4 x 4 x 7

 We started the morning climbing into a 4 x 4, which for me was a challenge. Fortunately Dennis got in first, so there are no pics! With the driver there were 7 of us. Dennis who was in the middle had the most uncomfortable seat. Alfredo the father of the family with us was in the front passenger seat. He was over 6 feet tall. In the middle back seat was Eugenia, his wife, and behind us sat Miguel, their son-in-law and their daughter Michaela. What a wonderful family. The next time I was to clamber in, Christian our driver and guide showed me how to do it and it worked perfectly. We were going off road to spend the day near two lakes, Escondido and Fagnano, crossing the Andes with the lakes separated by lunch.

A coffee break

After our coffee break we continued through the pass to the other side of the Andes to the site where Christian would prepare lunch for us. I suppose I am not a very competent blogger, as I prefer photos to my words. Describing the Andes as stark above the tree line or majestic seems inadequate. I prefer to show you. Lake Escondido was found at the bottom of the twisting road we traveled, bouncing all the way. Christian is a wonderful driver, avoiding huge potholes and mud holes as much as he could.

We traveled on through the pass to our next  destination, where our lunch was cooked by Christian at a small building sheltered by towering trees. Once the fire was started we left to go to Lake Fagnano.

Lake Fagnano was beautiful though I didn’t venture too far down the trail to the shore. The wind was fierce. So I stayed at the top of the trail and took photos. It is a beautiful lake very long and deep. 

Back at the shelter, Christian completed lunch preparations and served us a remarkable lunch of chorizo, steak (cooked perfectly to medium rare), carrot salad, and Malbec. Everything was prepared on site. He shredded the carrots there, seasoned the meat, chopped tomatoes to add to the salad and dressed it beautifully. He didn’t bring anything even partially prepared, It was all done fresh. He refused any help and at the finish of the meal, he only allowed us to bring him the dirty dishes. 

After that we returned to Ushuaia with most of us nodding off on the journey back. Disfrutamos pasando el dia en maravillosa compañia,

El señor Dennis dice…

A few sentences about Ushuaia—I don’t know if we’re in the actual “last town in South America” before leaving this continent and heading to Antarctic but if it isn’t, it’s pretty damn close. There are a few other contenders claiming this distinction.

Weather here has been wonderful as it’s summer. Temps in the high 50’s to mid 60’s and thus far, rain gear has stayed packed in our back packs.

We’ve taken a few day trips in the five days we’ve spent here, the most exciting being 4 wheeling in the mountains. Including our driver Christian, there were seven of us packed in the jeep like sardines. We hit the off road portion of our tour about an hour outside of Ushuaia. Immediately after we left the pavement, the trail led down at 45 degrees with water filled ruts up to the floorboards. Good news? It was water tight! Holy s—t!! I think we were all in each other’s laps more than in our spots, except for Christian, thankfully. 🙂 We banged up and down the mountains for the better part of two hours, with a couple of breaks along the way. 

I woke up the next morning with aching joints I never knew I had. Worth it? You bet! What a memory. (For Jerry, I’ll compare it to Paco and Cyprus when I get back home.) Today’s a day of rest, heading to a museum and then packing for the flight tomorrow. ✈️ 

   

Who cut the cheese?

 What's left to see after you've explored a very long history, think 9,000 years at least!? There's more. More ruins, more nature walks, more food, more churches and monasteries. And we got busy and got going. We took a walk through the Tombs of the Kings on a beautiful sunny day. 

There were no kings (or queens) buried here but there were very wealthy people whose final resting place was here. They were entombed from the 3rd Century BC to the 3rd Century AD. Some of the tombs were quite simple and some quite elaborate.

The park is well-laid out so that you can stroll along the paths, go down into the tombs, take in the many flowers, and also have a beautiful view of the Mediterranean.

Okay, so there's dandelion in there, just another sign of spring! What a beautiful day for a walk among the ghosts of the past. Imagine taking this walk at dusk when you just might see a filmy shadowy figure slip past you.

Is he wishing my head was on top of this pedestal?

They're always with us...

The next day, we headed off to the bus stop where we were being picked up by Sophia for the trip I had been looking forward to for months--making fresh halloumi cheese and a Cypriot breakfast. We started at a church with five domes in a small village not far from Paphos. The Agia Paraskevi Church is located in the center of Geroskipou and is a 9th century byzantine church.

From here we walked across the street to the family owned and run candy factory where we were able to taste many kinds of candy. And we could also purchase those we especially liked. 😋 Yum!

We liked the candies with nuts and honey the best and they somehow found their way into our backpacks. From here we drove further up the mountain to the village where Sofia has her kitchen and a delicious breakfast waited for us. Sofia had been up since 5:00 preparing for us.

Making Halloumi

And the bread goes into the oven

The result of all this work is a very satisfying and delicious breakfast. We enjoyed every bit of the wonderful food Sofia made for us. The halloumi was a special treat, warm and soft and fresh. BTW Sofia cut the cheese and put it in little pans which are later removed.

After breakfast we were able to have a brief walk around the village before heading back to Paphos for a look at an artisans cooperative near the old town market.

Who are those guys??

Once back in Paphos we spent a bit of time in the coop but then walked around a bit before returning to our villa. I think I overuse the phrase "a bit" as well as calling our apartment a villa but that's what it's called here. Oh well, I'm sure Denny E. Baby will enlighten you further.  

Word of wisdom from the man...

Cindy did a great job with he the pics of the Tomb of the Kings as well as the history behind it. It really was something to see and experience. Now I'll let you in on a little secret...thank goodness she made the decision a number of years ago to start a blog as we traveled. Wanna know why? Cuz I've got that old guy disease "CRS" (can't remember shit!!). Example, when she asks me if I remember the apartment we stayed at in Lagos, Portugal in 2020, I reply, "Sure I do." And change the subject to something I do remember about Lagos. Later, to cover my tracks I go back to the blog when I'm alone and look at the pictures of that trip. When we're together again, I bring up the subject of the apartment and "amaze" her with my memory. Pretty smart, huh? When you see her, don't mention this, okay? It's just between you and me. Clara, doesn't hafta know...er, I mean Cindy...(snicker, snicker). 😏