Happy Holidays!

We are in Buenos Aires getting ready to start our journey home tonight. This morning I took a last lap around my running loop in the park. We had our Argentine breakfast of medilunas, facturas, cafe and jugo de naranja exprimido at El Galeon. Andrew went to the office and the boys and I went Christmas shopping (in 90 degree heat..... very strange) On the way home we took a sentimental walk to the soccer field and school and stopped for empanadas at our favorite place next door to Colegio Armonia.

We are full of mixed emotions about leaving Argentina. Our trip has been incredibly full and exciting. The boys are eager to be home for Christmas and they can't wait to see their family and friends. We are looking forward to being home, yet we feel like we could stay stay here longer. It may be hard to make such a big trip happen again so we are sad about that.

It has been an amazing adventure.

Happy Holidays!

Waiting for the clouds to clear at Mirador Torres del Paine

Stay tuned for photos and stories from our trip to Torres del Paine.

Perito Moreno Glacier

The boys and I took a day trip to Perito Moreno glacier near Calafate. Andrew had to stay at the hostel and work. We wish he could have been there too. We made a new friend Caroline from Belgium who just finished a two year assignment in Columbia working for Red Cross International in conflict zones of Columbia. She had many stories to tell. She also was kind enough to share her lunch for one with the three of us who arrived without food!

We spent the day walking around the glacier and took a short boat ride along side of it. We got to see and hear the glacier calving into the water which was very exciting. At first the five hours of watching seemed like it would be a long day. But the long stay had its rewards. We saw a lot of action and were able to observe the glacier as it changes. Perito Moreno advances 2 meters each day!

Bife de Lomo

"When in Argentina......"

Day 3 Sunrise at Cerro Torre

We enjoyed the day here and headed to Chalten in the afternoon.


Jordy's preferred method of travel was holding Andrew's hand while talking about kayaking and flying!

Day 2 Hike from Fitz Roy to Cerro Torre

After the sunrise hike, we had breakfast by the river in the warm sun. Later Andrew and Xander took a hike to Glacier Piedras Blancas while Jordy and I hung out at camp.

You can drink the water right out of the river!

We set off for Cerro Torre in the afternoon. Along the way Andrew and the boys took a chilly swim in a lake. After the swim, we discovered leeches swimming along the shore!

Leech


Last view of Fitz Roy

Our first view of Cerro Torre

Cerro Torre at sunset from our camp.

Day 2 Sunrise at Fitz Roy

3:45 am wake up and an hour hike to Lago de Los Tres for the sunrise.

Day 1 Chalten to Fitz Roy

Today we started a three day backpacking trip to Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.

We met MANY groups of Israelis along the way. This group was so excited to see Jordy and Xander on the trail that they asked if they could take photos with the boys!

El Mirador de Fitz Roy

After we arrived at Camp Poicenot, we took an evening hike to Lago de los Tres without our packs. It was a steep rocky climb to the base of Fitz Roy, Poincenot, and St.Exupery (named after the author of the Little Prince)


Lago de los Tres



Lago Sucio

We got back to camp just as it was getting dark and had our dinner at the appropriate Argentine time of 11:00pm.

Route 40

Today we took a 3 hour bus ride at sunset on Route 40 to El Chalten. We saw incredible mountain vistas, long and straight Nevada like desert roads, guanacos, a stop in the middle of nowhere at an estancia for milanesa and lemon pie, and arrived in El Chalten at 10:00pm and the sun still had not set.

Three Sunny Days

We have been in Bariloche for 14 days and we have had 3 glorious sunny days. The rest have been rainy, windy and cold! Bariloche is one of the most beautiful places we have been, but wow the weather blows.

Hair Cut

Thanksgiving Dinner

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Hotel Llao Llao (pictured above) with friends from Truckee! Audrey and Will were there as well as their friends Jamie and Shanie who are now Bariloche locals. It was a first class celebration for less than a dinner out in Truckee! We missed being with the family, but we had a nice chat on the phone thanks to Skype! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Homans started the celebration early with Audrey at 9:00pm. The rest of the party joined us at a more normal Argentine dining hour around 10:00.

Jordy and Xander started with Frog Legs! Andrew and I had mushroom soup.


Jordy patiently waiting for his main course to be revealed.

Xander and Jordy had venison, Andrew and I had salmon, Audrey had quail and Will had veal.

Will, Jamie and Shanie and the rest of our North American party enjoyed their main course while we had dessert.