Cats

We have moved at a very slow pace for the last week. We visited a small town called Esquel where we were the only guests in the hostel and the only customers in the pub. Our only company was a cat with a Hitler moustache and a small dog disguised as a ball of wool. The last time I (Stuart) stroked a cat I was 7 years old and it bit me. I have mistrusted the species since then, but was relieved to find this one was very nice and didn´t make Martine sneeze (she is usually allergic). However, just when it had gained my full confidence and affection the little fascist bit me, and I´m sure it later raised it´s paw in a kind of salute. I had heard the Nazis fled to Argentina after the war, but I had no idea how they disguised themselves to avoid capture.

The other large cat pictured with Martine was a Puma captured by a Gaucho (cowboy) and his pack of dogs in El Calefate (See entry: Riding Riding Riding). I don´t think it was a Nazi, but you never know.

Perito Moreno

We've seen glacier, not a big thing, we thought, when we took to the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate. However, we did not expect such a beast: 18 km long to the root of the mountain, 5 km wide at the front,walls 50 m high, which makes you feel very very small. As some paths were closed we had the pleasure of watching the glacier spit and crack for 5 hours, causing a frightful noise, you feel the whole thing is coming down to get you any minute. The best thing was that after 4 hours it almost melted in our presence, Kat's wish came true and a huge tower broke off, causing huge waves. Some people say it's simply because it moves 40cm everyday and gets squashed by the coast and the pressure of the lake where it reaches it shore, we rather believe that it was so pleased to see 1,5 people from Luxembourg that it gave it its honours. Fantastic experience.

Riding riding riding

After 4 weeks in Argentina and Chile, we decided to go for the true Gaucho experience and go for a sunset ride on horses, warming ourselves up for the 'Estancia' experience. The Andes on the one side, sunset over the lake on the other, in the center of it all: Stuart the cowboy. Gringo, my horse, was very pretty but somehow reminded me a little of the cows you get in Switzerland: orange-brown and white and not very high. I felt quite ok, till it started walking off in all directions going for its dinner and chewing grass like its swiss counterparts and then suddenly trotting off, me just helplessly wobbling on top.
The best was obviously our cowboy Stu, who admitted to the gaucho that it was his first time ever on a horse. The gaucho simple replied: 'Good, first time for your horse too.' Needless to say that the Bonanza tune was not sung for while.

The gaucho invited us to his home later, which we thought was quite a funky place with lots of torturing tools and animal skins hanging around. He proudly explained to us that he was working on a puma skin at the moment, which he has caught 20 km from his home. The smaller skin was the foetus of a cow that he had emptied and in which he was keeping tea and coffee. Lovely.
'Do you eat puma?' 'Yes, I eat puma, cow, horse, rabbit, guanaco, ostrich, wild cat,puma is good, but you have to cook it for a long time.' Stu' And quickly because it's so fast.'
The gaucho taught us how to catch an ostrich or a guanaco, which live around here, with a three-legged line with weights on them. He claims he tries to catch all animals to eat or to keep, but not women: 'impossible to train!' What a lovely guy, not surprising then that the ratio in El Calafate is 7 men to one woman.

Kap Horn

No der 'suedlechster Staat' (Ushuaia) geet et op den 'suedlechsten Punkt vum Kontinent' an dann as just nach den 'suedlechsten Punkt iwwerhaapt'- Kap Horn. All Mensch war wei aus dem Heischen das mir matt eisem klengen Boot net nemmen BEI d'Kap Horn gefuer sin, mee och GANZ RONDEREM, eppes wat ganz EXCEPTIONNEL as. Exceptionnel? Virwat dann? Denkt Martine.
Bis mer do sin. Ech soen iech, et as jo schein dee Wupp vun Welt ze gesin an UM Wupp ze sin, mee et gett jo e Grond virwat si dat net dachs man, naemelch well den Drake Passage (wou Pacific an Atlantik zesummenkommen (jo, si hun di selwecht Farw an et gett och keng Schleiss), jo do juppelt et narwell gudd.Esou gudd dass eng 800 Scheffer do schon ennergaang sin an dem Martiune sein Mo matt. Ech hun eng Foto gema an sin brav um Deck bliwwen-aus renger Iwerliewensangscht, well wier den scheinen bloen Teppech giel gin. An ech duercht ech wir net seikrank...

