Awesome Argentina Tour

The tour bus picked me up in the morning and we headed out to the Pampean region about an hour outside of Buenos Aires to the Estancia Don Silvano, a former working ranch. Along the way, the guide explained gaucho life, including the work of the gauchos, the dress, the recreation and culture, and prepared mate for us all to try. It was interesting, somewhat like a bitter tea. Upon our arrival at the estancia, gauchos welcomed us with meat and corn empanadas and local wine. We spent the rest of the morning exploring the ranch and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, several tour groups joined us in a big hall for a fabulous meal of Argentine fare: steak, chicken, sausage, potatoes and carrot salad, and of course, more Argentinian wine! Musicians and costumed dancers delighted us with a folklorico performance, taking us through all the regions in Argentina with their local songs and dances. They included the audience in songs of their home country (for example, 'When the Saints Go Marching In' for America) and of course, a tango lesson. It was energetic and delightful! We then went outside and sat on bleachers to watch the traditional ring races and troop rides. How one rides a horse through an arch and plucks a little ring with essentially a chopstick is beyond me! We spectators were enthusiastic and cheered them on, each in our own language, but one needs no words to see who won the contests. The afternoon at the estancia ended with tasting traditional corn pies and more mate. After our return to the city, I walked around the Avenida de Mayo, Plaza de Mayo and poked around in little shops. Beware of the diagonal streets! I got lost more than once!

Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay is northeast of Buenos Aires, just across the Rio de la Plata and accessed by a 45 minute ride on the Buquebus ferry. Obviously, this is a common mode of travel as the station is large and clean with excellent signage and posted times of departure. I met a student from Kansas and an older woman from Buenos Aires, both on their way to Montevideo. The older woman was as anxious to practice her English as I was to practice some Spanish, so we got on well on the short ride. If I had planned ahead, I might have tried to squeeze in a short visit to Montevideo that afternoon, but having some leisure time in Colonia del Sacramento was just as enjoyable. When I arrived, my guide met me and took me to the visitors' center where local products were displayed as well as an historical timeline, and a surround film on Uruguay was shown. The Barrio Historico of Colonial del Sacramento, a UNESCO site, is unique for its Spanish and Portuguese influence, with vestiges of both cultures evident in its architecture and the construction of the roads. During our tour around the city, the guide outlined the layout of the city, identified the various ruins, and noted the architectural styles of Portuguese and Spanish construction. He explained the impact of the back-and-forth governance from the Portuguese to the Spanish over several hundred years, with Uruguay finally becoming an independent state in 1828. Our driver met us and we drove around the outskirts of the city, taking in beautiful views across the Rio de la Plata as well as historic sites such as the bullfight arena and the church that housed the statue of San Benito. Left to my own for lunch, I ventured back to a hotel dining room recommended by the guide, had an excellent meal of local fish. A word of warning to the budget conscious traveler is to be aware of cover charges to dine in this restaurant. After lunch, I walked around the Barrio Historico, climbed the lighthouse for beautiful panoramic views as it was another beautiful day, and then set out for the museums. Admission to about six museums can be gained on one ticket, but some of them were closed and others only one room or all in Spanish. For the non Spanish speaker, this could be a frustrating experience and not worth the visit to the museums. Adventure Life had arranged the car ride back to the ferry and the car ride from the ferry back to my hotel. Because of the efficiency of transfers, I had time again to wander around Buenos Aires, stroll around with the Argentinians on their way home from work, read restaurant menus, only to get more of the great empanadas for dinner.

The morning flight to Iguazu left plenty of free time in the afternoon. A 30 minute (or so) ride from the airport to the Iguasu Jungle Lodge took me to the edge of the rain forest. The accommodations were unbelievable--a full kitchen, living room and separate bedroom! I found my way to a local market to get wine and bread and cheese, then signed up for an excursion deep into the rain forest. The jungle jeep took us on dirt roads, past local dwellings, and into a more densely forested area where we donned harnesses and helmets and zip-lined through the canopy. Then, a hike along the river which separated Paraguay and Argentina, ended at a waterfall for the third part of our adventure to rappel down the waterfall. A wet, but exhilarating experience! I had arrived armed with an arsenal of DEET, mosquito netting and clothes sprayed with permethrin to fight the mosquitoes. But I was pleasantly surprised that the mosquitoes had not yet arrived for the season!

