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  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 82

    La Garganta del Diablo

    February 26 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The next stop on our exploration of Argentina's Northwest is Cafayate, a 372-kilometre drive from Purmamarca.

    When most people think of wine from Argentina, they immediately think of Malbec from Mendoza. Cafayate is an up and coming wine region producing wine from grapes grown at high altitude and specializing in the white Torrentes varietal, but more on that later.

    Once again, Argentina threw us a curveball as both Brenda and I figured the ride here would be a relatively smooth and gradual descent from the 3400 meter elevation of Purmamarca to the more comfortable 1700 meters of Cafayate. We had imagined leaving behind the breathtakingly beautiful colored landscape of jagged mountains to arrive at a lush green valley dotted with acre upon acre of vineyards.

    Uh-unh. Nope. The stunning vistas of Purmamarca followed us all the way to our destination, along a road that required all my attention to navigate. Twists, turns, ess-curves, and switchback after switchback challenged my driving skills as I managed to keep our rental car's four wheels on the tarmac while still enjoying the view.

    As we neared Cafayate, designated viewpoints began popping up where drivers may pull over and take photos or just enjoy the views.

    Anxious to arrive at our destination, we stopped only at one of these natural wonders dubbed La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat).

    The photos speak for themselves, but don't really do this sight justice.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 81

    Salinas Grandes

    February 25 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    The Salinas Grandes salt flat, one of Argentina's 7 Natural Wonders, extends over an area of 212 square km and is ranked as one of the largest salt flats in the world.

    The Salinas Grandes is 67 km from Purmamarca which, according to Google maps takes 65 minutes to drive, but the journey is not for the faint of heart. To reach the salt flat means navigating endless switchbacks, ascending to 4170 meters above sea level to go over the sub-Andean mountains before descending to 3450 meters, the altitude at which the salt flat lies.

    We were under the impression that we could walk the salt flat independently but that was not the case. There was a modest $3.70 pp entrance fee that included a guide. Apparently, during the rainy season, which we're in, there are thin, dangerous spots which people can fall through. Hence, the guide.

    The Salinas Grandes was created by volcanic action five to ten million years ago, and it was captivating to walk on the honeycomb patterns that feels other worldly. Due to recent rains, much of the salt flat was covered in a damp sheen. Apparently, the best time to go is at the end of March when the the flats are dry and snowy white.

    The salt flat in Bolivia is known as a "salar" (Salar de Uyuni ) which means a closed basin or lake that collects all types of salts. In this sense, the Salinas Grandes is also a "salar", but it is called a "salina" because a salina describes a salt flat where the salt is extracted by dissecation for human consumption.

    Our visit to this monochromatic wonder of nature was in stark contrast to the kaleidoscope of colours that the Quebrada de Humahuaca mountain valley in this region has offered us, but we're both grateful to have been able to experience it all. After all, variety is the spice of life, n'est ce pas?    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 81

    Paseo de los Colorados

    February 25 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I had heard that the best time to view the colored mountain is just after dawn. Fortunately, this late in the Argentine summer, dawn broke today at 7:15 AM. We dragged our butts out of bed and were out the door at the crack of dawn and headed up to one of the town's lookouts to watch the spectacle. Sadly, it doesn't open until 9:00, but we noticed a path running alongside it called El Paseo de los Colorados.

    It was a lovely morning, so we decided to explore the path a little further while we waited for the sun to crest the mountains. That was the best decision of the day. As we started our hike, we came across a sign in Spanish that read, "It is forbidden to climb the hill." And right above it were perched three very menacing-looking stray dogs who graciously allowed us to pass by. It truly appeared as though they were the guardians of the mountain. Perhaps they were.

    Just getting a close-up look at Mother Nature's work to sculpt the terrain into what it is today was worth getting out of bed for.

    In the end, El Paseo is about a four kilometer circular route around the Colored Mountain and offers more eye-popping vistas than one can imagine. In fact, so impressive were the views that when the sun finally popped over the mountains and lit up the seven colored hill, it was a little anticlimactic.

    But, overall, what an amazing way to start the day!    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 80

    The Colored Mountain

    February 24 in Argentina ⋅ 🌫 11 °C

    We flew into Salta and arrived at our accommodations a little after 10:00 Friday night. This was just an overnight stop that had us up early Saturday to pick up our rental car and hit the road northbound to the foothills of the Andes in Purmamarca.

    According to Google Maps, the 181-kilometer ride should have taken just under three hours, but the two lane twisty mountain roads, pokey tour busses, and overloaded semis all combined to add an hour to the trip.

    We did, however, make a brief pitstop in San Salvador de Jujuy (pronounced Hoo-hooey here) and noticed that we were already entering a very different world. Unlike the predominantly European Influence in Buenos Aires, the people here carry far more indigenous traits. The food is different, with quinoa and llama appearing on most menus. And there are gigantic Saguaru cacti, straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon, everywhere!

