NOTE: This is just a short post to catch up. I am in Buenos Aires at the moment, but the internet cafes here are pretty lousy and/or non-existent. Unfortunately, I can´t add any photos until I find a better cafe. Sorry.
Prior to arriving in BA, Drew and I spent time in El Calafate (in Argentinian Patagonia) and Puerto Iguazu (at the Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina border). This post will cover El Calafate and a subsequent one will address the north.
There are only four important things about El Calafate.
1) It is not Ushuaia. We finally finagelled bus tickets out of Ushuaia to a hole affectionally known as Rio Gallegos, Argentina. The only thing interesting in Rio is carafour, which is a cheap, depressing, South American version of Wal-Mart. Four hours later, most of it spend wandering the aisles of carafour, we manage to catch another bus to El Calafate. We left Ushuaia at 5 AM and arrived in El Calafate at 1 AM the following day. Then we spend two hours wandering the streets looking for our hostel. We arrive around 3 AM.
2) El Calafate is so important that it is one of the few cities to actually use a definite article in its name. Sort of like ¨The Ohio State Univeristy.¨ Admitedly, we refer to Washington, DC as ¨the District¨, but that is not as pretencious since it is only the short form of the official name. Besides, DC has something to be pretentious about. All El Calafate has is a glacier.
3) There is a big #$%&¿@* glacier just outside of town. It´s big! Like the size of New York City big! Its about 5 km wide and tens of kilometers long. It´s impressive, assuming you like large chunks of ice.
4) I learned to make a new drink - The Lenin. It is a surprisingly okay combination of vodka and beer. This make be old hat to all of you, but I had never heard of one. I googled it and didn´t see anything promising, so i will bear the mantle of bringing the Lenin to the USA.
Okay, that sums up El Calafate. At this point we got desperate and just decided to skip out on the whole two-day bus ride to Buenos Aires. We bought plane tickets and instead hung out at the airport with a bunch of Harvard grad students while they tried to fix our plane. In retrospect, the bus wouldn´t have been much longer.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Buenos Aires
If Paris and New York City had a kid, it would be Buenos Aires.
It shouldn´t be hard to get into trouble here.
It shouldn´t be hard to get into trouble here.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Anywhere but Here
Okay, I am ready to leave Ushuaia now. Theoretically, this should be a simply task, but it is proving devilishly hard to do. There aren´t daily flights down here and the next batch are booked up for a week. Buses are a similar situation. Apparently, getting off the island is a lot harder than getting on.
New Years down here was an interesting affair, but not at all what I expected. I thought ringing in the new year at: a) the end of the world and b) Argentina, would guarantee a great party. I was wrong. By 7 pm on New Years Eve everything started to close - bars, restaurants, shops, even the casino!!! By 9pm it was a ghost town. There were a few restaurants open, but all of them had set menus that started at about one-half Argentina´s GDP. Drew and I ran into some other Americans wandering the street (ironically, the same people we had Christmas dinner with) and together we found a tiny little family-owned joint for dinner. People eat dinner late here, so we finished up just after midnight and headed it to find a club.
Nope. There was one club with a party that evening, but the club didn´t open its doors until 2 AM. The cover charge was about $50, but that was less of a problem than figuring out what to do for the hour and a half until the club opened. There weren´t any bars open to linger in so we all wandered back to our hotels. By 2 I was fast asleep. Sad.
This is in stark comparison to Chile and Christmas. Drew and I disembarked off of a ship at 7 PM on Christmas Day in a tiny town in southern Chile. I assumed that nothing would be open on Christmas in South America. Wrong again. Restaurants were packed, bars were full, and there were even some places to change money if you needed it.
I am deeply skeptical of Argentina´s reputation as a great party country. Buenos Aires has some catching up to do...
