas eve. We had plans to depart for Torres del Paine on Christmas Day, but nothing to do the night before. We overheard some people in the hostel talking about making a big dinner, and Jer asked if we could contribute anything and join in.

The main course was a giant locally-caught king crab, which we already knew would be delicious from our culinary adventures in Ushuaia. We figured that some salmon would be a nice accompaniment, so we followed a recommendation and checked out an old woman's little seafood shop around the corner.

We were in luck! We bought a kilo and a half of beautiful salmon for about ten bucks and a few bottles of wine from the market next door. Like a bunch of busy bees, we all went to work in the kitchen. Jerica chopped up ingredients for a roasted mixed veggie dish, and I minced garlic for about half an hour straight (thanks to my roommate Mike for making me a garlic-a-holic). I fried up the salmon in some olive oil with a little salt, pepper, oregano, and a whole lotta garlic. The king crab came out delicious, the veggies were super tasty, and the salmon was a hit! The whole experience was great, as we spent several hours cooking in the kitchen with our new friends, drinking wine, and (eventually) dining together. One of the women at dinner, Claudia, had baked a whole bunch of German-style sugar cookies which she shared with all of us. Jerica told her about how her grandmother used to bake cookies like that, and how it made her so happy to be eating them. She told Claudia "you made my Christmas!" Claudia was so happy to hear that, and we heard her repeat those words to her friend later with a big smile on her face.

For dessert, we had apple-filled empanadas, chocolate ice cream cake (with a melted dark chocolate topping thanks to Jer who graciously donated a huge chocolate bar from her stash). It was a true "hostel" experience of travelers gathering together like close friends before parting ways the next day.

ice age 3

Our hostel friend, Andy, gave us great advice about the park. One thing he mentioned was the glacier trip, which we decided we would like to do. The first day of the trek, we hiked to the campground by Lago Grey and signed up for the trip the following day. The next morning we were glad we had signed up before because there were a few people waiting and hoping that someone wouldn´t show up. Our guides gave us our packs which were equiped with crampons, a harness, a mug, a chocolate bar and a cereal bar.
We hopped on the smaller motor boat that took us out to the boat. The boat ride took about 45 minutes and took us past large pieces of the glacier that had fallen off and close to the face of the glacier. There is an island in the middle of the face of Glacier Grey that creates 2 very different looking appearances. On one side the face was sharp and jagged, which would have been like the white water of a river. The other side was more like rounded rolling hills, the eddy of the river. Big pieces of ice fell off as we were passing; it was the most incredible sound. We handed Dave´s little digital camera that I had been using to a woman to take our picture. She turned to us to see how to use the zoom, and the camera fell out of her hands. In slow motion, the camera bounced on the upper deck of the boat where we were standing and slid towards the edge. There was a chorus of gasps from everyone, including us. Unfortuntely, it appeared that the lens had been bent, and I was unable to take pictures for the rest of the trip unless I borrowed Dave´s camera. Fortunatly, on the bus on the way out of the park 4 days later, Dave was able to fix the camera. If only we could tell the woman who dropped it that she didn´t break it. So that put a short damper on our trip out to the glacier. Thankfully, Dave is always a positive person, and was able to put the disaster behind us.
We took the little boat to the edge of the glacier and climbed up on the rocks. Our guides gave us a quick intro to the glacier and helped us into our crampons. Stepping out onto the glacier was incredible- we had perfectly sunny beautiful weather and the glacier seemed to go on forever. The beginning of the walk got my heart beating very quickly when I looked down into some of the crevaces that were extremely steep. However, most of the walk was along a more rolling landscape. There were beautiful bright blue streams that meandered through the glacier. We learned about erratic rocks (also the name of our hostel here in Puerto Natales). If I understood correctly, a small rock gets thrown up to the top of the glacier and the sun warms it, which causes it to melt a small hole through the glacier. With the help of the sun and the intense winds, these holes grow bigger and bigger and make a moulin, a deep hole in the glacier. Pretty interesting stuff. We also got to go into a small cave in the glacier. At the end of our trek, the guides rigged the ropes on a wall of ice and we had the opportunity to climb. I struggled at first, but once I got a rhythm down, I loved it! I can´t wait to try it again.

