Mountain Eye Candy

It would be near impossible to top our Antarctica adventure but we had an impressive follow-up in the Salta region where we started our NW Argentina travels. It was Sunday in the city of Salta, and after taking a quick nap following our overnight flight from Ushuaia (via Buenos Aires), we walked around the town centre area. It seemed like a ghost town with everything closed and no traffic on the streets. On Monday everyone woke up. The streets were quite crowded, the shops were all busy and there were line-ups for buses that seemed to come along every 30 seconds on the streets we walked. It was a remarkable turnaround and we remembered why we came here. Perhaps it was just siesta time on Sunday, or maybe it was a reminder of what Sunday should be……..everyone relaxing at home with family including all the retail workers. Our highlights included visits to the Archeology Museum (Inca relics and mummies from the 1400’s), the beautiful churches and the many city parks that adorned this old city (established in 1582) From there we rented a car to spend a week touring the surrounding 300 km area. The regional buses did not get to all the places we were interested in so we felt this was our best option of covering the region in a week.

Our first stop was in Humahuaca, 245 km’s north of Salta. We arrived just in time for the noon hour Clock Tower chime when San Francisco Solano emerges from a wooden door on the tower (as he always has for many years) to bless his followers and then slip back into a coma for 24 hours. After lunch we drove a bit further to Seranias del Hornacal (one hour for 24 km’s) up to 4300 metres above sea level for an amazing view of surrounding mountains with a “14 colour” landscape. We sat there for half an hour and enjoyed the vistas. Then we drove south to Uquia where there was a 17^th century church featuring paintings by Inca descendants (Spanish enforced) of Spanish warriers bearing both weapons and wings depicting angels, somewhat strange to see inside a church. The next day in Tilcara we walked around some pre-Inca ruins (1000-1400 AD) then on to Purmamarca with its 7 coloured hills, still impressive because we drove into and around the colourful rock formations this time. Continuing south through the scenic Quebrada (ravine) de Humahuaca, we drove along some narrow mountain roads with more great views. Besides dodging the odd car that came our way, our driver (Pocahontas) also had to contend with roaming cows, horses, pigs, goats and chickens that we encountered. We spent the night in San Lorenzo, just outside Salta, apparently where the well-to-do families live, as the homes were large and lovely, as was our hosteria.

The next day we started our drive to the area south of Salta. Our 3 hour route to Cachi took us through narrow, gravel roads carved into the side of lush mountains that would have been insurmountable during rainstorms due to constant mudslides or falling rock impediments. Many large graders were parked along the way waiting for their next assignment. After lunch in Cachi we continued our drive through the Calchaquies Valley on our way to Cafayate. While the views were spectacular, especially around Angastaco, where there were picturesque sandstone landforms, the 160 km drive ended up taking us 5 hours to traverse. Some of the time was taken up by picture taking, but more by the winding gravel road that limited your speed…..and eventually took its toll on one of our tires which went flat in the middle of nowhere. The navigator, lazily enjoying the scenery up to this point, was then forced into action to replace the rogue tire and 30 minutes later we were on our way again. Once in Cafayate, we checked into our hostel, had a quick take-out meal (the area is famous for their empanadas) and crashed for the night. We then spent two days in Cafayate, enjoying the laid back atmosphere and emerging wine district (primarily for its Torrontes wines but also for Malbecs). Several winery visits were made. The best by far was to the Piattelli winery, which I already knew about with its several Top 100 Wine Spectator awards. The tour and wine tastings were both good, as expected, but the lunch we had there was even better, with an outdoor table overlooking the vineyard and surrounding mountains. It was the best meal we have had yet in South America.

Tomorrow we are heading further south to Tafi del Valle where this week-end they are holding their 47^th Annual Cheese Festival. We waited too long to secure a room for the night so we are staying in a cabin in a small town 40 km’s away but it won’t be a problem since we have a rental car and the town is along our route. The following day we will visit the Quilmes ruins dating back to the 8^th century before starting our journey further north to Salta where we will return our rental car and then take an overnight bus to Mendoza where you will hear from us next. Ciao.

The Hills of 14 Colours in Humahuaca. We sat down and gazed at the views for 30 minutes.

On the drive back to Humahuaca we came across a small pack of guanacos including a young one finding nourishment.

Another lovely view from the ruins near Tilcara.

Taken at Purmamarca. Quite a change in scenery (and clothing) from the black and white landscapes of Antarctica and the colours found in the Salta province.

Looking back at the road we travelled on our way to Cachi.

Some of the sandstone landforms on our Calchaquie Valley road.