New Years down here was an interesting affair, but not at all what I expected. I thought ringing in the new year at: a) the end of the world and b) Argentina, would guarantee a great party. I was wrong. By 7 pm on New Years Eve everything started to close - bars, restaurants, shops, even the casino!!! By 9pm it was a ghost town. There were a few restaurants open, but all of them had set menus that started at about one-half Argentina´s GDP. Drew and I ran into some other Americans wandering the street (ironically, the same people we had Christmas dinner with) and together we found a tiny little family-owned joint for dinner. People eat dinner late here, so we finished up just after midnight and headed it to find a club.
Nope. There was one club with a party that evening, but the club didn´t open its doors until 2 AM. The cover charge was about $50, but that was less of a problem than figuring out what to do for the hour and a half until the club opened. There weren´t any bars open to linger in so we all wandered back to our hotels. By 2 I was fast asleep. Sad.
This is in stark comparison to Chile and Christmas. Drew and I disembarked off of a ship at 7 PM on Christmas Day in a tiny town in southern Chile. I assumed that nothing would be open on Christmas in South America. Wrong again. Restaurants were packed, bars were full, and there were even some places to change money if you needed it.
I am deeply skeptical of Argentina´s reputation as a great party country. Buenos Aires has some catching up to do...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Unto the End of the World...
Happy New Years!!!
We finally made it, sort of. Drew and I are now in Ushuaia, Argentina - the end of the world. 
Ushuaia considers itself to be the southern-most city in the world. It´s credentials are good. Ushuaia sits at the southwest end of Tierra Del Fuego and is nestled up against the Beagle Channel. It is tough to find a beer anywhere south of here.
Ushuaia considers itself to be the southern-most city in the world. It´s credentials are good. Ushuaia sits at the southwest end of Tierra Del Fuego and is nestled up against the Beagle Channel. It is tough to find a beer anywhere south of here.There is just one small problem, Puerto Williams, Chile.
Puerto Williams is on the other side of the Beagle Channel and consequently, just a few kilometers farther south. Argentina deals with this problem just like every other great civilization deals with their sticky little issues. They ignore it. Apparently, inconvenient facts aren´t facts at all.
Ushuaia argues that Puerto Williams is not a city, it is just a small naval village. Therefore it doesn´t count. Being located in Chile doesn´t help Puerto Williams´case either. Chile and Argentina have been 
ignoring each other for decades. (Except when they are trying to blast each other off the continent. On this topic, I saw my first mine field the other day.)
ignoring each other for decades. (Except when they are trying to blast each other off the continent. On this topic, I saw my first mine field the other day.)So Drew and I will close out 2008 surrounded by penguins and beaver. Who couldn´t like that?! The only downside to being this far south is the absolute lack of college bowl games.
Where to next?? Good question. We had hoped to book passage to Antarctica, but that proved to be too expensive. The best price we found was about $5000 for a two week cruise. So the Antarctic will have to wait. The Falkland Islands are still a possibility (which the Argentinians are still pissed about) or perhaps we will wander up along the Atlantic coast of Argentina. Who knows.
Best wishes to everyone for 2009!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Torres Del Paines and the Straits of Magellan
Patigonia is cold, windy, wet, and bueautiful. I love it here.
After arriving in Puerto Natales, Chile on Christmas, Drew and I took the opportunity to visit Torres Del Paines National Park. This is a gem of wilderness and unfortunately, that means lots of tourists. The American ex-pat owner of our hostel told us that even a few years ago you could wander the park without seeing another soul, but that isn´t true anymore. We were only there for a day and only got the chance to flit around the edges, so we shared the experince with the masses.
Still it is a great park and deserves a visit. While we were there it rained several times and might have gone all the way up to the low 40´s. We were soaked, but happy. The park consists of mountain spires that are the remains of ancient volcanoes, glaciers and icebergs, and glacial rivers and lakes. Below are the Grande Salto falls and Drew and I just a bit farther up the river.
After leaving the falls, we hiked up toward the Grey Glacier. This hike straddles two lakes with just thin strip of land (a meter or two) between then. While we tried to cross this little isthmus, the wind kicked up so fiercely we were forced to bend over as the waves rolled up from one lake trying to reach the other. Needless to say we got wet. On the other side, we climbed to the top of small hill and looked to a small inlet that had two icebergs stranded within.
