Torres del Paine

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Torres del Paine

Ayer fue la primera vez que he visto un glacial. Una experiencia unica. Torres del Paine queda ubicado a 3 horas en bus de Puerto Natales, comenzamos el dia con una excursion rodeando las montanas, Torres de Paine con 2800M y Los Cuernos con 2600M.

El paisaje era muy diverso, desde bosques con todo tipo de colores, hasta montanas super imponentes con tempanos de hielo.
Despues de una caminata de varias horas, llegamos a el primer glacial, la vista desde una distancia de un kilometro aproximadamente, para mi era algo subreal, ver en la distancia un mar de hielo, fue una experiencia muy extrana, lo miraba y me parecia que era de mentiras, como una postal.
Hoy partimos de Puerto Natales Chile y llegamos a El Calafate Argentina un pueblo de aprox 11.000 tambien muy famoso por los glaciales, aqui se encuentra uno de los glaciales mas importantes de Sur America, El Perito Moreno.
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Update to the blog that was uploaded just earlier

So the previous blog I wrote at 430PM as we waited for the ferry, but because I was attaching pictures it did not seem to leave my blackberry phone successfully. This happens a lot down here in remote places of South America...
Anyway, we luckily made it across the choppy Straights of Magellan, very cool to now be on the mainland of South America once again.
We finally arrived in town at about 8:30pm but decided to get on the very next bus up to the town where we can get to see some glaciers and the most impressive rock formations in South America. We should be arriving at about 11:00PM tonight which means we've been traveling on buses all day (about 18 hours!)
I want to get pictures and videos up on the web, so all of you can get a glimpse of how amazing some of these landscapes look like...sorry that I promise this so much and never do it!!!
I need more time, this traveling thing takes up so much time, I need a vacation!!! ;-))
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Journey to the end of the world...and now coming back...well trying to...

Quoted by city officials as the Southern Most City in the World, we spent the last 4 days in Ushuaia, hiking, climbing, walking, freezing and more. If you come down here, you MUST do it between Nov-Feb when you have the opportunity to take a boat another 800 KM and touch mainland ANTARTICA!!
We feel so dumb for not having investigated this at the start of our trip to see when the passageways closed down because being so close yet so far is a real bummer. Plus next year the price is going up another 1000 dollars! Basically it will cost about $5000 per person for a 10 day excursion to Antartica. This price will only go up as more and more people take this off-beaten trip and catch this place before it melts more into the sea!
At the moment we are stranded at nothing less than the "Straights of Magellan" trying to get onto mainland continent of Chile. See the ocean over here is choppier than I've ever seen in my life. Sure...you might think after that nightmare of a trip we had on water some weeks back what are we doing..??? Well, truth is that this appears to be a huge ferry that will ship us across. There are about 10 buses and 30 trucks waiting to get across. We've been here about 3 hours just waiting for the ferry to arrive (typically every hour) but until the winds die down or changes direction we'll be here. It could be another hour or ten it all depends on mother nature.
Speaking of mother nature, I would like to let everybody reading this know that nature has an absolutely incredible way of changing landscapes, climates, colors, smells, lighting, sounds in no time at all. We left from Ushuaia on a bus this morning at 5:30 AM, and now, almost 11 hours later we are surrounded by freezing, hurricane-like winds, pelting beads of sand and mini pebbles, barren landscape, and dry brown dirt. Ushuaia on the other hand had some of the most precious forests, in millions of autumn browns, yellows, and oranges, powerful snow-capped mountains, sea lions, maritime, cold adapted birds, bright blue skies and calm waters on Beagle Canal!
It might be very obvious that landscapes change, but it's just that in the past 3 months since we left NYC, we have seen soooooo many varying landscapes that I just want to say thank you to mother nature for providing it all.... Soooo... Did all of you do something for the planet on Earth Day Tuesday, April 22?!
If not do it today, like for instance, turn off the water while brushing your teeth!!
Another thing you could do is shop online, say how about clicking on the NorthFace link below and shopping online instead of going in car to the store!!! Nice plug huh??!!
How about buying us some proper winter gear down here!!!! Hahahaaha...later
We'll defintely put up some pics, promise.

C4 and SL300 lost the chip, can you refit it again remotely? ;-))

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Ushuaia el fin del mundo Abril 22

Cuando asome mi cabeza por la ventana de nuestra habitacion esta manana, vimos caer copos de nieve. Las montanas que rodean la pequena ciudad parecen pintada en blanco y en la distancia se ve q alla ariba no para de nevar, pero en Ushuia la ciudad, estas serian los primeros copos de la temporada que apenas empieza.
Estos dias hemos visitado los parques nacionales, los dias han estado super bonitos, caminatas por mas de 5 horas disfrutando de unas de las mejores vistas que he tenido en mi vida.
Por donde miraramos estabamos rodeados de montanas super imponentes y misteriosas cubiertas con nieve. Esta region esta invadida de lagos cristalinos de diferentes tipos de azules y verdes. En el camino hemos encontramos variedad de animales como conejos, patos y aves de gran tamano. Algo que me ha fasinado es ver los cambios de colores de las hojas que pasan de verdes a diferentes clases de naranjas y rojos. Al caer la tarde vemos una lluvia de hojas caer de los arboles, la primera vez estaba confundida creyendo q era nieve o agua, se compara como un aguacero pero de hojas.
Ushuaia es un lugar magico, llenos de encanto, el solo pensar q es la ciudad mas alejada del mundo lo hace muy especial.
Yo estoy muy agradecida con Dios por darme la oportunidad de apreciar las maravillas que ha creado, lugares tan perfectos, tan hermosos tan llenos de vida y energia con es Sur America y en especial la Patagonia.
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The vienna phillharmonic at the tip of the world...

Last night's show was phenomenal...imagine a Tschaikovsky Allegro con fuoco with a backdrop of the towering pine trees lit up in soft white lights and the polar weathered village of Ushuaia down below flickering with lights of a town coming alive at 10pm and a full moon in the black, crisp air all while listening to the closing night of the festival.
.......
I did not take pics with the blackberry but will try to upload from my camera later tonight. Going on a 6 hour hike now into the forest that borders Chile...think its going to be cold..brrrr...

Note:
www.festivaldeushuaia.com

Paula scalped a ticket and we were able to sneak in with one ticket...the show was sold out...sometimes being sneaky is a good thing!!!
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