Veronica, our Piattelli vineyard guide.

The view from our patio lunch at the Piattelli winery.

A Birthday to Remember

I may run out of superlatives describing our Antarctica expedition…..it was that good. As an added blessing we set foot on the White Continent for the first time on my birthday, which was a surprise since we were not supposed to reach land until the next day. Here is a day by day summary of our latest adventure.

Day 1 – we boarded the MS Expedition at 4 pm and after checking into our cabin and unpacking our backpacks, the passengers were all given the compulsory safety presentation in the Lounge. We left port as soon as that session was completed with a warning to expect rough seas as we entered the Drake Passage (from the Beagle Channel) later that night. It was indeed a tough start as the swells reached 8-9 metres (30 feet).

Day 2 – today was not much better and the Drake takes two full days to cross so it was a day everyone was hoping would pass quickly. Many of the 130 passengers remained in their rooms all day feeling the effects. Several doses of gravol helped us survive. At our briefing during the day the expedition leader (Jonathan) showed us radar images from the previous night where a severe storm had engulfed the area. Credit to our Captain for getting us out quickly and changing course to stay just ahead of the storm which still had an effect on us. Another ship departing after us never made it out of the Beagle Channel which cost them a full day in Antarctica. During the day several informative talks were held including sessions on penguins, photography (in bright light), as well as a talk on zodiac procedures (our transfer to the mainland). All well done by different staff members who knew their stuff well. We were pleased with the quality and variation of the dining menu which will keep us sufficiently suffonsified for the next 10 days.

Day 3 – it was a much calmer day and we were given the wonderful news that due to the storm winds pushing us and shortening our travel time, we would be reaching the South Shetland Islands shortly after lunch and that we would be able to take zodiac trips to Penguin Island. Once there we were greeted by a large colony of chinstrap penguins (named for the thin white line that runs from ear to ear across their throat) along with fur seals, and we hiked up to a dormant volcano which offered tremendous 360 degree views of the island and surrounding area. Just before dinner the Captain (Sergey Nesterov) held a cocktail party in the lounge where champagne and appetizers were served. We then took a bottle of pre-purchased champagne to the dining room to celebrate our Antarctic conquest. After our main meal (we chose salmon over lamb), the serving staff presented me with a chocolate birthday cake, “Happy Birthday”, and a bottle of prosecco which somehow all got consumed with the help of another couple from the UK that we were dining with. Rhonda had not set this up……they must have taken the information from our registration forms. We were off to a flying start!

Day 4 – this morning we awoke at Half Moon Island on an overcast day with strong winds. Our shore trip revealed more chinstraps, giant petrels (a menace for the penguin chicks) and fur seals. On our return to the ship our zodiac detoured along the shore and around some icebergs. After the lunch the captain masterfully steered the ship in high winds and snow through Neptunes Bellows, a narrow opening into Whalers Bay on Deception Island. Unfortunately the 50 knot winds were too strong for the ship and it’s dragging anchor, postponing another zodiac landing and the polar plunge, so we continued on our southward journey instead.

Day 5 – we woke up to a glorious morning, total blue sky and 1C. We were now in Neko Harbour on the Antarctic Peninsula where whaling boats used to anchor in poor weather. On shore we were introduced to Gentoo penguins, who have a white triangular patch above their eyes, and crabeater seals (who don’t eat crabs). Our zodiac also took us around a huge iceberg measuring 300 metres in length and 30 metres high. A short hike up a hill offered some great views of the floating icebergs on a sunny day. In the afternoon we moved on to Cuverville Island where there was a large colony of gentoos (5,000 pairs) with their one month old chicks who were starting to shed their down feathers. On our trip back to the ship our pilot steered us to a large leopard seal, relaxing on an ice flow. That evening we had a BBQ dinner on the bow deck and the 60 passengers who signed up for camping in sub-zero temperatures set out for Damoy Point (near Port Lockroy) to set up their tents and shiver all night long.

Day 6 – after collecting the campers in the morning our ship resumed its southern journey on an overcast day. Before long we entered the very narrow and scenic Lemaire Channel (11 km’s long). On the ship’s previous journey the channel was frozen near the exit and they had to turn back. This time our captain was successful but it still took a lot of iceberg and ice flow dodging. Most of the passengers were out on deck watching the excitement and we spotted a Minke whale along the way. We used the sauna for the first time to take the chill out of our bodies from being outside for so long. In the afternoon we arrived at Petermann Island for another zodiac trip. On shore we spotted Gentoo and Adelie (white ring around the eye) penguins, crabeater, elephant and weddell seals, and many skua’s (sea birds) who seemed to be feasting on the young chicks (nature’s way). A short hike took us to the other side of the island for some wonderful views of many large icebergs.