(when you get to the top, you have to kiss the caribeener, or else you have to kiss the guy who's holding your rope when you get back down... and i forget what he's called... but it's a funny saying)

We really enjoyed our day out on the glacier. I kept thinking maybe we´d see the little guy from ice age, searching for his little morsel of food.

Dave filling up a cup of delicious glacier water.

more updates to come... for now we have to figure out where to go next!

Quick update

Hey everybody. We hope the holidays have been good to you. Jer and I just got back from 6 days of camping in Torres del Paine national park. It was way too much amazingness to describe right now. However, we will post more details and pictures soon. Here's a preview of stories to come: trekking across a giant glacier, six days with no shower, way too much dehydrated food, hiking by snow-capped mountains in t-shirts, "the towers" all to ourselves at sunset, and SVELTY!

Now, we're off to gorge ourselves on pizza, beer, and ice cream. Mmmmmmmmmmm....

Una foto vale mil palabras...

(a picture is worth a thousand words)





This is a view of Ushuaia from the boat as we departed on our journey through The Beagle Channel.

Me and Jer on the boat


Sea Lions in their native habitat (not quite the same as San Fran's fisherman's warf) and a huge cormorant colony behind them.


Our campsite in Tierra del Fuego. Can you find our tent?

Some of the sights we saw during our hike to the Chilean border in Tierra del Fuego. Note the "Old Man's Beard" growing on a tree, and see if you agree with Jerica's last posting. :)

Summer Solstice Take 2

Yesterday we took a bus out to Parque National Tierra del Fuego, about 20 minutes outside of Usuaia. It was a bit rainy when we arrived and chose our campsite, but the drizzle, the mountains, and the lake made it all ok.

Fortunately, the rain stopped as we began our hike. Daves camera is currently filled with pictures of bunnies, which are an invasive species that seem to be taking over the area. We walked through ever changing forests along Lago Roca. The climate here is what our boat guide called "fridge climate", so there is no bacteria here. Therefore, all of the trees take forever to decompose. The trees are also covered with old mans beard, which we thought felt a lot like Daves beard. I did a blind test to see if I could tell the difference, and found out that no, I could not!

We ended up at an orange metal pyramid sort of thing covered with graffiti. We knew this hike went to the Chile border and were warned that if you attempt to cross, you could be arrested. However, the orange structure did not have any sign on it. We envisioned Chilean military hidden amongst the trees and decided to head back. After our hike, we found out that it was indeed the border marker.

This morning, we woke up to a gentle pitter patter of more rain on our tent, but it was nothing that stopped us from enjoying the day. We hiked a series of easy trails, one of which brought us up to a beautiful lookout point over a lake and the enterance to the Beagle Channel. We had a nice lunch up there with some things we brought: tuna sandwiches and dulce de leche with apples. Our bus back to Ushuaia wasn't quite so on-time (about an hour late) so we danced some lindy hop in the rain to keep ourselves warm.

Tomorrow we're heading to Puerto Natales and we just made reservations at a really friendly hostel, where they help you plan out your whole trip to Torres del Paine. We'll be spending 4 nights and 5 days camping amidst some of the most awe-inspiring nature in the world. This is also going to be the first time for both of us that we'll be away from our families for Christmas, and we'll miss them very much. We will, however, be bringing along an ipod with a tiny speaker so that we can play some cheesy christmas music in our tent, lest we forget to embrace the holiday spirit.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanza / Festivus! May the snow gods be merciful. hehe.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

... was about all we could say after our first bites of the famous Ushuaia king crab. Although earlier in the day we were only amused by their menu that had translations of items like jam and cheese omlets and paris coffee trout, they did have incredible crab. After much debate, we decided on one order of fresh, cold king crab with lemon and one order of hot, Provencal style crab. They both left us speechless, something that has occurred quite a bit since our journey began. Paired with a nice bottle of white wine, it was a royal meal.

The End of the World!!!

Greetings from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world! We arrived on Tuesday afternoon, after a pleasant flight direct from Buenos Aires. The descent was absolutely beautiful, as we passed over the tiny islands and channels of southern patagonia. Ushuaia, itself, is a tiny town nestled in a little nook surrounded by the Andes. These mountains run north to south, creating the border between Chile and Argentina, except at the very south of the continent, where tectonic plates have caused them to run east-to-west.

