¡Felices Fiestas!

Here we are on Christmas day in Ushuaia - end of the earth - world's Southernmost city! As we were planning to wrap up our stay in Argentina, we decided that a trip to the north to see Iguazú Falls and then a trip down south to see penguins and glaciers was in order. The pictures will tell most of the story, but we don't have a way to post them yet. For now, we have borrowed some from the Internet.

Iguazu was truly amazing - the national park is very well organized with many well-marked trails leading you through the rainforest to stunning views of the falls. It was well into 90 degrees F while we were there, but it was shady on the trails and quite pleasant. Everyone says you should leave the giant fall called "garganta del diablo" (devil's throat) till the end. Against our urge to see it first, we did wait till the end and were stunned by being so close to a raging waterfall. It's hard to explain as the sounds, the cool spray on your skin, the smells, and power of nature combine to really move you to a feeling of pure awe and exhilaration. Wow! It was crazy. I tried to film it, but am sure I didn't capture even 10 %. As we looked down into the crashing water below, we saw a perfect rainbow. It was really something special. The jungle was also full of wildlife. We caught glimpses of coatimundi, birds, lizards, ñeques, and even 3 monkeys!

We flew back to BsAs for a one-day stay before heading to Ushuaia. Our descent into the capital was the most turbulent flight ever. Usually quite conservative, the Argentine passengers acted up as one guy started laughing wildly each time the plane dipped or jerked to the left or right. A woman in front of us shouted at him to be quiet. Others were barfing their guts out into air sickness bags . . . . the funny part was that I had headphones on, was blissfully medicated on Kwells for potential bouts with nausea, and was watching an early episode of Glee dubbed into Spanish. So, I didn't realize the chaos that was ensuing amongst passengers. True, I knew we were experiencing turbulence, and I did not like it at all. But, I figured that the best thing to do was to keep concentrating on my program and soon it would be over. After we stabilized, Joe told me what I'd missed. I only wish I could've heard how the woman cussed out the laughing guy in Spanish. I wondered what words she used.

After spending the night, we had a delightfully uneventful flight to Ushuaia. What a change from our tropical jungle days in Iguazu! It had recently snowed on the mountaintops making a postcard-worthy view of the town. It is very picturesque here . . . and incredibly windy. It is chilly - up to the high 40's F, so our coats, gloves, hats, and scarves are getting more use now than they ever did in BsAs. December 21 was the first day of summer, but you wouldn't know it down here. We are at the launch point for cruises to Antarctica - nothing but ice south of here! Our first day was windy - but we bundled up and did a 5 mile hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was lovely and not too unbearably cold as the forest offered some protection. We saw beautiful views both in Argentina, and across the water to Chile.

The second day, we took a tour by mini-bus and boat to see a colony of penguins that has been established since the 1970s. All my expectations were fulfilled! Much like the overwhelming feeling to almost cry that I felt when experiencing La Garganta del Diablo, I was awestruck. The penguins were everywhere just acting naturally. This tour company has an agreement to take tourists to the island under strict conditions. We were all told not to touch, feed, be noisy, smoke, or make jerky movements. We pretty much stuck to a path from where we could observe the birds, but occasionally we'd look down to see a curious fellow at the very edge or the path cocking his head to look at us. It is nesting season, so there were chicks in the nests with their moms . . . nests being holes that have been dug in the ground. Seeing the penguins in their natural habitat without disrupting their daily routines was a unique thing to see . . . and at such close range . . . even more special.

We will be here two more days, and then on to Perito Moreno, the glacier near Calafate. We will spend New Year's there. We are truly enjoying the variety of topography and climate that Argentina has to offer.