Posts

Showing posts from December, 2013

Amalia Glacier, Patagonia

Image
I 'm like a first grader when it comes to a glacier . I was so excited  to feel  and see it up close that I could not wait to go out on the bow of the ship . I also took copious notes from our onboard travel guide. So blame my note-taking for any missing information, and blame our onboard travel guide , who happened to be standing by the bar while doing the narration , for any misinformation. So do n't take  the following  information as  academic research . The Amalia Glacier is also known as Skua Glacier and is within the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, near the Canal Sarmiento. Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is the largest protected area in Chile, covering both the regions of Aysen, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Amalia Glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This ice field is the second-largest field of polar ice. It is the larger of two remaining parts of the ice in Patagonia covering

Iguazú Falls: A Gift of Nature

Image
On the bus ride from the airport (Aeropuerto International Cataratas del Iguazú), our guide reminded us how lucky we were. He said, "If you were here yesterday, you would have been soaked, it rained hard yesterday. Today is a little bit cloudy, but a perfect day to visit the park.” It was spring in Argentina and Brazil – one of the best times to see Iguazu Falls (another best time to visit is fall). Summer is intensely hot and humid, and in winter, the water level is considerably lower. Our guide gave us a little information about the National Park for which the falls are part of the ecosystem protected by both the Argentine and Brazilian government. He talked about logistics - how long it should take us to walk the upper circuit (trail) and the lower circuit, but gave no statistics about the falls. He told us about the birds (Great Dusky Swift) that fly through the mist and nest on the rocks behind the waterfalls. Iguazú Falls (Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish, F

Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janeiro: Old St. Nick Spotted Lounging on the Beach

Image
I spotted Old St. Nick lounging on the beach - Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I guess even Santa needs to relax and gather energy before heading north (North Pole) to accomplish his task of making the rounds of delivering mega-millions Christmas presents around the world . And what a better place to scope out the view of heights : The Sugar Loaf and Corcovado mountains , and perhaps to receive instructions from Christ the Redeemer, and  making a list of those who had been naughty or nice . A perfect place to relax and scope out the view of heights Aerial view of Copacabana Beach Christ the Redeemer stands 30 meters (98 feet) at the summit of Corcovado Mountain (710 meters above sea level). The Sugar Loaf Mountain [1,299 ft (396 meters)] seems to soar to a commercial plane flying altitude