Lagos Pics

Conor, viewing the marina in Lagos...sans BEARD! Looking pretty good! But, I really do miss wolverine.






Right after our camera broke...we were trying to test it out. It still takes pictures, you just don't know what you're taking them of. We squeaked out some smiles even though we were distraught over the idea of purchasing a new one. (in the center of lagos)





And here's a picture of the famous cliffs of the algarve and the beach below. A far cry from Hamanasset (no offense). Maybe if we dump some sand up at tyler lake we can get something pretty similar.

Lisbon Pics

The Trams in Lisbon, you betcha I'm not walking up that hill....look how steep it is!










One of the many beautiful views from the hills and castles in Sintra.







Here we are in one of the Towers at the Residencia Monteiero. We have a ¨repunzle, repunzle, let down your long hair¨picture..but this is better.







Conor, in the final moments before he made his ¨beard¨decision...you can bet that grubby outfit and the heat had something to do with it!

BA & Madrid Pics

Here's a shot of some of the tango dancers cutting loose in San Telmo...I think you can get an idea of the fun beatnik vibe at the cafes.






And finally, we arrive to Madrid....not looking to shabby for how awful we felt after our flight. We're outside of the Palacio Real.






One night in Madrid, we timed it right....a perfect sunset and warm weather.











Many thanks to Conor's cousin Tyler for showing us around, and indulging the ¨study-abroad wannabes¨in a few beers and tapas. Not only are we wannabes but has-beens as well. (My hangover was pathetic)

Rio Pics

The view down below at Trinadade Beach. We hiked up the cliffs and onto a little island overlooking the beach that was abuot 40 minutes from Paraty, Brazil








And, finally here is Conor, that saint he is..., showing his devotion to Cristo the Redeemer....pretty eery.












And, here is Cristo coming through the clouds as we enjoy the view and contemplate our deaths with our Portugese cab driver.








And here is the view of Rio (Copacabana, Ipanema and sugar loaf below)...see, that scary night ride WAS worth it!!

Question of the Day

Would you let your loved ones near this man?




















Yes, this photo shows me trying to look as creepy, and pudgy, and nasty as possible, but it also shows the big news -- that I have finally shaved my face. I only left the mustache on for this creepy photo because I thought it would be an entertaining blog entry, but it is now shaved as well and now my baby-faced mug is again visible. Why did I do it? A couple of reasons...
1) I was sick of being offered every kind of hard drug out there by every other person I passed in Lisbon. I actually asked the 3rd drug dealer to offer me drugs ¨Why me?¨, but I don´t think he understood English because he mistook my question as a sign of interest. The disappear hand motion always works though.
2) As you may have read in previous posts, in South America, you can wear whatever you want and no one cares. Europe is not North America either, so I thought I would give it a try. So, I set out for our first day in Lisbon with my beard, brown cargo shorts, white basketball socks, hiking boots, and a royal blue shirt that looked 2 sizes too big, but only from the mid-torso down (I borrowed it from a buddy in college who was a little bigger). Everyone in Lisbon was beautiful and impeccably dressed, and so it didn´t take long for my morale to crumble as I realized how out of place I looked.
3) Jet lag always makes you feel awful about yourself.
4) I was afraid that Lindsay, despite her constant reassurances that she liked the beard, was losing her attraction to me. Ëssentially, ¨That beard looks wonderful on you¨made me think of the common white lie ¨That dress looks wonderful on you.¨

So, the best option was to get rid of it. Start the new continent with a new attitude and I haven´t looked back yet. By the way, it took me over an hour and 15 minutes to finish it. And, we have the fu man chu (sp?), goatee, and other photos that we will share when we get back.

