Some ups and some downs, literally and figuratively. Enjoy our days across the northern part of the South Island! 

These were drive heavy, boat heavy days - we still had some great experiences throughout but the days were more calm than the past three. 

Day's 4 - 6 were some of our favorite days on the trip in regards to activities. They were action packed and a mix of adventure, fun and relaxation. Enjoy! 

We're safe, happy, healthy and absolutely loving every second of this adventure. Thanks for checking in :) 

Our priorities in Mendoza ended up being: wine, relaxing and spending time with great people. In the long run, who cares about laundry and bus tickets. :) 

We enjoyed every sight we could, just smiling ear to ear. 

we headed to what I think is maybe one of the coolest galleries I’ve ever been to – Xul Solar. If you are ever in BA, this is a must visit. We stared at each painting for so long, they were each so interesting.

”We were told we can get a yellow fever vaccine here”
“Oh, who said that?”
“Our doctor!”
“Oh, okay, who is your doctor and can you show us the order?”
“She’s in the US and no.”
“lol”

As we got closer we could see some fur seals though playing! Romping around, rolling, running and sliding, it was all so cute!

We came across some Weddell seals. They were so very curious! They swam right up to the zodiac and poked their dog-like noses against the black rubber.

The next day was the whole reason I picked this excursion. It started with an early wake up call because we were CROSSING THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE! They had hot chocolate ready on deck 5 and encouraged everyone to come down to the bow for a celebratory moment.

Once on the boat, we had to pass over our passports and we headed down to our room. Bigger than all of us had thought and a surprisingly lots of storage room. The best feature though is that it has two portholes! We got settled in a little but went up soon after to get celebratory cocktails!

Now the plane is bucking left and right and up and down and I decide it's time to duck and cover. I pull my knees up and hug them along with one of Erik's knees and try to ride it out. It lasts a little longer than I anticipate, so I come up for air. At the exact time we drop BIG, our butts come off the seat and I literally think "This is how we die. On this trip, this is horrible."

Valpo is charming - Erik had warned me about the stray dogs. But since he was here they started to build neighborhood dog houses so the sleepy, stray dogs have a home of their own. The graffiti is a beautiful expression of the struggles and the fight the people of the area have had do for their rights and changes they want to see for their country.

Well, grandma and parents - we made it!

The travel portion was all too smooth, which makes me nervous. Got up at 3:40 on Feb 3rd to get the house put together and to head to the airport. Both planes were on time, we brought gifts for the flight attendants so our wine glasses always stayed full, and I listened to 3 books. It was dang near perfect!