Welcome to the End of the World

From one end of Argentina to the other. La Quiaca is in the north, at the crossing to Bolivia. I can't take any credit for knowing this without having made a quick trip to GoogleLand a minute ago.  

  

I spent an hour this afternoon going through my photographs of Ushaia, one of the two most southernmost cities in South America. It sits on the Beagle Channel. The Straits of Magellan are to the north and to the south the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. It's everything you were taught in elementary school geography, and most likely have forgotten. I know I did. One thing I wasn't taught was that the end of the earth -- el fin del mundo -- was astoundingly beautiful.

 

I'm not a morning person, but we were encouraged by the ship's staff to make sure to get up early and see the sunrise. I can't remember the last time I woke for the sunrise, but I didn't want to miss a minute that might be memorable, and I joined the early risers on the deck. The weather forecast wasn't optimistic, but it turned to be a beautiful and clear day and my reward was this sunrise.
 

The sun has risen and we were given the gift of sunshine.

It's difficult to choose what activities will maximize my time when I have one day -- actually a little less than a full day -- to see a place I've come thousands of miles to visit. I chose a boat trip to a penguin rookery -- a place where penguins hatch their eggs and raise their young. I have many penguin pictures from my trip, but this is one of my favorites. I was pleased I was able to capture the sea bird in flight on the left and the mountains in the background.


When I think back on my visit to Ushaia three things stand out. The first is the beauty of the area, mountains, sea and sky. The second is seeing penguins for the first time and the third is Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. I think this last is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I am a fan of lighthouses, but this one is incomparable.

 

My view as the boat returned to Ushaia via the Beagle Channel. After our return I visited Ushaia and enjoyed an ice cream cone -- we had a sixty degree day -- and spent time perusing lots of penguin bookmarks, t-shirts and souvenirs to take home. It was hard to resist and a few penguin bookmarks did come back to New York with me.  

 

 I am frequently asked why I like to travel. I realize the answer, "Because I do." isn't a very satisfactory answer. But looking at these pictures gives me the words to answer that question. Sometimes I need to find the beauty/the mystery at the end of the world.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!

Pink Saturday Patagonia

I'm not the only one drowning in the sea of penguin pictures. My iPad had a bad bout this morning while I was deleting and downloading and totally froze. A quick trip to the Apple store and the care of the extraordinary Danny restored it to good health. I've still got a lot of deleting and sorting to do and instead of a full blog post on Ushuaia I'm posting a quick appetizer to link with Pink Saturday. This was my view as the small boat I was on pulled out of the harbor, leaving behind the Celebrity Infinity and sailing into the Beagle Channel. Yes, the sky was that blue and the clouds were that full and picturesque and yes, it was an extraordinary day. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a great week.

When You Wish Upon the South Star

As, I'm sure, those who know a lot more -- or even just a  little more -- about astronomy will tell you, there is no South Star.  But if there was a South Star -- equivalent to Polaris, the North Star -- next week I would be gazing at the night sky and tossing my wishes right to it.

I'm not usually one for selfies, but yesterday at the New York Times Travel Show I took a number of them. I was wishing for one that included penguins and I got my wish. I leave this Friday for Argentina and set sail on Sunday for a cruise that includes penguins and Antarctica. My dream destination for years has been Antarctica and after looking at trips for years and watching for a sale -- it was a quick three day sale -- I'm almost on my way.

I've bought my foot warmers for standing on the deck and taking pictures -- no cold feet for me! -- and have my reservations for my hotel in Buenos Aires the night before the cruise and a penguin expedition in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. I also discovered via Facebook tonight that a lovely couple I met on the cruise I took to Iceland and Norway three years ago will also be on this cruise. Foot warmers, penguins and friends -- can't ask for more.    
 

Enjoyed meeting my Panda friend. 

The travel show was a lot of fun. I shared the good time with my college roommate and we walked two miles through the Javits Center enjoying the thought of all the places we might travel. A safari was enticing, but I also found fun things in New York and Pennsylvania, which are definitely more doable.

There were exhibits from many countries, and this CoffeeGirl couldn't resist the one for coffee from Indonesia. I'm going to look for coffee from Sumatra during my coffee excursions in New York.

It's hard to believe that I will be leaving for South America in just four days. I've been dreaming of this trip for years and now it's less than a week away. I've got a number of errands yet to do, another yoga class, a medical appointment and a few more blog posts to write. I'm hoping to post while I'm away and share the scenery of Antarctica with Buttercupland.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.