patagonia....

At the southernmost tip of South America is a sparsely populated region called Patagonia...a territory that spans both Argentina and Chile. It is home to fantastic mountain peaks, vast wind-blown steppes, glaciers and ice-fields and some amazing national parks. The name Patagonia can be traced back to Magellan in 1520.

As we cruised south along the Atlantic coast of Argentina...our first stop in Patagonia was Puerto Madryn.
 

Puerto Madryn was first settled by 150 Welsh colonists in 1865...after being promised religious freedom by the Argentinean government. It is still retains its Welsh charm...though the Spanish language and customs seem to be the norm these days.

We could have gone whale watching...or penguin observing...but we chose to take a drive out to the country and see how they farmed.

Our destination was the Estancia San Guillermo...a typical Patagonian sheep ranch.

Our hosts welcomed us to their place...and we watched as several of the sheep lost their wooly coats.

Though most of the sheep were in corals...or under the watchful eye of the resident sheep dog...it seemed that a few were the family pets and wandered about at will.  While we were being served fresh fried pastries and sipping on Yerba Mate...a wooly sheep wandered about among the tables.

Our next stop was Punta Loma...home to a major sea lion breeding ground.  A storm was brewing in the distance...and made for some great photography from our vantage point on the cliffs.

Back on the ship we sailed south to Cape Horn...the spot where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet.

The cape lies within Chilean waters...and marks the north edge of the Drake Passage.  It is actually situated on an island (Hoorn Island) and we joined the crowd on the upper deck as we sailed around the island. Notice...no trees. The navy maintains the weather station and lighthouse.  Because the wind always blows and the seas are often angry...Cape Horn is known as the most dangerous shipping route in the world.

From Cape Horn we traveled up Beagle Channel...offering splendid views of the Patagonian Andes.

Our next port of call was Ushuaia...the world's most southerly city.

This city was a penal colony once upon a time...known as 'the end of the earth'.  Prior to the establishment of a penal colony here in 1896...the entire region was occupied by the Yamana Indians and a handful of missionaries. The last of the Yamanas perished at the end of last century...the penal colony existed through 1947. 

Today Ushuaia is a tourist town...with an international airport and a cruise port.  Population? 50,000 It is also the closest deepwater port to the Antarctic. Parked right next to our cruise ship...was a National Geographic ship...bound for Antarctica.

We walked onshore...cleared Argentine customs once again...and found free wifi outside a coffee shop. Though Cape Horn lies in Chilean territory, the portion of Tierra del Fuego (an archipelago on which Ushuaia is located) belongs to Argentina.

Once we had explored the town on foot...we took an excursion known as the 'Drive to the End of the World'.  Our first stop was in Tierra del Fuego National Park...where the World's End post office is located.  Some mailed postcards from this location.  Remember those?  We opted to hike the trails instead.

At Lapatia Bay...we arrived at the last stop on the Pan-American Highway...a connected highway system that stretches about 12,000 miles across two continents...beginning in Alaska and ending right here.  What an incredible adventure that would be...to drive it from one end to the other! 

As we left Ushuaia...we bade farewell to the snow-capped Andes Mountain range and Tierra del Fuego National Park...our awesome end-of-the-world experience. 

the falkland islands...

Though many of us know of the Falkland Islands as a result of the war which took place in 1982...not too many people have actually been there.  In fact...most would have trouble finding them on a map!  Who knew they are actually 300 miles from the mainland of Argentina?  And since there are still hard feelings as a result of that war...one can't even get there by hopping a plane from Argentina. But since our cruise ship had a port of call in Stanley (the capital city)...we took the opportunity to see and learn what we could during our short stay.

We were up early that morning...as our ship approached the islands.  Though I wasn't able to capture it on 'film'...one of the first views that came into sight was a colony of penguins marching along the craggy rocks onshore.  Never before I had I seen penguins ...running wild and free. 

We ventured ashore in tender boats shortly after anchoring...

...and were welcomed by this resident sea lion. 

We had booked a tour that took us in 4x4's across the island. As you can see...there were no roads...so the four-wheel drive was the only way to go!

At one point...we met a group of British soldiers who were done their training exercises and waiting for a ride home. The islands rely heavily on the protection of the British military...who maintain a garrison in this area.

Our journey took us through the Murrell Farm property...a 10,000 acre farm with 3,000 sheep....

