J9Fabre

On way home :-(

j9fabre — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:57:00 GMT

So I am sitting at Auckland Airport on my way home from South America. Loooong way home: Buenos Aires, Santiago, Auckland and then Melbourne.

I'm a bit sad to be on the last leg of my trip... although I am looking forward to the flight: managed an upgrade to business class ;-)

I have had an absolute ball on my trip in Sth America & Antarctica. Highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to go. I will be editing & start uploading photos to my flickr account sometime in the next few days. Thankfully I don't go back to work until next Monday - have too much video footage & photos to sort through! http://www.flickr.com/photos/janinef71/collections/

For all those who I have met on my trip, thank you for such a fantastic holiday. It is the strangers you meet with different backgrounds, different stories but a common interest in travelling to places like Antarctica, Argentina & Chile that make it so memorable.

Feel free to visit us in Oz. Hasta luego!

J9x

Photos on flickr

j9fabre — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:58:00 GMT

More photos on flickr. Just to whet your appetite for now. Only a sample of the many photos I have been taking!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janinef71/

Hot hot hot in Buenos Aires

j9fabre — Tue, 8 Jan 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Oh boy... it is hot today. 36deg today, tomorrow & Wednesday. Then change with rain Thursday & Friday.

This morning I went to Recoleta to the Cemetary & saw Eva Peron´s tomb. All the crypts, tombs, whatever you call them, are so impressive & old & full of history. Spent a while at a cafe chatting with Suzi then she had to leave to fly back to Peru. Walked down Florida for some shopping. Now cooling off in an internet cafe.

Yesterday wandered around San Telmo (fantastic market) & La Boca (v. touristy). Much prefer San Telmo for atmosphere, markets & interesting stuff to see. Great street tango. Music. Cafes. Architecture & colours of buildings are great for photos.

At the market in San Telmo I bought a beautiful painting. Not sure how I am going to get it home! It´s not too big so I´ll probably have to carry it hand-luggage.

Well, that´s enough for today. Chat more probably tomorrow.

J9x

Buenos Aires

j9fabre — Sun, 6 Jan 2008 01:55:00 GMT

Am now in Buenos Aires. Managed to get on an earlier flight & for once Aerolineas Argentinas wasn´t too late leaving El Calafate.

Got to my hostel late last night & went straight to bed. Big sleeps. Today wandering around & shopping (mainly for summery clothes for this week) & tonight out for dinner with a friend.

Tomorrow start sightseeing. Not sure what yet but am reading up on my lonely planet guide.

Hope everyone is well.

J9x

Torres del Paine

j9fabre — Fri, 4 Jan 2008 14:54:00 GMT

Tonight is our last night. :-(

This morning we left Refugio Los Torres (in Chile). Said goodbye to the 3 Californian ladies (which was very sad... I hate goodbyes). They are going straight from there on with the rest of their holiday. So the rest of us returned to El Calafate & tonight we had dinner at a fantastic little restaurant. Great atmosphere. Fantastic food. My tummy is smiling.

We just walked back from town & as usual I can´t sleep so a quick catch up on emails before going to bed.

The past 6 days have been brilliant. We hiked Torres del Paine ("W" trek) which was not easy but it was a lot of fun. We stayed in refugios each night: sometimes in a tent, sometimes in a dormitory. Each day we would hike 6 to 8 hours. Beautiful scenery like I have never seen before.

http://www.torresdelpaine.com/ingles/index.asp

So much to tell... so little time...

Photos will go up on flickr... eventually...

More soon,

J9x

Puerto Natales, Chile

j9fabre — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:04:00 GMT

I am now in Puerto Natales. I must say that when I booked this trip I didn´t expect to stay in such nice hotels this often (obviously why it is costing me so much). It is quite nice but just a little extravagant for me.