Day 7 – our regular wake-up call came at 6:30 am and before breakfast everyone was dressed and on the deck for the crossing of the Antarctic Circle. With mimosas in hand, the ship’s bell rang and we all took pictures of the imaginary line at 66.33 degrees south on Valentine’s Day morning. We then travelled south through Crystal Sound to Detaille Island. Later that morning, on the island we received a tour of a 1950’s abandoned survey station that has been left untouched with some of their supplies, books, clothing and tools still where they left them over 50 years ago. Our zodiac cruise there and back to the ship went through a minefield of icebergs and ice flows……it was iceberg heaven with some incredible shapes and sights including large arches. In the afternoon we headed further south through what seemed like more ice than water. The captain apparently knew what he was doing, as we made our way down to the “fast” ice…….where the ice shelf is permanently attached to the land. The zodiacs took us to the fast ice and we walked on it for over a kilometre with seals lazing around closer to the water’s edge. It was reminiscent of being on the salt flats where it is white all the way to the horizon and you can have fun with your camera.

Day 8 – we started our journey back north overnight, ensuring the ship would not get stuck in the frozen waters. We dropped anchor at the Yalour Islands where on shore we came across Antarctic terns and colonies of cute adelie penguins. Some of the adults were molting and the young chicks were chasing their moms around the snow hoping to get fed. It was quite entertaining to watch. When we were finished walking around one of the islands we took a zodiac cruise amongst the islands and saw some incredibly shaped icebergs, many of the smaller ones hosting crabeater seals. After lunch we made a double landing, first at Pleaneau Island and then Port Charcot. Both offered snow hikes to viewpoints of the surrounding ice flows and colonies of Gentoo penguins. The weather continues to favour us with slightly above zero temperatures, very little wind and smooth water for easy zodiac transfers to land.

Day 9 – we woke up this morning in Port Lockroy, our first stop in a place currently inhabited by humans. Four Brits spend the summer here (4 months) running the Post Office, Museum and doing restoration work on the former British base that was abandoned in 1962. They seemed happy to have visitors which happens a few times a week. The souvenirs, postcards and stamps they sell help fund the work that they are undertaking. Over 80,000 postcards are mailed from here every year. Once added to the mailbox, they await a passing ship that is headed to the Falkland Islands in the near future, where they are then transferred to a British military plane for a ride back to England at which point they enter the public mail system for delivery around the world. It will be interesting to see how long our postcard takes to arrive. While at the port and across the bay to Jougla Point we saw more Gentoo penguins, blue-eyed shags, snowy sheathbills and whale bones left over at the former whaling station (1911 – 1931). Before leaving the island I managed to find a geocache, one of 20+ I have been searching for in Antarctica with every landing we make. After spotting some humpback whales during our lunch journey further north, we took a zodiac cruise around the Melchior Islands. There were many fur seals on land and small icebergs, Gentoo penguins swimming like dolphins, petrels flying overhead and some absolutely beautiful blue coloured icebergs floating along the way. Everyone was asked to wear black and white attire to dinner, and there was a penguin dress-up contest after. I represented our family as a chinstrap penguin. Later that evening in the Polar Bear Bar we listened to the Monkey Eating Eagles, a band consisting of the ship’s dining room staff. Our drinks were served with perfectly clear ice gathered from the seas. It takes over 1000 years of pressure to make the ice that clear.

Day 10 – due to our storm-assisted quick start to our trip we were advised last evening that the ship would continue northward bound through the night to give everyone an opportunity to experience the Weddell Sea on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula. This area was not on our original route and was a special bonus for our final day of land trips. When we woke up we were in Antarctic Sound with huge tabular icebergs floating around us (tabulars are flat on top and can cover 30 sq. miles - ones over 10 sq. miles are tracked by satellites). They had broken off from the massive ice shelf further south in the Weddell Sea and the wind and current were moving them northward. Our first stop was at Brown Bluff, named after a sheer cliff face on the side of a small mountain. We hiked part way up for some amazing views, then returned to the shoreline where large groups of both gentoo and adelie penguins were preparing to leave their rookeries and head out to sea. Unfortunately for some of the younger ones, leopard seals were also awaiting their departure from land. To brighten everyone’s spirits, the long awaited polar plunge took place at the shoreline. Over 30 passengers (25%) made their way into the icy water where they had to submerge in water up to their necks to qualify for their certificate award. We passed on the opportunity in the 0C water (salt water freezes at -1.8C). After lunch the ship headed back north, with a stop at Gourdin Island in Hope Bay where we made our final shore excursion. This stop turned out to be the highlight of our trip. Not only did we see gentoo, adelie and chinstrap penguins aplenty along the shoreline and all the way up to the top of hills (27,000 on the small island) but we also got to experience some amazing scenes when we did a zodiac cruise. It started with a leopard seal grabbing a penguin and crushing it with its’ powerful jaws. Then it thrashed it back and forth in the water until it separated the skin from the meat and devoured the meal. A bit sad to see but all part of mother nature. Shortly after that we came across a pod of humpback whales, including 3 that came within 10 metres of our zodiac. At one point they were coming directly for us and split up going by us on both sides of our small rubber floatation device. It was a magical ending to our time in Antarctica.

