Ushuaia
ARGENTINA
The Road Ends Here
By AARON
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
As I sit here on our train as it departs from Venice, Italy, I’m forced to think about two things: our future travels for 6 months, and our travels over the last 3 years in Latin America that sadly came to an end about 2 months ago. I also realize that just like a flower needs nourishment, my writing skills (or lack thereof) need constant nourishment as well, less they wither and die from a 2 month hiatus in the States.
All at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday, yet a lifetime ago, when we pulled into the city of Ushuaia, “Ciudad al fin del Mundo” for our final days in Latin America. Even though the events chronologically have slipped my mind, there are numerous memories that come to mind when I think about our last stop on this epic, 3 year journey.
I think of the pictures Lyndi, Cal and I took in half hour increments to record just how long the sun does stay up this far south (turns out about midnight).
I think of renting a car with Pete and Maudie and the 5 of us getting outside the city to enjoy breathtaking landscapes and a visit to Haberton Farm that rests on the Beagle Channel.
And how could I forget the chubby Italian whose snoring could wake the dead themselves, yet insisted that it was “because I am sick”. And while we’re on the subject of noisy roommates, I hope to never see again our friend in Punta Arenas who for some reason decided to talk/yell at us at midnight, “OH YOU ARE ASLEEP! I WILL BE VERY QUIET THEN SINCE YOU ARE ASLEEP AND I WILL NOT TALK SO YOU CAN SLEEP!!!!!”
I will never forget the three of us sneaking into Tierra del Fuego National Park, due to of some bad information from our hostel and a lack of funds on our part (for the entire story, you’ll have to ask Lyndi, Cal or me some other time as my writing laziness knows no bounds).
I will remember Cerro Guanaco hike, and not only the solidarity, but the challenge the hike presented, and the amazing views from the top of the mountain with which I was rewarded.
I will always be in awe of the fox that somehow snuck up on me at the park at dusk, and how it stood there, less than 10 feet from me as we stared each other down, him with those steely grey eyes and me of course, with my camera.
I wish I could say I’ll remember the Beagle Channel Cruise and all the penguins I saw, but unfortunately that was Lyndi and Cal’s excursion, and I chose to stay behind; but the pictures were quite nice.
I will remember and miss our last dinner in Buenos Aires at La Cabrera, and hope one day to find a steak that can match or beat the ones I enjoyed there.
Finally, one thing that I will not miss is the near 24 hour stint of plane rides and layovers that took us across 4 time zones, 4 countries and 6 cities in order for us to return home to see very much missed family and friends.
So where does that leave us now? Well if you’re taking notes of my blog (and you should be) that leaves us on a train departing Venice, and on its way to Florence, Italy. So much has happened over the past 3 years since we started our travels in Honduras, and thank God we wrote all these blogs, so that one day when we’re old and senile, we can re-read these and say “wow, that Lyndi and Aaron seem like such a nice couple, I hope to meet them one day”.
So as I sit here now, I would like to say a formal “goodbye” to Latin America and the lifetime of memories it has provided me with – you will not be my last, but you were my first, and for that you will always be on my mind and in my heart.
Cuidense- Aaron
