Ushuaia--"El Fin Del Mundo"

Today I am wrapping up four full days in Ushuaia, Argentina, the self proclaimed "city at the end of the world." Unofficially, Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, although there are some Chilean towns to the south of us. It definitely feels like the end of the world, since it doesn't get completely dark here until after midnight! I have spent several of my days here lazing around, taking care of errands (like all this sudden blog posting!), and enjoying the Argentine food. Ushuaia is known for its king crab, which I have dined on twice--once in a soup with muscles and vegetables, and once smothered in parmesan cheese and a creamy sauce! On the other hand, I have eaten a lot of ham and cheese and pb&j sandwiches to account for these lavish (though not expensive by American standards) meals.

The weather here is a bit tempermental, as all the clouds in the pictures reveal. I have been caught in several downpours, and it is very chilly! This did not prevent me from going on a horseback riding excursion on Friday in the mountains behind Ushuaia. I don't really like horseback riding and I definitely do not trust horses, but horses are such a huge part of the culture of Patagonia that I felt that I needed to participate in this activity. They always say that horses match their rider's personality, and mine definitely did! He had a huge appetite, and every time we stopped he would yank the reins out of my hands so he could reach the grass at his feet. He even ate the branches of trees as we passed! He also did not appreciate me telling him what to do, but I found if I compromised by allowing him a bite and then pulling the reins in the direction I wanted to go, we got along better. He also liked to break into a trot without warning, especially as we got closer to "home." I came to enjoy this activity, although I was not great at keeping my balance and always felt like I would bump off the side of the horse! Our guide was awesome, and had me translate his Spanish for the group, which I could do okay. We also got to ride the horses across a river, and the water came up to their tummies! I was really scared at first, but there was a girl riding with us who was more scared than me and I ended up comforting and encouraging her, which helped me work through my own fear. As such, I ended up having a great time on our two-hour ride. I also feel like you have to just trust your horse and hope for the best. Once I let go of the fear, I enjoyed myself immensely! It's good for me to try to relax and face my fears more. Between rafting, the volcano and now horses, I am doing a lot of growth down here! Now maybe it is time to confront some of my more ominous fears, like being in a relationship or making a decision about my career! Ha!

A view of Ushuaia from atop my horse.
The Beagle Channel.

Me and my hungry hungry horse.

Looking back towards Ushuaia from the beach we stopped on.

Yesterday I took advantage of what seemed like good weather and ventured to Parque Nacional Tierra del Fugeo. It is prettymuch right on the edge of Ushuaia, and has several great day hikes. I undertook two, the Pampa Alta, a short hike which led me up to a view of the Beagle Channel, and the Senda Costera, a three-hour hike along the coast of the Beagle Channel. All in all, I spent about 5 hours hiking about 13 kilometers. It was exhausting, as the Pampa Alta was almost entirely uphill, and the Costera hike led me up and over the smaller hills along the shoreline. I am definitely feeling it today! But it felt so good to get out in nature and use my body to propel me forward. I was completely alone on the Pampa Alta, and was able to work it so that my solitude was rarely disturbed on the Senda Costera. Unfortunately, just as I was starting to tire out toward the last 40 minutes of my hike, I got caught in the middle of a downpour that didn't abate until the early hours this morning. I had left my rain jacket in the hostel, so by the time I reached the pick-up point, I was drenched, freezing and cranky. I talked my way onto a bus that I did not have a ticket for and I must have looked like a pathetic drowned rat, because the bus driver let me ride for free! It ended up being a great day, though, and I was pleased with myself for undertaking a more athletic adventure.

A baby horse that surprised me with its mother as I began the Pampa Alta hike.

View of the Beagle Channel from the top of Pampa Alta.

Views of the Beagle Channel from the beginning of my hike along the Senda Costera.

Patagonia is full of beautiful birds! This guy looked much more organge in real life.

A gorgeous view of the coast.

Animal sighting of the day: this beautiful bird and its six babies!

The other of the pair.

Another view of the brilliant colors of my hike along the coast.

After the hike, I prettymuch laid low and read a book. I woke up this morning to see the mountains I had spent all day staring at on my hike were covered with a fresh blanket of snow. For a moment, I got into the Christmas spirit! My hostel, however, crushed those warm feelings. It is a huge backpacker hostel with something like 100 beds, so it feels very impersonal. The common spaces are not very comfy or welcoming. I will be looking for something a little more intimate in my next town.

