So I just got back to Córdoba recently from my trip with my parents to visit the most beautiful places in Argentina. The trip was amazing and God blessed our entire time traveling. First we headed to the southern most city in the world Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia and avoided a plane crash which was a little terrifying- we were arriving at night in the dark and right before the pilot was going to land he shot the plane almost straight vertical into the air and aborted landing- we think that he almost hit the water because the airport is kind of an island. Surprisingly it wasn’t extremely freezing cold and we were able to trek in the national park of tierra del fuego and sail the Beagle Canal which connects the pacific and atlantic oceans. The national park was incredible and we were followed by giant wild foxes at one point which was kind of scary but luckily they were distracted by some other tourists. I think in total we trekked 8 miles on the icy paths. The next day we went on a boat excursion to sail the Beagle Canal, which is picturesque in every direction that you look. We saw wild seals, penguins, and the lighthouse ‘at the end of the world’. We also were lucky and stopped at an island to trek around and see where the indigenous people settle. Some history about tierra del fuego is that the argentine government used to send the absolute worst criminals there and you can still see ruins of the prison (kind of like shutter island I guess). Next, we spent 3 nights in El Calafate, Santa Cruz- home of the national glaciar park. We got to see the most famous glaciar Perito Moreno which is actually blue. It’s amazing and you can actually hear the ice cracking which sounds like avalanches. The next day we took a boat tour to see all of the glaciers in the national park. This excursion was one of the most memorable for me because we were lucky enough to see the whole front of a glacier collapse in front of the boat AND I caught it on video. After those 3 nights we headed north to Iguazú- national park in Puerto Iguazú, Misiones- home of some of the tallest waterfalls on earth. I had already been there before on a trip with some friends in May so I knew my way around town. The pueblo was so crowded with people because right now everyone in Argentina has vacation. The weather had been rainy there but we managed to have a descent 2 days in the national park and saw wild monkeys. We headed back to Córdoba by bus on the 24 hr. ride on Friday. My parents stayed with the Australian missionary family-my neighbors- whom I have been able to connect with here through friends. They are one of the sweetest families that I have ever met! We brought them and their kids gifts from the states and showed them how to make s’mores which was pretty memorable. Today, Tues, my parents left córdoba to head back to Pittsburgh in time for my sister’s 24th birthda. I think they liked argentina and I couldn’t help but to compare myself to them. I think that here I’ve learned not to expect much from people or quality of things and just to live simpler. In the states it’s so easy to get around and live. Here for example you might have to go to 2 or 3 supermarkets to get groceries because they don’t have selection because everything is imported and more expensive. And hardly anyone owns a car and people take buses and walk everywhere. It’s just different and I’ve really enjoyed living here for the past 6 months. Looking back at my time in córdoba I’ve had so many opportunities that I never imagined for myself. I’ve traveled basically everywhere in argentina that’s well marked on a map and I also had time to volunteer with poor children in a local pueblo every weekend. I guess I’m just grateful.
Soy córdobesa now and I will be planning a trip to come back in the future, I don’t know when, but I will be back!
No comments:
Post a Comment