Adventures in Buenos Aires

Several months ago we realized that timing could work out so that we would be in Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America, around our daughter's birthday. As she loves all things European and especially French, we made it happen! We also opted to have this time be "spring break" from homeschooling for the kids so that we could just enjoy the final few weeks of our travels (more on that later!). So after an overnight bus from Mendoza, we arrived in Buenos Aires to stay in a gorgeous three-bedroom apartment in the San Nicholas neighborhood and spend a week as tourists!

We ended with one of our best, most comfortable bus trips (and a birthday surprise on the bus!) and an amazing apartment!

Birthday celebrations during the week included visits to the stunning Galerias Pacifico shopping mall, the Obelisk, El Ateneo book store, the Caminito in Boca, and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano. That's what the girl wanted, and that's what she got! It was super hot all week, but we made it all work.

Happy Birthday, kiddo!

Galerias Pacifico, the Obelisk, and El Ateneo bookstore.

The colorful Caminito (and the best choripán we had!).

The Frida Kahlo exhibit was my favorite at the museum.

The birthday surprise she didn't know about until the bus ride to BA was tickets to a Boca Juniors fútbol game! The local team plays in a stadium called "La Bombonera" that is famous for its loud, energetic home crowd! Fun fact--in Argentina there are ONLY home fans at the fútbol games so that there aren't fights and problems. It was CRAZY! The crowd sang and screamed for the entire 90 minutes of play even though the final score was 0-0. Our night also included a stop for choripan and beers before the game and other than the fact that our tickets weren't all together (but we managed to wedge into a spot together) it was an awesome experience! The kids have really gotten into fútbol/soccer and I think we all had a good time. 

¡Vamos Boca! So much energy!

One of our "big" events was to go to a traditional Argentinean asado. Only the adults did it (and I opted to go full meat-eater that day to get the true experience) and it was such an amazing experience. We joined two other couples and our host for a walking tour of the Palermo neighborhood where we learned about its history and street art. We also picked up some meat from the famous Don Julio carneceria and had a tasting of local wines. And all of that was before we did much with asado! We learned about the fire, the parilla (grill), the meats, and we learned how to make chimichurri sauce. And the food! Oh man, every single thing we ate and drank was so delicious. And our companions were so nice...it really made for a very fun day.

There are so many interesting stories behind the street art around Palermo.

Wine, fernet and cola, more wine, and mate!

The food was AMAZING! Provoleta, blood sausage bruschetta, matambrito de credo, chorizo and sweetbreads, chimichurri, steak, salad, and sweet potato with ice cream and candied nuts. Just WOW!

We learned so much and had a great time with our group!

And since we were in Buenos Aires we simply had to go to a tango! We opted to head to Tango Porteño as it was only a 10-minute walk from our apartment. The show included traditional folk dance along with the tango numbers, and the six-man bad was amazing! So glad we did it! But tangos start after 10pm so between the fútbol game and tango we had to get used to late nights.

Tango Porteño was fabulous!

The next night we had another surprise/unplanned event. As were were walking around town early in the week we saw a poster for an Imagine Dragons concert and decided to check out tickets. Well, they were available and we didn't have plans for the day of the show, so we went for it! It was a great show! It was all general admission on the polo grounds so we were just in the crowd out on the grass, but it was so good! Katreina and I were too short to see anything on the stage, but it really didn't matter. And I was a little surprised at how much of the band's music I actually knew!

This show was so good and so much fun!

The day after the concert we had another adventure--a day trip to Uruguay! Our original plan was to spend a week in Uruguay, traveling the tannat vineyards and beaches via car, but with an end date set for our travels we had to scale it down. Lucky for us, a ferry port was a 10-minute walk from our apartment and they ran day trips to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay! You check out of Argentina and into Uruguay before you even board the ferry, so that was convenient (it's a little more drawn out on the return). We arrived around 2pm on a very hot day, found a place for a lazy lunch, visited the lighthouse, walked the cobblestone streets, and enjoyed some tannat. It was a nice little trip to a new country!

We made it easily! Great spot for a lazy lunch and for Frank to try the local speciality sandwich, chivito.