    As we approached Purmamarca, the lush green mountains gradually began losing vegetation and showing signs of erosion, exposing their underlying composition, some reddish, some grey, some greenish and some brown. Suddenly, as we rounded a corner, we caught our first glimpse of the colored mountain and its seven layers of different-colored sedimentary deposits.

    Formed underwater between one million and 600 million years ago, the layers run all the way from Salta, through Bolivia, and into Peru, and are the product of a complex geological history including marine sediments, lake and river movements elevated with the movement of the tectonic plates.

    All I can say is Wow!

    .    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 77

    Teatro Colon, Take Three

    February 21 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Right around Christmas, we learned that Teatro Colon would be putting on a few more shows during our remaining time in Buenos Aires. Unlike our two previous visits, when we saw a symphony, Handel's Messiah and a ballet, El Corsario, this one promised to be a little more light-hearted: Pixar In Concert.

    I won't say any more about how fantastic Teatro Colon is, I covered it pretty well in my two previous posts on the subject.

    On our other two visits, we had seats in the orchestra section, a dozen or so rows from the stage. This time, we opted for the cheap seats (everything else was sold out) in the third of six balconies. Despite the distance from the stage, the view was good, and the sound, as advertised, was perfect.

    When we bought the tickets, we expected to see snippets of Pixar films projected on the big screen and accompanied by the live orchestra. We got that and much more. There were visits from many of the Pixar characters, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, The Incredibles, Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc, and Princess Mérida from Brave. There was themed choreography and fantastic renditions of Pixar tunes interpreted by world-class, beautiful voices.

    Of course, all the songs performed today were the Spanish versions, which was fine for the most part. The only one I had trouble with, and simply because it's so well known, was Yo Soy Tu Amigo Fiel (I'm Your Faithful Friend). It took me the longest time to remember the English version of the chorus, sung by Randy Newman: "You've got a friend in me...".

    However, for the multitude of kids in the theater, there was nothing but magic in the air.

    What a wonderful gift those parents gave their children today by exposing them, in this awe-inspiring venue, to the wonders of a symphony orchestra, the gracefullness of perfectly executed choreography, and the beauty and range of emotion the human voice can express when it is used by virtuosos.

    I caught Brenda surreptitiously wiping her eyes dry a couple of times. And, she might have caught me once or twice, too.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 72

    Montevideo

    February 16 in Uruguay ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today we visited Montevideo, Uruguay, our last port of call before heading back to Buenos Aires. Our stay there was only for seven and a half hours, so we had little time to waste. We decided to book a .free walking tour of La Ciudad Vieja (the old city) that started at 10:30 and lasted for two hours.

    Our guide was funny, spoke perfect English, and was a fountain of information about the city and the country. Here are a few of the tidbits of useless information we learned today:

    1516: Spain discovers the country.
    1527: Sebastian Cabot establishes the first European settlement, San Lázaro.
    1680: The Portuguese settle the area.
    1726: The Spanish found Montevideo as a military stronghold.
    1811: Uruguay gains independence from Spain.
    1822: Brazil annexes Uruguay.
    1825: Uruguay declares independance from Brazil and begins a three-year federation with Argentina.
    1828: Uruguay becomes an independent nation.

     - The first president, Fructuoso Rivera, passed an act of parliament that resulted in the extermination of the country's indigenous nomadic people, the Charrua
    - Urugauy is the only South American country with no indigenous population
    - There are more cows in Uruguay than people
    - The average Uruguayan consumes 99 kg of beef per annum (why aren't there defibrillaters on every corner?) They are the biggest per capita consumer in the world.
    - The average Uruguayan consumes 10 kg of Mate (pronounced matt-ay) per annum. That's about 29 million kg of Mate per year.
    - Mate is said to have potential health benefits including higher energy, reduced inflammation, lower blood sugar and cholesterol (maybe that's why there aren't defibs on every corner)

    Drinking Mate is a little ritualistic. A cup, also known as a mate or gourd, is filled to the brim with mate leaves, and a small amount of very hot water is poured in from a thermos. Once it has infused, the brew is drank through a metal straw with a filter on the end, known as a bombilla. Once all the liquid has been sucked up, the process is repeated over and over again.

    It's very common in both Uruguay and Argentina to see people walking down the street with a mate in one hand and a thermos of hot water tucked under the opposite arm.

    Of course, I've been curious to try it, but in the two months we've been in Buenos Aires, I've yet to find anywhere that serves the brew. One is obliged to purchase the full kit if you want to try it. However, it's also very common for people to share mate, even amongst complete strangers, as this is seen as a display of friendship. No thanks. But today was my lucky day as our tour guide pointed out a cafe that serves the popular local brew.

    For two hundred pesos, about $5.00 USD, we were served a gourd filled with mate leaves, a bombilla, and a large thermos of hot water. I wasn't too impressed with my first sip, which was very strong tasting, and a little bitter. However, the potency diminished with each replenishment of the cup, and, by the end, I was almost enjoying it. I'm not sure I'm going to run out and buy a mate kit to bring home to Vancouver, but I could change my mind over the next couple of weeks.