Who said the Scottish were tight?

For all other fellow tight people, let me show you the MEAT. M=Meals and Drinks (you need some food with the wine), E=Extras (Entrance fees, internet fees etc), A= Accomodation and T=Transport. Our target was to live under 40 euros a day,then 50, then 60, which as you can see from the graph, we rarely do. However, although our average was over 76 euros a day for the first 10 days, our next ten days were 59 euros and 75 cents a day, which gave me a very warm felling in my Scottish heart. Then we went on a cruise...

Landsick

After 3 nights on all inclusive cruise with as much food and drink as anyone can muster, it perhaps comes as no surprise to some that I (Stuart) fell ill only once I was back on land. It could have been a common symptom experienced by people after a boat journey, however, I believe that I am just sick of the idea of not living like King for the remainder of this trip. Some of the highlights (apart from the ones Martine will write about) were drinking Polar beer whilst in between South America and Antartica, watching the head chef make animals from cutting up vegetables and being served Scotch Whiskey and Gluwein after our trips on speed/life boats to see two Glaciers and an area where tribespeople lived until Europeans arrived. It´s the little things that make the difference.

Can you name these islands?

The World´s most Southern Micro-brewery

Yesterday I (Stuart) sampled the local beers here and was delighted with what I was served up. Hain is the name of the southern most micro-brewery and the other local beer was called Beagle. They both offer beers as Blonde, Black and Red, and in the interests of completing a full scientific investigation, I tried them all. Beagle Black was my definite favourite and the taste was enhanced when I noticed the Bar´s motto, 'Enjoy, you´re at the end of the world.´

A closer shave than first thought

Unfortunately, our phones were stolen in Puerto Madryn, but we did not realise until a few days later. Luckily they were both locked with PIN codes so we will hopefully not face large phone bills. They are also now blocked. Well, worse things happen at sea (hopefully not for the next four days though as we have booked ourselves on an all-inclusive cruise from Ushaiai Punto Arenas in Chile). We also decided it would be a bad idea to be too paranoid about having our stuff stolen, but then immediately offended the staff at our hostel by asking for a key for our room.

Terra del Fuego-'End of the World'

We have finally made it: after another 12 hours of bus (which makes it 42 hours altogether and five weird sweet powdrey cups of coffee later), we have arrived in USHUAIA, officially the end of the world, at the centre of the Terra de Fuego. Admittedly, during the last 12 hours of bus and endless border crossings, we wondered: why are we doing this? But, once arrived, it was all worth it. The End of the World is spectacular, no postcard or traveller's account can tell you how beautiful it is, a small town surrounded by one of the most magnificent backdrops of the world. There is lots to do in terms of walking in the national Park of Terra del Fuego, and today, we went on 4 treks!... It's not for unfit people though, the longest was no less than 2 km long....we did it the Luxembourgish way....

Spanbuergesch

Just en klengen apercu vun eisen Progres'en an Spuenesch. De Stuart an ech léiren all Dag e bessen Spuenesch matt engem Buch, al Dag 35 Minuten. Just datt, wann et drems geet, dann kennt beim Stuart di richteg Sprooch eraus: spanbuergesch.

D'Madame an der Estancia seet eis: Hasta Luego Buene Vaccaciones!
De Stuart: Merci: Schein Vakanz!
Am Bus fir op Ushuaia:
Stuart: Perdone, tiene Zocker por favor?
De Mann: Como?

Haut an der Epicerie ronderem den Eck wolten mir Speck kafen.

Martine: Tiene Bacon, lard?
Stuart: Speck wannechgelieft!
D'Madame: ¿Como?
Mir: Pig, pork, grunt, grunt...bacon

Op eemol faenken di aner Leit am Buttek un ze hellefen.
D'Madame hannert mir: Sorry?
D'Madame virun mir RRRRRRRRRRRRRamon? Jamon?
Stuart: Nee, pardon, bacon.Swein.
D'Leit ruffen durchenaner, soen der Madam hannert der Kees all Zort Saachen: Pancetta, Queso, Bife...
Bis op eemol: Tocino!
Aaahhh! Tocno! Seet d'Madam hannert mir. Mir kucken op d'Madam hannert der Kees. Tocino?
D'Madame: ¿Tocino? Noooooo....non tiene tocino
An dun goufen et eben just Nuddelen....