Anyway, this is only one of many posts today, so I`ll leave you to the more important ones.

in the meantime....

while you're all desperately waiting on the edges of your seat to hear about Conor's news, and since he's been a little slow to the computer the last few days, I'll fill you in on what we've been up to for the last week. After a fun night out with Tyler Joosten, sampling various tapas and beverages in the Plaza Mayor and other sections of Madrid we flew to Lisbon on Sunday. Wow, what a surprise Lisbon was. It's not that we didn't think it would be great, but it's one of those places no one ever talks up, so when you actually see it, it's such a great surprise. Our hostal was located right in the heart of the old town called the Baixa. This is all tiled streets with restaurants pubs, neat architexture, and a huge plaza along the water. We did a quick tour around our neighborhood before crashing for the night and enjoying some awesome indian food (its nice to finally have some variety! minus the jamon jamon jamon which is everywhere...like we somethign else to dry us out besides our beers!)

On Monday we put on our walking shoes and did what we do best.....seeing everything from a foot. We began the morning by visiting the huge fort/caste (Sao Jorges Castle) that overlooks the whole city of Lisbon. It was really fun to imagine what it must have been like, and its fabulously intact. There are also great views of the atlantic, river, and the terracotta roofs below. You can also see the old moat that used to be around it. After also seeing the Medival neighborhood we had some cafe con leche (since we're addicted...thank you all of south america) overlooking a beautiful old church and the city down below. In the afternoon we walked along the water and went into the Chiada and Barrio neightboors that have tons of character and cobblestoned streets with trolleys crossing left and right and up and down the steep hills. We could have spent another few days seeing the city but we wanted to make sure we got out to Sintra on Tuesday.

Sintra...wow...it's like a fairy tale castle..almost seems fake its so pristine and clean. Pretty touristy, but not enough to draw you away. It was a quick 40 minute train ride out into the mountains, and a great little town to walk around. First we visited the Sintra Palace, which is also still intact and filled with amazing views, rooms, and artefacts. There was one room in particular that overlooks the atlantic and myth has it that you could see ships from india, brazil, or africa approachin on the horizon. After lunch we visited a fabulous residence and garden estate...amazing, with underground tunnels, private chapels, and more. The day was getting late, but of course conor and I tried to fit in a final visit up to the fort and castle above the town. But when we got up there we missed the final entry by 10 mintues...grrrrrr, but this lead to one of our best tours...we found a hidden trail behind the fort that lead us town into the town, with great views and through the back streets of the village of sintra.

After Sintra and Lisbon, it was time for some R&R, and we traveled down to the Algarve region in southern Portugal. This is the land of beeeauuutiful beaches, golden cliffs and natural blue water. We set up camp at a guest house we reserved in the heart of one of the main town's, called Lagos. Lagos is filled with windy tiled streets, TONS of bars, resturants, surf shops, cafes, tourist traps, and the like. Even though it was a little cheesy, it was great to feel like we didn't have to hurry to sightsee or get everything in. Plus, the weather was gorgeous! We spent two fabulous days at the beach, wandering around the city, checking out the cliffs, and recharging for the next portion of the trip. Luckily we had a great hostess at our hostal in Lisbon, so she helped us plot some of our upcoming adventures.

Sadly, we had a casualty while in Lagos. Our poor little baby Canon, the first purchase Conor and I ever made together, finally bit the dust. Which reeeally sucked. So upon our arrival here in Sevilla, we had to break down and purchase a new camera....which as painfully expensive as it was, we couldnt go without...and at least we have a new toy to play with! So look for some new and improved pics to come.

Debriefing: South America

So, now that we´ve finally gotten settled in here in Europe, I thought it was time for some reflection on South America. So, here are some of the key takeaways....

