One last post re this trip. Iguazu Falls are located in the upper part of Argentina, bordering on Brazil and Paraguay. There are over 300 falls in all and the major part of them are in Argentina and in the jungle. The local town is Puerto Iguazu, which is sort of a pioneer rustic town of a few thousand and about 11 miles away. The National Park, which encompasses the falls reminds me of a Disney creation only this is real and not fake. It is really well done to protect the ecologically sensitive ecosystem. It costs 10 dollars to enter the first day and 5 the next. We checked into our posada which I had prebooked from some recommendations online. Well I do not know who wrote these but Timbo Posada turned out to be little more than a hut in the village with 4 basic rooms. There was a bed, handmade of some wood, with threadbare sheets and some old faded green towels which were hard and rough to touch. The bathroom had just one faucet at the sink- only cold. The toilet had a tank above it for the occasional flush and the shower dribbled a slow stream of warm water. If you stamped your feet when you turned on the dim Christmas lightbulb, the roaches scattered. There was also a tree stump which was the bedside table. I was a little grossed out at first but we dropped our backpacks and immediately headed back to the park for the 3 hours before it closed the first day. By the time we came back the giant beers from the cafe next door made it seem sort of cute and we decided to stay. The kids who ran the place were so earnest and nice and they tried so hard, it would have been difficult to disappoint them.
To get to the park you take El Practico which is an old coughing bus that runs every half hour and costs 4 pesos each way. The park was great. On the first day it had started to empty out by 3 so we had it to ourselves. We took the little train out the "Devil's Throat" the largest of the falls. You walk on about a mile of elevated metal walkways over the rivers and swamps and forests. We saw remarkable birds- giant white herons, vultures, colorful ones and even a caiman. The thing tht I remember most were the butterflies. They looked at first like tiny pieces of colorfu scraps of paper floating in the air. They were absolutely astounding to watch and see. Every conceivable color, our favorite if there was one was a black and white one with scarlet stripe with what looked like the number 88 on each wing.
The next day we got there early and spent 10 hours doing all the trails and starting with the jungle explorer which involved a 4 wheel drive into the jungle followed by a boat ride capped off with a shower under the falls. We got drenched but the heat and humidity is so intense that it was relief. Picture 90 plus heat and humidity in the high 80s. You just do not dry and just walk around wet. I really sort of liked it and it did not really bother me but my hair was curly for the first time on my life. The highlight, though, was seeing the animals. We saw a toucan and some large blue and purple birds with yellow and pale tan bellies and tails- I now know they are plush crested jays. There were dozens and dozens of coati mundis which are a cross between an anteater and racoon. One of them jumped on a table about 10 feet away and grabbed a girl's empanada right from her hands. They were everywhere and so fun to watch. At the end of the day, as we were the last on a trai,l I looked over to my left and saw a capuchin monkey sitting on a branch watching me. As I looked back, I noticed there were about 5 others. They stayed for about 5 minutes eating bamboo and throwing things at us and then the troop moved on. I was thrilled. It was really a great day and I loved the jungle.
After our 2 days we flew back to BA and spent the afternoon yesterday in Recoleta visiting Evita's tomb in the necropolis cemetery and walking a few neighborhoods. After a 10 hour flight to JFK we arrived back in the US and are now home. It was an interesting month. I had never really thought about South America as a possible vacation destination. I found it fascinating and yet a little familiar. The people are kind and I never felt in danger or really uncomfortable. Thank you to those who sent your comments. I read them all and it really helped to stay connected. Now none of you have to listen to boring vacation stories!

Yesterday was Saturday and we took the ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia, Uruguay. Now the river is pretty wide but you can see BA from Colonia in the distance but it takes forever to cross. We learned the BA subway system, navigating across 2 lines, and then walked the last half mile to the port. We were out of pesos however and stopped 2x to try ATMs. They would not allow us to get money and we were really getting worried. You never know if someone has gained access and cleaned out your account or whatever. Anyway, thankfully, at the pòrt their ATM gave us some money. However it was extremely windy and the ferry was delayed by 3 hours. It only runs once each way and so now our 6 hour visit was cut to 2 and a half- you have to leave time for customs. We decided to go anyway as we were there and it cost $70 each- a lot for down here. The ferry carried probably 700 people easily 250 of which were very small children. Mostly these were families taking their annual vacations to the beaches in Uruguay which are apparently quite beautiful and very cheap. When we docked we were first off the ship and at the historic center in about 10 minutes.
