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Friday, February 23, 2007 February 23, 2007 We flew early to Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Just had a couple beers from the world's southernmost brewery, the Beagle Brewery, here in Ushuaia. All is well. We board the ship, Ioffe, at 4:00 p.m. to head to Antarctica. You can find more information about our itinerary for the next 8 days by following the Antarctica link at www.cooladventures.net/sevencontinents.htm. Posted by Don Kern at 11:24 AM 1 comments Thursday, February 22, 2007 In Colonia, Uruguay "It had a big head on it. At first I thought it was a snake." That was Melanie, describing the huge lizard three of my friends saw on a run this morning. I went out with James a little later, so we missed the lizard, darn it. So after a nice, hot morning run (about 5 miles and about 80 degrees) I went back to the hotel gym and lifted a few weights and ran another mile on the treadmill. The next plan was an afternoon trip across the Rio de la Plata to the old city of Colonia, Uruguay. The town here is a big contrast to Buenos Aires, with lots of old shops, big trees lining the streets, and beautiful old gardens. It's like stepping back in time--some of the trucks and cars still in use here are older than me! Interesting stats--this is the sixth country I've been in on this trip. USA, the Netherlands, Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay. I've slept three nights on airplanes. I've had beer made in every country I've been in. Except for Uruguay. Guess I better sign off now! Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Buenos Aires This won't be too long because the internet terminal I have isn't the best. Anyway... It was tough getting out of Spain. Delayed flight from Valencia to Madrid caused me to miss the plane to Buenos Aires, so they routed me through Sao Paulo instead. So, I spent until nearly 2:00 p.m. getting all the way to the hotel in Buenos Aires. And it was my third night sleeping on airplanes in the last week. Sleeping in a real bed last night was pretty darn comfortable! After checking in, several of us went for a short run, maybe 3-4 miles, to shake out the cobwebs of overnight travel. After a short nap, we all gathered for a reception for all who will be doing the Antarctica Marathon. There are about 185 runners, and we'll be taking two ships from Ushuaia to Antarctica, the Vavilov and the Ioffe. I'll be on the Ioffe. (Pronounced like Coffee, but with a Y at the beginning) Today started with a bus tour of Buenos Aires, the highlight of which was a visit to the Recoleta district and the cemetary where Eva Peron is buried. A few of us then went and booked a day trip for tomorrow to Colonia, Uruguay, which is a ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata river. So, I'll be collecting another stamp on my passport tomorrow. Tonight, several of us will be attending a dinner and a Tango show. The Tango is the 'National Dance' of Argentina, so since I'm such a cultured guy, I guess I'll just have to check it out. :-) All the best to everyone back home. Monday, February 19, 2007 Lazy Monday It´s an easy day here in Valencia, most of it spent just goofing around, seeing a few sites, drinking a couple beers. Tonight I have a late flight which will take me from Valencia to Madrid, then at 12:02 I fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina to join the Antarctica Marathon trip. I found this picture on the Internet of a bunch of kids who are watching me back home. It's Mr. Long's fifth grade, a bunch of party animals, it seems. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Argentina. |