1) Despite the horror stories from almost everyone we spoke with, we never once felt unsafe in South America (even that shady trip up to the viewpoints in Rio was not that bad, I had my counterattack planned within seconds of stepping out of the car...plus, there were police up there monitoring things anyway). All you need to do is use the computer ahead of time and your head while you are there and you will be fine. It is such an amazing place and it is a shame if you stay away from it because you let someone else scare you rather than going and forming your own opinions about it. WE LOVED IT AND WISH WE WERE STILL THERE!
2) The way to really experience a country and a culture is to see what they eat and what they see. The locals do not spend time at tourist sites or Starbucks, they drink Mata in the afternoon and walk everywhere. So, Lindsay and I decided we would do our best to do the same and thus set out to expand our stomachs and our strides every day. I cant name you the 2 museums we visited in our five weeks there, but I can tell you the native drinks and food we tasted every night we were there.
3) Don´t even think of renting a car. In Lima, the buses with people soliciting customers from the windows will run you over. In Patagonia, you will run out of gas and be stranded in the middle of nowhere, probably til the vultures start picking at your bones. In Mendoza, shoulders are passing lanes. In Iguazu, any flat surface is a passing lane. In Sao Paolo, 4 inches of space is all that is needed for someone to take the lane in front of you and 4 inches of middle finger is all you´ll see for a good mile after you flash him the brights for cutting you off (it happened during our taxi ride to our hotel). In Paraty, you need a roller coaster operator´s license and a stomach of steel. In Rio, the second part of your licensing test requires that you drive through a dark labryinth without lights or brakes before you can drive. And in Buenos Aires, stop signs do not exist at 4-way intersections, it is merely a guessing game of who really got there first.
4) You can wear whatever you want. The porters on the Inca trail wore sandals while hot-stepping over rocks with 50lbs on their backs. I looked like Indiana Jones for 3 days and no one cared. In Paraty, I looked like a freak in my board shorts - all of the guys on our boat wore the old banana hammocks and the 250lb lady sunning on the bow of the ship wore a thong and didn´t think twice about tanning every part of her body in front of us. Should we even bring up the hair issue again? I had facial hair, Lindsay had blond hair, every South American guy had faux-hawk mullets and everyone thought they were cool. So, do whatever you want, because no one is judging you.
5) Stay away from the touristy places if you can. If the book says ``tourists have begun to flock to this spot of town, but it continues to maintain it´s unique feel,´´ what it really means is ``plans are currently being drawn up for a Hard Rock cafe around the corner.´´ Any time we encountered one of these spots, we ducked our heads and sprinted through the gauntlet of cafes with waiters pitching their menus and booths with amateur jewelers pitching there tinfoil necklaces, stiff-arming as many of them as we could on the way by.
6) You really can live without your cellphone. Even though we have a cellphone, we have only used it to check in at home every once in a while. However, I would not wish living without the internet (or newspapers in english) on my worst enemy.

I´m sure we´ll think of more, but that is it for now. As for our top 10 experiences, in no particular order:
1) Hiking Machu Pichu
2) Dining and walking the cobblestone streets at night in Cuzco
3) Boat trip around the islands off of Paraty, and walking the cobblestone streets of Paraty at night (I love cobblestone for some reason)
4) Palermo in Buenos Aires
5) Wine on the porch over looking the ocean in Valparaiso
6) Ipanema, although it rained the entire time we were there, we saw the potential...
7) Stay at Lago Grey in Patagonia, because everyone should experience the feeling of being that isolated from civilization (it may even make you want to live in an apartment building in NYC!).
8) Seeing Christ the Redeemer lit up in the misty clouds at night in Rio.
9) Jungle hike at the Iguazu falls, where we saw the anteater/monkey/opposom creature, lots of swinging monkeys, snakes, and hidden falls.
10) The Iguazu falls themselves, from both sides.

And I´m sure we´ll add to that as well, but that is all we have time for becaus we aer getting kicked out of this internet cafe. The next post will be about a big development that took place in the last 24 hours...............................STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!! (plus we have lots of pictures to come)

Viva Europa!

We made it....painful, but we're here. It was not without a fabulous few days in Buenos Aires. We stayed in the Palermo section of the city and with only 2 days to see everything we really got down to business. On Wednesday we toured half of the city on foot. Seeing the center city, Puerto Madero along the waterfront, and then lunch in the really funky San Telmo where we watched tango dancers in the middle of the square. After lunch we headed towards La Boca, where all the italian immigrants settled. It's full of colorful tenements, dancing and food...pretty touristy but a fun stop all the same. That evening we had dinner at La Cabrera Norte at the suggestion of T. doar and S. Morphew....it was AMAzing. More meat, more fun.