I have to say that this so far has been my favorite place on the trip. Colonia is a UNESCO world heritage site rebuilt with UN money. It was the original Portugese settlement in what is now Uruguay and is just wonderful. For a dollar you can go in 5 restored old homes and businesses from the 17th century. The streets are the original stones, very erratic and haphazard to walk on but authentic. There is the requisite Plaza complete with horse drawn carriage, very few tourists even on a weekend in high season and we had the place to ourselves. The flowers! Wow, they were every different color- even on the same bush! The streets were lined with rows of centuries -old sycamore trees. The shops were unobtrusive but charming. Oddest though were the decades- old cars on the streets. These were 30s era cars that still work and are a source of pride to the residents. All too soon we hurried back to the dock to find there was a 3 hour delay- surprise! So we rushed back out , grabbed a cab driver and asked him to show us the rest of the city. The historic part is just on the end of the peninsula. It seems we had missed the beautiful beaches on the banks of the river upsteam. It was still windy and the river is enormous so there were waves as big as Green Hill. Here's the difference. The river is chocolate brown. To me it would look like you were swimming in melted Hersheys. There were palm trees and white sand and chocolate waves- very surreal. So the driver showed us where the "rich" Argentinians live and the bull ring now "cerrado" closed and the jai alai also "cerrado. I was wondering what the poor folks do for fun when he proudly told us that "big man Bush" came in his helicopter complete with whoosh whoosh sounds- and stayed in the Sheraton hotel for the night last March. He was so proud.
The ride home on the ferry included even more little kids all of whom sat near us- you cannot be outside and are confined to a giant room. I thought they were adorable and enjoyed their playing and watching the parents but Bert felt as if he had been condemned to Dante´s 4th level of Hell. We made the last subway home with a few mishaps but pretty much in one piece.
My cold has leveled off slightly. I know cough medicine does not work but I am trying to think positively. Have I mentioned how the farmacias work here in South America? It is so weird and hard to get used to. You go in one, there is one every corner, you find a sales girl and tell her what you want. Nothing is out on display, all behind in the back. You cannot compare or ask price. This is not just for meds but personals like tissues, shaving cream, lotions, shampoo, anything you would buy in a drug store. She asks you all these questions then gives you a slip which you take to the cashier. After waiting in line, you pay and then go to another line with the receipt and they go in the back and get the stuff. Can you imagine doing this at CVS? Let me tell you it can also be quite embarassing.
Today we went to the San Telmo flea market. There are all kinds of buskers which were the most entertaining I have ever seen,- tango dancers, marionettes, tango bands, a stilt walkerwho reached down and grabbed me to kiss me almost knocking us both over, singers, statue people. I was looking at a leather purse and said out loud I needed one that was larger. The lady next to me said "buy it anyway you can always use it". I answered that 'when you live in RI you bring everything you own when you go out' and, of course, she is from Newport. She gave us her husband´s name and we are supposed to call him to say she is fine and staying another month. Later while eating lunch we were approached by a fellow American who is travelling on his own but is our age, staying in hostels and was in need of conversation with someone over 30. He was fascinating. There are few Americans here and they tend to seek each other out.
Tomorrow we fly up north to Iguazu Falls on the Brazil and Paraguay border for 2 nights in the jungle. I can´t believe I have to work in 5 days.

Today we are back in Buenos Aires. It is marginally cooler than Mendoza but not much. The main story with us is that I have been really sick for 4 days. The cold that I got just escalated into literally the worst I have ever had. At this point my eyes are so infected that it is hard to see and it looks like I am continually crying. I am sure I infected the whole bus last night. I coughed and sneezed and everything else for nearly the entire 16 hours. I will never again complain about someone else with a crying baby or bad cold. I tortured those people and I felt terrible. The busses here have a system called semi cama or full cama- cama meaning bed in Spanish. The seats go nearly all the way back and there is a foot rest. Actually there is a good amount of space. Of course I could not understand the announcements. I had been told they were giving us supper and, when we got on, they handed us a sandwich with a slice of bread and a piece of cheese. No drink. I figured that was dinner and ,really, I haven´t eaten in 4 or 5 days. So we settled back and fell asleep even though it was 8 PM. At 10 PM the bus pulled into a rest stop and we got up and out with everyone for the restrooms. I noticed though that the other passengers had gathered in the restaurant next to it and it was here that they gave us dinner. So here we were in a truck stop on the road in the middle of Argentina eating some kind of breaded mystery meat and a huge portion of mashed potatoes. I am seriously missing vegetables. They then showed 2 movies which were in English and Spanish subtitles and really weren´t bad. Then everyone settled in to sleep while I kept them up coughing.
