Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Adventure Begins!
After spending the night in Buenos Aires, we flew out early the next morning to Ushuaia and landed around 10 am in temperatures much cooler. Many of us felt more at home because it was more similar to the Pacific Northwest climate. Because we landed so early, many of us took advantage of our “free day” to catch up on the minimal sleep we’ve been getting while others decided to explore our second stop of the trip.
Later that evening, the group went out for dinner at a chic restaurant for Nick’s 21st birthday. The food was great but the company was even better. One of the most entertaining aspects of this trip so far is overcoming the language barrier and this is definitely something that was apparent at dinner. There are a few of us that have a Spanish speaking background and are able to help out but many of us stutter through conversations and it is amazing and entertaining to be immersed in a completely different culture.
To continue celebrating Nick’s birthday we innocently wandered down to a nightclub we saw when initially coming in to Ushuaia, little to our knowledge it ended up being the Southern most gay bar in the world. Our entire group made up the population of this nightclub and as the night went on, we began to pick up the signs that maybe we were not in a regular nightclub. Nonetheless, we made the most of that experience and continued to dance the night away!
Early the next morning we woke up and went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park that was absolutely gorgeous! We went on a couple short hikes around the coast of the Beagle Channel and stopped for lunch at a nearby river. The boys and Alexis were brave enough to jump in for a swim in the chilly water. This led to many laughs and several memorable quotes. After the swim, we continued on to el Lago Roca (Roca Lake) which was another cold body of water that stands between Chile and Argentina. The site was absolutely breath taking, just like everything else here!
After a day of hiking, we had more free time to explore downtown Ushuaia and many of us decided to go to museums, shops or restaurants. It was nice to have a relaxed evening however it ended with many of us catching up on our readings and homework for class the next day.
This morning we checked out of the hotel and spent our last hours in Tierra del Fuego walking around and getting ready to board our ship to Antarctica, the Ushuaia. We are all so excited to embark on this adventure and do not know what to expect, other than pure awesomeness. It is all still so surreal!!
Abrazos de Argentina!
Megan Aarsvold and Yvonne Kicken
Pictures by Megan Aarsvold
Later that evening, the group went out for dinner at a chic restaurant for Nick’s 21st birthday. The food was great but the company was even better. One of the most entertaining aspects of this trip so far is overcoming the language barrier and this is definitely something that was apparent at dinner. There are a few of us that have a Spanish speaking background and are able to help out but many of us stutter through conversations and it is amazing and entertaining to be immersed in a completely different culture.
To continue celebrating Nick’s birthday we innocently wandered down to a nightclub we saw when initially coming in to Ushuaia, little to our knowledge it ended up being the Southern most gay bar in the world. Our entire group made up the population of this nightclub and as the night went on, we began to pick up the signs that maybe we were not in a regular nightclub. Nonetheless, we made the most of that experience and continued to dance the night away!
Early the next morning we woke up and went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park that was absolutely gorgeous! We went on a couple short hikes around the coast of the Beagle Channel and stopped for lunch at a nearby river. The boys and Alexis were brave enough to jump in for a swim in the chilly water. This led to many laughs and several memorable quotes. After the swim, we continued on to el Lago Roca (Roca Lake) which was another cold body of water that stands between Chile and Argentina. The site was absolutely breath taking, just like everything else here!
After a day of hiking, we had more free time to explore downtown Ushuaia and many of us decided to go to museums, shops or restaurants. It was nice to have a relaxed evening however it ended with many of us catching up on our readings and homework for class the next day.
This morning we checked out of the hotel and spent our last hours in Tierra del Fuego walking around and getting ready to board our ship to Antarctica, the Ushuaia. We are all so excited to embark on this adventure and do not know what to expect, other than pure awesomeness. It is all still so surreal!!
Abrazos de Argentina!
Megan Aarsvold and Yvonne Kicken
Pictures by Megan Aarsvold
Friday, January 6, 2012
Day 1 - Cankles, Dinner, Easter Street
We made it! After leaving Seatac at 2pm on Thursday we
finally landed in Buenos Aries at 3 pm Friday. We had to stop in LA and Lima
before the soles of our feet touched South American soil. Getting from Lima to
Buenos Aries was a little touch and go. We had to exit the airplane, go through
security again, and then get back on the same flight. They were calling last board
when we hustled on.
Upon our arrival in Buenos Aries, we had to pay a receptacle
fee of $140 US dollars because we carry US passports. Apparently $140 dollars
is the same amount an Argentine has to pay for a visa to come to the US, hence
the name receptacle fee. After making it through customs we were greeted by our
tour guide, Carolina. As we walked outside she warned us it was hot (110 F) and
right she was, it was HOT! It felt good to get on the air conditioned bus ride
to the hotel. We had half an hour to clean up before it was time to hit the
city. It felt good to walk around and stretch my legs and to see the beautiful architecture,
mingle with the local people, smell the new smells, hear the new sounds, and
visit a few well known places.