Thursday we were up and at it again, and saw all of the beautiful european like recoleta section as well as our own neighborhood of Palermo. It was such a great city, very funky, with its own charm.

Now after a 12 hour flight we arrived in Madrid this am. We're pretty fuzzy since we didnt sleep, the TVs and the lights were broken on the flight...and they didnt serve any alcholic drinks....it was a longgg flight. Now we're working off the jet lag in the hot sun here in Madrid and looking forward to meeting Conor's cousin Tyler for dinner! And the next part of the trip begins!

Life and times in Rio de Janerio

So we arrived to Rio on Sunday....the land of beautiful people, turquoise water, white sandy beachs, and caprihinas....and its poured for 3 days. Jussssssst great. Surf lessons, forget it. Christ Redeemer, in the clouds. Sugar Loaf, not unless we want throw up.

So all rain aside, Rio has actually been very impressive. Our trip in to the bus station was a little scary....but once you get away from the downtown area and head out to Copacabana and Ipanema, Rio is gorgeous. Even the other suburbs of Santa Teresa, Botofogo and Flamango are very nice. We spent the last two nights a really neat hostal right on Ipanema beach and next door to the infamous `Girl from Ipanema` restaurant. The area is flooded with cool restaurants, bars, surf shops, and LOTS of havaianas (which by the way are so cheap, we both had to buy new pairs...think 5 dollars.) Since the weather has been so bad, and Rio is really an outdoor city, we´ve been wandering around and hanging out at our hostal watching CNN Global edition of all the Lehman and Merril craziness back home. Our cabin fever started to get to us yesterday afternoon so we decided to suck it up and head to Corcovado which is the site of Cristo Redentor (you know, that big jesus that looks over all the beautiful sites of rio).

Anyway, we wait for the bus, end up taking the wrong one. Somehow we were able to recover and change buses. The whole trip took an hour and a half, by the time we got there it was starting to get dark and they stopped selling train tickets to the site. Grrreat. So we convince a taxi driver to bring us up the moutain, see the sights, and then he´ll even take us back to Ipanema. It sounds great! We get up there...and of course, Cristo is totally covered inthe clouds. We cant even see a darn thing down below....but we got some very eery photos of shadows of a huge jesus figure in the clouds. So just as we´re moaning about wasting money to go up there we load back in with the cab driver and now its dark. And apparently he doesnt like to use headlights to see...instead just to flash them every once and a while to make sure he´s on the right track. The taxi also doesnt have seat belts. So there we are hugging the turns in the dark with our taxi driver that doesnt speak english, drives like a bat out of hell, trying to make it down the mountain. When all of a sudden he pulls off to the side to a secluded area and somehow conveys that there is a look out point here but to `follow him´. So Conor and I are following this guy in the dark, down some trail, and all i can think is...óh my god, this is everything the guide books tell you NOT to do`. Don´t go out after dark in Rio, don´t go to secluded areas, and you´re on a cliff....

Thankfully, we were not robbed, stabbed, or strangled...and instead our driver brought us out to a magnificent view just as the clouds were clearing, and the city was begining to light up. We could see all the beaches, the mountains, sugar loaf, and even cristo all lit up and coming through the mist. It was fantastic, terrifying journey.

So now we wander and surf the web hoping the rain will pass and just maybe we could take the tram to sugar loaf for some views. But it doesn´t look good....hopefully Buenos Aires will have better weather. Can´t win them all.

More images from Iguazu and some from Paraty

Yes, she held a boa constrictor. No, I did not. No, she did not act comfortable doing so. Yes, the boa would have jumped out of his skin if I held him because I would have shrieked/cried like a little girl the moment I touched him.