Tonight I went to a pharmacy and tried to explain that I want a cough suppressant not expectorant. Literally the pharmacist who was nice enough to open for us- we had to climb through a little hole in the door- had only 4 words of English - Have a nice Day! I had to laugh in spite of my pathetic condition. We had dinner in a Hungarian restaurant with reggae background music but the goulash was great that Bert had and so was my omelette which was the only thing we could understand on the menu. My Spanish is bad but forget my Hungarian. Besides it was the only place that would take Mastercard and we were out of pesos until we can find a bank tomorrow.
Tomorrow AM we are to take a fast ferry to Uruguay for the day. Hopefully the cough meds will work.

I haven´t had a chance to write the past few days as I have had the worst cold in 10 years. We took a bus 2 days ago from Santiago to where we are now in Mendoza, Argentina. The bus ride was certainly an adventure in itself. The bus station was immense with thousands of people and hundreds of busses going in every direction. It is vacation time here and the busses are the primary mode of transportation. We saw very few English or foreign travellers- I guess they fly. Noone on the bus spoke a word of English and I could not get any of the announcements. Consequently, when we got to the border between Chile and Argentina, we were confused. The crossing of the border took 2 hours. They pulled one of our passengers off and made him get his luggage and that was the last we saw of him. The border itself is at the highest part of the Andes probably over 12000 ft. Within a half mile we saw snow covered Aconcagua which is the highest peak in the western hemisphere. It was magnificent but it did not look that much higher than where we were. The road through the mts was incredible. For the 20 dollar bus fare for the 7 hours it was a bargain. They even played a movie. Can you believe it was a kung fu movie with lots of screeching and heads being cut off in Thai with Spanish subtitles. Out the window was the real show. On the Chilean side you climb a very, very sharp series of 24 switchbacks and at times I had to close my eyes we were so close to the edge with the oncoming traffic. Once we passed the border, the Argentinian side was basically rolling down but much more colorful rocks. They were green and red and brown and white depending on mineral content. They rose up on both sides of the road and there were frequent tunnels which seemed very narrow to us on a double decked bus.
The bus station in Mendoza was similar in size to Santiago. We bought our ongoing tickets to Buenos Aires and hit the bathrooms. Unfortunately I kept getting aced out by a number of nuns in full habit. After 3 of them cut in front of me I took a deep breath and did not give up my position. I think they cursed me with this cold. We found a taxi to get to the B and B. When I asked the price it sounded like 40 pesos- about 12 dollars but when we got here he was mystified when we went to pay him. He only wanted a dollar. We gave him 2 and he was thrilled. This B and B named Plaza Italia is owned by a couple in their 60s, Mercedes and Tito, but run by her son Javier. Yesterday Javier took us on a tour of the wineries. We did 4 with a 5 course meal at lunch with a wine for each course. With my cold I was unable to fully appreciate them but suffice it to say this is wine country with over 125 wineries. I now know more that I ever thought I needed to know about Mendoza wine. This is a lovely city and we are staying in the heart of it on a secondary plaza. We cannot eat until at least 8 each night as there are no restaurants open. Most eat at 10. We stroll the city squares until 12 or so and they are crowded . I do not think the children ever go to bed. We actually watched a puppet show at 11 last night with lots of kids. As I write this at the B an B, there is someone´s pet duck quacking at me. I don´t know what that´s about but he hangs around with a large brown puppy. Every street is lined with dozens of trees usually sycamores. I have never seen such a leafy city. The temp is a bit warm in the 80s and 90 and it remains very warm well into the night. The few breezes are welcome.
The people here are eminently friendly and considerate except when it come to traffic. This is a city of nearly 500,000 and there are extremely few traffic lights. There are also few stop signs and they seem to serve merely as a suggestion rather than anything else. Honestly these cars fly up to each intersection and then it becomes a game of chicken. I am getting used to it but I would never drive here. Also Mendoza contains nearly every type of old car you may have owned in your life. This is an extremely dry climate- rain 5 days a year- water comes from the mountains- and apparently they never rust. We have seen probaly 20 Deux Chevaux, those old French cars that look like VW beetles, 50 years old and still going strong as well as hundreds of Ford Falcons from the 60s. It is really weird because it feels like you have gone back in time.