We explored the little lighthouse and the local wine.

It's a cute little town to wander around, especially as the sun went down.

Our our last full day in BA Katreina and I visited Teatre Colón. It was stunning! It was fascinating to learn about the eclectic design of the building and its use over the years, and it really made us want to see an opera there. 

It was all so beautiful and the tour was very informative.

With the heat we definitely didn't explore as many parks as I would have liked to, but we did have a good time in the city (NOT our normal habitat!). I could definitely visit again. There are so many neighborhoods to explore, so much food to eat, and so much culture to experience in Buenos Aires!

Around Buenos Aires.

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Slow travel in Mendoza

We arrived in Mendoza after a wonderfully comfortable 18-hour bus ride a week ago. What have we been up to? Absolutely nothing! Ok, that's not totally true, but when most people arrive at a new place they are out "doing" and that's just not how we are all of the time. 

Our beautiful neighborhood of Arístides.

We have planned to be in Mendoza for four weeks so we have time to slowly take it all in. We got a very affordable apartment right near a very nice park and a street full of amazing bars and restaurants. In this first week we've found a fantastic fruit and veggie stand, our empanada guy, a few great happy hours, amazing ice cream, crazy affordable spa services, and several mini markets that have tables and a big screen so you can drink beer and watch fútbol there. And the best part? The park. I have been there every single day. There are so many walking trails, workout stations, statues, food trucks, weekend markets...I am so happy here!

No problem finding food and fun around here!

Our workout circuit sometimes has food stands! And an artificial lake that adds some ambiance.

We haven't even explored all of this park yet, but isn't it pretty?

Ok, but it IS Mendoza. And why is this significant? It's the heart of Argentina wine country! Malbec is the star here and we have definitely been enjoying it and we do have plans to go to at least one winery. We have a few other "touristy" things planned for our time here, but this apartment has been a perfect spot for getting lots of school done and just taking time to prepare for our next moves. So standby for not much happening with us!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

A mountain escape to Bariloche, Argentina

By now we've learned to expect that 20+ hour bus rides will arrive a few hours past the scheduled time, and our 23-hour (27-hour) trip to San Carlos de Bariloche, also known as Bariloche, was no exception! Thankfully our AirBnB hosts welcomed us at 2230 and had pasta that we could cook up!

This is our first time in the lakes region of Argentina so we planned to stay for two weeks in this mountain town and enjoy its Bavarian-influenced culture, natural beauty, and of course, chocolate. I chose our AirBnB about three kilometers from the city center because it was one of the most affordable I found for the time we wanted to be there and from the pictures it looked like it had amazing views of Nahuel Huapi Lake. We were not disappointed! We found the place to be comfortable with a great kitchen and crazy good views, it was close to a decent grocery store, and we could walk into the city center in 40 minutes or take a bus. All good, plus the kids had a great space to do school. And that's just what we did for our first few days! 

Our first "excursion" was to a mate (mah-tay) lesson that I found through AirBnB. We opted to book this as a private experience and I'm so glad we did. It's not that we don't want to meet other people, but we've had mate before and love the taste, but had so many questions about how to prepare it correctly. This way we got to do the whole lesson in English and really experience the ritual of Yerba mate, which is a social ritual that involves sharing the drink and sharing a straw and with COVID they have altered the class. Since we are a family, we were able to practice the full, shared social experience (fun fact--we definitely shared a mate with several people 16 years ago). Our instructor, Melanie, was amazing! We learned about the history of Yerba mate, where yerba is grown and how it is dried, about different mates (the cups) and bombillas (the straws), how to properly prepare the drink, and how to share it. We tried three different types of yerba, both alone and paired with a snack specifically chosen for each type. It was an AMAZING experience and we learned so much. 

We really loved learning about yerba mate with Melanie!

