It Finally Happened

A cruise ship ran aground in Antarctica. It was just a matter of time, as bigger boats are heading down every year, although this was a regular visitor. It is one of the big ones with 300 people on board, luckily there were no injuries and they managed move safely into refuge, but???

La Verdulería: Ushuaia 2007

La Verdulería :Ushuaia 2007
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

To my great delight, just before Christmas a new shop opened opposite mi casa, and best of all it was una Verdulería - a veggie shop. Being a vegetarian you can imagine my delight in a town of Asados - the local version of our barbie, the most popular being local lamb.Every weekend the suburbs disappear under a haze of smoke and the smell of cooking meat permeates all. Next door to La Verdulería está La Carnicería or butcher shop and on the other side is the La Quesería or cheese shop - so I have it all very close, not that I have visited the Carnicería! There are also 2 supermercados within 2 blocks. Don't need a car at all.
Today is fresh produce day, so all looks beautiful. Veggies here are usually pretty tired - a little like me. But with summer here there is some great fresh fruit and veggies, so, so far I am doin' ok

Un Poco Triste

Tonight I'm a little sad! I get like this sometimes and it takes a little time to talk myself out of it. Why am I sad? well there are lots of reasons and lots have surfaced this week. I guess if I really think about it I am blessed that someone has entered my life a pressed some buttons - seriously pressed my buttons - and I have had to address some deeply hidden issues. Haven't enjoyed it but know it has resulted in a big shift. Thank you my friend!!!!!!
Think I will just take to my bed with a good book and wake up with a smile tomorrow. It looks like it's back to summer here in Ushuaia, so ya gotta smile!!!!

Queueing.......

Why is it that only we ex-colonials, or those that established the colonies, know how to queue - let alone spell it? Although in Australia queues are getting a little lost these days ....... .
Anyway here in Ushuaia, the queue doesn't exist but the number dispenser - often very well hidden - does. It usually takes we extranjeros at least a week to realise that you have to have a number, and hear your number called, before anyone will even make eye contact with you. So lesson is, whenever you enter a shop, 1st look for the number dispenser, usually red, take your number, check it out, practice the sound of the number many times and then listen carefully for your number to be called. It is very easy to miss the call and then you have to start all over again. Failing that, locate the spike containing used numbers and keep your eye on it till you're next. Then be prepared for some service.

Back to Normal

Just when I was about to - well thinking about - untaping all the windows after 5 days of an Ushuaian heatwave, we are back to normal. This morning it's raining.
All of Ushuaia has spent the last days, one of which reached 27C , it was actually hotter than Melbourne that day, enjoying the warmth. Clothes were skimpy, ice cream shops had long queues , families were picnicking in all the open spaces and some brave souls even took to the waters of the Beagle channel to cool down. It wasn't that hot! But from one who swam in Antarctica, I guess I can't comment. The sunsets were spectacular and the evenings balmy - a perfect summer interlude.
This morning the temperature has dropped, although we expect 14C, but there is no wind, just rain which looks like it might stay for a while. Guess I will be back on the colectivo (bus) to work today. The last few days the walk each way has been helping with the post cruise extra kilos, or at least I like to think so.

The Car Cleaner

Ushuaia 2007
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

Every day, my neighbour opposite drives the car onto the street and then out comes the duster and the top half of said auto gets a good clean. The only problem is that the lower half is absolutely filthy, as you can see. I have never seen him actually wash the car, so I shudder to think what the cloth does with the all the dust and dirt on the duco. It's extremely dusty here and mi casa always has lots of dust, and yes, I do clean it! Much as I hate housework.

Back to the car. Outside and inside get a quick polish up, then sometimes they go out, but often it sits outside the house for most of the day then goes back into the drive?
I have been trying to get a photo and finally managed this morning, usually he sees me with the camera and I have to take more pics of the mountains.

Qué calor!!!!

