Presenting Patagonia

After spending Christmas in the summer of South America, with temperatures in the 90’s and no air conditioning, it was time to head farther south to more winter-like temperatures.  We departed the morning of December 26^th to Ushuaia, in the southern-most province of Argentina, Tierra del Fuego.  This was a trip Matt and I had been anticipating for quite some time – Matt has always wanted to take a fishing trip to Patagonia (though there would be no fishing on this vacation, he was happy to see the place and plan a future trip) and I had a more personal interest, as my mother had lived in Ushuaia as a very young child with my grandparents.  My grandfather, Abuelo Raul, was in the Argentine Navy, when my mom was a baby and they spent three years living on the Naval Base in Ushuaia.  The boys did not really know what to expect out of this trip, other than the fact that we would be seeing penguins and glaciers – and until you actually see the glaciers, it’s hard to imagine anything exciting about seeing a bunch of ice – we definitely weren’t prepared for the spectacle of nature we would witness.
 

After another long day of travel (i.e. waiting in airports) we arrived in Ushuaia in the early evening.  Flying over the Andes and seeing a bird’s-eye-view of the “cordillera” – the boundary between Argentina and Chile – was an amazing sight in and of itself.  The capital of Tierra del Fuego (which translate, means “Land of Fire”), Ushuaia is also known as the southern-most city in the world, or the “city at the end of the world”.  The airport, which resembles a ski lodge, sits on an island that was created specifically for this function – upon our arrival we were greeted by our tour company representatives and taken to our hotel in town.  It was much cooler than when we left Cordoba earlier that morning, so we had to pull out the jackets and gloves to keep warm.  After getting settled in our little apartment, we took a couple of hours to rest and research our options for excursions.  At this time of year, the sun is up from about 4:30AM until almost 11:00PM – so we had plenty of daylight left to walk to dinner and check out the town.    

Our hotel, with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Our hotel sat about five blocks north of the center of town, at the edge of the mountains.  Being summer, we were surprised to still see snow-capped mountains all around us.  Ushuaia’s landscape is truly breathtaking, with the Beagle Channel creating its southern border, and the Andes surrounding the rest of the city.  The main street in town, offering the most options for shopping and dining, was called San Martin Street – even though I have never been to Switzerland, it made me imagine a picturesque ski town in the middle of the Alps.  Our first evening there, we wandered up and down several blocks, admiring the quaint storefronts until we decided on a restaurant and hungrily ate a late dinner.  It felt quite bizarre, walking back to the hotel at 10:30 at night, and the sun was only beginning to set.  We closed the blinds to help block out the light, as we had to be up early the next morning for our first excursion and tour.

San Martin Street

Our tour company, “Tiempo Libre”, was excellent – they arrived on time for every outing, and were efficient and informative – if you’ve ever traveled in South America, you know that this is rare and truly something to appreciate.  Our first morning in Ushuaia began bright and early, and the bus picked us up for a full day of sight-seeing along the Andes.  Traversing the Garibaldi Pass, the southernmost road to cross the mountainous border between Chile and Argentina, we visited two lakes – Lago Fagnano and Lago Escondido.  Both were beautiful sights to see, nestled in the mountains.  We were especially lucky to get excellent views of Lago Escondido, which literally means “Hidden Lake” – according to our guides, 60 percent of the time the lake is not even visible due to heavy fog. 

Lago Escondido with Lago Fagnano in background

The kids had a great time skipping rocks into the lakes and climbing on old twisted tree trunks, and we all enjoyed the crisp (thankfully not too cold), clean, fresh mountain air.  After visiting the lakes, we stopped at a rustic restaurant (in the middle of nowhere) known for its Patagonian lamb.  The food was abundant and delicious – the lamb did not disappoint – with full bellies we boarded the bus (just as it began to rain) for the long ride back to the city.  Later that afternoon, while the boys rested and watched a movie in our room, Matt and I walked around the town and along the Beagle Channel until we reached the Naval Base – here, I was able to see the homes and the hospital where my grandfather had worked as a nurse during his time in the Navy. 

For our second full day in Ushuaia, we had two different excursions scheduled.  The first outing for the day included a ride on an old prison train (Train to the End of the World) into the Tierra del Fuego National Park.  While on the train, we learned of the history of the city of Ushuaia and the story of the prisoners who built it.  I borrowed this information from Wikipedia: “During the first half of the 20th century, the city centered around a prison built by the Argentine government to increase the Argentine population here and to ensure Argentine sovereignty over Tierra del Fuego.  The prison was intended for repeat offenders and serious criminals…who spent much of their time building the town with timber from the forest around the prison.”  The prisoners also built the railway that led into the forests, which are now part of the national park.  In another history lesson, we learned that Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) got its name from British missionaries who arrived there in the early 1800’s.  From their ships they could see smoke rising from canoes and dwellings dotting the landscape, giving the appearance of the land being on fire.  These fires were kept burning constantly (for warmth and cooking) by the Yamana Indians, who inhabited the land for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans.  Unfortunately, together with the settlers came diseases, and the Yamana population dwindled and virutally disappeared by the first decade of the 20^th century.     