Here is a photo of some of the falls from the Brazilian side. The falls were absolutely amazing and we were lucky to see them not just from both the Argentinean side and the Brazilian side, but also from a bird´s eye view as we flew over them. From the plane, all you could see was the undulating green jungle stretching forever and then all of sudden, it looked like somebody had taken an enormous bite out of the middle of it. It was an amazing sight, however, we didn´t get any photos because we opted to squeeze our armrests instead of the camera button as the pilot banked back and forth over the falls doing his best impersonation of Uncle Billy.

The picture below is of Lindsay in the cobblestone streets of Paraty. We arrived there on Thursday night after a long bus ride from Sao Paolo. We immediately fell in love with Paraty, which is a maze of cobblestone and car-less streets lit up by old-fashioned lanterns and filled with shops and outdoor cafes and restaurants housed in colonial buildings. Though we arrived around 11pm, there were many people out walking the streets and enjoying the nice weather, and we joined in at a cafe around the corner from us. We tasted the native caprinha drink, which is a mixture of tequila and a ton of limes. We added a splash of malarone (our anti-malarial pills) and it was a delicious treat after the long bus ride. However, the enjoyment didn´t last too long as we were overtired and the overabundance of acidic limes sent me into esophageal arrest, so we went home and went to bed because we had a big day the next day, which consisted of....

...cruising around the islands off the coast of Paraty on a 70-foot wooden boat. We shoved off from the pier at 11am and didn´t arrive back til 5pm, and inbetween we got to wash off our Iguazu jungle filth in the beautiful Atlantic ocean waters that were so clear that ripples looked like dancing white fireworks when the sun hit them just right. The picture below shows us doing some sort of synchronized diving routine in which we failed to discuss strategy before leaping off the railing of the boat. Our 3 judges from Rio (the only others on the boat with us) awarded us a total of 0.8 points for the combination of my bellyflop dive and Lindsay´s pencil dive. That definitely stung, but the pain didn´t last too long as were enjoying a day in the atlantic on the boat in the beautiful sun for under $70 total!

Tonight is our final night in Paraty before we head off to Rio tomorrow and we are very sad to see it go. Paraty is a must-see for anyone thinking of coming down to Brazil. In addition to the boat toar and frequenting the boutique shops and restaurants, we enjoyed a day on the beach in nearby Trinidade that was very relaxing and well worth the roller-coaster bus ride to get there. Anyway, time for some shopping (which consists of Lindsay perusing the shops while I sip a local beer in the street with some guys that just arrived on horseback with a beer in hand) and another fabulous and cheap dinner!!

Images from the Iguazu...

Given that I wasn´t allowed to defend myself when Lindsay last wrote a blog, I´ve attached a photo that I think provides all the defense I need...

...as you can see, this miniature teradactyl showed me no mercy. I now know the feeling mice must get when they are walking around, minding their own business, when all of sudden a small shadow they spot behind them grows increasingly bigger until it´s so big that by the time they´ve realized they are in trouble, it´s too late. Unlike the mouse, however, I had people around that could have helped me out of the situation. However, rather than call for help or try to poke the parrot off of my back, Lindsay and her new friends from the Semester at Sea program gathered around me to take pictures and laugh while I tried to wiggle free before the bird ripped off my ears and gouged out my eyes and fed them to me.

The picture above is of one of the 20+ monkeys we saw hop-skipping throughout the jungle canopy. As you can see, this guy waved frantically at us in order to get our attention. Terrific guy who wanted to let us know how upset he was with how Palin has treated his friends in the Alaskan wilderness and he said he was on his way to give her a piece of his mind. I tried to warn him against it, saying that she would probably use the meeting as a means to augment her foreign policy resume, but he was dead set on going anyway.

The above picture was taken late in the afternoon by the falls. The guidebook said that if we went near sunset, we´d have a chance to see some rainbows and it turns out we did. As this picture shows us clearly, I found my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...I´m so good.