We had a minor incident this afternoon when one of the young kids, about 7, came up to us in the park and asked for a match. He caught us offguard as it feels so safe here and he was adorable but in a flash he grabbed for the backpack. Fortunately Bert was just as quick and saved it as the kid disappeared. Bert was feeling disturbed and unsettled and we walked to the main park. An elderly man in a suit approached us with a briefcase. He introduced himself. I am embarrassed to say I held my pocketbook close. He is Carlos Lopez, a local poet, and he wanted us to know that we are welcome in his home city. He asked about our lives at home and gave us a typed beautiful poem. He was just so nice. He wasn't looking for anything- just told us to enjoy ourselves. Such a counterpoint to what had happened a half hour before. To me this is what travel is all about. I would do better though if I could breathe. Javier just came by on his way home for dinner- it is 11 PM and I got the kiss-kiss, so my day is complete. Happy Valentine´s Day!

Just a short note tonight as this hotel's internet is so easy and this is a good way for me to keep track of our trip without having to keep a journal. We started the day with Mass at the Cathedral and had the bishop himself so that was interesting. He is quite old and had someone at his elbow the whole time. The one thing that I thought was funny was that when we were on line for communion the choir was singing and I kept thinking the melody was familiar. Just before I got to the bishop, it hit me. It was the melody from the old song by Dionne Warwick '' I''ll never fall in love again''. You know it starts What do you get when you fall in love..... Well now I am wondering if old Burt Bacharach may have ripped this off years ago on a trip to Chile. Just kidding but I couldn't get it out of my mind..
The rest of the day we hit museums and walked miles and went to the top of the mountain on a funicular and then 2 cable car trips between the mts. I had my eyes closed the first one but enjoyed the second. Between the cable and the mt. we were up over a mile.On the way back wouldn't you know but we ran into a friend from the ship while having a beer. This city is huge and has 6 million but we found the only person whose address I took. So tomorrow back to Argentina and adios Chile.

It has been so great to read all of your comments. We are off the ship now and in Santiago,Chile. We had a short morning yesterday in Punt Arenas,Chile which is the capital of southern Patagonia. It is a small city and good size port and most ships seem to stop on their way between the Pacific and Atlantic. It seems very prosperous. I guess there is money in sheep, which is the predominent industry. We had an hour to wander and we went into the church to light a candle. The usual things there but what I found interesting was a beautiful huge mosaic of Christ over the altar and, on either side of Him, was a mosaic of icebergs, guanacos, penquins and Torre del Paine. We also met an old man in the Plaza Mayor named Alberto and we bought from him a small canoe that he made from sealskin. He is an Indian from a local tribe in Puerto Eden. He was nice enough to let us take a picture of him but he seemed a little perplexed by the whole thing. After a 3 hour flight north we ended up at the Santiago Intercontinental, a beautiful hotel and, for some reason, we were given the penthouse suite. We sort of hated to leave it to go out but we had to eat. Too bad we could only stay 1 night but we have moved today to a different section and a lovely small hotel near the downtown but still filled with trees and flowers. Santiago is very hot and this is the middle of summer, running in the high 80s. This morning we mastered the Metro system and saw the changing of the guard at the Palace and visited the big Cathedral and the big main plaza. Santiago is a really clean and modern city. If you squinted a bit and could translate the Spanish, you could be in any big US city- only much cleaner. We met an artist, Juan, and I was so taken with his painting that I bought 2 of them. When he heard we were from the USA he wanted to know if we had heard of Hartford, Ct! Can you imagine! He got so excited when we explained where we were from that he discounted the paintings which were ridiculously cheap anyway and he gave us his mother's phone number. He volunteers each evening teaching disadvantaged and recovering addicts to paint. He was in Hartford to explain his program last October. His style is reminiscent of Van Gogh, using primary colors and broad strokes. He even ran over to some store and bought us a plastic tube to bring them home and would not take money for it.! I love travel and to meet people like Juan and Alberto.
