Thankfulness and Refuge from the Inferno

Writing this post I'm now in Rio Gallegos, at the southeastern tip of mainland Argentina. It's cold and extremely windy here, which is nice, considering when we left Buenos Aires it was a record-breaking 40 degrees C, or roughly 104 F. Add to that humidity, no air conditioning, and a stove going full blast with two pots of boiling potatoes, and you've got one sweaty Jew.

Thanksgiving in Buenos Aires, heat stroke notwithstanding, was a huge success. My friends Lexi and Brennan, after becoming chummy with their butcher, were able to secure a 14-pound turkey, even after the butcher repeatedly asked to make sure they didn't really want steak instead. Turkey, as well as cranberries, pumpkin and stuffing, is essentially unheard of in this country, so we had to be a little bit inventive. The result, though, was a spectacular feast. Lexi and Brennan made a nice gravy to go with their bird, Jess adapted a cranberry sauce recipe to work with fresh cherries, Erika made a sweet potato casserole (complete with melted marshmellows on top!) and I made the mashed potatoes. One of Brennan's friends brought apple pie, so we were set.

We ate early, at about 7pm, compared to a normal dinnertime of 10pm, but it was a good thing, because I needed all the time I could get to digest. We left for the airport around 9:30, and by 11pm were airborne on our way here, Rio Gallegos. We slept for about six hours in a "hotel" that could have just as easily been a mental hospital. Our room had three metal cots and standard issue blankets, and I had to look twice to make sure there werent any leather straps hidden beneath. For $50 including breakfast, split between three people, I guess it's not so bad.

Now we're stuck waiting for the first bus to El Calafate, our real destination and home to the Glaciar Perrito Moreno. We thought it leaves at 9am but actually doesn't leave until noon, which is inconvenient but certainly better than making the opposite mistake. Tomorrow we're hopefully going to do a little ice-trekking, crampons and all.