Train to the End of the World

Skipping rocks in the park

Inside the Tierra del Fuego National Park, we appreciated the beautiful scenery of the forest graveyards, evidence of the logging still visible, horses grazing in the valleys, waterfalls, and another lake which is divided between Argentina and Chile.  The boys didn’t miss the opportunity to skip more rocks into the lake and climb on old tree trunks that had fallen.  We hiked along meadows and saw the place where the international Route 3, which stretches 17,848 KM (11,155 miles) to Alaska, ends.  And we made it to the spot claimed to be “the end of the world” – of course, there is always Antarctica if you cross the icy waters and continue to head south for another 1000 KM (625 miles).  At one point, while sitting at the end of the trail of wooden walkways, I looked over and saw Alex without shoes.  When I asked him what he was doing, his simple reply was, “I’m relaxing”!  I thought to myself, how lucky is this kid, getting to “relax at the end of the world”?!  One more stop along the way at Bahia Ensenada, a salt-water bay inside the park, and it was time to return to the city for lunch and a break before our afternoon excursion.

Where Rt. 3 ends - head north and you'll reach Alaska!

Alex - relaxing at the "end of the world"

The afternoon turned cloudy and drizzly, and we were getting tired, but we were looking forward to our afternoon boat ride on the Beagle Channel, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  We were sailing as far as the “Lighthouse at the End of the World”, opting not to go an extra 2 hours to visit the penguins.  Unfortunately, the boat we were supposed to board was having technical difficulties, so we were delayed for an hour while the crew readied another vessel for our excursion.  Because of his problems with sea-sickness, Matt had taken a Dramamine and by the time we finally got underway, he was feeling very drowsy – he fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down.  Ian and Alex had fun wandering up and down the steps on the boat, trying to find the best views of the channel and of the sea lions and cormorants we were going to see.  After a short time, we arrived at the first grouping of rocks and were able to get up close and personal with the sea lions that live there – too close for my comfort – those animals stink!  I did manage to snap some quick pictures of the smelly creatures, along with cormorants – birds that look like penguins, but with the advantage of being able to fly. 

Cormorants and smelly sea lions

Aside from being very cold outside, the stench was unbearable and sent me back to the warmer, less offensive interior of the boat.  Once we reached the lighthouse, our boat turned back for the city – after our long day, we were ready for dinner and our beds!  The following morning we had time for a brief visit to the old prison museum and lunch before leaving Ushuaia for El Calafate – our last stop on our Argentinian holiday vacation.        

Lighthouse at the "end of the world"

Leaving Brazil...

This will be very brief, as I hope to finish up and close out this blog site soon...

It is impossible to believe that we have been living back in the U.S. for almost 4 months.  The last 6 months, since we found out we would be returning to the Pittsburgh area sooner than expected, have been a blur of activities and have flown!  My last post (which was done in April, several months behind schedule) was about our time in Cordoba over Christmas.  I had full intentions of writing about our days in Patagonia over New Year's, along with our trip back to the States to find a home, and all of the final preparations for leaving our lives in Brazil and starting again.  I didn't think I would have already seen the fireworks of July 4th before accomplishing all of this!

So, this is just a brief message for the few people who so kindly read this blog that there will be a few more entries, as I don't think my time in Brazil can really be concluded until I share all of the ups and downs of our last few months there.  Thank you for reading...to be continued!

Christmas in Cordoba

This year we decided to stay in South America for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  With a house-hunting trip scheduled for later in January, we figured it would be a good opportunity for us to travel and see a bit more of the beauties south of the equator while we still had the chance.  Our families were a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be with them during that very special time of year, but they understood and were looking forward to our visit just a few weeks away, especially since it meant that we would be preparing for our return to life in the U.S.  The boys were also a bit sad to be missing time with their cousins and extended family, but we explained that it is okay to do something different once in a while, and that the trip we were going to take was going to exceed their expectations.

Our first stop in our travels was Cordoba, Argentina to spend Christmas with my relatives.  I’ve only spent Christmas in Argentina once – when I was 8 years old.  I have so many fond memories of that one holiday I spent with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – it is definitely the childhood Christmas that stands out the most in my mind.  Thirty years later (gulp!) I was excited to actually be with my own relatives again, even though so much had changed over the years, not to mention the family has shrunk considerably.  We left Sao Paulo on December 20^th – as is normal for air travel, it took much longer than expected (I won’t bore readers with the details of the delays), and 18 hours after leaving our apartment, we arrived at my Tia Pola’s house near midnight!  The heat was bearing down on us – they had recently had temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit – and no A/C, of course!  Due to the late hour, we ate a light dinner of “Sanduiches de Miga” (yummy thin sandwiches) and veggies and went straight to bed!

