On my way

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

T-2 Hours

The next, and biggest, step in my travels begins in just a few hours. As I sit in an internet cafe in Ushuaia putting this post together, I can’t help but get nervous with excitement. I think it’s because it finally dawned on me where I’m going. I can’t even remember the last time I was this nervous. Ha!

And for good reason – I’ve got plenty to look forward too. Zodiac rides, camping, and a polar plunge! I’ll also have a chance to connect with some of the wildlife out there, like penguins and seals. Should make for some outstanding photos and videos. Can’t wait to share them when I return.

Travel Details

To help break up my long journey I purposely stopped in Buenos Aires for one day to relax (lots of sleep) and eat some good food. Same for Ushuaia. Upon my return from Antarctica, I’ll be staying in Ushuaia for two days, then back to Buenos Aires for one day before returning home. As promised, here’s a timeline of my travels and notable dates:

• Dec 9th – Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina – DONE
• Dec 10th – Board the Ocean Diamond – ALMOST THERE!
• Dec 12th -17th – Cruise around Antarctica, Zodiac rides, snowshoeing, hiking, camping (Mostly out of pocket for this)
• Dec 19th – Return to Ushuaia, Argentina
• Dec 19th – 21st – Hang in Ushuaia, Argentina
• Dec 21st – 22nd – Hang in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Dec 22nd (late evening) – Begin return trip back home to Chicago

Here’s a little map I made for my nephew and niece to give you an idea of my travel situation.

Note: I’ve been told repeatedly that our Internet connection aboard the Ocean Diamond is slow and mostly none existent, especially in Antarctica, so this may be my last post until I return. I’ll do the best I can to provide updates and pics, so please check the site often. Worst case, I’ll definitely have something posted by Thursday, December 20th. 

Argentina – Buenos Aires & Ushuaia

Before I disappear for 10 days, I thought I would share some thoughts and a few photos from my stops in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. Don’t worry there will be more. Here are some things that come to mind from my experiences thus far:

Buenos Aires –

• Beautiful and world-class. Buenos Aires is a unique mash up of European influences – colonized by the Spanish, built by Italian immigrants and influenced by Parisians, yet distinctly Latin. Learn more about it here.
• In fact, reminds me a lot of my family’s hometown of Bari, IT.
• People are very friendly and I was surprised by how helpful they were. Even with the language barrier they seemed genuinely interested in keeping the conversation going and answering my questions (albeit using a combination of hand gestures and broken Italian/Spanish).
• Lots of beautiful parks too. Seems like there is almost one on every corner.

Vibrant City

El Cuartito – Good pizza!

Plaza Lavalle

Plaza Lavalle

Plaza Lavalle

Obelisco – City Center

Obelisco – City Center

Random European influenced architecture

Ushuaia –

• Cozy port town. Also know as “Fin del Mundo” (end of the world), it is the southernmost city in the world. It’s also the starting point for most trips to Antarctica, the capital of the Tierra del Fuego Province, and situated in the Patagonia region of South America.
• People are also very friendly and take great pride in knowing where they sit on a map. Can’t wait to explore this place more for a few days when I return from Antarctica. I plan to do some hiking and to take advantage of a few excursions.

Food –

If you like steak that is delicious and and cheap, Argentina is the place for you. The photos below were taken at Parilla Aires Criolles (Buenos Aires) and Casimiro Bigua Parrilla y Restaurante ( Ushuaia). I seriously ate about 3 lbs of steak in two days and it cost me around $35 – total. It’s unbelievably good and truly a staple of the country. Both restaurants get “two thumbs up”!

Not one, but Two cuts of Filet Mignon!

Ribeye

Lamb

Steak sampler for two! That’s a lot of food.

On my way…

That’s all I got for you folks – hope you enjoyed this post. As I mentioned earlier, Internet may be down for most of the trip, so please be patient and I’ll post as often as I can. Worst case, I get another post up no later than Thursday, December 20th.

Until next time.

-Sandro