Day 11-12 – we made our return trip across the Drake Passage on smoother water (4-5 metre swells) so it was a bit more comfortable trip this time.

Overall it was a fantastic trip with memories that will last a lifetime. Every day, was unknown as it is all weather dependent. The ship’s crew, staff and expedition guides were all knowledgeable and performed their roles well. And the wildlife, scenery and weather all worked in our favour. Every day seemed to be better than the previous one so our expectations were definitely exceeded. The expedition leader claimed it was the first time ever in reaching all of the points we reached during the 2,270 nautical miles that we covered. The magnitude of everything we experienced will take time to absorb but we will be smiling for the foreseeable future.

Our easiest zodiac landing - no wind or waves, shallow shore line.

A gentoo penguin feeding her chick.....which she does by regurgitating her previous meal.

A gentoo colony. Lots of molting going on, with plenty of icebergs in the background.

Every iceberg was unique and often more blue showing than our camera captured.

An adelie mom being chased by her chicks. They want food from her and she makes them work for it to build up their stamina. Lots of fun to watch.

A gentoo mom protecting her chick from the skuas and petrels. Their nests are made of small rocks because there are no trees / branches available.

A large leopard seal relaxing on an ice flow after a penguin meal. They are the only seal that the penguins need to avoid at all costs when in the water.

Two different humpback whales....one diving with it's fluke still visible and the other in front of our zodiac. They got even closer (less than 10 metres) shortly after this shot was taken.

Hiking up a slope for a lovely view.

The End of the World

A reasonable person would acknowledge that the end of the world might happen at some point in time, perhaps another ice age, a large meteor strike, or if Donald Trump became President of the United States. But we have seen the end of the world and I am happy to announce it is a place and not an event. Fin del Mundo exists at Lapataia Bay in Tierra del Fuego National Park. It is the end point for the Pan American highway which stretches almost 18,000 km’s to Alaska. We will get to KM 0 some day. And one more thing.........if this really is the end of the world, why are we getting on a ship later today and heading further south?

We are now in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America (and the world). It is a cool, windy city (even in the summer) with a population of 60,000 people. It was once famous for its prison, where at the beginning of the 20^th century, the prison was built and Buenos Aires sent all the people they hoped to never see again. Fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to come by at this end of the continent since most of it is shipped in from distant places. There is plenty of seafood (especially king crab) and meat however so the non-vegetarians can easily survive. I had a wonderful mariscos (seafood) meal one evening but my stomach had a disagreement with it overnight (bad mussels?) which laid me low for a day but as soon as I recovered I went back for more seafood (paella) at a different restaurant and all is well again. We initially stayed at La Casa de Alba, a nice B and B run by a lady (Alba) who provided us with lots of local information to help us out (and a warm room to retreat to at the end of the day). The daytime highs have been in the 10-15C range but with the wind chill it feels much colder.

The town-city is very walkable so it is easy to get around. We did require a shuttle bus to get to Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) National Park which was 12 km’s outside of town. Tierra del Fuego, besides clearing up the end of the world worries for us, offered many hiking trails and the southernmost post office in the world. We hiked the 8km Coastal Trail (Beagle Chanel and mountain views) along with two other shorter trails during our day trip there. My sick day cost us a hike up to the Martial Glacier at the north end of Ushuaia. However, reports indicate that if you have seen the Perito Moreno Glacier (last posting) this one would seem like an overgrown ice cube. The real reward for the 2 hour uphill hike however was supposed to be the magnificent views of the surrounding area. We should get many of those in the near future.

We have now moved over to the Albatross Hotel, in the middle of town near the pier, where we will meet our Antarctica expedition team and fellow travellers before embarking later today. This is a voyage we have always dreamed of and we are very excited to have the opportunity to travel there (or perhaps more accurately, the finances to be able to afford the trip). We will be spending 12 nights on board the MS Expedition (Gap Adventures) and do not expect to have internet access during that time so we will be electronically silent for the next two weeks. Ciao.