This last picture does a great job of capturing Lindsay bonding with yet another animal. We have many pictures that show Lindsay having what looks like a conversation with an animal. As you might have guessed, the toucan just made Lindsay laugh after he made a funny joke about the toucan on the cover of the Froot Loops boxes (a hint: they don´t have much respect for him after he sold out for all that money).

Stay tuned for another post with more pictures in just a little bit....

iguazu, iguassu, iguaçu...

We arrived to the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls on Sunday afternoon with just enough time to wander around the miniscule town of Puerto Iguazu...its a little rough around the edges, but very rustic village charm. Thankfully we were able to find a good restuarant, which was so classy they even put the stella artois on ice. After Conor finished his bife de chorizo..which is like filet mignon, but 3 times the size of it, we could barely walk home. There began some of our firsts on the trip.

1. Our hostal was showing the Packers-Vikings game in Spanish...conor was IN LOVE
2. Our shower....ehh scratch that....the hose, that hung inside the bathroom, is where we showered


The next morning we began our long day at the Parque:

3. The JUNGLE! We saw wild monkeys...lots of them, the most amazing butterflies, in every color and design, strange furry racoon, anteater type animals, colorful birds, and orchids. We hiked into the jungle about 4 km´s to a hidden little waterfall

4. In the afternoon it was time to view all of the massive falls...I can´t upload pics at the moment but its worth googling ´Garganta el Diablo´in Iguazu, it was pretty amazing

The next day we did day two at the park;

5. We took a boat into the falls.....they dont just spray, they SOAK. I MEAN really soak.

So after our morning at the falls again we took a bus over the brazilian border, where we encountered some more first.

6. Brazilian bus drivers are authorized to check passports....i.e you could show them your gum wrapper and get in. So much for our 100$ visas.

7. You would think that the other side of iguazu falls would speak spanish too...well they don´t. They speak portugese, and NO english.

8. Nobody in Foz do Iguaçu knows where ´Charm Iguassu Suites´is located. So after our first trek with backpacks in 90 degree sun we were able to locate it before passing out.

9. Our first Brazilian Churruscuria! Fantabulous. Conor had chicken hearts, Rump, Hump, Sirloin, and Filet Mignon. Thankfully he decided to skip the Turkey Testicles wrapped in Bacon before I hauled him out of there.

10. TOUCANS! they´re real and we saw a ton at the Parque de Aves

11. Conor got attacked by a Blue Parrot. I mean really attacked. He flew onto his backpack, ripped the top off a nalgene bottle and the back´s elastics with his death beak. Conor lost some manpoints there, you should have seen the look of terror on his face as he ran away.

12. Needless to say, he was NOT up for putting the boa constrictor around his neck, but dont worry, I did! And, it was amazing. Conor looked like he was going to throw up.

13. But dont worry Wolverine didn´t back down...he went back to the parrot cage and gave the bird a peice of his mind...then the park attendants came, and then we had to leave.


So now it´s off to Sao Paulo this evening....we´re hedging our bets with safety and staying in an actual hotel...which I am SO excited for. Real shower, real sheets, no strange noises...let´s hope!

Maipu.....it´s not what you are thinking...

On Thursday, we arrived in Mendoza, Argentina after a pretty spectacular bus ride along switchbacks that went up and over the Andes (the 155km route took 6 hours and included a frigid stop at a control booth in the middle of a factory-type building that lasted 45 minutes). Mendoza is a pretty neat colonial town nestled in the Andes, with a fabulous plaza lined with cafes and shops. The main plaza, Plaza Indepencia, has 4 other plazas surrounding it in an equidistant fashion, where we were able to hang out on park benches and soak up some of the sun (it was disappointing that only 1 of our 3 days had sun since Mendoza gets over 300 days of sun/year on average). The walking, eating, and shopping was great, but they are particularly known for their wine...Malbec to be exact. So we began Friday with wine tour just outside Mendoza in an area referred to as Maipu, and yes Shaun, it´s pronounced the way you hoped it was pronounced.