...a few head of cattle, and sheep dogs.  Of course.  The owner was a friendly islander...who helps organize the tours across their farm.  She was also a storehouse of information. We learned that on their farm they have a windmill to generate their own power...and use peat as their source of energy for both heat and cooking.  This decayed plant material is dug from the bogs...dried in blocks and used as fuel in stoves and furnaces.   Life goes on in the Falklands as it always has...though they all carry cell phones these days.  And while she was hosting our tour that morning...the farmer's daughter gave birth to a baby boy nearby.  Yes...life goes on.

Our destination was a rocky cliff overlooking the sea that is home to one of the world's largest rockhopper penguin colonies.  Rockhopper penguins stand only 21 inches tall...and are the smallest and most agile of all penguins. 

We spent an hour on the bluffs...observing the penguins who went about their business as usual. They hopped about on the rocks...siblings squabbled here and there...mothers fed their young...and we took photos. A nearby cabin offered good old-fashioned Falkland Island hospitality (including refreshments).  And that was our 'road less traveled' experience on East Falkland Island.  A good one!

Arriving back in Stanley...we took a walking tour.   It felt rather like we were in Great Britain...with the English-style pubs and red phone booths.  We visited the Christ Church Cathedral...with it's renowned monument constructed of giant blue whale jawbones.  

Margaret Thatcher is the hero to the Falkland Islanders...and on January 10, 2015 (officially known as Thatcher Day) they honoured her by unveiling a bronze statue of  Baroness Thatcher. It sits on Thatcher Drive...and has a plaque inscribed with her quote from 1982...'They are few in number, but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and determine their own allegiance.'  It seems the Argentinians are not so fond of the statue.  From what we gathered...the old dispute has not been settled once and for all.
  

And so ends our tour of the Falkland Islands...which seem like a small slice of Great Britain situated in the far south Atlantic.  2,500 people live here...crime is almost non-existent...there is no light pollution...the shores teem with remarkable wildlife...and visitors are more than welcome! 

montevideo, uruguay...

Uruguay is a small country...wedged between Argentina, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean. Though it is comprised mostly of fertile soil and grassy prairies...we never saw that side of the country.

Our port of call was Montevideo...the capital city which has 1.8 million residents (mostly Spanish and Italian). Over half the population of Uruguay lives here. 

I was looking forward to exploring the city which was the birth place of my good friend, Anneliese .  Her family left the country when she was a child....and she has never returned to visit.

It seems that many boats ran into trouble and there they stayed....right next to the cruise ship terminal. 

We went on shore...and took a tour of the city with its 14 miles of beautiful beaches!



It is a rather lovely old 'seaside' city...though the 'sea' is actually the Rio de la Plata River which is 140 miles across at its mouth.  No wonder it appears to be an ocean rather than a river! It holds an enormous amount of water...since it is the end flow of two rivers (the Uruguay River and the Parana River).  This is the second largest draining basin in South America and carries a huge amount of silt out to the sea. 



And that explains why sailboats sail on seas of brown...in Montevideo!  Though we saw many people swimming out there...the brown water looked less than appealing to me. 

The beaches though were lovely! It was summer vacation while we were there...and it seemed everyone was out on the beach having fun.

Palacio Salvo is an iconic building of Montevideo...constructed in 1925 and standing 100 meters high...it was South America's tallest building for many decades.  It was originally intended to be a hotel...but is now a mix of residential and commercial space.

And then there was the impressive Palatio Legislativo (the government building)...also completed in 1925 to mark the 100th year of independence for Uruguay.  Designed by Italian architects...featuring local Carrara marble walls, ceiling murals and gold relief work...the building is a National Historic Monument.  Quite lovely!

We learned a little of the city's history...that it was founded in the 18th century by the Spanish, and over the years its citizens fought against the British, Spanish and Portuguese for independence, as well as neighboring Argentineans and Brazilians. Today Montevideo is the major commercial center of Uruguay.   We visited Old Town...just steps away from the modern, bustling city square.  All that remains of the old fortified city is the original city gate...which now divides the old from the new.

The beverage of choice in much of South America seems to be 'tea' (an infusion, actually).  Not just any tea...but yerba mate.   And it would never do to drink it from a regular mug.  It is steeped in a special gourd called a guampa...then sipped through a bombilla (straw with a filter on the end). I couldn't resist bringing home a souvenir for my son-in-law...who would feel right at home in Montevideo, sipping on his favorite beverage!

As for trees...we mostly saw eucalyptus or palm trees.  The eucalyptus trees were introduced to Uruguay from Australia in the late 1800's...and have been a boon to the economy.

Apparently the fishing in Uruguay is good as well...though these fishermen never looked too serious about their sport!

Our time in Montevideo was over before we knew it......and a tugboat showed up to push us out to sea.

 See what I mean about muddy water?

And soon the city of Montevideo was but a memory.  A good one!