Ushuaia - taken from the harbour area.

Tierra del Fego NP (Land of Fire) - named in 1520 by Magellan as he sailed around Cape Horn. He noticed all the wood fires on shore, maintained by the indigenous Yaghans, the first settlers..

The most southern Post Office in the world. The postmaster general was busy inside selling postcards and stamps to tourists for mail that will NOT arrive next week..

This picture was taken as we walked the 8 km Coastal Trail inside the national park. There were a multitude of mussels all along the shoreline of the Beagle Channel.

Guinea fowl - quite plentiful in southern Argentina.

Lupins - we also saw an amazing number of rosebushes (in bloom) throughout Argentina.

Our paella dinner one evening - filled with shrimp, king crab, calamari, clams and mussels.

The Ramos Generales opened in 1906. It still operates as a general store but now also includes a museum and restaurant-bar.

Restroom directional assistance.

Binge Drinking in Your 60's

It started out innocently enough…….we made a responsible decision to visit the El Calafate Glacier Museum prior to spending a full day at the famous Perito Moreno glacier. The museum is only 5 years old and did an impressive job of depicting the importance of the glaciers, their various formations, the historical discoveries, and the global ramifications if atmospheric warming continues. We spent 3 hours soaking up knowledge that will assist us in our upcoming expedition to the White Continent. Then we decided to visit the Glacier Ice Bar located in the basement. For $20 pp we were able to pretend we were back home in the freezing cold (-11C) sitting on our deck chairs (covered in snow and ice) and having adult beverages……..what a brilliant idea! The 25 minute session included free drinks and good music in the ice room where the walls, seats, drink glasses and bar were all constructed of ice. Either because the ice glasses didn’t hold enough volume, or it was more comfortable to set your ice glass down on the bar to warm up your hand, our drinks kept getting refilled and we consumed 5-6 drinks each (beer, gin and tonic, but mostly an Argentinian liquor mixed drink that tasted splendid) before the music stopped and it was time to usher in the next group of Eskimo wannabees. Fortunately we had a 25C day outside to return to and a shuttle bus to get us back into town.

The next day we took the bus out to the Perito Moreno Glacier which was 80 km’s away. This is the main reason people come to El Calafate. The glacier is one of the few in the world that is actually growing. At Lake Argentino,into which it flows, it is 5 km wide, 30 km’s long, and almost 70 metres high at the lake. It currently is touching the shoreline, blocking off lake access to the other side. Every 5 – 20 years there is a major break and the waterway opens again. Unfortunately for us it didn’t happen yesterday but we were still awestruck to watch calving going on every 5 minutes from our boardwalk viewpoint (the boardwalk, upper and lower, is 5 km in length). Your eyes kept scanning the entire glacier face and when the rumbling started everyone changed their focus towards the sound. We spent most of the day observing the action which happened too quickly to catch on our camera. The biggest calving we saw was a 50 metre high slab (3 metres thick) drop into the lake………pretty impressive. Definitely worth the visit and highly recommended. If you come here, make sure to get a seat on the right hand side of the bus for the best views as you approach the glacier. Then walk the entire boardwalk, like we did, to get different views of the glacier…….but always keep your camera ready for the inevitable action.

Yesterday we walked to Laguna Nimez at the north end of the town which is the home of a wetlands sanctuary. We spotted all kinds of birds (including flamingos) during our 3 km walk around the natural reserve on another warm day (25C). We stopped several times to watch harriers (hawk family) land near us and keep an eye on us, protecting their nearby nests and newborns.

We leave today for Ushuaia, the southernmost town in Argentina, and very close to the tip of South America. Interestingly enough, it is situated at 54 degrees south, which is not much different than Edmonton (53 degrees north). The average temperature for the next week is 15C which is not bad, but a lot cooler than Edmonton would be in early August (their summer).

In El Calafate they appear to have found a more accurate way to forecast the weather.

Chillin at the Glacier Museum Ice Bar.

Another bar on the main street that won our business on a warm afternoon.

The Perito Moreno Glacier which captured everyone's attention. The ice in the lake was recently part of the glacier.

The left side of the glacier where it as reached the shore on the viewing side of the lake.

There was also calving going on inside the glacier. Harder to see but the sounds drew your attention to the general area.

A large harrier (hawk family), oneof many we came across while walking around the wetland reserve.

The secret to only ordering one drink with your meal.........beer in one litre bottles and a glass of wine that held almost a half bottle.