The heat wave continues and we are into day 3 and it looks like continuing. This must be the week to be in Ushuaia for summer. Today's expected top is 21C and tomorrow the forecast is for 24C. I haven't run around and untaped all the windows yet ( what do I mean all - the whole 2), but just might have to if it continues, it's a little hot in the bedroom with no cross current. The ice cream shops will be doing a roaring trade.

Summer in Ushuaia

DSCN5725.JPG
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

Remember I said we had snow and gales from the West? That was three days ago, then in the last two days came the summer. I knew it was a mistake to tape up all the windows. Thank goodness the plasticine didn't work, and before I went to Antarctica I didn't get time to finish with the Duc Tape - plan B, and only blocked off the bedroom gales.
This weekend we have had the summer here in Ushuaia. Two days of above 20C and no wind or rain, and who knows? it might just continue for a few more days, but it is looking a little grey. At least I can still open some windows.
Let me introduce my sometime flat mate Larry, he went to Antarctica and we crossed over in the Beagle Channel. He came, I went- so because this is peak season and accommodation hard to find, he lived in my flat while I was away and for a while on my return. Yesterday we did the summer stroll along the waterfront. Now he has moved onto a flat before again heading to Antarctica. It gets some people that way!
Let's hope summer stays for a few days longer.

Life At the End of the World

La Casa Ushuaia
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

Is different! there is no doubt about that, but I guess any place that is not home is! I keep wondering why it is I was not born with the stay up late gene, as nothing gets going here before 9.00pm at the earliest. I haven't worked out why Ushuaia, la cuidad del fin del mundo, follows Spanish tradition - late out of bed, late start to everything in the mornings, siesta for 4 hours or so in the afternoon( when just about everything shuts down) and dinner at 10.00pm! In Spain, in summer, I understand it, but in Ushuaia ? Here a heat wave is 22C, as it is today, wheras 2 days ago we had snow, a roaring gale and a top of 4C for the day - and remember this is summer! How will I ever survive winter?
Anyway, the reason for this post! The roaring gale several nights ago resulted in the loss of a good deal of the corrugated iron from the roof of the flats - thank goodness I am in the middle of the building. Late afternoon the Dante, son of el dueno and lots of workmen observed the damage from over the road for a considerable time and left. For hours nothing, then just as I was thinking of settling into bed with a good book, back came all the workmen, smoking lots of cigarettes and all trooped upstairs to start work - at 9.30 pm. For the next hour or so there was a great deal of hammering, drilling, yelling and the sound of roofing being dropped into the backyard. forget the good book and sleep. The job was finished the following day with just as much disruption to the peace - impossible with the dogs but all the noise arriba was louder than they were. Will I survive this????? Who knows, it's either "perrocide" or bloody good earplugs. I don't know that I will ever be a local.

Antardida otra vez

Antarctica 2007
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

A trip very different to the last , but again an absolutely amazing experience. Once again I was blessed with smooth and tranquil crossings of the world's worst stretch of water - the Drake Pasage- except, that is, for the second night of the return journey. For 6 hours or so sleep was absolutely impossible and breakfast in the dining room a dancing and balancing act as the ship bucked and tossed in an angry sea. It was certainly an insight into the imfamous crossing, - for some 36 hours of hell, and the trips before ours experienced that hell on both crossings. I am blessed.
The weather this trip was not as kind and the choices of landings different, so it was possibly a truer picture of the highest, windiest and driest continent. We had it all, fog, snow, rain, wind and occassionally a little sun. The landings were fewer, but this time there were all the penguin chicks, where last time there were eggs, but the smell was the same! For those who have experienced a penguin rookery full of nesting birds, it is a smell that stays with you forever.
Check out the pics by clicking on the photo.