The next few days were spent lazily lounging by the pool and hanging out with aunts, cousins, and a few friends.  Ian and Alex made friends with some neighborhood boys and swam and played games (soccer, football, tag, Marco Polo) with them for hours at a time.  When I asked what language they were speaking to communicate, Alex answered, “Portuñolish” – his own word for a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, and English!  I love how they have learned to adapt – and kids speak the universal language of “play”.  We were enjoying our time, but really noticed the differences in what we are accustomed to this time of year – the heat, no carols being played on the radio, the lack of familiar traditional foods (such as Nanna’s party mix!).  It hardly felt like Christmas time – the only reminders were the few decorations that my Tia Pola had put out in our honor, including a huge poster of Santa Claus with an English “Merry Christmas” greeting! 

In swimming trunks on Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve arrived and temperatures soared into the upper 90s – the kids spent the whole day in the pool with the neighbor’s boys.  Karina and her niece, Azul, surprised us with a visit that afternoon – while the kids played (not necessarily together!), we sat and drank mate and laughed and talked for a couple of hours.  We thought of Matt’s family, who were gathering at his Aunt Kaye’s house for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, and of my mom, who had gone to spend the holidays with my brother and his family – I thought of my dad, who was spending Christmas alone (as he says is just the way he likes it, but I don’t believe him), and of my sister, who was celebrating with her husband’s family in Virginia.  We were all scattered, but felt like we were together in spirit – I know the boys were definitely feeling the absence of their cousins, imagining all of them running around and preparing for a requisite early visit from Santa Claus. 

Toasting my Tia Pola

  

Dinners are always served late in Argentina, and as is the custom there, Christmas dinner doesn’t even get started until 10:00PM or later.  The boys were completely exhausted by the time everyone arrived (Cecilia and her family, and Liliana and her daughters joined us), but they were determined to stay up and watch the fireworks we had promised they would see at midnight.  Alex didn’t make it past 10:30 – he barely ate a bite and fell asleep (in a very awkward position) watching TV.  Ian, however, forced himself to stay awake, and looked completely bored and miserable – he was definitely missing “home”. 

Alex crashed!

Matt was charming and acted like he was perfectly content, but I’m sure there was a part of him wishing he was in Charleston, WV celebrating with the rest of his family.  Midnight finally arrived, and we propped a ladder against the side of my aunt’s house and climbed up onto the roof to get a better view of the fireworks that were starting to go off around the neighborhood.  Ian, who could hardly keep his eyes open, climbed up and recorded some of it to show Alex in the morning.  Our “festivities” wrapped up at about 3:00AM, just as a very welcome wind storm blew in and cooled things off significantly. 

Watching fireworks on the roof

We spent Christmas day with my cousin Karina at the home of her parents – their whole family was there, including Christian’s girlfriend and her kids, as well as Jose Alberto with his new wife and baby. 

With Karina and Maia

As usual, my Tio Tito and Tia Elsa prepared enough to feed an army and we ate too much – after sitting, eating, and talking for several hours, we headed over to my Tia Chiquita’s for one last visit before departing for Patagonia the next morning.  This Christmas was definitely different than any other we had spent as a family, but it meant a lot to me to be with my own relatives – and it taught the kids that there can be a Christmas without all of the other things to which they have become accustomed.  However, next year we may appreciate those carols, the party mix, and even the cold a little bit more!            

Thanksgiving with Friends and More Farewells

Two days after returning from our memorable vacation to Bahia was Thanksgiving Day.  We originally did not have any plans to celebrate, as it is just a normal day here in Brazil (out of the 20 holidays they recognize and celebrate, Thanksgiving is not one of them).  At the start of the month, Matt had told me he would have to travel for work as soon as we returned from our trip and would not be here on that Thursday.  Since I thought he would be gone, I had just planned on taking the kids to Kung Fu after school, and maybe stopping for sushi afterward.  So, I was pleased and surprised when we received an invitation to celebrate and have dinner at a friend’s home and even happier when Matt informed me the same evening that he would be staying here that week.  There would be five families getting together and my mouth watered with every email that was exchanged planning the menu and deciding who would take what.
 

Of course, that Thursday during the day was “business as usual” for most of us.  While family members in the U.S. were gathering together, cooking, watching football and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Matt worked, the kids were in school, and I spent a few hours at the orphanage.  That evening, though, as we joined our friends, the distance from family and loved ones didn’t seem as great.  Juliana and Steven Edwards (their son is a good friend of Ian’s) graciously opened up their home and hosted a lovely evening – we enjoyed a delicious and abundant traditional dinner, from the juicy turkey to the pumpkin pies; but even more than the comfort that the familiar meal gave us, we had the warm sensation of being where we belonged.  

