Two Fathoms Deep

I woke up yesterday morning to no power at the hotel in Comandante Luis Piedrabuena, so conveniently, they couldn’t accept our credit cards (which is, in itself, another story). It’s always a relief when a place of business in Argentina accepts credit cards. They hate doing it because of the associated fees. Sometimes they pass their charges along to the customer. Even if they do accept tarjeta de creditos, they give you a dirty look or act inconvenienced by having to use it. We actually found a gas station that accepts cards only If your transaction is between the amounts of 50 to 100 pesos; no more, no less. And I thought having a credit card with no foreign transaction fees would be so convenient…


It’s been a little chilly a few times on this trip, but today was the first day I wore my coat while riding in the car. It’s also the first time I glimpsed snow, which was predicated by more winds, rain, and huge balls of ice falling from the sky. The ferry from the tip of the South American mainland to Tierra del Fuego was unbelievably cold, but made more interesting by the dolphins swimming alongside the boat. Last night we checked into this hostel in Ushuaia, which is (arguably) the southernmost city in the entire world. For the past several days, I could quote Samwise Gamgee at nearly every moment by saying “If I take one more step it will be the farthest away from home I've ever been…" However, I'm now running out of places to step. In five more days, we'll begin the journey back to the Shire.


When we crossed the border for our first brief foray into Chile, we stopped at a restaurant apparently frequented by truckers and bikers. I took great pleasure in being able to translate a question asked in Spanish by the waitress to my travel companions who were unable to understand the meaning. Also while there, I winced at the fact that the television was turned to a network whose owner would have supported the U.S. President who authorized the 1973 coup of Chile's democratically elected President over growing fears of global socialism. The coup lead to the one of the most notorious military dictatorships in modern times (names withheld to protect the gulity... and spare further political discourse on a vacation blog).


For the second time in my life, I held in my hand three different animals between two pieces of bread, and reflected over my position in the food chain. Learning from current events, my liver threatened to strike unless I made the concession to never consume so much cholesterol at one time ever again.  A motion was made, seconded by my arteries, and was passed unanimously; cholesterol intake to be limited for the remainder of this trip.


Photos to come.