We also booked a local walking tour, "German Footprint and Nazi Presence in Bariloche" with Diego as the guide. This one is available through AirBnB experiences or local travel agencies (we used Zig Zag). Though the group was pretty big (maybe 20 people) and the information was delivered in both Spanish and English, it ended up being a super informative, super engaging walk with some really nice travelers from all over the world! Diego is a master at delivering bits of info in each language, rather than huge chunks, so that we all were listening for the next tidbit. We learned all about how the town was founded by German-Chilean Carlos Wiederholdt, the three waves of German immigrants to Argentina, and the Nazi's who were caught living in Bariloche. We really loved that it wasn't just about Bariloche, but rather incorporated what was going on in the world during each of the immigrant waves so there was much more context. And this was a fabulous tour given what the kids are currently studying in history (and Trent just finished "The Diary of Anne Frank" in English). We also watched "Operation Final" on Netflix the night before this tour and Diego enhanced much of what we learned in that film. We were honestly very pleased with this experience.

Diego was a fantastic guide and taught us so much about the German presence in Bariloche.

While in Bariloche we also had to try some chocolate! It's the chocolate capital of Argentina and honestly I would die if we tried every chocolate shop, but we hit Patagónico, Del Turista, Rapa Nui, Mamuschka, Frantom, and the Museo de Chocolate Havanna. The museum tour was actually pretty cool--all done in Spanish (but we understood most of it!), they served an amazing hot chocolate, and at the end they have an exhibit of local animals carved from chocolate. We picked up some alfajores from the museum (think cookie sandwich of dulce de leche dipped in chocolate or meringue), and while they are popular in Argentina, they aren't really our favorite. But they were good. Since it's so hot here we actually hit up the ice cream stands at the chocolate places more than the chocolate!

CHOCOLATE!

Hiking is also pretty big around here. We didn't do nearly as much of that as I would have liked just because of family preference and the desire to focus on school, but the boys and I did do a nice hike that combined the Sendero de los Arrayanes with the Lago Escondido Trail. A few hours on the trail and lunch on a lakeshore was just what I needed!

Loved this day on the trail with my guys.

Top marks for fun went to Cerro Viejo, a small, cheap, old teleférico close to our place that gives you stunning views of Lago Nahuel Huapi. You ride an old ski lift to the top the hill, then you have the option of walking down or riding the giant toboggan slide, and of course we chose the slide. It was such a good, old-fashioned fun time! There was also a little forest of arrayanes (myrtle) trees on the hillside and it was beautiful! We actually went back for another visit on our final day to determine the toboggan champion. Frank won, but only after Trent wiped out in the final corner, skinning every joint and tearing his shirt!

So much simple fun, but dang, Trent!

We also headed out to Colonia Suiza (the Swiss Colony) one day as it was rumored to have great Swiss architecture and was famous for its curanto, a local meal of meats and vegetables that is cooked in the ground. We ended up really enjoying the meal experience at Colonia Suiza Resto-Bar. You book a table for the curanto and they explain the whole thing--how Polynesian influence came to Chile which then came over to this little town, how they layer the meats and veggies, how it is covered with dirt and burlap, and then they uncovered the glorious spread of food! We went to our table and they came around with platters of food...three times! We gals had the vegetarian version which was honestly awesome with potatoes, yams, apples, onions, corn, carrots, and squash. The guys had all of that veg plus, chicken, pork, stuffed pork belly, lamb, lamb ribs, and chorizo! It was a crazy amount of food! The rest of Colonia Suiza? Uh, not really our thing. We walked all around and I can't say we saw a ton of interesting architecture. All we found were a ton of food vendors, a few small craft stands, restaurants, and a crazy crowded beach. It also took us a ton of time to get there and return via bus as the busses were full and infrequent. Add in that we had to wait for them in the blazing sun and I'm not sure we would do this again, at least not at this time of year. But the curanto was good.

Meat is a big deal in Argentina and curanto is the way to eat it in Colonia Suiza!

Our house is about a three-to-four minute walk to the lake. It's beautiful. The water is honestly a bit cold for me to head out and go for a swim (I saw one guy swimming in a wetsuit!) and the shores are rocky, but it's lovely. We are right by a marina so we get to stare dreamily at boats every day, too. And we can walk all the way to town on the road that runs along the lake. It's not bad! We spent a few afternoons walking around town and seeing all the touristy things there.

Beach days at the frigid lake. Frank made it in the furthest!