The guide book calls Iguazu Falls 'Niagra on Viagra'. No kidding. Iguazu Falls can be accessed on an Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit, and Devil's Throat. The elevated catwalks are easy to traverse and provide breathtaking views of the many falls. One can view the falls from above, from below and right up to edge as the water tumbles and roars in front of you. Words cannot describe the beauty of this phenomenon of nature. Along the paths, colorful butterflies flitted about, landing on yellow, purple and red wildflowers in full bloom. Calm water swirls beneath you and does not seem to accelerate until it spills over the falls, mist and spray rising up from its descent. But getting up close to the falls is only half the adventure. We then boarded zodiac boats which took us up to and under the thunderous gallons of water pouring over the edge. We delighted in the waves of water lapping the sides of the boat, soaking us in nature's shower. After exiting the boat, we rode on open air trucks and had a tour of the rain forest with descriptions of the flora and fauna of the region. It was too late in the day to spot exotic birds like toucans. Another time...

Since I had until 11:30 a.m. before the taxi came to pick me up to go to the airport, I wish I had checked into going bird watching early in the morning (5:30 a.m.) That is the best time to see birds in the rain forest, most notably the toucan. Instead, I woke to the birds singing outside my window and enjoyed listening to the brook gently cascading into a small waterfall. And practiced my Spanish on TV. I arrived back in Buenos Aires in the late afternoon and met up with Kathy and Carol Jo who had spent the day touring around the city with Argentinian friends. We then headed out to dinner at El Mirasol with our friends and enjoyed a feast beyond compare. Our friends introduced us to Argentine cuisine of the finest fare, parilla, delicious grilled meats and sides accompanied with a fine malbec. What a magnificent meal!

After six days of solo travel, it was great to be in the company of my friends. We had a private city tour of sights not seen when I first arrived in Buenos Aires. Among the highlights were the Parque Tres de Febrero, an oasis of trees, a rose garden, and a lake with paddleboats in the middle of a busy city; driving through the chic Palermo neighborhood; and going to the Recoleta Cemetery, whose most famous occupant is Eva Peron. Perhaps even more interesting, though, was the time spent in a cafe with our guide who related his personal experience during the political upheaval of Argentina in the 1970's and the events that followed. Our guide took leave of us in the early afternoon after helping us get tickets for a tour in English to the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires' magnificent opera house with the third best acoustics in the world, following La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera House. The building has quite a history, not to mention the grandiose productions starring all the opera luminaries in its heyday. The tour guide even graced us with a few lines of the habanera from Carmen! That evening, we were whisked away for another taste of excellent Argentine cuisine and a lively and seductive tango show. We were mesmerized by the energetic performance and delighted to experience this part of Argentine culture.

Sunday December 11 was another beautiful day in Buenas Aires. We started the day with a delicious buffet of eggs, ham, cheeses, breads, fruits, and beverages in our hotel, the Elevage. We successfully fortified ourselves for our day of travel to Ushuaia. We were pleased that we were picked up on time and headed to the domestic airport. As it turned out we were ALWAYS picked up on time-that relieved a lot of travel stress. We checked in and found that our flight was 30 minutes delayed. We were scheduled to stop in El Calafate and then continue on to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world at 55 degrees latitude South. We arrived about 5:30 pm in Ushuaia and again were picked up at the airport for transport to our hotel, no stress travel, just the way we wanted. On the ride to the hotel, our driver told us about the next day's adventure and made recommendations as to what to bring and wear, more stress free travel. We were dropped off at Hosteria Linares, greeted by the friendly staff and shown to our delightful room with 3 single beds. It was a very cute small hotel with THE most stunning view of the Canal de Beagle and the mountains. We enjoyed the view from the comfortable living room that was decorated for the Christmas holidays. After settling into our room, we headed down a long stair case with a magnificent view to the main street with many shops and restaurants. We totally enjoyed the long days and bright sunlight despite the late hour. We were surrounded by snow capped mountains and the still water of the Bay, breathtaking scenery. We stopped in some of the shops to explore our jewelry choices and some of the local crafts. We walked along the water front, amazed by the beauty of our surroundings and finally captured our photo at the End of the World sign. We decided to delay making purchases as we were HUNGRY. We found a small restaurant and decided to give it a try. We were pleased with our choices- Kathy had King Crab which is a MUST in Ushuaia and she was not disappointed. Janet and Carol Jo had seafood medley, which they enjoyed very much. We chatted about our adventure and our observation that in Ushuaia there were many young families with school age children, but few university aged or elderly persons. We also noticed that this was not a good city for people with disabilities, with the hills, stairs, uneven sidewalks and few accessible buildings. Our physical therapy training showed up even on vacation. About 10 pm, after dinner, we headed back to our hotel but it felt earlier due to the amount of sunlight still present. We packed up our day packs for the next day's adventures and fell happily into our comfortable beds.

