The Patagonian Ice Field
(Monday, 22 November 2010) Written by Keith Rhoades
Hello...it is hard to believe that next Monday I will be back at work....but until then the adventure continues.
 
Last night I actually ended up having pizza which was nice for a change. I had to set my alarm to get up early.  i scarfed my breakfast and the shuttle came and picked me up.  There were two other people going from Minneapolis...so we talked about the old stomping grounds. This couple lived in the uptown area of Minneapolis. We drove up north to Puerta Bandera...it was cold and rainy and we got on a boat.  Thankfully I remembered to take a dramamine.
 
We had to sit in groups of four so three Argentine women sat with me.  They were from Santa Fe Argentina but had never been to Patagonia.  Everyone here drinks mate out of a gourd.  They didnt speak any english...so I really had a chance to practice my spanish.  They shared their mate with me and we talked and laughed the entire time.  It reminded me of the days sharing a Hookah in Amman Jordan. The water on the lake was really rough from the wind and people were getting sick.  Even with my dramamine I felt pretty queezy and thought how am I going to take 8 hours of this.Eventually the waters calmed.
 
It was incredible...we sailed into an ice field with ice bergs all around.  We even bumped into one small one!  We visited several glaciers.  It was another incredible experience.  But what made it so much fun were Erica, Irma, and Estella...the three Argentine women.  We divided our lunches and shared with each other. Irma was a social worker here in Argetina. We cruised Patagonian  Ice Field for nearly 8 hours...the entire time it rained, sleeted, snowed, and was windy...but it was great...it WAS patagonia! It just added to the extreme wildness of this region.
 
We returned to port and I said my goodbyes to Irma, Erica, and Estella and exchanged facebook info.  It was a reminder of the bittwersweetness of travel and of life for that matter...you share a time with someone...laugh, talk...and then goodbye.  Change...everything is temporary and I can not cling to stuff forever but simply enjoy the moment as it happens.
 
The shuttle took us back to town and Papa Eduardo made me a hot cup of coffee when I got back to their home.I still havent been able to warm up.
 
Believe it or not...tomorrow I have a free day!! Nothing planned, no transit! I can actually sleep  a  little later and rest and regroup before I return to Buenos Aires!
 
Well, it is time to find something to eat plus I still feel a little dizzy like I am still moving on the boat. It is a weird feeling!   I hope all is well with you...until tomorrow..
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