Around Bariloche...the Civic Center, the Cathedral, the lakefront, and the most awesome waterfront skate/bike park I've ever seen!

Restaurants here are supposed to be good, too, but honestly we only went out once for burgers after a tour! Why? Well, Argentinians complain that the food it expensive in this town, but it's honestly because we have a really awesome place! Every time we think of going out for a drink at one of the bars down on the lake, we realize that we can get drinks cheaper at the grocery store and enjoy them in the peaceful comfort of our own home with fabulous views of the lake. And I like to cook and this kitchen is good so yeah, we were homebodies. I think we will dine out a bit more in our next place...

Our little house was just perfect for us!

There is really so much more to do in this area and if we did it again, I would come during shoulder season and have a car to reach further and explore the many trails in the area without relying on tours on the public transit. 

A word about the bus. Argentina public transportation requires the use of a SUBE card--they don't take cash--and it's not like in D.C. where you just get a card from a kiosk. Here, you have to get your card from an official distributor with your passport in hand, then go somewhere else to charge it usually. I've read there are some automated top-up places in Buenos Aires, but mostly you have to go to kioskos (think convenience store) to top-up your card. The good news is that as long as you have money on the card, multiple people can use it. Frank and I set off on a SUBE card expedition only to have the official place be out of them, then about 10 kioskos that were supposed to have them also be out of them. The last place we tried said they didn't have them, but the guy next door did. Here's where big warning flags should have gone off--no "SUBE" sign in that guy's store window, but he had them and was selling them at only twice what they should cost. We paid $3 for the card, then went back next door to charge them with $3 each, and we were off! We boarded a bus, tapped our cards, and all was good. A few days later, we walked to town with the kids, but opted to take the bus back and...whammo--cards wouldn't work. We kind of knew they were used cards, but a trip to the "official" place the next day confirmed they were registered in someone else's name and had been blocked, the balance transferred away. Ok, so we got duped to the tune of $10. But you know what's awesome? The official place had cards again so we got two real cards and haven't had any problems since! But seriously, this "register with your ID" method and short card inventory makes it pretty hard for tourists to use the public transit system. Makes me miss the ease of use in DC, NYC, and Athens.

One of the more empty buses we rode on.

This also marks the end of our two months in Patagonia as Bariloche is the northern end of the region. It was wild, wonderful, and there is so much more to explore. Next stop--Mendoza!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

El Chaltén, Argentina

From El Calafate it was a pretty quick 3.5 hour bus ride up to El Chaltén, the village that marks the north end of Los Glaciares National Park and is known as the National Capital of Trekking in Argentina. Why? Well, walk in just about any direction from town and you are on the free trails to amazing views of the Andes, glaciers, rivers, lakes, and so much more. It's definitely the "high season" in Patagonia and even though we booked a long time ago, we were only able to get four nights in a place that met our needs/budget. No worries--we skipped school and made this a hiking/birthday celebration vacation! Given our bus timetables, we were actually able to work in five solid days of hiking along with ample rest. Our home base at El Chaltén Aparts was perfect--space for everyone, very comfy beds, fabulous shower for post-hike recovery, a small yet functional kitchen, a short walk to groceries, and the most amazing daily breakfast that was so big, it also provided our daily trail snacks! So how did we spend our time?

The area we focused on for hikes around El Chaltén.

Day 1: Check in, check out the grocery situation, hike! We opted for a short hike (6km round-trip) to Chorillo del Salto, a nearby waterfall. We were going to go to the "Condor View" hill, but we saw condors right from town so opted not to! The walk was hot and dusty as part of it was along the gravel road, but the waterfall was spectacular. It was also super crowded! This is definitely one of the stops for the day-tour buses so the crowd ebbs and flows if you just hang out. It was also a beautiful Sunday afternoon and many locals were there enjoying yerba mate. But the best part?  On the way back to town we saw a flock of Austral Conures (parakeets)! Frank has been wanting to see them in the wild and we finally did!

Just a nice afternoon at a waterfall, with a bonus bird sighting!