"Perrocide"

When you say the word you have to roll the rr to give it the right sound, and I am sure it is not even a word anyway, but here in Ushuaia it just might be soon!
Those who know me know that generally I love dogs, in some cases only like them but almost always tolerate them, but here in Sth America that could change. Here everyone seems to own a dog, at least one, but so far I have seen very few people actually interacting with them in any way. Granted they must feed them sometime, but I have never managed to see it happen and I have seen very few people actually walking with, talking to or playing with dogs at all. Makes you wonder why they have them?
My neighbours have 3 rather large ones in a rather small backyard and these guys spend a good deal of their time barking excessively loudly. Then they all attack the fence to stir up the rather large dog on the other side and all bark frenetically.The amazing thing about all this is nobody but me, it seems, takes the slightest bit of notice. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that everyone here is born with a dog barking ignore gene in addition to the stay up late gene!
I did see someone in the yard with these 3 yesterday, he was replacing the part of the fence they had destroyed in their frenzied barking mode, and all the time he was there the 3 were at his side barking frenetically. He happily worked on completely ignoring them. Maybe everyone wears ear plugs all the time.
Anyway the upshot of all this is I just might be forced to commit perrocide before too much longer, or take up wearing ear plugs all the time.

Celtic Spirit

DSCN4998.JPG
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

10.00pm and on our way to dinner on an absolutely amazing yacht, it's the larger of the blue ones behind us. Round the world wanderer and heading to the Antarctic for several months.
Do these guys know how to party???/ Unfortunately absolutely all the evening's activities begin at the earliest at 10.00pm and that's when I am on the way into dreamland. We had all been invited to dinner on the boat by one of the students - and as usual it was a loooong night for some. I think I got home at a reasonable hour, but I'm not to sure about that! There was a bit of red wine around.
To see the photos click on the photo on the page

La Ciudad Del Fin Del Mundo: Ushuaia

Well, I'm back in Ushuaia, and after a month I am still wondering just what I had in mind. I seem to fluctuate between the very confident "she'll be right mate" to "oh xxxx what am I doing here?", but I'm here, my ticket is open until September sometime next year and I can always hop a plane a head back to the safety of my Casa Pequeña - or converted garage and be SAFE and most probably extremely bored.
It's mid summer here, as it is in Oz, but where they are sweltering and suffering extreme conditions, here we got very excited and broke out the skimpy clothes, well the locals did anyway, when the thermometer actually crept up to an almost record of 21 degrees. It was the topic of conversation everywhere that day, but then the weather always is wherever you are. Most days don't make it anywhere near that and we go though all the seasons in the one day.One has to head out with the layers and rain gear and I always seem to choose the wrong layers, but then that's normal for me. I have just spent a profitable half hour or so attempting to block some of the draughts that invade through my windows when the gale blows in from Chile in the West, as it does almost daily. The windows rattle and the cold wind roars through all the gaps around and in the frame. When it rains, as it does most days, the lower frame also fills with water! Anyway, thank goodness for my Primary Teacher training and plasticine - the thought hit in those early morning hours when I have nothing better to do than sleep, and off I rushed this morning, Christmas Eve and a Sunday to buy my plasticine, and yes the shops were open and yes some of the holes are blocked. I shall get down to some serious hole blocking in the next few days. Then we will probably suffer a heat wave (I wish) and I won't be able to open any windows.

Broadband and Dulce De Leche Ice Cream

Only in South America can you get Dulce De Leche Ice Cream, and why am I sitting here eating it straight from the tub? I don't even like Dulche De Leche ( an horrendously sweet conconction of condensed milk, that everyone spreads on everything here) - I bet you like it Catherine. Anyway I have just been catching up on my favourite reading - as finally I am on line FULL TIME again! and the ice cream is keeping me awake and helping me survive the hours until the Christmas celebrations, but here dinner isn't even thought of before 10.00pm and tonight's the big Chrissy eve dinner.
The reason I'm a little tired is that the installation of the cable for my connection took until about 4.00am this morning, and then naturally I couldn't resist a little reading. I asked my dueno's (landlord) children - so far I have met 3, all charming and extremely helpful ?, about the installation of a cable for easy internet access, as after all, the flat is over their Internet shop - sounded easy, I should have known better. Sure they said, no probs. That was just over 1 1/2 weeks ago, and I know nothing moves fast here, but the promises and the smiles were there, it was just getting down to the actual process that took the time. Part of it could also have been my Spanish and their English ,I thought we understood each other, but my Spanish seems to be deteriorating rapidly. Finally the cable was purchased a mere 2 days ago and last night before I went out, the promise was that all would be ready to go after an early visit from Papa Noel. When I came home the cable would be in through the window and bingo - I could start talking to the world again.
Well Papa Noel did visit, but through a different window, which has meant a complete furniture re shuffle, and to begin with, with a faulty cable connection. Mind you I didn't make it home till after 12.00 so we sort of got started late, but the lovely Leo ( son no ??? of dueno) got working. After quite a few hours with the cable coming and going up and down the outside of the building, on a rather brisk evening, testing re-wiring and finally hours of trying to get my Mac to believe the settings we both had a big cheer and a hug when Firefox burst into action. S0 I am up and running and now I have caught up on a lot of my favourite reading the Dulce De Leche has gone back into the freezer and I am going to shower and get ready to say Feliz Navidad to some great friends. So have a good one everyone.