Our wine tour lasted a full day and included tours of 3 different wineries as well as a huge Argentinian lunch of meats, cheeses, and various vegetables marinated in the Malbec wine. We are now well versed on the process of testing a wine, which means we know that you smell it once (where you could pick up on scents of mildewed cardboard and budweiser or something like that), swirl it to oxygenate it, smell it a second time (where you are supposed to pick up on different aromas that were released, like grandpa's leather leg rest with Miller High Life), take a generous swig to coat your mouth, swirl it to get the flavor, and then finally let the syrup into your belly. Despite being given this knowledge though, every wine tasted the same and so we still can´t say we are connosieurs of any alcoholic beverages other than Bud light.

Anyway, the only other highlights of the trip were when a bird Maipu'd on Conor´s sleeve and the Irish's come-from-behind win that was just as exciting watching the text version on ESPN Gamecast. Time to head up to Iguazu for a few days of exploring the jungle and the falls...

wolverine: the man, the myth, the legend

yes....that's my new pet name for conor and his beard. I wanted to take a few moments to share some of my thoughts on his facial achievement.

pros:

-it keeps him warm
-it stores food crumbs "for later"
-he looks indigenous to every country we've visited
-his "get ready time" is down to 4 minutes
-I get to call him "wolverine"


cons

-it keeps him warm...more sweat!
-food crumbs for later......GROSS
-indigenous usually = dirty
-get ready time 4 mintues, again, = dirty
-His wolverine grooming tool is his leatherman!


But, the pros outweigh the cons and im enjoying his beard...we'll see how long that lasts. For now, wolverine is awesome and lots of furry fun!

Patagonia Pics2

This isn't Patagonia, it's actually in Valpariso at Pablo Neruda's house. I think I'm just missing the sun and heat!
We were able to see grey foxes, that come right up to you, like little my-kittys
Conor, glacier crushing

One last beautiful view of the Torres del Paine and Lake Pehoe

Patagonia Pics1

The weather was rough, but we were still able to see a great waterfall










Thankfully it cleared up on Monday so we aboarded the GreyII boat cruise and visited the Glacier Grey










Our best views were on our bus ride leaving the park..












Here's conor on the deck at our Hotel

Snow on Labor Day

....it was a first! So our time here at the remote Hosteria Lago Grey is coming to an end. We hoof it back to punta arenas tonight for our departure back to Santiago tomorrow. We are pretty happy to be getting back to civilization as we´ve been staying the past few nights in a hotel that housed 10 people, including staff, and is so remote that the no other humans are within probably 50 square miles. The scary part is that Conor has decided that he needs a cold weather drink to go with his beard and so he's now drinking whiskey as his drink of choice. Mix a couple of those with a little of his cabin fever and everyone was getting a little concerned that he might cast them in key roles alongside him (playing Jack Nicholson's character) in The Shining, part II.

Anyway, we woke up to snow yesterday, which eventually turned to ice and rain for the rest of the day. However, we were still able to muster the strength for a big hike. We hiked for about 6km along the Rio Pingo that snakes between various surrounding mountains, through vast fields of partially burned trees (a fire burned through the area in February 2005) and black and green ferns until we reached a beautiful waterfall. We enjoyed a bag lunch and numerous photo opportunities, where Conor got to test his 40-yard dash time against the 10-second delay option on the camera. All of the running after lunch ended up getting to his stomach and he barely avoided another mishap on yet another trail in yet another South American country.

This morning we embarked on a Boat tour of lake grey, where we navigated through ice chunks and out to the huge glacier, where finally, the sun came out! Wow, patagonia is much different when you're able to see the jagged peaks of the snow-capped mountains, and the sun reflecting off the snow, lake and the blue ice. We got some pretty amazing photos and of course had to take one of Lindsay leaning off the front bow like Rose in ''The Titanic.'' We're sad to leave such a beautiful place, but will be happy to go back to the world of being able to choose what you eat, since they dont have much to offer at the one restaurant here (and of course, there are no grocery stores around here). We hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.

-Conor and Lindsay