Day 2: Loma del Pliegue Tumbado. On the recommendation of our apartment host (who is also a mountain guide), we set out on the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado trail. The draw? Rather than being at the edge of Laguna Torre, this trail leads you to a viewpoint over the laguna more at the level of the mountains. It was labeled as a "hard" trail, 24km round-trip, and should take us 7-8 hours. It ended up being a hot, hard hike! There were a few nice, wooded sections, but most of the climb was done out in the open under the full sun. Add in tons of horse flies and uneven, rocky terrain, and it was definitely a tough one. Unfortunately, Cerro Torre remained covered in clouds the whole day, but Fitz Roy made some nice appearances! The best part of the trail was getting to see down into Laguna and Glacier Torre, with a clear view of where Frank and I hiked and did ice climbing on the glacier 16 years ago. The glacier is definitely smaller now, and it doesn't seem that they are doing the climbing there anymore, but it was still fun to show the kids how we made it through the valley from the viewpoint above. But oh, the heat and the flies! 

Not so easy on a hot day and Cerro Torre remained shrouded in that cloud to the left.

Day 3: Recovery/Birthday at Laguna Capri! After those first two hikes we laid out a plan for our remaining time and decided that we would sleep in, do a "moderate" hike, relax, and celebrate Frank! Our chosen hike was Laguna Capri, a beautiful lake that has great views of Fitz Roy when the weather cooperates, and we had a FABULOUS weather day! It was hot again, but the climb out of town on this trail is shaded in the woods so that helped. We opted for the full loop of Laguna Capri, putting us around 9km on the trail for the day, and also putting us face-to-face with another of Frank's target bird species, the Magellanic Woodpecker! We had such a great view of two stunning, red-headed males and a female and lingered for several minutes. It was a perfect birthday present for our guy! We found a peaceful spot on the shore of the lagoon to enjoy our lunch and then found a geocache in honor of Frank's mom on his birthday--she is a serious geocacher! We left the lagoon just as a large group showed up (this is also a usual day-tour trail) and enjoyed a fairly peaceful hike down. Then Frank and I enjoyed a beer at La Cervecería Chaltén which we are 99% certain is where we first connected with our guide, Pedro Fina, 16 years ago! (We happily learned from our host that Pedro is still in the area with his family!)

I really enjoyed this hike and celebrating Frank!

Day 4: The long loop--Río Eléctrico - Piedras Blancas - Fitz Roy view - Laguna Madre y Hija - Cerro Torre view. It took some time on the trails, some wine, and a trail map to figure out what Frank and I had done the last time we were here. We are pretty sure this is the path we followed, staying at Camps Poincenot and D'Agostini, but also doing the full treks to Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre. We opted to do the loop without those treks to the lagoons and ended up having a wonderful day with spectacular views and lots of good memories! We started out by getting a ride up to the Río Eléctrico bridge, 15km outside of town. We definitely remembered that bridge! The hike began along the Río Blanco valley, passing Laguna and Glaciar Piedras Blancas with great views of Cerro Fitz Roy. The second third of the hike took us south for a lunch with stunning views of Fitz Roy and then along the shores of Lagunas Madre y Hija. It was fun to visit this area with my hija! We chatted with a couple from Maryland along the way and saw more Magellanic Woodpeckers. As we approached the junction that would take us on the final third of the trail and back to town, we instead opted to head up toward Cerro Torre for a bit. The views continued to amaze us, but after getting distracted by a low-flying condor for a solid 10 minutes, we opted to take our tiring feet back down the trail and toward town. Besides, it was one of only two days a week that the Mexican restaurant is open and we needed our Mex fix! The trail back to town was rockier and harder than I expected, but it was probably just because we were tiring. 2/3 of the day's trails had been advertised as "moderate" and as we went over the 20km point I think we were all feeling it. 

Río Eléctrico to Laguna y Glaciar Piedras Blancas. 

Great views of Cerro Fitz Roy all morning led us to a nice lunch spot near the junction of the trails.

Madre y Hija!

Madre y Hija connector trail between Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre (and our first great view of Cerro Torre!).

Cerro Torre was simply stunning that day!