After arriving yesterday, we checked into a very friendly little hostel, dropped our stuff off, and went for a hike up to a scenic lookout point just north of town. As we ascended, we noticed that the snow-covered mountains seemed to be getting closer and closer, and all of a sudden it was indeed snowing--quite the contrast from the muggy 80 degree weather in Buenos Aires we had experienced just earlier that day! However, all the precipitation in Ushuaia, be it rain or snow, only seems to last about five minutes at a time, so conditions cleared up soon enough.

From the top of this lookout point, we were treated to a marvelous panoramic view of the whole city and The Beagle Channel upon which it is situated. The Beagle Channel was made famous by Charles Darwin's book "The Voyage of the Beagle" and is a gateway to Antarctica, as well as many of the surrounding islands. Since the sun rises about 5am and sets about 10:30pm this far south, we had plenty of time to enjoy the view before hiking back into town.

Today, we went on a fantastic boat tour of the Beagle Channel, and tomorrow morning we're getting up early to go camping in Tierra del Fuego National Park, a short bus ride from Ushuaia. Saturday morning, we'll be departing on a 16 hour bus ride to a town called Puerto Natales, across the Chilean border. This town is the gateway to Torres del Paine national park, where we'll spend three or four days camping amidst beautiful lakes and gigantic granite towers carved out by glaciers. Originally we planned to leave here on Friday, but all the buses were booked up and we couldn't get a ticket for anything sooner than Saturday. Fortunately, this is not such a bad place to be "stranded" for an extra day so we have no complaints. :)

just call us captain jer and captain dave

Yes, that´s right, we both got the chance to "drive" a boat at the end of the world. Luckily, someone who knew where they were going was driving for 3 hours and 57 minutes of the 4 hour boat ride through the Beagle Channel. We were told by our tour guide, an energetic, informative, and enthusiastic woman from Norway named something like Gru, that we were extremely lucky to have the sunny, calm weather that we did. As we left the port in Ushuaia, we were surrounded by mountains that refused to give up their snow caps, despite the fact that it is summer. The mountains here are sharp and jagged granite. My personal favorite mountain, Olivia, looks as if it could be where the evil queen in any fairy tale resides. We enjoyed the sunny and chilly air from the top of the small boat as we headed towards the lighthouse. On our way, we saw 4 penguins searching for some chow. The lighthouse, although it is no longer in service, was very picturesque out there in the middle of the Tierra del Fuego waters. We also stopped at several small islands to observe the wildlife which included sea lions, coromanders, skewers and other birds. We docked at one of the slightly larger islands to go for a walk and were impressed with the environmentally friendly tourism that exists here. There was one small dock and one little dirt path on the island. We were asked to take nothing with us and stay on the path as to not destroy the plants. We agreed that it was a nice balance between being able to bring tourists to see these amazing sights, but still keep them in their original, awe inspiring condition. We learned about chocolate plants, which unfortunately do not actually grow chocolate, but smell quite a bit lke them. After learning about some of the plants, the indigenous people, and tasting some berries, we got back on the boat. On our way back to Ushuaia, we had some coffee liquor that was made by the captain, got a short history of Ushuaia, and had lots of opportunities for silly as well as beautiful pictures. Overall, an amazing ride with loads of interesting information, unforgetable scenery, and the freshest air I think we will ever breathe.

no time to waste

Hello argentina!!!! After many days in DC and some crazy moments of utter stress, I am finally here. Dave and I have officially begun the trip we´ve been planning for so long. After a nice little nap and a change into clothes I haven´t been wearing for 4 days, we are on our way to find some lunch. Or is it dinner¿ Or breakfast? Im not sure, but I know I am hungry. Thanks again for all the help in getting here. Buenos Aires here I come!

Hot weather, new friends, and good food.

With no disrespect intended towards any readers who have been scraping ice off their windshields, I must say it was damn hot yesterday. The thermometer must have reached 90 degrees, and with the humidity it felt like 100. I spent most of the morning making hostel reservations, and waiting in line at the Aerolineas Argentinas office to pay for our ticket to Ushuaia. The latter experience reminded me a lot of a visit to the DMV, and took waaaaaaaay longer than it should have. By the time that was all over, I went to the park to read for a bit, and promptly fell asleep in the grass for a few hours. It was a pretty lazy afternoon.