We set the alarm for 4 am hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, but alas it was a cloudy morning and the sun slipped in quietly without a big show. We went back to bed and rose later to enjoy our buffet breakfast in a room overlooking the mountains and sea. Today we were off to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. We were picked up on time by our driver JJ and guide Norberto (Norbie) and canoe leader Augustine. We joined other international travelers and soon all felt like friends, laughing, telling stories and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Our guides were professional, enthusiastic, culturally sensitive and all had excellent English (as well as other language) skills. It was a bit cloudy with an occasional drizzle, but that did not deter the group. We arrived in the National Park and began our hike at Beagle Bay. Along the way Norbie shared with us information about the trees, birds, views, and history of the area and the park. The area was first populated as a penal colony and in the 1940's this began to change as world politics and sea access became more important. The government brought in industry and workers and the town began to grow quickly in size. We came to understand why the city was full of young people and not too many older people. The government offered financial incentives to the young workers, but not higher education, and good retirement money allowed older folks to move to more accessible and comfortable parts of Argentina. Norbie also entertained us with his wonderful and playful personality. We had a special morning tea break and was delighted when Norbie pulled out the thermoses of hot water for tea and coffee service. We continued our hike of about 4 hours enjoying the gentle trails, sea views, trees, and flowers with the snow capped Andes in the background. We ended the hike in a large picnic area of the park where lunch was being prepared for us. We found a tent set up with a table full of appetizers. We were all hungry and happily sat down to enjoy our meal and more conversation. Lunch was a wonderful chicken dish (tomato and cheese chicken papillotte) cooked on a fire outside. It was fantastic. Argentinean wine complimented our meal and we were one happy group! After lunch the adventure continued with a canoe trip down the river. We had to don our water gear and life jackets. It was not easy to outfit three very petite ladies, and we were quite a sight in our gear, BUT we were safe! The group was divided into two canoes with Augustine steering one canoe and Norbie steering the other. We carried the canoes down the beach a ways to find some calmer water to enter. We each had a paddle and received short instructions on paddling technique. It was a beautiful paddle, the views were astonishing, the majesty and beauty surrounded us. We were lucky to see numerous different species of birds. We took time to quietly reflect and enjoy the very special time and place and give thanks to our good fortune of having been able to have this adventure. We finished up our canoe trip and helped carry the canoes back to the truck that was waiting for us. We found ourselves at the end of the Rte 3 road which is the road that goes from Alaska to the tip of South America, a distance of 17,848 km! We returned to our hotel and after a brief rest, headed back to town for shopping and more eating! We found lots of interesting shops, where folks were happy to help us understand the crafts and significance of some of the items. We then found Chetos restaurant which had been recommended by our guide and were not surprised to see our hiking buddies also there. It was a hard decision what to have, but Kathy ended up with delicious Fuegian trout, Carol Jo and Janet had King Crab. Again we were surprised how late it was since it was still so light outside. We climbed the stairs back to our hotel and began to get ready for our next adventure. As we packed and showered, we found ourselves with some electrical problems despite use of a converter and adapter. Actually, we found ourselves in the dark a number of times. The staff quickly came to our rescue and we giggled ourselves to sleep grateful for a fantastic day and excited about what the morrow would bring.