Day 5: Check out, hike, depart! We slept in, packed up, and slowly made our way back to Chorrillo del Salto for a lazy afternoon at the waterfall. We spent about two hours there having lunch, chilling our feet in the water, and watching the hordes of people come and go. It was super hot that day so we made our way back to town for ice cream, a little shopping, and finally settled in to La Vineria for drinks, dinner, and games before getting cleaned up and boarding our overnight, 24-hour bus.

One last trip to the waterfall!

Snacks, games, and our final look at Southern Patagonia from the bus.

This stop was almost all that the parents dreamed of, and was enjoyed by at least one kid! We definitely adjusted our plans as we went to account for the health and happiness of the crews. Did I want to hike the lagoons? Yes. Did I want a happy daughter? Also, yes!

At the risk of making this a ridiculously long post, the following are Katreina's reviews of the hikes we did. We showed her the funny U.S. National Parks reviews and sometimes would make them up for the trails we were on to try to lighten the mood. I am pleased to offer her contribution to the blog and really hope you enjoy it!

These hikes have been rated as if they are out of five stars--keep in mind I am not a huge fan of hikes. ~Katreina 

Chorrillo del Salto, 4/5: This hike was definitely not bad, very flat and a short hike (one hour). Once you find a good rock, it's very easy to spend hours looking at the waterfall. However, it's often busy with tour buses coming in and out, several people running around for photo ops and often times you end up staring at someone's arse instead of the waterfall. Not to mention for about 0.5km you are walking on the dusty road, which is very unpleasant with cars speeding by. This can all be looked over though once you have some quiet time with few people at the waterfall.

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, 1/5: This hike is 12km going up for 4hrs to a lookout of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy. The entire hike is a gradual uphill, which got tiring after the first hour. Upon reaching the 3hr mark, we were able to see Fitz Roy from where we were, which was good enough for me (it was very pretty at this point).

BUT my loving family decided that we would keep going, there was a lake that we would see at the lookout, creating the perfect scene. Thus we moved up into fly hell. Horseflies were on us as if we WERE horses, I had had it. I was screaming every five seconds as one entered between by eyes and glasses. My parents asked if I want to go back, I said "I mean we've already seen it, I'm good." But we continued. There was a steep increase, my legs were dead and walking along a bunch of tiny rocks was horrible. We got to the viewpoint, seeing the lagoon, which I had hoped would look better considering the difficulty to get there. Overall, it was a nice view but it did to outweigh the flies, steepness, and rough terrain (near the end). 

Laguna Capri, 2/5: The hike wasn't bad, but there was a lot of uphill at the beginning. It's also one of the busiest trails, making it hard to maneuver around other people. The lake was very pretty, and we saw interesting birds along the way. However, what was really horrible about this trail was the amount of poop you find on the trail--human poop. When we got to the lake we found a nice little spot to have lunch, but the mood was ruined when right behind us we saw a large turd with toilet paper right next to it on a rock--needless to say, we moved. The amount of poop just ruined the vibe and even at lookouts it was hard to enjoy because right next to us we would find poo. The lake is beautiful, but it's ruined by those who pass by. 

Cerro Fitz Roy (Piedras Blancas to Torre trail), 3/5: This hike also wasn't too bad in terms of steepness, it was just long. We got to see Cerro Torre, which was pretty, along with Fitz Roy. However, the viewpoints I really likes (Mirador Piedras Blancas and just on the Cerro Torre trail) were either near the beginning or end of our hike. It's easy for a long hike, but it seems like I could've seen the same views in less than ~7hrs. That being said, there were less horseflies and poop (great success!).

We love you, kiddo, even if you don't love all the activities we do!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma (and apparently over-hiker to good views 😁)

Punta Arenas--53 South

New city! Punta Arenas is definitely a little bigger than I was prepared for after Puerto Natales, but our place here is within walking distance of the city center and plenty of grocery and restaurant options. Our host offered up some good suggestions of things to check out in the area, too. We spent the first few days in Punta Arenas making sure we were all set for a cozy Christmas and learning more about this immigrant-rich area.

