Today was one for the bucket list – we toured the Perito Moreno glacier by boat and then by foot (there’s a three mile trail of “balconies” that provide breathtaking views.

On Monday, we flew three hours from Buenos Aires to El Calafate then took a three hour car ride even further south to El Chalten – the trekking capital of Argentina.  It’s a small, remote town in Glacier National Park that’s truly near the bottom of the world which explains why the power goes out intermittently (and it did).

Argentina is going through an economic crisis right now.  40% inflation in 2018 has made it a great time to be traveling here from the United States, but Buenos Aires is struggling. With only two days here, we’ve tried to do our part to help the local economy by shopping, eating, and touring around this amazing city that is a little down, but definitely not out.

It’s almost here. Patagonia 2018. Aubrey, Michael and Annie will be celebrating Thanksgiving on a glacier this year. We hope you’ll enjoy our updates from the southern end of South America!

In Argentina - Buenos Aires. El Chalten. El Calafate.

In Chile - Torres del Paine National Park and Valparaiso.

We are about to leave South America and go to Africa (where the amazing, talented, always fun - and funny - Melissa Doyle will be joining us).  We're currently at the São Paolo airport where driving Annie around in a wheelchair has only added to the adventure.  Thankfully, she's feeling better each day.  While we had some time, we thought we’d do a recap of things we’ve learned while traveling these past couple of weeks in Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

We officially designated Wednesday as “Culture Day.” We thought we’d take you through our day in reverse order since it ended with us looking for a little cheer in a glass of scotch after what we’re now affectionately calling,  “Tango Desastre.”

Buenos Aires - Day Eleven.  A very educational stop on our journey.  Home of The Tango, underground rivers, a very popular "parallel economy" (i.e. grey market) and, of course, the parilla (restaurants specializing in grilled meat).   This South American city has a very European feel, but it also reminds of us New York in the 80's.  There are beautiful areas, but there are some rough spots.

Bariloche, Argentina might just be the most beautiful place on the planet.  And, there's chocolate.  Lots and lots of chocolate. 

After a night in Puerto Varas, a beautiful tourist town on Lake LLanquihue, we set out yesterday morning for the famous lake crossing through the Andes Mountains. Bus, boat, bus, boat, bus, boat...you get the idea. It took 13 hours to get from Puerto Varas, Chile to Bariloche, Argentina, but that included stops for a gourmet lunch in the middle of the Andes (like ya do) and photo ops along the way.  It was the first day of Spring here and the snow was still fresh on the top of the mountains.  I bought an inexpensive pair of gloves and a hat at the craft market in Puerto Varas, we layered up with our adventure wear and forged ahead like the German pioneers who came before us.  You learn something new every day.  Without the Germans and the Swiss, this part of the world would probably still be undeveloped.