We awakened Tuesday December 13 to a beautiful morning. Kathy was very excited as this was the day we were going to see the penguins. After a relaxing breakfast, we were pleased to see Augustine at 8:10 am with a new driver to take us to Estancia Haberton, the oldest estancia in this area. We picked up another couple and were on our way. It took about 90 minutes and during the drive Augustine pointed out the trees and flowers, discussed the history of the area we would see and answered questions. Again it didn't take long for our small group to feel like friends. We learned that the Estancia had been established in 1886 by the missionary Thomas Bridges and was originally a full estancia with cattle and sheep. However, due to a bad winter storm in the 90's and the loss of most of the livestock, present day owners changed the focus of the estancia to tourism and particularly care of the penguins on one of the islands on the estancia. Bridges was also the man who wrote the Yamana dictionary, the language of the native people of the area. Management of the present day estancia remains in the hands of Bridges descendants. When we arrived at the Estancia, we went to the dock where we viewed the lovely main building. Since the staff is greatly reduced compared to a livestock estancia, many of the other buildings were no longer in use. We soon boarded a kodiak for our ride to the penguin rookery on a nearby island. It was not a long ride and the wind blowing through our hair as we gazed around the beautiful surroundings was quite a start to the day. As we approached the island we could see hundreds of penguins on the beach. They were not frightened by the approach of our boat which quietly slid onto the beach. We did not get out of the boat, nor disturb the penguin habitat in any way. There were two breeds of warm water penguins on the beach, the magellanic in the majority and the gentoo, a much smaller group. We could see where they built nests and enjoyed watching them swim, waddle about and play with each other. It was a lifetime dream of Kathy to visit the penguins in their native habitat, she was very thrilled. After taking many photos of the penguins, we headed via the kodiak to Gable Island for some more hiking. The pace was perfect for our group with many stops to enjoy the beautiful flowers, birds and animals as we walked through the pastures surrounded by the mountainous cliffs around the Beagle Channel. The hike then took us inland to view the lagoon and the work of the beavers. The beaver population on the island has exploded since there is no natural predator. We were amazed at the size and complexity of the dams that these nocturnal beaver engineers built. Their extraordinary ability to chop down trees however destroys the habitat for other animals. As we continued our hike we came upon an old sheep shed which was our lunch stop. Our cook was busy preparing a delicious smelling meal as we went inside to enjoy the appetizers and of course Argentinean wine from the End of the World winery. We had hake, a local fish grilled with potatoes and vegetables and fantastic bread. We had great conversations with our other group members and lingered over the wine and brownies for dessert. Then we headed out to the channel to catch the zodiac back to the estancia. Again the views were breathtaking and the weather perfectly clear. We made an additional stop at the Museo Acatushun ( Marine Museum) on the property and had a short tour with some of the research scientists who were studying the many fossils found in the region. Before returning to Ushuaia, we had one more short stop to view the Guindo trees (one of two Lenga tree species) known as flag trees due to the shape they develop from the strong winds that blow there. Their shape reminded us of the coastal pine trees in Monterey California, similarly shaped due to being windblown along the rugged California coast. After a delightful day we climbed back on our little bus for the 90 min ride back to our hotel. We managed to take a short nap, but the scenery was too good to miss. After a short break at the hotel, we headed downtown to shop and find dinner. Carol Jo was on a quest to find some Argentinean jewelry and after looking at every shop in town and with some advice from her friends she found the perfect set. Kathy also took home some Rodocrosita (Rosa de Inca) earrings and pendant. Janet was successful finding her nativity scene. An advantage of shopping in Ushuaia was that it was all duty free. We did not have any problems getting more money from the ATM's to spend. We sat down for dinner about 9pm at a Bar B Que restaurant where we filled ourselves with fresh vegetables that we had been yearning for and some bar b qued chicken. Full and happy we headed back to our hotel, where we fell into bed.