Right now I am sitting in a hotel up on a hill in Puerto Natales, Chile, overlooking the bay leading to the Pacific Ocean. I can see the lights of the town around the bay a bit further, big windows all around so totally uninterrupted views. The woodfire is burning, the jazz music is playing & I have had a couple of pisco sours so all is well in the world. Now to find a nice latino fellow & all would be just perfect. ;-)

Drove down from El Calafate today, crossed the border into Chile which, by the way, I had no idea I was doing! I don´t know why I didn´t know how I missed that. I think I was just so engrossed in the Antarctic part of my trip that I didn´t pay a lot of attention to this part. All I knew was I was trekking in Patagonia. From tomorrow night we stay in refugios & hike every day.

I suppose the best part of not knowing what is going on or where I am going is that every day is a surprise. AND I don´t have to organise anything! They do everything... I just be like a sheep. Baaaa!

Anyway, as I said, we drove today to Chile, crossed the border which was surprisingly painless, got to Puerto Natales & had dinner at a fantastic seafood restaurant which was quite inexpensive. Fantastic salmon in butter sauce (we are in a fishing port after all).

Perito Moreno Glacier

j9fabre — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:32:00 GMT

Wow! ... what more can I say? Absolutely incredible. I had no idea how big this glacier is. I can´t remember much of the stat´s right now except that it moves something like 2 metres each day. While we were there we saw some calving (glacier ice falling). And when that happens it is sooo loud. The glacier continuously moves so it is continuously cracks & pops (and that sounds more like a gunshot). Often you would hear it rumble & ice fall but by the time the sound reaches you, the ice is already in the water. Made catching it on film very difficult.

First off we walked on the glacier itself which was amazing. We walked in crampons (took a bit of getting used to) & then we walked for about an hour before finishing with a whisky on glacier ice. After our little trek on the glacier, we had lunch & then went to the the lookout on the other side for more amazing views. Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/janinef71/ for some more pictures.

Yesterday was Christmas Day. In the morning we drove back from El Chalten. Then we all went out for dinner together last night. Today to the Glacier. Tomorrow off to Chile to Puerto Natales, and after that we trek for another 6 days staying in refugios.

Anyway, hope Christmas & Boxing Days were enjoyable for all. And Happy New Year to you all.

Love J9x

El Chalten

j9fabre — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:29:00 GMT

I am now in El Chalten which is a town about 3.5 to 4 hours drive from El Calafate. We drove up here the day before yesterday and are staying in a hotel. The town itself is quite young, only started I think in the mid-80´s. All the houses are very quaint & chalet style. It is a base for hiking in the area so it is definitely targetted for the tourist trade.

Yesterday & today we hiked for about 8 hours each day. Oh my poor feet! We are using Chalten as a base for 3 days then drive back to Calafate on Tuesday (Christmas Day).

The people in this group are mostly quite nice. Again most are Aussies, one English guy & 3 ladies from California. Our tour leader is called Marcos. He´s very funny when he tries to learn Aussie expressions. And I am getting to practice my Spanish a fair bit. Sometimes I even think I do okay!

Patagonia is beautiful but I cannot believe how windy it is. I don´t think I have ever experienced so much or so continuous. Yesterday was very difficult to hike because you would get a face full of sand or your hat would fly away. Not ideal conditions. But today was stunning. The wind settled down, the sun came out, the sky was very blue & all in all stunning.

As usual, internet is painfully slow so I won´t always respond immediately to your emails. But I thank you anyway for them & your comments & well wishes.

In case I don´t write before then, I wish all my family & friends a happy & safe Christmas. Feliz Navidad!

¡Hasta Luego!

Janine xx

Photos on Flickr

j9fabre — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:34:00 GMT

Just a quick note to let you know that I have a couple of photos posted on flickr (link below). Will try to upload more if or when I find faster computers or when I return to Melbourne... whichever comes first!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janinef71/

Airline mishap

j9fabre — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:31:00 GMT

So yesterday afternoon I went to the airport in Ushuaia at 4pm to catch a 6pm flight. I have heard that getting out of Ushuaia is very difficult - Aerolineas Argentinas is notorious for overbooking, delaying & cancelling flights.

Check in luggage, boarding pass, upstairs, waiting, waiting, waiting... Hour after original departure time finally called to board. In line waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting... THEN announcement flight is cancelled & next one is ¨tomorrow at 11am¨. Angry people all round. I am not so fussed b/c I have nearly 2 days before I meet next group for hike.