It´s a hard life...

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Martine´s new friends

An da mengt een emmer di Pinguinen géngen nemmen am Eis liewen. Ma, gudd gelaach, mir waren di witzeg Creaturen besichen, 40 cm grouss, an esou engem koomeschen struppegen Fell (et as grad nom Summer an si warden drop hirt alt Fell lass ze gin fir neies ze kreien, verschiddener waarden op de Coiffer, aner hun hiren Leiwsten den hinnen de pelz ofknabbert, leif, mee e bessi strange) stin se dann do dech ze kucken, wei's du si kucks...Mee heiansdo gin se schwammen an dat as narwell spectaculaer:)Mir hun hinnen e bessi nogekuckt, mee ech froen mech nach emmer wien hinnen dei Aerm ugestréckt huet...
Et waren och Orka'en do. Grouss Opreegung wei mir aus dem Bus geklomm sin: Orka'en sin do, seier, seier! Bis mir awer do waren, haten dei sech seier aus dem Stepps gema, dei hun sech och gesot: 25 Joer mei speit, an dann kommen d'Briten scho nees, seier fort hei:)

A nice cup of tea

Some may think it excessive for me to drag Martine on a 4 hour round trip to a Welsh village (that Princess Diana visited no-less) to drink some tea. However when I saw the lady approach us with a woolly tea cosy on the pot I knew I had made the right decision. This was then followed up by her pouring the milk into the cup first (never understood the whole milk-in-last theory at all), thus ensuring a piping hot cup of Welsh tea. As if it couldn´t get any better, we were then served scones, sponge cake and fruit loaf - heaven on a plate. (Martine has just told me that is enough, so I will end now before I go too far). C´mon the tea drinkers!
(Martine: and all that on the 25th anniversary...colonialists or what...)

A close shave

Yesterday we booked into our first Dorm. in a YHA hostel and looked forward to meeting fellow penguin spotters. However, within two hours of our arrival our room was broken into from the street. It looks like a nice quiet street by day, but at night it turns into a more seedy area altogether. When we walked back into our room we found all our things thrown all over the room and the ugliest male transvestite pouting his lips through the window of entry. Not sure which was most shocking. Luckily for us nothing was stolen, however the Finnish guy we were sharing with had his passport stolen and all his cash. They were very clever thieves and knew exactly what they were looking for. I (Stuart) was very lucky as they hardly looked in my bag at all apart from the part of my baggage that I was using as my secret hiding place for 10 days up to only two hours before the event. (Just in case you are worrying at the moment, Martine and I are very careful and have back-up plans for such a thing happening again.) It was also the only night we have been out of bed after 10 so we are usually very close to our things- it pays to be a bit boring.

"Margaret Thatcher, that *$&!&/# woman"

Martine and I have been really surprised at how friendly and helpful most people have been to us since we arrived in Argentina. Most folk just laugh along with us trying to speak Spanish and most importantly stay around to find out what we are asking. However for about five minutes we got an insight into what could be descrived as Argentina´s raw nerve. We had a guide nicknemed Otto after the bus driver in the Simpsons, who seemed to know everyone in the small town Sierra de la Ventanna that we visted last week, and had a good laugh with everyone he spoke to. However, when we were alone on the bus with him he showed us two tattoos on his arm. One was a copy of Maradona´s signature and the other was the Argentinian flag in the shape of an island, which I (Stuart) had to guess which island. After staring at it for a while and uhhmming and ahhmming I shouted "Ah, the Falklands!". This is roughly the reply I got:

Otto: Not the Falklands, the Malvinas, the Malvinas, not the Falklands. Margaret Thatcher that *$&!&/# woman and that %&/%*&% Galtieri. He sent young men in the cold to fight, I tell you that %&$%&"/. That is what is wrong with this country-POLITICIANS. They have ruined this great country and that &%$/&%$ woman. I tell you that &%(/%$& woman...

(Silence)

Stuart: So, Maradona, great player!
Otto: You like?

And with that we were back to normal. He even drove us around town to find a pub to watch Italy v Scotland (which we luckily didn´t find).