This afternoon we went to Cerro Santa Lucia which is a very high hill in the center of the city. It was founded here in 1540. Nothing left as there have been numerous devastating earthquakes which have leveled the city. We climbed all the way to the top which was frightening as the steps were steep and I HATE HEIGHTS! I swear I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. When we got to the top of the tower, the wind kicked up and I was nearly paralyzed trying to hold on going down. These are not steps that would be allowed in the US. Nevertheless we could see all of the city and I guess it was worth it- now that I am on terra firma. The last thing I wanted to mention are the dogs. As in many South American cities there are no dog wardens so these friendly creatures roam the streets at will. They seem so placid and content though skinny. It was so funny when they were starting the changing of the guard. They keep all the people away but there was a German shepherd wandering and ended up leading the troops in at the front of the line. Even better was the basset hound who pushed me aside at the fence and sat down beside my foot to get a better look. When he got bored, he up and left. Later as we were leaving the park there were three dogs side by side sleeping lazily on the pavement in the heat when one of them spied a police car. Immediately they were on their feet barking at the car. It was the only reactions we saw from any of the dozens and dozens we saw today. Do you think they can read?
Well I guess that is all I can think of. I am sorry that you all are freezing in the northeast. I love reading and hearing from all of you. Thanks to everyone who is keeping Dad up to date. Morgan, I have seen Chileans who could be your twin. Bonnie, I am hoping the pictures with the binocular camera come out because I have gotten some awesome shots. Eric, I think you would like Chile but it is very different from Argentina. Brit, you would love all the animals and birds/ I wish I had your knowledge about them. Micky, Í wish my pictures would be half as good as yours. Now that I am warm again the Drake is just an awful memory. Did I tell you the crew told us it was their worst crossing ever. Not just the fact that there were 75 foot waves and hurricane winds but that it was so constant. As the week has gone on I have really begun to realize as did the other passengers how frightening it was. We have 1 more day here and then we have a 7 hour bus trip through the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina.

I cannot believe it but I got up at 4:30 this AM to get use of the internet and, after writing for 45 minutes, it was all wiped out. So I will try again but the ship is starting to wake up so I have to type quickly.On Wed we went on a 10 hour , 200Km bus ride - 400KM total on dirt and gravel roads to Torre del Paine National Park, the Chilean equilvalent of Yosemite. We were just 20 on our bus, which was great, as our group was on the younger side- all things being relevant- and fairly agile which was handy, as we got in and out frequently to take pictures. On the way we were mesmerized by the vast estancias and the pampas- grasslands and ranches. We stopped to watch gauchos put on a display with their cattle and then, a while later, we watched thousands of sheep herded around by the dogs and their 2 shepherds on horse back. I don't think it was a set up but rather that they are proud of their skills and, really, nothing else happens out here. We passed and saw a dozen or so condors soaring high in the sky and one came down quite close- I hope the picture comes out. As we neared the park, we started to see the herds of guanacos which are similar to llamas. Usually they were in groups but occasionally I saw one alone sitting on its haunches seemingly looking up at the hills contemplating its existence. At least that's what it looked like to me. There were black necked swans and some kind of goose, and nandus which are Chilean rheas- a smaller version of an ostrich.
When we got to the park entrance, after 4 hours on the road- very dusty and had to go slow- we were greeted by a grey fox who , I swear, posed for pictures. He let us get within about 5 feet and never bolted, just warily watched as dozens snapped pictures. The center of the park are the towers of granite. They are massive and reach thousands of feet into the sky- ending as horns. Very compelling to look at. They change constantly in appeance in color from the light and the appearance and disappearance of clouds. It is very windy there- that is putting it mildly. There are many lakes mostly glacial and they are this sea- foam green color that is awesome ,but that contrasts with the Sarmiento Lake which is the most beautiful color blue I have ever seen. I really could have looked at it all day. What is so different here also is that we were nearly the only ones in the park. In the US the cars line up and shuffle along. Here it was unusual to see anyone else.
We arrived back to the mother ship after a long but great day to find a wonderful surprise in our cabins. Hurtigruten has decided to refund 100% of our cruise fares because of the difficulty and lost time when we rescued the other group. We were shocked and it was a terrific way to end the day.
