El Fin del Mundo~


We keep going back to ‘The End of the World.’

This poppy was as big as a salad plate!

This was our third visit, but this time we were joined by our adult children for the holidays, which made it the best ever.


Ushuaia Argentina is the southern-most city in the world,


and can be accessed via the stunning Beagle Channel and Tierra del Fuego.

The city is surrounded by the towering glacier-rich Andes cordillera (spine), which was shrouded with clouds on this visit.


This part of the world is a wildlife and birders paradise and I will post some critters next.

Not too many people come here, but those who do are rewarded with vast tracks of open spaces and pristine nature everywhere.


Cheers to you from The End of the World~

Lobos del Marino~


A face only a mother could love?

Nah, I think he’s a looker!

Apparently the lobos girls agree!

Patagonian Sea Lions are larger than their northern counterparts, and genetically distinct.

The males can grow up to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 800 pounds.

They have the archetypical lionesque heads with manes of fur, which make them quite impressive.

They are a protected species as there are only an estimated 265,000 of them left in the wild.

Comments are restored and will hopefully work, and I so very much miss hearing from you!!
Cheers to you from El Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia Argentina, the southern most city in the world~

Ushuaia & The Beagle Channel!

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The happy penguins of Patagonia!
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The Beagle Channel is named after Darwin’s ship, the HMS Beagle. Darwin explored and mapped the entire southern tip of Patagonia.
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The Andes.

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Channel view from Andes hike.
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Poppies everywhere!

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Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia Argentina. (This means “Land of Fire” and was named by Darwin. It referred to all the fires Darwin saw from his ship that were lit by the native people to keep warm.)
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Ushuaia terrain.
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I would recommend adding gorgeous Patagonia to your bucket list if you like to travel.
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Happy Sunday to you from The Holler!

Patagonian Memories!

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Stunning Patagonia. We were back for the second time in January of this year.

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This is a saltwater marsh bird-sanctuary in El Calafate Argentina. It looked like a Monet painting.

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These Harrier Hawks were guarding their nest and dove at us repeatedly. We wore tie on hats and protective eyewear and ducked a lot. We moved out of their nesting territory, but not before I took some shots. It was quite exhilarating!
Note the talons!

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He looks rather annoyed at me doesn’t he!

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The Southern Caracara’s were everywhere!

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We came upon this herd of oncoming traffic while exploring down a dirt road in Las Rocas, El Calafate. You can see why Patagonia is famous for its horses. They were a gorgeous sight, and a bit of a problem as the road had no shoulder! They streamed around us quite politely though!
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El Perito Morena Glacier El Calafate.

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This Night Heron was in Ushuaia Argentina, the southern most city in the world, nicknamed El Fin Del Mundo. Of course we want to go back!
Cheers to you and happy Tuesday!

The Astonishing Andes!

Patagonia’s incredible and unique beauty is created by the sheltering and formative influence of the incomparable Andes. The Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world, stretching spinelike 4,300 miles across the continent of South America. The Andes are also the highest mountain range in the world outside of Asia, with an average mountain height of 13,000 feet. Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak at 22,841 feet.
The world’s highest volcanos are contained within this mountain range, including the world’s highest active volcano, Ojas del Salado, which lies, visible, on the border between Argentina and Chile. Ojas rises to 22,615 feet. She competes with 50 sister volcanos in the Andes range all of whom rise to over 19,695 feet.
Everything you see in Patagonia is framed by these formidable mountains.

The Andes approaching Ushuaia Argentina (shot from the Airplane window.) The Andes terminate in Ushuaia, El Fin del Mundo.

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Ushuaia

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The Peaks of the Andes shape the wind and the clouds.

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El Calafate

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Penguin Opera!

Did you know penguins like to yell? I didn’t. It makes quite a startling racket, especially when done in harmony!

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They seem to do it for no good reason except maybe they like the sound!!! Just like my husband likes the sound of Wagnerian Opera.

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Come to think of it, they do sound kinda like Brunhilde with a sore throat!
(Google it!)

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Climbing Glaciar Martial Tierra del Fuego Patagonia!

Today was an alpine day as we climbed past the timberline to the Martial Glacier. First we had to past through The Haunted Twisted Lenga Forest. Take a peek:

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Next we had to cross some flimsy plank bridges…….

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Then we had the view to the Beagle Channel far below.

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And we joined the ant people climbing to the Glacier. Look for the tiny ant people climbing, it will give you perception of the mountains and their immensity.

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El Fin del Mundo! Ushuauia & The Beagle Channel!

We are now in the southern-most city in the world, referred to as ‘The End of The world,’ and a very different part of Patagonia. We are staying on the glorious Beagle Channel near the entrance to Tierra Del Fuego National Park (Land of Fire.) Darwin named this area Tierra Del Fuego because as he sailed up the channel, he was amazed by the sight of the hundreds of fires the indigenous people had lit for warmth and survival in this harsh, but beautiful place. As of today the Tierra Del Fuegans are essentially wiped out due to their contact with explorers and settlers.
Ushuaia is a place we had been before, for a day, before crossing The Drake Passage into Antarctica. We always planned to return and spend more time and so we are. Take a peek at this stunning place & animal inhabitants :

Taken from out our hotel bedroom window!

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Adelie, Chinstrap & some King Penguins!

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The stunning Albatross. They spend the first few years of their life at sea and return to land when they are ready to breed. These are massive birds, with huge wingspans and they are incredible gliders!

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