At night, back at the hostel, I met a guy from Holland named Thaijs and his friend Stephanie from France, who are both currently taking a semester abroad in Brazil. The three of us all wanted to go out and experience the Buenos Aires nightlife, but nothing gets started until at least 12 or 1:00am, so we went around the corner to grab a bite to eat and a beer beforehand. Well, soon after we sat down at a table under the awning, it started pouring rain. Since we were stuck there, we just kept ordering more beer, and ended up making friends with a group of locals sitting next to us. They complimented my Spanish, which felt great since I thought I was really rusty and we all ended up having a great discussion for the next few hours. We talked about everything from politics (such as our mutual disdain for Bush) to the subtle differences between words in Argentine slang (this word means 'party' and this word means 'party with no clothes'). When the rain finally let up, it was quite late so I came back to the hostel and fell soundly asleep.

This morning, I went with my newfound friends and a group of their classmates to a neighborhood called 'La Boca', known for its colorful houses and outdoor tango shows. I took note of how the basic steps of the dance look pretty simple, despite all the really complicated moves that build on them. Perhaps when Jerica gets here, can take a Tango lesson and do a little dancing in the street, ourselves.

For lunch, Thaijs and I split a 'parrillada' (mixed grill) which was way more meat than I expected, even divided between the two of us. I think we each ate about four different steaks. In this picture, Thaijs looks ready to tackle it, but by the end, we were practically comatose.

A few hours later, after walking it off, I convinced Stephanie to split this ice cream Sundae with me. Now, I think it's time for a nap, myself. We're going to try and go out again tonight, and then it's early to rise to pick up Jer at the airport at 6:30!

Many Thanks

I want to extend a big thank you to all of you who have helped keep me afloat while I was experiencing the worst part of stand by travel. Several hours on the phone, lots of searching for flights, and reminding me that everything was going to be ok. And another thank you to the German guy who gave me an apple and cheered me up in the airport.
I am currently again in the warm comfortable home of Emily and Emily. As Dave said, I've given up on the standby and bought a ticket for tomorrow night. Today will be filled with visiting with DC pals and being excited that I actually get to head out tomorrow. More to come from Argentina...

The Trials and Tribulations of the Standby Flyer

Dave here, writing from my Buenos Aires hostel at about 1am. Since my phone doesn't work down here, Jerica and I have been using third parties to communicate while she's been stuck in D.C. Tonight, it was our friend Ariel who spoke to Jerica on the phone and then typed to me. Unfortunately, the news was not good. Jerica's standby status once again left her grounded as the oversold United flight departed D.C. for Buenos Aires. Feeling that three missed flights was quite enough, Jerica decided to give up on United and go with a one-way flight on good ol' Aerolineas Argentinas. The bad news is her flight isn't til Sunday night so I'll still be all by my lonesome til Monday morning. However, the good news is that it's a REAL TICKET so that means no more hoping and waiting and nail-biting! So we'll have a day in Buneos Aires, then we're going to fly to Ushuaia on Tuesday morning, and begin the outdoorsy camping part of the trip.

Meanwhile, I've been keeping myself occupied down here. Yesterday, I befriended a fellow software engineer from Canada and we wandered the city together all day. We dined at an old-timey steakhouse where I devoured the rather gargantuan (yet quite tender) piece of meat pictured here. The glazed over look in my eyes is a combination of jet lag and the effects of the finest, cheapest Argentine wine.

Today I took a train westward to the delta of Rio de la Plata to visit a small town called Tigre. I spent most of the afternoon either in a boat or sitting near the water watching windsurfers. The water was kind of a reddish-brown color, apparently due to iron deposits. But there were a whole lot of 'do not swim here--contaminated water' signs, so who knows what its natural color really is supposed to be.