Today we are sailing through the fjords and we end our cruise portion tomorrow in Punta Arenas and fly to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

For the past 2 days we have been sailing through the Beagle channel and now the Strait of Magellan. Last evening we went through some fabulous fiords with glaciers that towered over us by hundreds of feet and went right down to the water. All kinds of birds and we went right up to a colony of sea lions who protested loudly. Their babies were precious and fun to watch. The Garabaldi Glacier was unbelievable- crystal blue in places- which I guess signifies very old ice. There is much evidence of global warming, especially when it is pointed out to us where these glaciers were last year. The weather changes constantly from a bit of sun to fog to rain and drizzle. This AM we were followed by 4 minke whales for awhile. Mostly we can just sit on the 7th floor panoramic deck and watch the world go by. The world, of course, consists of high undulating mountains which are the end of the Andes before they drop into the sea at Cape Horn. There are no villages or inhabitants at all. Without the computers we would not have any idea of the outside world. Tomorrow we are on a long bus ride to Torre del Paine park. On the way we are hoping to see Condors and Guanacos which are cousins to llamas. I will be happy to spend the day on land but I hope we can hike a bit and not have to sit too long. Hope you are all well. I have been enjoying my new IPOD immensely. It has been the best thing I brought along.

Yesterday we spent the day at Puerto Willliams which is a tiny settlement in Chile. While Ushuaia bills itself as the southernmost city in the world, Puerto Williams is really the southernmost town beating it by several miles. This is a Chilean navy town with about 2000 people. Though the setting is spectacular, on the Beagle channel surrounded by mountains and beech forests, there is little to do. We spent an hour looking for a store to buy something but they only open a couple of hours a day, Most of the houses are made of metal and are prefab. We hiked in the forest and visited a small Indian museum. The Yamana Indians inhabited this area and still survive in a small group. What is interesting about them is that they wore no clothes. How they could do this is beyond me; it is freezing here and it is summer! While we were out yesterday, a storm came up out of nowhere with fierce winds and driving rain and we ran for the ship. After dinner we walked over to the - ahem- yacht club to experience and drink the southernmost pisco sour. This "club' is a wreck of an old german ship and we had a great time. What was most interesting was that we started to talk with the other passengers about our recent crossing on the Drake and everyone finally started to admit how absolutely frightenening it was. We were tossed around for 2 days and the crew now admit that it was the worst they'd seen. We had lost our engines for a short time when a 75 foot wave washed over the bridge and as the ship was tossed up, the propellers came out of the water. We listed several times to the side. We saw 2 cruise ships in Ushuaia which had started out south during the storm and had to turn back. They were amazed that we made it. The Prinsendam lost all their dishes and they had many passengers injured from falling down and falling objects. This experience has been more an adventure than a cruise but I am still glad I came. Just do not think I will ever attempt the Drake again.
This morning we have come to Cape Horn, graveyard of thousands of ships. It is a series of tall granite rocks and there is a small landing site. Alas we are in a force 12 gale and landing is impossible so we will sail around it 2x. I absolutely can see why they had to build the Panama Canal. There is such a stark beauty to the area. Albatrosses fly by along with many seabirds, no trees but the rocks have a green covering of lichens and moss. I do not think we have a landing scheduled for a couple of days. I am getting used to walking sieways!

Before I forget I wanted to tell you that to access some previous posts you have to type in rimare1.blogspot.com.In those posts I talked about the fact that we had to lose 2 days of our trip to rescue our sister ship, the Nordkapp. We took on more than 300 extra people and it was a bit crowded. We gave up our larger room and moved to a small room near the crew in the bow of the ship. It was a noble move but we paid for it in spades. For the past 3 days we have endured the worst storm of the season. There were 70 foot waves and wind in excess of 100 mph. Being in the bow, the ship would go up the 50- 70 feet and then drop down. At first it was fun, like Coney island rides ,but after 24 hours of nothing to eat or drink and being unable to move without falling, it was really hard. The water kept crashing into the window and all last night it really sounded like the ship was going to break apart. I only got sick once and actually outlasted Bert by 2 hours. We are back now in Ushuaia to drop our refugees off and leave for Cape Horn in the AM. We just walked the town though it was late when we got here. Luckily the Argentine people eat at 10 at night. I had always wanted to see Ushuaia and here I am back in a week. So the Drake Passage which can be the Drake Lake, Shake or Quake was the latter. What an experience and I will never forget it. You haven't lived until you have tried to take a shower under conditions like these, having the floor literally drop from under your feet. As we finally made the Beagle channel this afternoon and its calming effect, I felt like cheering but instead looking back south towards Antarctica, we saw a beautiful rainbow.I love the birds that follow the ship especially the rare albatross. They are huge and remind me of the poem we had to study in high school, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge, I think. You wouldn't want one of these things around your neck.
So tonight we went back to the wine store we found last week and stocked up on more white. It costs a princely sum of $3. I loved reading all your comments and appreciate those of you who share them with Dad. Miss you all and now that I am figuring out this blog thing I hope to keep it up.