So downstairs, stand in line for an hour, given voucher to stay at hotel then wait at carousel for our luggage, outside, fight for taxi, drive into town only to be told by hotel that the airline had called to say flight is back on again!! So back in cab, race to airport, check in luggage again, stand in long line, waiting, waiting, waiting... Called to board. Seems like more people waiting than the plane can hold so everyone rushes to the door. On plane, seated... Are we going? YES! Finally...

Get to Calafate at 11.30pm. Very tired. Straight to sleep!

Just another adventure!

Back from Antarctica!

j9fabre — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:43:00 GMT

I am currently in Ushuaia after a FANTASTIC 10 days sailing. Absolutely brilliant. Words cannot describe what we have experienced, the views, the wildlife... wow! Highly recommend it.

The return journey was very easy, not so much pitching & rolling on the Drake Passage. Actually it was one of their quickest crossings ever which is good. We were quite a few hours ahead of schedule.

In Antarctica, I saw thousands & thousands of penguins. Of course I have thousands & thousands of photos. I also have quite a bit of video footage - I took more video than I thought I would. Also some gorgeous weddell seals and a couple of leopard seals. Witnessed a leopard seal kill a couple of penguins too... vicious buggers they are.

Had a great experience with a gentoo penguin on my very last landing. I was a few hundred metres away from the rest of the group, set up my video on a little mound of snow so I could video myself sitting in front of a fantastic view. I started talking to the camera (as you do) when a penguin came up for his 15 mins of fame. Came & propped right next to me. Almost expected to see him hold up a placard saying ¨hi mum¨! It was all a bit weird really.

Then, as we returned to the ship (by zodiac boats), there was an iceberg ¨kissing¨the ship. (Yes, Kathryn, you did warn me of this!) It had floated up to the ship right where the steps are so we had to sit & wait for it to float away. It was a bit of excitement. The Russian crew were having a great laugh at our expense. At least it was a warm day (about zero deg)

We visited a Ukrainian research base which was a hoot. Vodka slammers in Antarctica... who would have thought? They have a post office there too. Was considering posting a card home but it would cost US$15 & travels via the Ukraine so I thought it would probably be 6 months before anyone sees it.

Also went to the British base at Port Lockroy. Only 3 people work there. They too have a post office plus a souvenir shop - many ships stop there.

While I sit here typing, the floor seems to move, I haven´t got my land legs yet. I just posted home a box of clothes & books. Not sure how much it ended up costing me because I paid with a mix of pesos, USD & euros!

Anyway, I am going to meet some of the girls from the boat for lunch. Then this afternoon catch my flight to El Calafate. Will be able to update more tomorrow & hopefully post some photos.

Thank you everyone for your comments. It is great to get emails & comments from home. Warm fuzzies all round!

J9x

Pitching and Rolling

j9fabre — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:57:00 GMT

I am currently sailing along the Antarctic Peninsula on the Aleksy
Maryshev. We have been very fortunate with the weather although
crossing the Drake Passage was a bit sickening. Much pitching &
rolling. We went ashore yesterday and today and have seen whales,
weddell seals, a couple of leopard seals and lots of penguins. I've got
many photos (no surprises there). We've also seen albatrosses,
including the Wandering Albatross. Wow!

The other passengers are great (46 total). Most a bit older than me
although there are a few my age and mainly they are from Australia with
quite a lot from Melbourne.

This afternoon I think we are going for a ride around in the zodiacs not
necessarily to go ashore though. Just to check out the icebergs etc
from the water. This morning's venture on the zodiacs was pretty hairy.
Where the ship was anchored was quite choppy so getting down into the
zodiacs was not easy. A few people elected to stay behind because it
was a bit much for them. But once ashore, it was well worth it. So
pristine and pure and beautiful.

All in all the trip so far has been such a fantastic experience. Can't
wait to tell you all about it when I return... and show off my pickies.

It´s snowing!

j9fabre — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:08:00 GMT

I am now in Ushuaia waiting for my ship to come in ;-) I was walking down the street & it was snowing. Dad, I immediately thought of you & how much you´d enjoy it!!