After returning to Peurto Natales, we prepared to leave Chile and jump across the Staits of Magellan to Tierra Del Fuego and the end of the earth. The trip was largely uneventful, but the ferry across the striats was rough. The boat lurched its way across the strait, but a pod of Commerson´s dolphins kept us entertained. These dolphins are a deep gray or black with a white belt the runs diagnally across them. Think of swimming zebra with one big strip.
After arriving in Puerto Natales, Chile on Christmas, Drew and I took the opportunity to visit Torres Del Paines National Park. This is a gem of wilderness and unfortunately, that means lots of tourists. The American ex-pat owner of our hostel told us that even a few years ago you could wander the park without seeing another soul, but that isn´t true anymore. We were only there for a day and only got the chance to flit around the edges, so we shared the experince with the masses.
Still it is a great park and deserves a visit. While we were there it rained several times and might have gone all the way up to the low 40´s. We were soaked, but happy. The park consists of mountain spires that are the remains of ancient volcanoes, glaciers and icebergs, and glacial rivers and lakes. Below are the Grande Salto falls and Drew and I just a bit farther up the river.
After leaving the falls, we hiked up toward the Grey Glacier. This hike straddles two lakes with just thin strip of land (a meter or two) between then. While we tried to cross this little isthmus, the wind kicked up so fiercely we were forced to bend over as the waves rolled up from one lake trying to reach the other. Needless to say we got wet. On the other side, we climbed to the top of small hill and looked to a small inlet that had two icebergs stranded within.
After returning to Peurto Natales, we prepared to leave Chile and jump across the Staits of Magellan to Tierra Del Fuego and the end of the earth. The trip was largely uneventful, but the ferry across the striats was rough. The boat lurched its way across the strait, but a pod of Commerson´s dolphins kept us entertained. These dolphins are a deep gray or black with a white belt the runs diagnally across them. Think of swimming zebra with one big strip.
Almost at the bottom.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Endoresements
The South American Shuffle endorses:
Mister Potato's Mayonnaise and Ketchup potato chips!
Really?? Mayo potato chips!? That´s just disgusting.
Mister Potato's Mayonnaise and Ketchup potato chips!
Really?? Mayo potato chips!? That´s just disgusting.
A $500 Rum and Coke
Merry Christmas from Patagonia!
There is nothing like a traditional Christmas, but sometimes you just want to create new traditions.
From now on I am spending Christmas on a ferry plowing small circles through choppy South Pacific Seas. After spending four days on a ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales in the Patagonia region of Chile, Drew and I were due to pull into port around noon on Christmas day. Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of traditional Christmas weather that included 80 knot winds and rain that blew up instead of down or sideways. The port closed due to waves and wind so bad that our ship couldn´t dock. Hence, seven hours of slow circles in the Pacific.
Despite the delays and the rain that actually flies up your jacket, this was a great trip. We had an uneventful Day 1 and adjusted to our new bunks. Each person was allotted about six and a halfe had an feet of bunk and a cabinet to put your stuff in. Then you made friends with the 90 people sleeping within 10 feet of you. While space was scarce, this was the most comfortable bed I´ve slept in for weeks.
Day 2 was a bit dicey. The scenery was beautiful was we sailed through small channels and alongside of soaring volcanoes. By late afternoon, we cut out of the narrow channels and out into the ocean. It takes a lot of weather to make a big cruise rock. This wasn´t a big cruise ship. The ocean greeted us with 12 foot waves and 60 knot winds and our little ferry rocked up and down. Then side to side. Then sort of an elliptical pattern. On a ship with about 250 passengers on 60 were still standing by dinner time. Less then 20 made it until 10 pm and only an intrepid few closed the pub at midnight. I closed the pub. I had no choice. There were so many people getting sick around my bunk that I couldn´t stand to be near it. After they kicked us out of the pub, I wandered down to my bunk and started to read. It is an interesting experience to have your boat rock so far to one side that you can see your feet over the top of your raised book.