I snapped these pictures of the freshly fallen snow on the mountains from my dorm, which for all its drawbacks has incredible views!

I am heading out tomorrow at 5 am on a 12-hour bus to Rio Gallegos, a Patagonian city to the north. As much as crossing the borders is a hassle (and I have to do it twice tomorrow!), it is nice to have the opportunity to stretch my legs and use the bathroom. I am going to be spending Christmas in some smaller towns in Argentine Patagonia. Happy holidays!

Penguins!

I spent my last day in Chile as anyone should: gawking at an island full of penguins! From Punta Arenas, it is a two hour ferry ride through the Straight of Magellan to Isla Magdalena, a breeding ground for 75,000 pairs of penguins. That number doesn't count the babies or juveniles, by the way. Sarah had left earlier that day on a bus bound for Argentina, so I was planning on spending the penguin tour by myself, but as I was standing in line to get a ferry ticket, I heard a familiar voice and turned around to find Lukas standing several people behind me in line! It was great to see him and catch up on how his travels have been, and it was nice to have company for the four hour round trip on the ferry.

As we pulled up to the island, I was stunned by the crowd of penguins. In every direction, they were waddling around or lying on the ground. Some were even swimming next to the boat, leaping out of the water like dolphins or seals. They look so graceful in the water, compared to thier awkward movements on land. It seems exhausting to have flippers on land. They were very small and cute, and allowed us to get very close to them. We followed a trail through their habitat and watched some collect grasses for thier nests, which are underground holes. Apparently the dad arrives first and prepares the nest, and then the mom arrives and they have babies. They share hunting responsibilities, with one always remaining behind to guard the nest. Lukas saw one fall as he was waddling after a group of other penguins, and he also saw one take a shit. That man has all the luck!

I snapped these first two pictures right off the boat.

Some shots of penguins with their nests.

A cute couple.

It felt like this penguin was looking at me funny.

Massive amounts of penguins.

A nest with babies inside. Look at how cute the baby is!

This picture is pretty with the clouds and gives a good perspective of the size of the penguin population on Isla Magdalena.

Posing with the field of penguins. Those brighter white spots are seagulls. Damn seagulls!

This is how close we could get to them! Look how small they are! Also, the one directly to my right is a juvenile, you can tell because he is grey and doesn't have any stripes like the adults to his right.

The ferry ride back was endless, but Lukas and I had a good talk, and I was pretty satisfied with my day. When I arrived back at my hostel, I found that I would have to share my room for the night with an Argentine dude about my age. It turned out he was a classical musician on tour in Chile, and would be leaving for Paris on the 21st! We spent a couple hours chatting, and he was impressed with my Spanish, which always makes me feel good. He gave me travel advice since he is Argentine and I will be spending the next month in Argentina. We also had a good laugh over the incident of Bush getting shoes thrown at him. As he explained it to me: "People throw their shoes at dogs when they want them to go away. This guy threw both his shoes! That means he [Bush] is a very big dog!" Anyway, since it was my first night traveling by myself, I was really pleased to find a companion to converse with and especially someone who spoke Spanish. I am really afraid that I am going to lose my Spanish abilities on the road, since most hostels are full of gringos and most tours are given in English. I am going to ahve to be aggressive in searching out Spanish-speaking opportunites to stay in practice.

On Wednesday the 17th I headed out on a 7:30 am bus to Ushuaia, Argentina. When I realized I would be leaving Chile after nine months there, I was pretty sad and a little nervous. After becoming accustomed to life in Chile, learning the societal norms and specific vocabulary, understanding systems and expectations, I was feeling apprehensive about starting all over in a new country. However, when we passed the border into Argentina, I got a little butterfly in my tummy, so I took it as a good sign that things would be amazing, and so far, they have been! And, last night at dinner, I started the learning process, reading my guidebook for information like how to tip. I also learned how to ask for tap water, since the word is different here in than in Chile. I asked for "agua de llave" and the waitress looked at me like I was nuts!

