Sunday, 10/27. Between visits to the two sides of the Iguazu Falls we spent a morning in a Guaraní village. Very primitive and happy to remain that way.

On a separate note, today was election day. Voting is mandatory, though there is no absentee voting allowed. If you’re not at home, you report to the local police office to register your absence. TV reporting is just as irritating here as in the USA.

Monday, 10/28.  (This is out of order to report the Falls from Brazil and Argentina back-to-back.  Sunday’s report will follow.)

There is no way that I can adequately describe today’s wonder.  Photos will largely have to do.  (Videos might appear in the next week when home.) The morning began with an unforecast rain storm while we took a smallish train to the main falls.  The rain nicely stopped just as we arrived.  A mile walk to the edge. Walkway has undergone numerous rebuilds through the years due to flooding.  Amazing view.  Heavy mist at times rising up from far below.  Deafening noise.

A stroll along the numerous lessor falls followed.  Just incredible views.  Ran into host of entertaining animals.  A whole family of monkeys who moved so fast I failed to get a good picture. 

After lunch we climbed aboard a truck/bus for a long and rough ride to the river’s edge, where we went on a boat ride to the falls.  We got soaked.  One of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had.  Words can’t do it justice.  I used a GoPro and the video results were much better than I expected.  Everyone enjoyed watching themselves.

As predicted, the Argentina side of the falls is better than Brazil’s. 

Friday, 10/25. Tour of the city’s primary cemetery. Now it’s the other one in the city. Eva Peron, the most famous (and controversial) woman of Argentina is buried here, though her travels in death was long and cumbersome. Someone wrote a book about it. Her resting place is next to the father who disavowed her, in the part of the city that reviled her. “Rest in Peace” is problematic.

Exited the city to the delta area. Very surprising, as Martin expected. Hundreds of islands connected only by boat. None have cars, though all have electricity. Fascinating. A suburban Venice. Many dismal houses alongside beautiful homes. Schools, churches, resorts. “School boats”. Mail delivered by boat, house by house. A floating hospital. It was all a big surprise, being not 30 minutes from the city.

Those flying home today were impacted by weather situations in the States. All did get out though. I choose to stay in my room this afternoon/evening to cleanse my mind of two weeks with people. Tomorrow there will only be 8 of us. Better. (To be fair, I think this group, though larger than any other tour, was the best of my seven OAT excursions.)

Thursday, 10/24. Not much today. Flew back to Buenos Aires. 3 1/2 hour flight. Farewell dinner for the base portion of the trip. Eight of us continue onto Iguazu Falls. I created a partial slideshow and several people agreed to watch. Many compliments. At dinner I selected a special bottle of wine and two other tables ordered the same one. My skill with wine selection is assumed. Excellent tenderloin beef.

Wednesday, 10/23. Traveled to the P. Moreno Glacier. You’ve got to be there to understand its size, though even that doesn’t tell the true story. There is no way to visually relate. A white wall. The glacier is set on one side of a very narrow gap between peninsula and it, so the walkways are very close. There are years when the glacier blocks the channel, forming an ice dam. When it breaks, it’s apparently really spectacular. Lots of calving. One very large block rose up from beneath the water! I was looking straight at the water and quickly turned on my video. But alas, I didn’t press the button hard enough. It was an incredible sight anyway.

The facility has miles of metal walkways that allow spectators to stroll alongside the glacier. An excellent facility overall. Many different nationalities. Italians, as usual, were very loud. Our guide was extremely knowledgable.

Back in town was had some rare free time, but I didn’t see anything I haven’t seen before.

Tuesday, 10/15. Interesting departure from hotel.  After loading baggage onto bus we were to walk a bit.  But the bus was trapped in small-city traffic jam.  Finally got everything loaded.  Nice walk to the Falklands Memorial.  

Lunch was preceded by a Q&A with an Argentinean veteran from the Falkland conflict.  His worst moments were after the war.  The country preferred to forget about the lost war, so the soldiers were forgotten.  It’s now getting better.  The spokesman said he was in communication with Vietnam Vets.  He still harbors an expectation that the Falklands will someday be part of Argentina.  I have my doubts.  It’s interesting but not surprising that they maintain a slightly altered view of history, to ignore that Britain had a credible claim to the Islands.  That real reality aside, the UK should accept reality and share them with Argentina. 

Lunch was king crab, preceded by king crab soup.  Excellent. Yoriko can only wish.  LOL.

Drove to the Terra de Fuego National Park.  Sad to say, it was pretty normal, except for the peat moss.  I created excitement by falling and losing my cell phone.  Leader found it.  Only a few minutes lost, but it added some camaraderie to the day.  Since I had no pride to begin with, nothing was lost.

Got to the ship just in time.  It’s wonderful.  Only a little over half-full.  Free water bottle, free knapsack.  Open bar!  Octopus appetizer, followed by pork ribs.  

Helped some folks find the Southern Cross.  

Monday, 10/14. Flight to Ushuaia. Passed a shantytown. Like a scene from a Ruined Earth movie. Very sad. Mostly immigrants.

Oddly, the temp in Buenos Aires this morning was the same as Ushuaia, 3,000 kms south. At the airport we passed a statue of Columbus (a gift from Italy). Argentines keep moving it around, swapping it out for a more famous person. Argentina also celebrates Columbus Day, but they too are finding something else to call it.

Slept through most of the 3.5 hour flight. (Argentina, turned 90 degrees, would reach from San Francisco to New York.) Descended through clouds. Then magic. The view of the Magellan Strait was magnificent. Crystal clear air. Blindingly white snow, dark ground, blue seas and skies. Worth the trip.

The town of Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Or, “THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY IN THE WORLD!” They don’t want you to forget it. It’s exploded in size in the past two decades as government has made the region a tax-free zone for manufacturing. From 8,000 to 80,000. It shows a little, but the mountains are still spectacular. For lunch I had Beef and Chips. The cool thing was they didn’t ask how I wanted the beef. I’ve noticed in both Brazil and Argentina that they assume you want it medium rare, how God meant it to be. Homemade chips. I added sparkling wine, because, duh. Total cost, about $15.

There’s one main street. Most shops are interesting. Erred by entering a chocolate shop. The box I bought is a weight on my mind. I’m clearly an outlier because most people had winter coats, scarves, gloves, etc. and I had a short sleeve shirt and long sleeve wool shirt. Got my shopping done. The city has a bundle of monuments and memorials. Many are about the Argentines’ Antarctic explorers.

All 21 of us attended a home hosted dinner. Big house, wonderful family, who were friends with our Trip Leader. I made some balloons, printed some photos. Avoided situations that brought on my anxieties. Everyone had a great time. Evening sunset was phenomenal.

May be last post for five days. Boarding a ship tomorrow evening that prides itself in having no connectivity.