Not home yet, but...

I have some time now, so you guys are going to get an early update on my travels! But first, some bad news -- "THE" job didn't work out. They ended up offering it to someone with a more traditional background. They said it was a really hard decision, and they even tried to get additional budget money to hire both of us, but with the economy the way it is, well, the money wasn't there and the job didn't work out. I'll stay in touch with them, and who knows, maybe something else will come about. In the meantime, I am refocusing my search, so if you hear of anything, let me know. I'm also holding out for a lottery win...hey, you never know?

Now, on to the more fun stuff...

Patagonia was AWESOME! Loved, loved, loved it, and cannot wait to go back and hit Chile too. I basically just hiked my butt off with Alexis and her friends. The first day we tackled Laguna de los Tres. Was a great hike...'til the end. The last mile was basically straight up hill. I was sweating up a storm in the cold, cold weather....even the crazy wind couldn't keep my body temp from rising. But as my dad says, "no pain, no gain" and oh, was the pain worth it! We were rewarded with a fantastic view of two gorgeous glacier lakes, and we came thisclose to seeing Fitz Roy. (As a heads up -- the mountain was petty elusive the ENTIRE trip. Thank goodness I saw it the night I got in!)

That night I gorged on an awesome pizza dinner, complete with three (yes, count 'em!) THREE bottles of wine, shared between a few of us (although Alexis and I definitely enjoyed the majority of the glasses. Love the Malbec!)

It was early to rise for our Saturday hikes. My butt was killing me but my feet somehow kept moving, and before I knew it we were back on the trails. The plan was to do this very long and arduous hike (Laguna Toro), but our plans were thwarted by a swampy trail about half way in. I was bummed but also relieved....I sort of wanted to retire to my hotel's wine bar. But Alexis is a trooper, and she insisted we find another hike. We ended up tackling Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, and we were again greeted with amazing views -- AND SNOW!

By this point my legs were seriously hurting, but Alexis and I are psycho. Instead of taking a siesta, we decided to go and hike to Laguana Capri. We followed much of the same trail for Laguna de los Tres but eventually broke off...before that final mile of hell, thank god! Laguana Capri was stunning and reminded me a lot of the lakes in Adirondacks...save for the snow capped mountains in the background. When we crawled back to town that evening, we realized we had hiked close to 24 MILES. Yes, this is totally insane. I sort of felt like a super hero 'til I realized I could barely walk....

That night we chowed down on sandwiches, pizza and gelato before hitting the hay. I went back to El Calafate on Sunday. I was flying Aerolineas Argentinas back to BA, so OF COURSE my flight was delayed. While waiting, I met a woman named Terri. Turns out she works at the embassy with Lena, the woman I met in Mendoza! Lena was kind enough to say I could crash at her place on Sunday night, but since it was so late by the time we finally took off, I ended up staying at Terri's, even though she wasn't there! (She was going to Bariloche.) Anyway, long story short, I have another friend. I feel so blessed to have encountered so much kindness from strangers on this trip. I have made so many new friends...

So that's it for now. I got the email about "THE" job early in the afternoon today, so my inspiration to get out and do some last minute exploring was pretty much shot. This is probably a good thing given that I'm ready to collapse. Let's hope I can pass out on the plane...

Lots of love,
Jen

PS Even though the trip is over, my blog is not. So keep checking it for random updates on random things...just what you would expect from moi.

PPS Doesn't the photo on top look like it came from the Land Before Time? LOVED THAT MOVIE.














Felt like Hurricane Ike at Laguna de los Tres. I thought the wind would blow me over, but apparently the extra steak and ice cream I have been consuming helped me stay put. Thank goodness for weight gain!














Summer snow. An oxymoron that should never be repeated.















Alexis and Jen at Laguna de los Tres. And yes, we are wearing WINTER jackets.














Laguna Capri. Ignore the snow and see what I mean about it looking like a lake in the Adirondacks. Reminds me of my summers at Camp Whippoorwill...