Valparaiso Chile

Local housing Valparaiso
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

What a wonderful,colourful vibrant city, just a pity I didn't allow myself enough time to see it all. Certainly on the list for the return journey - I haven't ridden all the Ascensors yet, or taken the trolley bus somewhere or visited the house of Pablo Neruda - all things certainly worth doing. Hasta pronto For more photos visit www.flickr.com/photos/barbhagger

On Becoming Invisible

I think it's old age! It seems that unless I am driving a car in an unknown place(and getting lost), I seem to be invisible most of the time, and the older I get the less confidence I have to actually go out there and do things. Why is it I wonder?
There are days when I have to push myself out the door - to drive someone else's car, to navigate unknown Motorways and roads, to travel solo to an unknown city, to wander around as a tourist and yet I cannot sit around watching the box or just grow old indoors.
But honestly, some days I just wonder!

Trusted Out

Bodiam Castle
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

Just spent a week frantically checking out National Trust properties here in the "old country" and still find it hard to get my head around the ages of these buildings. Some of them have been around since the 1300s and what's more are still standing. Admittedly - there has been lots of renovations over the years, but they are still standing.
Thank goodness my house owners - Kathy and Mike are good citizens and have paid their annual family subs for membership of the Trust - otherwise - forget it - there's no way I could have visited the 10 or so properties. Things here in the UK certainly don't come in at the cheap end of the spending scale!

Anyway the reason I did it all in a week is that the end of October signals the end of the season and the properties close for the winter months. Here daylight saving also began last weekend, but it works the opposite way and means a little daylight at get up time in the morning, but dark at 4.30 in the pm - a little SAD to say the least. So I am completely "Trusted" out and need time to catch up with just sitting around, reading and generally chilling for a day or so before I head out on the next leg. I have loaded up some photos and they can be found on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/barbhagger

Meerkat Magic

A 3.00am start in Buffalo Bay, on a rather brisk morning,followed by a 2 hour drive over the mountain range to the town of Oudtshorn, central South Africa was worth every moment when that first little head popped out of the burrow and surveyed his surroundings. Grant Mc Illrath - the Meerkat Man promises a magical experience and that it certainly is. We were to meet him at 5.50 exactly - which we did, can't say the same for the tour operator and his group of 4,(he is that happy smiling face -not- in the centre of the group,) but finally we all got going out to the Meerkat's home turf. Grant never stops talking, LITERALLY to both his human audience, and in a language known only to him and these furry creatures, as he reassures them the whole time we are with them that we are just more objects in their territory and not likely to be a danger to them.
It was a cold morning, with ice on the chairs as we set up to watch these magical creatures, the Ungulungu Wild Meerkat at home. A very passionate Grant explains everything about the subjects of his 12 year research as we all wait patiently for the first to emerge from the burrow. As it is a cold morning, this takes a little longer and there are moments when I am sure we all doubt the possibility, but then suddenly there is Impi - the first out of bed. We had been asked to remain perfectly still as the first one emerges, but Grant continues to move around the burrow, making his "re-assuring" noises and hand gestures and talking all the time, and sure enough Impi seems to look straight through us as he checks the area for dangers. Once this is done and he has warmed himself 3 more of these wonderful animals emerge, warm themselves and then groom themselves ready for the day, then it's off foraging for breakfast and we get to go too!
Off they go, heads down and tails up at quite a pace and we follow along behind. That particular morning they did the rounds of the outer "bolt holes", safe havens from the predators and old burrows to check them out and scent mark everything as their are several other troups in the area. Impi was also on the lookout for other females and actually left the group that morning, don't know if he came back! We spent quite a few hours out there watching, and I really can't describe what a magical experience it was.