Unfortunatley, I experienced one of the most irritating bus rides of my life, as I was stuck with a tour group of mostly Austrailians who were pretty loud and obnoxious for something like ten hours. However, the bus stopped several times for fuel, to fjord a body of water, so we could go through immigration, so I had lots of opportunities to stretch my legs. Also, Animal Sighting of the Day: we drove past several lagoons filled with the unmistakable bright pink, spindly-legged flamingos! We arrived around 7 pm and I found a huge, very impersonal hostel, which I immediately left after dropping my bags because I was starving! I found a restaurant and ordered "Trucha Fueguiana," which was trout in a tomato sauce topped with slices of tomato and mozarella cheese! I also treated myself to three glasses of white Argentine wine (sav. blanc) as a reward for restraining myself from assassinating my busmates! Today I am going to line up some things to do in Ushuaia. Ushuaia is located on the island of Tierra del Fugeo, an island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Beagle Channel, and the Straight of Magellan. It is the southern-most city in the world, except for a few small Chilean towns. The sky doesn't get dark until around 12:30 or 1 am, and then almost immediately starts getting light again. I can't believe I am here...all the place names are straight out of the history books, places famous for ruggedness and exploration. Ushuaia is so beautiful. The city hugs the coast and jagged mountains rise directly behind it. Yesterday there was a complete rainbow over the Beagle Channel. There were also frigid air temperatures and a downpour, which I waited out with my wine! Anyway, I am pretty excited to see what this area has to offer. Pictures of Ushuaia coming soon!

Punta Arenas--My Last Days in Chile

Sarah and I spent our last full day together exploring the town of Punta Arenas. It was remarkably cold, a fact I found irritating as I had not packed properly for cold weather! Luckily, Sarah and I are very skilled at sniffing out good and fun places to shop, so I soon had a scarf and hat to fight off the chill. Sarah, by the way, is such a good shopping pal! And by good, I mean she encourages me to splurge on things I don't need, and I always come away wondering how I got worked up into such a frenzy. For this reason alone, it is probably for the best that we went our separate ways after Punta Arenas!

We walked to the top of a lookout and gazed at the city. Punta Arenas is an incredibly bright city. All the houses and roofs are brightly painted, which makes it a very cheerful and inviting place.

Part of Punta Arenas, as seen from the Mirador.
I can't get enough of the lupins!

Oh, and who could forget the poppies!

Later that evening, Sarah and I explored the cemetery, which was lovely and a fun place to experiment with my camera. I love the cemeteries in Chile. They often look like small cities, with the "poor" and "rich" sections. Also, I love the bright colors, the little collections of memorabilia, the contrast of faded fake flowers with the rich colors of flowers planted on the graves. The idea of being buried and having a headstone sort of horrifies me, especially seeing the gruesome appearance of graves that are not well taken care of. However, the cemeteries of Chile are such a celebratory experience, that it almost makes me reconsider.

The light was again poor (damn clouds!), but these pictures turned out okay and give you an idea of our wanderings.

On our way home, we stopped in a huge church and gazed at the stained-glass windows, the chandeliers, and the Christmas pageant preparation. All in all, it was a very religious day! We cooked up some delicious pasta at the hostal and crashed for the night. While there wasn't a ton to do in Punta Arenas, I ended up very satisfied with the time I spent there. It was a cute little city, the southern most Chilean city I was going to visit. And, it provided me with one of the most intersting experiences of my travels thus far: a trip to a penguin colony!

Puerto Natales

Sarah left me early the next morning after our taste of Patagonia, with plans to meet me later in the day in Punta Arenas. I had the morning to myself for a bike ride through the surrounding countryside in Puerto Natales. I appreciated the alone-time, as I had been with friends for what felt like several weeks straight, and I needed just a few hours by myself to recharge. It was a beautiful day for a ride, not too hot, with a light breeze and overcast skies that turned my pictures a bit dark but provided a beautiful backdrop to peddle past. I rode along the shores for awhile, and then turned inland and began to ride through the estancias. After an hour, I turned back and snapped a few pictures, although most of the sheep were grazing too far away to get pictures of. I really enjoyed taking time to snap pictures of the random findings of my journey. I also was surprised as I was riding back toward Natales as a fox ran across my road! I squawked at it, and he gave me a cursory glance before continuing on his way.

Most of these pictures don't need captions, and all were taken during my bike ride.

I ate lunch at my hostel in a simple cafe, where I wrote post cards and sipped my last Chilean beer, my favorite the Kunstmann Toro Bayo. I ate a pumpkin soup (pumpkin being nearly my favorite food in Chile!) with mozarella. I then hopped a bus to Punta Arenas, my final destination in Chile. Animal sighting of the day: From my window on the bus, I saw a mama ñandú and four little babies running around behind her! Ñandús are ostrict-like birds that run around the grasslands of Patagonia. Again, spring is the time to be here, man.