La única que queda!

Hey everyone,

First of all, I want to rethank all of those who checked out the blog while Katie, Rowan and I made our way through Patagonia! And for those of you who even took the time to comment....we all have a very special place reserved in our hearts for you.

But wait! There´s still one left! Thats right, after Katie and Rowan´s departure out of Santiago, Chile, Amelia was left to continue the journey on her own. Fortunately, another later addition to the team, Brendan, was still around, so him and I had a great time walking around Santiago, seeing the sites and basically just recovering from the physical beating we had all taken down south. Perhaps one of the highlights of Santiago was taking over the hostel living room with another fellow American in order to drink Tecates (yes! we actually found Tecates!) and watch the Super Bowl. I´m sure everyone will agree that watching Bruce "The Boss" Springstein tearing up the stage and literally almost take out himself and camera man with an open legged power slide was THE highlight of the event. Oh yeah, and GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After about 3 days in Santiago, Brendan and I went our separate ways, myself heading back to Tunuyan, the quaint farming town outside of Mendoza where the original three of us had farmed for part of December. Vida and her mom, Margo, the owners of the farm, were more than happy to have me back, and it truly felt like coming home. Aaand, another team member, Leslie was at the farm too! I felt lucky and loved.

I think the best part about coming back to the farm, apart from the absolutely fabulous organic food and welcoming atmosphere, was the chance to see the staggering amount of progress the two women had made in just such a short time period. Perhaps the most illustrative example was the vegetable garden. The first time around the garden was just getting started, with nothing to harvest except for maybe a lone tomato; the rest of the plants were still in the very early stages of development. By the time I arrived, however, the garden was a lush food paradise, overflowing with corn, all types of squash, chard, beets, potatos, onions, tomatos, kale, sunflowers, peas and more. It was magical the way everything had flourished under the care of Vida and Margo. The city girl in me was oh so impressed. Ooooh, wow, thats where food comes from!

After about two weeks on the farm it was time to move on again and I now find myself in Salta, Argentina, one of the northernmost cities. I would post pictures, but I´m so sorry, you´ll just have to be bored by my text as I am without camera for now.´ Hopefully in a few days here though I´ll put something up, dont worry I do understand that the pictures are the best part.

Thanks for reading and check in soon for pics and more of my glorious ramblings!!

Amelia

ps. KATIE AND ROWAN I MISS YOU!!

a reverse trip down memory lane

Rowan hamin' it up with the Meat Man himself at the tenedor libre.
One of Ushuaia's most notorious criminals, famous for his huge ears and the fact that he was prescribed plastic surgery by a doctor claiming they were the root of his evil.
A look at Ushuaia.
Yep, just stretchin' it out. Ahhhhh, that feels good.
Peat bog in Tierra del Fuego National park.
A bay off the Beagle Channel.
Katie on the beach at Tierra del Fuego National Park.
The ski lift at our campground. Also a trail to the local glacier.
How random is this bus?
Contrast: old shipwrecked boat with Ushuaia's new economic base docked in the background.
The trout.
Our bus on a ferry crossing the straights of Magellan. Note the metal grate over the bus windshield. Crucial for the gravel highways.
Heart beet.
The Perito Moreno glacier. 60 km long, 5 km wide, and 60 meters tall. Quite a powerful sight.

Watching huge chunks of ice smash into the water.
Our first view of the glacier at 7am with the park to ourselves.

New sun glass style.
The penguin vomiting wine.
Katie pointing out the famous Calafate plant.
Leslie and our friend Phillip overlooking the town of El Chaltan.


Brendon hunkering down in strong winds.
Ol' Rowan "fatpants" Steele.
Clouds coming off the ice field and engulfing Cerro Torre.
Cerro Torre is the highest peak here. This was the only day it was fully visible.
A look at Cerro Fitzroy.

Glacier and a lake.
The famous Patagonian Pygmy Owl, only witnessed by the most astute travelers with an eye for spotting birds in hidden places. Actually, he's bathing in a puddle right on the trail.

more pictures

Team pic back at Torres del Paine.
Rainbow over El Chalten.
At our free campground on the outskirts of El Chalten. Fitzroy in the background.
Hiking out to Cerro Torre.
The Burnt Tree monument. A reminder that careless camping is an extreme hazard in this dry environment.
Finally, an unobscured view of Cerro Fitzroy.
Katie with a storm brewing behind.
Cooking dinner at our "gorilla" campsite.
All smiles.
One of the many glaciers we saw in Fitzroy.
We were fortunate to see some of the most amazing, and rapidly changing cloud formations.
Fitzroy obscured by clouds.
Some of the peaks below Cerro Fitzroy.
Katie celebrating the fact she schlepped a melon into our first campsite at Fitzroy.
Through a meadow.
Patagonia lacks a huge amount of large wildlife. However, the bird diversity is incredible. This is the Giant Carpenter Woodpecker. We also saw Andean Condors, Albatross, Penguins, Flamingos, a Pygmy Owl, tons of hawks, eagles, and falcons, among others.
At the trailhead to the Fitzroy range.
Baby Guanaco. So cute!
A statue of the mylodon. The giant sloth that lived in Patagonia until it was hunted into extinction. This is the mascot of Puerto Natales.
Once the weather got bad (rain and 95km winds) we hopped on this ferry and got out of Torres del Paine as quickly as possible.

The Torres' after a light dusting of snow.
Crystal blue waters of glacial lakes.
Amelia with the Torres' receiving snow behind her.