    And so, after many new and wonderful experiences, the consumption of far too much food and finding new friends, we arrive back in Buenos Aires tomorrow morning. We'll then have only seventeen more days in Argentina before we head off on the next leg of our journey.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 70

    More photos from yesterday

    February 14 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Aside from the thousands of penguins, yesterday we also saw a couple of other local critters and I thought I should give them a little exposure too.

    As we got close to the penguin rookery, we started seeing a llama-like animal off in the distance. They are called guanacos, a member of the camel family, and are close relatives to llama. It turns out there was an entire herd of them in the sanctuary, although we never got close to them. They are protected here and can't be hunted, farmed, or used for making wool with their fur.

    We also saw a little bird that looked like a partridge feeding on shrubs. It's coloring blended in so well with the surroundings it was almost impossible to see. It's called a tinamou and is native to Southern Chile and Argentina.

    Ok, since we don't have that many pictures of guanacos and tinamous, here's more penguin pics and another video.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 69–76

    Punta Tombo

    February 13 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    To make up for missing the Falkland Islands, we are overnighting in Puerto Madryn in Northern Patagonia. Unlike the southern part of the region, it's relatively flat here and very dry, almost desert like.

    The big attraction here is the wildlife. There are places where you can see sea lions, elephant seals, and PENGUINS!!! Lots and lots of 🐧 🐧 🐧.

    As soon as we got off the ship, we located a tour to transport us the 183 kilometers to Punta Tombo, a penguin reserve south of the city.

    There were a few hiccups along the way, but in the end, Brenda and I couldn't be happier with our experience.

    Ok, let's talk about penguins. A flightless bird that looks uncomfortable on land but swims like a fish. WTF? Who thought that up?

    We learned a lot about these adorable little creatures during our brief time amongst them. There are several varieties of penguins, and Punta Tombo is the breeding ground and summer home to the warmer-weather Magellanic variety. Eggs hatch in November, and the down-covered chicks must lose their feathers and grow large enough to migrate north by March. This is a relatively small penguin, weighing only 70 grams as a hatchling and up to four kilograms when fully grown.

    We discovered that these birds are very adept at digging. They burrow into the dry ground to make their nests. Everywhere we looked, in the open, under bushes and next to boulders, their holes were everywhere. Some were empty, and others had birds taking naps.

     Another strange thing is the way they tend to act like little statues. As we looked across the land on our way to the beach, hundreds of penguins, standing completely still, dotted the ground. Some even appeared to be dozing.

    Of course, we saw a lot of penguins as we walked the path to the beach, but nothing prepared us for the number of birds we saw in or near the surf. Thousands of penguins were either sunning themselves on the sand or frollicking in the waves. It was an incredible sight.

    Getting up close and personal with these strange but adorable creatures and watching them interact was an experience we'll never forget. One can't help laughing as they nonchalantly waddle along on their way to their destination. They appear to have no fear of humans, yet they are also entirely unaggressive.

    We humans could learn a lot from them.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 67

    Lost Penguins

    February 11, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Our ship's captain announced this morning that weather conditions in the Falklands are rapidly deteriorating, with winds gusting to 50 knots and 7 meter high waves. Because there is no dock for cruise ships, passengers are tranferred ashore on forty-passenger tenders. For the safety of the passengers, crew, and ship, we will sail past the Falklands and their hundreds of thousands of penguins and will head straight to our next port of call, Puerto Madryn.

    On the positive side, there are still penguins, elephant seals, and sea lions to be found there, so we can't be too disappointed. The most disappointed passengers on board are the Argentines, who, since the 1982 war with Britain, can only access the island via cruise ship.

    The ship is already rocking side to side and bouncing up and down, so the next two days should be an interesting ride. I just hope the satellite transmission of tonight's game isn't interrupted, especially in the fourth quarter.    Read more

  • Argentina and Italy 2023/2024
    Day 66

    Elephant Island

    February 10 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    Over one hundred years ago, Ernest Shackleton set out on a trans-Antarctic expedition with a crew of twenty-seven aboard the Endurance. After six weeks at sea, on January 19, 1915, Endurance became frozen solid in an ice floe, where it remained until spring arrived in September. Unfortunately, as it thawed and shifted, the ice put extreme pressure on the hull of Endurance, resulting in her sinking on November 21. Shackleton and his crew floated on ice floes and lifeboats until April 14, 1916, when they set foot on Elephant Island 557 kilometers from where Endurance sank, and 497 days from the last time they had been on dry land.

    Because Elephant Island was so far from any shipping lanes with virtually no chance of rescue, ten days later, Shackleton and five crew set off for South Georgia in search of help. He eventually succeeded, but the remaining twenty-two members of his crew spent four and a half months stranded on Elephant Island before Shackleton was able to return to rescue them.

    Today, from the warmth and comfort of our ship, we got a glimpse of the harsh and desolate land where those twenty-two poor souls endured more suffering and hardship than I can even imagine. Their story is an inspirational testament to the strength of the human spirit and our inate survival instinct.

    The land was beautiful and awesome to look at, but I wouldn't care to spend even one day stranded there, not even on a beautiful summer day like today.    Read more

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