Wednesday Dec 14 was a day for self exploration in Ushuaia and then travel to El Calafate. We enjoyed our breakfast with the fantastic view and then packed our gear. The hotel was kind enough to let us leave our luggage in the lounge while we went out exploring. We visited the local cemetery which reminded us of the Recoleta in Buenos Aires, though much smaller. We walked along the waterway and learned more about the history and passion of the people related to the Malvinas (Falkland Island) War. There were numerous memorials to the men who died in the short war and great discussion about all the politics surrounding the incident. Passion about the war continues to run high among the Argentinean people. We found a wonderful Craftsman Lane and finished up our shopping, including some scarves, earrings, hats and bookmarks. We also walked around the town and saw some of the museums and varied landscape with hotels, wooden shacks, cute and well tended little houses all mixed together. We had lunch in an Italian restaurant and then while Carol Jo visited the End of the World museum to learn more about the history of the area, Kathy and Janet headed back to the hotel for a short rest. We discovered that most of the stores closed between 2 and 4 pm, so a rest was culturally correct! Carol Jo finished her museum tour and returned to the hotel where we said good bye to our hosts and were picked up as always on time for our return trip to the Ushuaia airport for our flight to El Calafate. We flew out of Ushuaia in the evening and arrived in El Calafate by approximately 9:00 pm and were greeted by another friendly driver arranged by Adventure. The drive to the El Gapon del Glaciar Hosteria took about 45 minutes and allowed us to see the beautiful sunset at 10:00 pm and the glimmerings of a quiet, peaceful ranch setting set in gently rolling steppe environment. Caroline and her staff greeted us warmly and showed us to a comfortable 2 bedroom suite. We unloaded our suitcases and returned for an exquisite full course dinner with complimentary welcoming drinks overlooking the Estancia as the sun was setting. Caroline also took our orders for a box lunch for our adventure to the glacier.

Early in the morning, we packed our windbreakers and light jackets and boarded a bus with other tourists to travel an hour to the base of the El Moreno glacier. We took a boat with approximately 60 other travelers across the lake which allowed us to see the glacier from different vantage points. When we landed we were divided into group of approximately 12-15 people, donned crampons and began our trek up the Perito Moreno Glacier. Two guides were assigned to each group. The hike up the glacier was stunning. There were blue skies, temperatures of around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind, no rain, and no ice, except of course what we were walking on! There could not have been a more beautiful day, making the ice easy to negotiate once you learned how to walk in crampons. We could see that warm jackets and sturdy boots would have been needed on most days as weather is highly changeable on the glacier and travelers should always bring the gear recommended by Adventure Life. At the end of our hike of about 1.5 hours our guides provided us with a glass of whiskey chilled with ice from the glacier (for those who wished to imbibe!) It was a memorable end to our trek and will always be the highlight of the trip for us. We did not have 'climbing a glacier' on the 'bucket list' for our life but we were glad to have done this. We came back to the Estancia, freshened up and then went out for a horseback ride around the perimeter of the ranch and along the glacial lake front beach, saw a demonstration of sheep shearing, ate a delicious dinner with lamb, beef, wine and other nicely prepared salads. Our evening closed with a romantic and beautiful orchestrated tango dance!

Our last day in Argentina was spent flying back to Buenos Aires. We had some unexpected delays in getting luggage at the domestic terminal which then put us in the middle of commute traffic to the international airport. There was no time to catch the shuttle so we traveled in bumper to bumper traffic (2 hours) to the international airport. Travelers should be aware of these time constraints when traveling between airports. We did reach the international terminal in time to meet our connection to fly from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru and then home. A few final remembrances: We will remember Argentina for the exceptional itinerary that Adventure Life planned for us, the delicious beef, lamb and seafood cuisine, the friendly, hardworking and knowledgeable tour guides, the handsome, friendly Argentinean people, the magnificent scenery, beautiful jewelry and other crafts and the unique and flavorful dulce de leche and chocolate. We learned a fair amount about the history and political atmosphere of a country with rich resources and many challenges in the integrity of the government. It was a relaxing, well paced trip. Before even landing back in the U.S. we already started thinking about our next trip with Adventure Life!