Our gracious hosts

Our Feast!

   

With December upon us, it was once again time to start saying goodbye to families who would be leaving Brazil for good.  Every six months (usually June and December) there seems to be a mass exodus from Sao Paulo and our expat group continues with the ebb and flow of this lifestyle – friends leave, new folks arrive.  This time I was having to say goodbye to my sweet friend, Tina; Denise, my volunteer buddy, also was leaving unexpectedly; my friend, Larissa, who happens to be Brazilian but hated her time in Sao Paulo (she’d lived in the U.S. for 15 years and had a hard time acclimating to life in this big city) had prayed to return to her beloved Texas – she got her wish and her family was sent back more than a year sooner than anticipated – unfortunately, she also was taking her son, Lucas, with her – he and Alex became good friends, as they lived in the same complex and were in the same class at school.  There were multiple farewell lunches and “one last” get-togethers – Matt wondered how many times I had said goodbye to Tina – several, but, then again, you can’t say it too much! 

 

The most memorable farewell celebration, by far, was a day trip to Rio for lunch – I joined eleven other ladies and literally flew to Rio for the day, just to have lunch!  It sounds crazy, I know, and definitely not something I would normally do.  The more rational side of me thinks it’s nuts to spend that kind of money to go have lunch!?  But, the other part of me, the more relaxed, just-go-with-it side that has emerged since I moved here, thought, “What the heck?  Why not?  Six months from now, when I am living back in the States, I won’t be able to just fly to Rio for the day to have lunch!”  When I talked to Matt about the idea, he consulted his calendar and quickly agreed to arrange his schedule so he could drop off and pick up the kids that day – did I mention I have the world’s best husband?  One of the ladies, whose husband works for an airline company, was able to get us discounts on the steep (due to short notice) airfare – still expensive, but half of what it would have cost – and arranged for a bus to transport our group while in Rio.  We had planned to have a short visit to the infamous Christ statue or Selaron Stairs for a photo-op, and then lunch in the Santa Teresa district of the city, possibly followed by some shopping in Copacabana before returning to Sao Paulo that evening.  Of course, we hadn’t accounted for rain putting a damper on most of our plans. 

 

The Rio Dozen

Due to foul weather that morning, the Santos Dumont airport in Rio, which has a runway that precariously juts out into the ocean, was closed for two hours, delaying our flight.  Finally, the airport reopened and our flight was authorized to take off.  Before leaving, I had called our bus driver to alert him of the delay – he reassured me that he was already at the airport and would remain there until we arrived.  Twenty minutes into the short 50-minute flight, the captain announced that the airport had closed again due to poor visibility – we would be going into a holding pattern, in hopes that things would improve and we could land, which we finally did, two and a half hours later than scheduled.  Unfortunately, when I called the bus driver to tell him we had arrived, he informed me that he was waiting at the international airport, one hour’s drive across the city.  Apparently, when the airport closed again (while we were in-flight), he was informed that our plane would be landing at the other airport and quickly made his way there.  Given that it was already close to noon, we decided to skip any photo-ops (rain notwithstanding) and took taxis straight to the restaurant and arranged to have the bus driver meet us there. 

Champagne toast with Tina on the bus

If you plan to be in the Rio area, I highly recommend the restaurant, Aprazivel, on a street by the same name.  The setting is beautiful and very unique, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was chic yet relaxed.  The 2 ½ hours that we spent there flew by with wonderful food, cocktails, laughter, and conversation – and a hefty check.  With only two hours before we had to be back at the airport, we decided to board our private bus and head to Copacabana to try to get in a few minutes of shopping.  Before we even made it onto the bus, the rain started coming down with a vengeance.  No one was looking forward to getting drenched, so a last-minute decision was made to go to the Copacabana Palace hotel for dessert and drinks.  This luxury hotel is one of the most famous and exclusive in Rio – our loud and large group was shuffled from one area to another until we were able to order drinks, but no luck in getting dessert.  Craving chocolate (after seeing a petite gateaux on the menu at the restaurant that got my mouth watering) I decided my first stop at the airport would be for coffee and a sweet treat.  Someone managed to purchase a bottle of bubbly and snagged some plastic cups for the bus ride back to the airport and we shared a toast in honor of our friends (Tina, and a fellow Aussie, Deb, who was also returning to Australia).  A few hours later, safely home, I reflected on the day – I had spent too much money, a lot of time waiting in the airports (our return flight was also delayed), but was surrounded by a fabulous and funny group of women and had a day I would not soon forget.                       

Farewell!