Still have to decide what to do with my weekend, but I have more options now since I don't have to be back in Buenos Aires until Sunday night... I'm thinking possibly a quick trip to Uruguay. For now, it's time for bed. G'night!

what a difference .6 ounces make

I bought some environmentally friendly Dr. Bronner's soap for the trip about a week before the trip. However, even after searching under the seats in my car and tearing my room apart, I couldn't find it. So in the morning before I headed to the airport, I stopped at Whole Foods to buy some. I put it in my carry on so in case I got stuck I would be able to clean up a bit. However, right before I went through security, I realized that it was 4 ounces. I thought I'd give it a try. I crossed my fingers, but ended up in line with a woman who thought it was a very serious offence that I had a 4 ounce bottle. "It must be 3.4 ounces or less," she told me as if had just committed an unspeakable crime. She asked me if I wanted to send it to myself, so I said yes because I was determined to get it through somehow. I was escorted out of the security area ( I am highly threatening apparently). I searched all over for a little plastic bottle I could buy, but was having no luck. At DIA, there is a secondary screening line that is at the edge of the security area. I patiently waited to catch the eye of the guy who was working that line. I said "Excuse me sir, but I am headed to Argentina for a month and this is what I have to keep me from stinking. The problem is, it's 4 ounces. I was wondering if there is any way that you could let me through." "Don't they have soap in Argentina?" he asked curiously. I told him yes they do, but I didn't know if I could find the camp friendly kind there. He sent me to one more store to look for a smaller bottle, and when that failed he said I should try it, but it was up to the supervisor. I went through the line, put my belongings through the machine for the second time, and crossed my fingers. The guy I talked to went and said some quiet words to the supervisor. My bags came through and he looked up and said with a smile, "Have a nice trip." I then had to run to my gate and barely made it on the flight, but it was worth it. Maybe I should send this story to Dr. Bronner, I bet he would appreciate it.

The Dave has Landed!

Hello from Buenos Aires! I had a nice flight down here, and was fortunate enough to sit next to an Argentine man who gave me some advice about our travel plans. Sadly, Jerica was not so lucky with her standby flight and got stuck in DC for the evening. Hopefully tomorrow, I´ll have my travel buddy at my side and we can head south together...it´s pretty hot, muggy, and touristy here, and I´m craving some good nature and isolation. For now, I´m exploring the city with one of my hostel roommates (a software engineer from Canada... how bout that?)

not exactly what i had in mind...

When I said I wasn't sure what bed I would be waking up in, I didn't think it would be one in DC. So I didn't make it on the flight last night, but am currently having a lovely detour in DC. My dear friend Emily graciously stayed up really late to welcome me to her home with a soothing cup of cocoa. I got to meet a new friend, her roomie also named Emily. I am soon to be out on the red line to visit my friend Jocelyn as well! So despite the fact that I was rather disappointed to not be able to get to Argentina last night, it has turned out to be a nice detour. Hopefully the next time I write, I will be in Buenos Aires!

Woah

Sleepy eyes, sleepy eyes, stretch, yawn, OH MAN IM GOING TO ARGENTINA TODAY!!!!!!!!!!! That's pretty much what happened this morning. I kept thinking, I am spoiled laying here in my nice big bed with down blankets. I wonder what beds I will wake up in throughout the next month. Perhaps one with a phenomenal view of the Andes. Perhaps I'll wake up to the sound of kids speaking Spanish so quickly I can only catch every fiftieth word. Whatever the mornings will be like, I am excited for all of them.
As Dave stated,we probably won't be updating this blog all of the time, but would greatly appreciate any emails when we are at a computer to check. I can't wait to experience all of the wonderful stories we will have to share. Hope you enjoy them!

Happy Holidays to all!

We leave tomorrow!

It still doesn't seem real, but tomorrow at 2:30pm, I leave San Francisco. After a brief layover in Houston, I'll be on my way to Buenos Aires for a month-long adventure in Argentina.

I'll be traveling with my best friend Jerica, who will be co-authoring this blog with me. So far, we have only a rough idea of where our travels will take us. We'll start out in Buenos Aires, enjoy the city for a few days, then most likely fly down to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. We'll then work our way back up to Buenos Aires by bus over the next few weeks, staying in hostels and camping out beautiful national parks.

Of course, we know that no guidebook can ever dictate the "best" way to experience a new place, so we'll be heavily relying on advice from locals, other travelers, and our own gut feelings to direct us.

Updates to this blog may be few and far between. While we want to share this experience with everyone, we also don't want to spend too much time staring at computer screens (that's part of the whole "getting away" concept, right?). If you'd like to be notified of updates as they are posted, you can subscribe here: http://groups.google.com/group/argentinadventure/subscribe (note that you'll have to create a Google account if you don't already have one).

Even if we're not online that much, emails of support and encouragement are always appreciated. :) Wish us luck!