Thursday, February 12, 2009

National Park Visit and MEAT...




The next day, Siobhan and I decided to take the “fancy route” to the National Park. We took a train to get there. It was a scenic, serene, two + hour steam train ride to the park. We were all about the novelty of the train ride. The bus would have been faster, but being on the train seemed like it would be fun, and it was!

When we arrived at the national park, picked a hiking trail along the Beagle Channel and took off. It was about a 3-hour hike with some amazing scenery and good exercise! We jumped on the bus back to Ushuaia and relaxed for a while back at the hostel.

That night, I decided I wanted to try a parrilla. A parrilla is in essence a barbecue grill upon which various meats are cooked. They are generally visible from the dining room; just walking by one on the street gives your eyes a view delicious enough to make your mouth water. This was really my first time having lamb. I honestly cannot remember even trying it before this. We went to a really busy parrilla and I tried the BBQ lamb and chorizo. It was amazing! Patagonian lamb, melt in your mouth delicious! I highly recommend it! I don’t know how this happened – I think we were trying to take pictures of the spit and the roasting lamb…the next think you know, the “BBQ guy” has Siobhan go over and cut the lamb. The hilarious thing about this is that she is a vegetarian! She kept telling him "Yo soy vegetariana” – he just rolled his eyes.

We said good-bye that night…until we meet again! I was scheduled for a 5 a.m. bus to El Calafate.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Buenos Aires to the end of the World...






Ushuaia - the gateway to Antartica, the capital city of Tierra del Fuego provence, the southernmost city in the world - very cool. I arrived at the airport around 3:30 p.m. and met another pair that were going to the main town. We shared a taxi. I had reserved a room at the same Hostel as Siobhan, from London, a fellow traveler who I had met in Chile. There was a mess up with the reservation and I was sent over to their sister Hostel for one night - no big deal. Siobhan and I went out and grabbed some dinner and we had a bottle of wine back at the Hostel while researching our tour for the next day.

The next morning, we were off on our tour. We took a boat trip out into the waters near Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle Channel. We saw penguins, a light house that I am sure has been the subject of many a postcard, and other marine life. I loved it. Back in town we ate lunch and headed out on a hike to Glacier Martial. We started hiking and were a bit lost on the trail. It was muddy in parts and not very well marked, but we made it. The hike was worth the views of the bay/port and the exercise as I can feel the lbs coming on. The glacier itself was kind of wimpy. I wasn't very impressed with it.

We cooked dinner that night at the Hostel with another couple there. Stewart and Julia - ah, love was budding...he wined and dined her with OUR wine...it was hilarious!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Mendoza - more wine tasing...






I high tailed it to Mendoza, Argentina. I splurged ($30) on a nice room with A/C, TV and, the most important thing, a really nice BATHROOM! My goal for Mendoza was to wine taste. I went on a wine tasting tour with two couples from Santa Fe, Argentina and a guy from Brazil. It was an odd group. Our first stop was Cavas de Don Arturo. I enjoyed a couple of the wines - there was a pretty good Malbec, but nothing really notable. The scenery was a little lacking compared to Chile's wine region - there was a huge oil drill on the property next to the winery - not especially esthetically pleasing. Our second stop was Lager Baudron where we partook in Wine and Empanadas - yum! We also stopped at a distillary that specializes in flavored liquors and absenthe! It was a "happy" tour for sure.

The next day, I took my own guided city walking tour from a map in my handy dandy travel boo. All in all it was a nice day. I wish I had more time to explore, maybe I'll come back some day. Rushed for time, it was back to the bus station for another 14 hour (ouch) bus ride to Buenos Aires. The overnight bus rides were kind of rough on my legs - lack of circulation = puffy legs.

Upon arriving in BA, I took a taxi straight to the airport. I booked a flight to Ushuaia - the very tip of South America in the Patagonia region.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Back to Buenos Aires...

Our last day in Montevideo...up early, bus to Colonia, ferry to Buenos Aires and straight to Recoleto, the bus station in Buenos Aires. I bought an overnight bus ticket for that same night to Mendoza. Patty and I went back to the hostel to say good-bye to Michaela and Lewis who were off to work the ski season in Whistler...we will see each other again!

Patty's flight was later that evening so I had to say good-bye and hop on my 14-hour (ouch) bus ride to Mendoza. Bye Patty, my friend - I will see you back in California!

The overnight buses are not bad - transportation AND lodging all in one! The glass is half-full...