On day 3 we retreated from the ocean and returned to the relative shelter of the channels. We steamed up to Pio XI glacier and spend a few hours bobbing alongside. While everyone is snapping pictures of the glacier, Drew grabs my arm and points to the side of the boat. Our bartender is getting into a little zodiac and speeding away. Imagine the Love Boat without Isaac! Now our little Chilean Isaac was abandoning ship. Nope. Our bartender fervently believed that the best drinks are only served with ice chipped from the icebergs floating by - my $500 rum and coke.
The day ended with a Christmas Eve party into the wee hours. On day 4 we all wished that we had gone to bed a little earlier. By the time I woke up for breakfast I knew we were in trouble. The ship was tilting sideways at nice little angle. At first I thought this might just be my hangover, but Drew assured me that the boat, not my head, was listing. We packed up our bags, grabbed some grub, and prepared for port. Then waited. Waited. Waited. An unforgettable Christmas going in circles.
We are finally in Puerto Natales and preparing to see Torres Del Paines National Park. After that we are heading for Tierra Del Feugo and Argentina to push on to the final chunk of this continent.
Hopefully, I will get another post out before New Years. If not, then have a great celebration and email me all the embarrassing stories.
There is nothing like a traditional Christmas, but sometimes you just want to create new traditions.
From now on I am spending Christmas on a ferry plowing small circles through choppy South Pacific Seas. After spending four days on a ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales in the Patagonia region of Chile, Drew and I were due to pull into port around noon on Christmas day. Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of traditional Christmas weather that included 80 knot winds and rain that blew up instead of down or sideways. The port closed due to waves and wind so bad that our ship couldn´t dock. Hence, seven hours of slow circles in the Pacific.
Despite the delays and the rain that actually flies up your jacket, this was a great trip. We had an uneventful Day 1 and adjusted to our new bunks. Each person was allotted about six and a halfe had an feet of bunk and a cabinet to put your stuff in. Then you made friends with the 90 people sleeping within 10 feet of you. While space was scarce, this was the most comfortable bed I´ve slept in for weeks.
Day 2 was a bit dicey. The scenery was beautiful was we sailed through small channels and alongside of soaring volcanoes. By late afternoon, we cut out of the narrow channels and out into the ocean. It takes a lot of weather to make a big cruise rock. This wasn´t a big cruise ship. The ocean greeted us with 12 foot waves and 60 knot winds and our little ferry rocked up and down. Then side to side. Then sort of an elliptical pattern. On a ship with about 250 passengers on 60 were still standing by dinner time. Less then 20 made it until 10 pm and only an intrepid few closed the pub at midnight. I closed the pub. I had no choice. There were so many people getting sick around my bunk that I couldn´t stand to be near it. After they kicked us out of the pub, I wandered down to my bunk and started to read. It is an interesting experience to have your boat rock so far to one side that you can see your feet over the top of your raised book.
On day 3 we retreated from the ocean and returned to the relative shelter of the channels. We steamed up to Pio XI glacier and spend a few hours bobbing alongside. While everyone is snapping pictures of the glacier, Drew grabs my arm and points to the side of the boat. Our bartender is getting into a little zodiac and speeding away. Imagine the Love Boat without Isaac! Now our little Chilean Isaac was abandoning ship. Nope. Our bartender fervently believed that the best drinks are only served with ice chipped from the icebergs floating by - my $500 rum and coke.
The day ended with a Christmas Eve party into the wee hours. On day 4 we all wished that we had gone to bed a little earlier. By the time I woke up for breakfast I knew we were in trouble. The ship was tilting sideways at nice little angle. At first I thought this might just be my hangover, but Drew assured me that the boat, not my head, was listing. We packed up our bags, grabbed some grub, and prepared for port. Then waited. Waited. Waited. An unforgettable Christmas going in circles.
We are finally in Puerto Natales and preparing to see Torres Del Paines National Park. After that we are heading for Tierra Del Feugo and Argentina to push on to the final chunk of this continent.
Hopefully, I will get another post out before New Years. If not, then have a great celebration and email me all the embarrassing stories.
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