We board the ship at 4pm & sail at 6pm... it is now noon. Can´t wait.

I picked up my rubber gumboots & overpants from the Antarctic hire shop. Then tried to find somewhere to store my gear so I could go for a walk, but no joy there. Have to carry it all around & there´s a fair bit now with this extra bag for the boots. Oh well... maybe I´ll have to find a warm pub!

I´ve caught a few cabs to & from airports & have been complemented 3 times now on my my spanish & my accent. Do you think that might be a pickup line they use? I do however seem to have more luck communicating with the taxi drivers than anyone in an official capacity. They are more patient with my attempts so then I am more confident. But then they have to be patient because none of them have been able to speak English at all.

Anyway, time to find that pub now. Next time I write I´ll have some stories about Antarctica. I am away now until the 19th.

¡Ciao!

Buenos Aires

j9fabre — Sun, 9 Dec 2007 12:11:00 GMT

Well, here I am in Buenos Aires. I am staying in a cute little hotel in Palermo & I leave very early tomorrow for the airport to go to Ushuaia.

I was worried when first at Sydney airport about to board the LAN Chile flight. The announcement was in Spanish and, despite my lessons this year, I could hardly understand it. Hadn´t even left Australia & I was struggling! Thankfully they repeat everything in English.

My lessons didn´t totally let me down though, the taxi driver here in Buenos Aires understood me & got me to my hotel with little fuss.

I went out for a walk around Palermo and then dinner tonight(another success story: I got what I ordered). I must come back here to explore further. Very cute area. Just too tired tonight.

Ciao for now.

J9x

Nearly there...

j9fabre — Sat, 8 Dec 2007 02:24:00 GMT

Just got home from work (it is now 2.17am Saturday). In just over 2hours my friend is picking me up to take me to the airport. Do you think I should bother going to bed?!

Hobart's clear blue skies.

j9fabre — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 14:12:00 GMT

Went to Hobart for the weekend for work and now only have 5 days to go before I leave for Argentina. It can't come soon enough.

I went for a walk Sunday morning along the wharf in Hobart and to have breakfast in Salamanca Place. I was there last year for work too & really enjoyed it. The one thing I really noticed was the clear blue sky in Hobart... so much clearer than Melbourne's sky. The air is obviously cleaner and the sky so much bluer. I wonder how blue Antarctica's sky is?

Milk use by date

j9fabre — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:40:00 GMT

Today I bought some milk and noticed that the "use by date" is after I land in Buenos Aires. Just a silly observation but it highlights how close my trip is!

By the way, only 9 sleeps to go...

11 more sleeps...

j9fabre — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:26:00 GMT

11 more sleeps... And no, the ship that your saw on the news sinking in Antarctica is not my ship! I will be sailing on the Aleksey Maryshev, a research vessel (not a luxury cruise liner). The Aleksey Maryshev can take up to 46 passengers & has a crew of 20. There are zodiacs that will take us ashore and we sail for 10 days out of Ushuia (the very southern most point of Argentina). OMG, in 2 weeks I'll be in Antarctica!!

14 days to go. ¡Mi coche es roto!

j9fabre — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 05:32:00 GMT

So I'm on my way into town yesterday to pick up my final travel documents. And I have a car accident. I ran into the back of someone on Victoria Parade. A car cut lanes 3 cars ahead, lady up front braked heavily, then the one in front of me screeched to a stop & by the time I braked it was too late. Straight into the back of him. I was only doing about 35km per hour but my car is very very sad (possibly a write-off). Their cars are not too bad (driveable) but mine had to be towed. Thankfully no-one was hurt (although I was really shaken). AAAHHHH! Not what I need to happen. I am so busy at the moment in the lead up to my trip. Fortunately I live walking distance to work.

BUT, on the positive side, I am still okay to go on my trip. That's all I could think of at the time. And I still managed to get my tickets. I left my car in a side street, caught a tram into town, got all my travel documents & then returned to the car to sort out the towing. Priorities!

It is 5.30am Melbourne time. In exactly 2 weeks I'll be just boarding the plane.

Hasta mañana!

Gallery: 1

j9fabre — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:39:00 GMT