All around Punta Arenas

One of the suggestions we took was to visit Fort Bulnes. We joined a Brazilian couple for a cold, windy tour of this site of strategic importance. On the way there we stopped at the geographic center of Chile, which seems crazy at around 53S latitude until you realize that Chile claims a slice of territory in Antarctica. We also stopped in at the fishing village of Bahía Buena (Good Bay) and passed by and learned about Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine which is where, you guessed it, lots of folks died of famine trying to settle here). We visited the fort, walked through the forest and along the strait, and toured the Museum of the Strait. While the history of the fort and Chile's claim to the area was interesting, the highlight for us was talking to our guide, Eduardo, who shared a lot of information about the general history, people, and politics of the Magallenes region and we appreciate his openness. We also learned a bit about Brazil from our tour mates so that was a bonus!

"Center" of Chile and Bahía Buena

Fort Bulnes

Christmas Eve night is actually when Chileans have their big family gatherings for the holiday, but in the morning and early afternoon, everything was open and bustling! We were up super early to board a boat for a ride in the Strait of Magellan to Magdalena Island to see PENGUINS! This tour did not disappoint. Upon arrival at the island would could see thousands of Magallenic penguins and gulls. Tourists are kept on a very strict walking path, but the birds cross it freely and we were amazed at just how close we were to the birds and their nests. We were there durning a very special time--chicks had been hatching for three weeks and there were a bunch of cute, fluffy baby penguins and gulls! We also saw geese and skuas while we were there. It was awesome. Next we headed for Marta Island for observation of sea lions and cormorants from the boat. It was a little "brisk" and the ride was rough, but the whole experience was really great. I definitely enjoyed this Christmas present!

¡Los pingüinos!

After grabbing some amazing empanadas on our way back home, we had a relaxing Christmas Eve. We played some games, I made a simple cheese/bread/veggies spread, and we watched a movie before the kids gave gifts--I received a beautiful bracelet they'd had tucked away since Peru and Frank got whiskey. Christmas morning we ate pie and cake for breakfast, the kids got to open their gifts from us (snacks, a movie, and some makeup for the girl), and I was surprised with a gift of maté straws. It was simple and wonderful. That afternoon we enjoyed a nice late lunch/early dinner at La Yegua Local with amazing views of the city and the Strait of Magellan. The weather was spectacular so we enjoyed a nice walk through town before returning home. It was indeed a very merry Christmas.

Nothing quite like a relaxing Christmas Eve with my crew.

Gorgeous weather for our relaxing Christmas Day!

We got back to the school grind to finish out our time in Punta Arenas, but also squeezed in a little more culture. We visited Museo Nao Victoria and toured replicas of the Victoria (from Magellan's expedition), the Beagle (from the FitzRoy/Darwin expedition), the Ancud (from when Chile took possession of the Strait of Magellan) and the James Cairn (lifeboat from Shackleton's journey to save his crew in Antarctica). The Uber rides and $5000 pesos per person were definitely worth a visit to that very interesting, educational museum on the shores of the Strait of Magellan! 

On our last day in town Frank and I visited the Museo Naval y Maritimo, the Chilean Navy's museum, while the kids did school. It was a small museum highlighting the Armada's role in exploration and navigation of the area. We loved seeing a plaque from UNITAS in one of the rooms and I especially liked seeing a meteorological room. And being big geeks over the Shackleton expedition, we were really excited to learn more about the ship, Yelcho, and her Captain, Luis Alberto Pardo Villalón, who undertook the journey to rescue the crew of the Endurance. Later we all visited the Museo Maggiorino Borgatello, a diverse museum with exhibits about natural history, indigenous cultures, the southern expeditions and religious missions, regional history, and Antarctica. And on the way home we popped in to the municipal cemetery which is renowned for its beauty. 

Can't keep two Navy veterans out of a naval museum!

And with that (and one more crazy good meal at El Alambrado), our time in Chile has come to an end! A day-long bus ride will see us across the border to Argentina and on to new places, new currency, and new adventures! But there is no doubt that we love Chile (and would return to all of the places we visited) and have so much more to see of this beautiful country.

Vegetarian Pichanga and Meat Chorillana from El Alambrado. It's a ton of food, even with two people sharing the mediano! 

~Jo, Nomadic Momma