To me Buenos Aries smells almost sweet and the air feels
muggy but kind of soft at the same time. I enjoyed the sun on my skin and
feeling the warmth soak into my rain saturated bones from the Pacific North
West. We were led on a tour by Carolina and Maria to get our bearings of the
city. We stopped in what was the main plaza back in the day and admired a
replica Big Bend given to Argentina from the English, a giant fig tree that was
a gift from Australia, and the first sky scrapper in Argentina. We walked down
Easter Street past shops and people selling goods on the street. It was a busy
evening since the sun was setting and the day had been so hot. We made it to
the Plaza de Mayo, which is famous because a group of women called the crazy
women walked with diapers on their heads to protest against the government because
their loved ones had been kidnapped by the government. They started to wear
diapers because at first it was a group of mothers whose children had been
kidnapped so the diapers represented their kids. On the ground of the plaza
there are now diapers painted. It was great to see this place in person because
we had read about it and talked about it and knew about some of the historical significance
of the events that took place there.
Plaza de Mayo is also home to the Presidents house as well. Apparently
back in the day it was in front of a river and it was there as the first line
of defense and also the port to the city. The river can no longer be seen there
but it can still be seen on the outskirts of town. There were several protests
taking place on the plaza in front of the Presidents house and a gate had been
out up in front of the house in case they needed to lock it and protect the
government.
After our tour it was time for dinner. We ate at El Palacio de la Papa Frita. I
enjoyed a Spanish Tortilla, which remind me of omelets but with potatoes. Since
the restaurant had French fry in the name we also indulged in those as well. But
these French fries were a little different; somehow there were hallow and
reminded me to fluffy potato chips. It was a delicious meal and I look forward
to having some famous Argentina beef!
Well that is all for now, we have to be up at 4 am to leave
for Ushuaia for two days and it is currently midnight.
Hope you enjoy!!
finally landed in Buenos Aries at 3 pm Friday. We had to stop in LA and Lima
before the soles of our feet touched South American soil. Getting from Lima to
Buenos Aries was a little touch and go. We had to exit the airplane, go through
security again, and then get back on the same flight. They were calling last board
when we hustled on.
Upon our arrival in Buenos Aries, we had to pay a receptacle
fee of $140 US dollars because we carry US passports. Apparently $140 dollars
is the same amount an Argentine has to pay for a visa to come to the US, hence
the name receptacle fee. After making it through customs we were greeted by our
tour guide, Carolina. As we walked outside she warned us it was hot (110 F) and
right she was, it was HOT! It felt good to get on the air conditioned bus ride
to the hotel. We had half an hour to clean up before it was time to hit the
city. It felt good to walk around and stretch my legs and to see the beautiful architecture,
mingle with the local people, smell the new smells, hear the new sounds, and
visit a few well known places.
To me Buenos Aries smells almost sweet and the air feels
muggy but kind of soft at the same time. I enjoyed the sun on my skin and
feeling the warmth soak into my rain saturated bones from the Pacific North
West. We were led on a tour by Carolina and Maria to get our bearings of the
city. We stopped in what was the main plaza back in the day and admired a
replica Big Bend given to Argentina from the English, a giant fig tree that was
a gift from Australia, and the first sky scrapper in Argentina. We walked down
Easter Street past shops and people selling goods on the street. It was a busy
evening since the sun was setting and the day had been so hot. We made it to
the Plaza de Mayo, which is famous because a group of women called the crazy
women walked with diapers on their heads to protest against the government because
their loved ones had been kidnapped by the government. They started to wear
diapers because at first it was a group of mothers whose children had been
kidnapped so the diapers represented their kids. On the ground of the plaza
there are now diapers painted. It was great to see this place in person because
we had read about it and talked about it and knew about some of the historical significance
of the events that took place there.
Plaza de Mayo is also home to the Presidents house as well. Apparently
back in the day it was in front of a river and it was there as the first line
of defense and also the port to the city. The river can no longer be seen there
but it can still be seen on the outskirts of town. There were several protests
taking place on the plaza in front of the Presidents house and a gate had been
out up in front of the house in case they needed to lock it and protect the
government.
After our tour it was time for dinner. We ate at El Palacio de la Papa Frita. I
enjoyed a Spanish Tortilla, which remind me of omelets but with potatoes. Since
the restaurant had French fry in the name we also indulged in those as well. But
these French fries were a little different; somehow there were hallow and
reminded me to fluffy potato chips. It was a delicious meal and I look forward
to having some famous Argentina beef!
Well that is all for now, we have to be up at 4 am to leave
for Ushuaia for two days and it is currently midnight.
Hope you enjoy!!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The Countdown.
Its hard to believe that in just two weeks we'll be starting the journey. This trip has been long awaited and I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I say, I am excited for this adventure to begin!
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