You can check out Grant's website at http://www.meerkatmagic.com these are his photos and there are lots more and so much information on the site. Sheer Magic!!

More Pics of the new home

La Casa Pequeña

For all those who thought it would be too small for living - well cop this!!! looks fantastic and with lots of room to spare. I guess when you have lived in a 4WD for 10 years anything is spacious.

More photos to come - but now I have water and power and will even get to sleep in my new "home when I'm home" tonight. I leave for my years wandering early Sunday morning.

The Land of the Long White Cloud

Nelson, New Zealand,the city with the most sun in all the country, and although it is winter I have enjoyed the sunshine on the verandah with my companions - purebred British Short Hair Mr Black and Mr Grey, and their moggie friend Kitti - the house owners. Their companions,Jo & David, with whom they graciously share the house and caterers to all their needs are travelling in Oz, so naturally we need another to take on that task - thus the house sitter! So here I am again.
Another most enjoyable month, catering to the needs of the "boys", spending on the beautiful Merino/Possum/Silk products - I can hear all those Aussie shudders at the use of Possum fur - but it is the 2nd warmest fur available and is so light and warm and when combined with the Merino makes superb products. Added to that the Possum is a pest here, and is destroying the native bush and wildlife, so I think they are making the best of it all - or at least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!. I have also enjoyed the hospitality of the locals, wonderful folk who made sure I wasn't too bored or lonely. It's always the people you meet along the way that make the journey so wonderful!

Frustration!

I am finding this unbelievably frustrating and have wasted almost a whole day in attempting change. Why are these machines so very frustrating at times? All was working so well before - now!!!

The Next Step

Looks a little small doesn’t it? I wonder if there will be any room for me in there when everything goes in, but at least we are started now and as I write the frame is going in over an already completed concrete slab.

To Be Or Not To Be My New Home?

These is the view from what may or may not be my new home - when I am in Melbourne that is - until recently my sister’s garage which as you can see couldn’t have possibly house a car, but did house everything else that she, her family, our parents and I have ever owned - not even a tram ticket would have fitted in there prior to the empty out. My sister is a true Bower Bird. I am only sorry that we didn’t take photos before we started the clean out - but many black bags hit the dumper and a 6 meter skip came and went in just a few hours and there is still a lot to go! All I now have to do is get the works happening and that is proving interesting to say the least. I am beginning to wonder if it is meant to be, but we shall see on that one.
First one has to get the permits, cost involved naturally, then there are the contractors/tradesmen - just getting them to answer the phone, return the calls, come and give a quote etc is proving to be an exercise in patience. Then there are all those decisions I am going to have to make, and everything naturally involves a cost - it’s much easier to just take off on the next adventure or house sit - which is what is just about to happen. So wish me luck with the “house” or whatever comes next. My next entry should be from “The Alice”

Reflections Lemaire Channel

The evening was spectacular. After the BBQ on the deck it was impossible to venture inside as the night became more and more beautiful and we entered the Lemaire Channel. In the morning this same channel had been completely blocked by pack ice and un navigable, amazing the difference a day makes! If you look closely at the base of the cliff coming down on the right, the small black dot you can see in the water is another boat - that's how vast the distances are in Antarctica. We were meeting this boat - another of the Quark expedition boats to exchange some zodiac outboard motors. Two expedition staff disappeared into the vast pack ice in a tiny zodiac to deliver them - they don't even appear in the picture.The passage took several hours and was absolutely magnificent