Destination Guide: Ushuaia

Written for The Squeeze Magazine

Ushuaia’s (pronounced oo-swy-ah) claim to fame as “the most southern city in the world” draws tourists in, but the town’s charm is much more complex than the cutesy phrase. Although, be sure to indulge and get the Ushuaia passport stamp saying “Fin del Mundo” or “End of the World” in the tourist information building a few blocks from the bus station. More than just an item on your travel checklist or a quick stop before a luxury cruise to Antarctica, Ushuaia keeps visitors’ interest with its many on and off land activities.

Hiking and Tierra del Fuego National Park

Hiking in Ushuaia can entertain for weeks on end as paths lead you to beaver dams, ice caves and crystal clear lakes on terrain ranging from easy to difficult and, at times, treacherously muddy. There are a few different options when searching for a trail.

The Tierra del Fuego National Park is accessible by booking transportation through your hotel or a travel agency. Paying the park entrance fee is required and with it, you will find no shortage of routes to explore the forest, mountains, and glaciers.

Laguna Esmerelda is not a part of the National Park, but is one of the most popular day trips in Ushuaia as the trail through the forest leads you to a transparent lake surrounded by mountains.  If you plan on taking a break and eating your lunch by the lake, be sure to bring some warm clothes!

Read the full article here...

Vineyard: Familia Zuccardi

We went on a trip with our program to the Familia Zuccardi vineyard. Not quite in Maipu, not quite in Mendoza, but somewhere in the middle.

Tasting room, which also had a ton of paintings.

My favorite painting in the room. Something very eerie about the emptiness of the room and staircase.

We were able to taste two different types of wine. In the past, the program was not allowed to provide students with alcohol. Past students had to do an olive oil tasting. Thankfully, things have changed, but we definitely weren't allowed to go overboard. This is a champagne. Really liked this. I wish I was better at describing flavors of wine, but I need some more practice.

Was not a huge fan of this red. Tasted...watery?

Torrontes is a type of grape specific to Argentina. There is apparently a debate going on about whether empanadas go better with Torrontes or red wine. My vote is Torrontes, but I'm partial to white wines.

Alisa looking pretty and angelic.

Huge breadsticks! After our wine tasting, we had lunch at the winery.

Lucky lady bug on my plate.

Cheers!

Pan casera <3

Lots of olive oils to try.

Eggplant tapenade. 

Beef with a horse-radishy sauce.

More beef. The bread was so good!!! 

We also had tuna sandwhiches, olives, sundried tomatoes, more tapenade, and fried balls of chicken.

Peaches, fruit salad, cream, and little cookies for dessert.

Buenos Aires

Three days in Buenos Aires before arriving in Mendoza...

Ensalada con tomates y parmesana.

Balsamic and oil.

Spanish tart. Egg tart filled with potatoes.

Ravioli with pesto and creme.

Sweet potato blend and sweet cheese. Not really sure what these are called...

I tried to eat the sweet potato and cheese thing with bread, but it's meant to be eaten by itself. Note also, flan (or bread pudding...not sure...) with dulce de leche and sweet cream.

My first Argentinian empanada.

Fried calamari.

Breakfast at the Dazzler Palermo Hotel in the "Hollywood" district of Buenos Aires. I could look across my balcony and see the FOX network working away. Croissants are called medialunas.

Cafe con leche.

We went to a market.

Honey comb.

Ciao a los estados unidos

Nobody in Argentina says "Adios." They say Ciao. There are a lot of Italian roots here, so it makes sense. Here's me saying ciao to all that I know and love in the U.S.

Orange leaf going away party with the baby siblings.

My Orange leaf. Popping boba pops quickly in your mouth unlike the normal chewy boba. Orange leaf made me miss Kiwi, the froyo place I go to when I'm at school. I like Kiwi better because you can scoop your own cookie dough, the cheescake pieces are huge and delicious, and the froyo is soft. Orange leaf's wasn't soft and their cookie dough was nast. But Orange leaf has cool decor. But it's more expensive. Many pros and cons to consider when selecting your froyo joint. Kiwi beats Orange leaf this time.

Mom's froyo. More cherries, more hot fudge. Good choice.

Orange leaf's mural representing Orlando in all its orange-ness.

Part 2 of going away: Chilli's. Crispy chicken tacos with black beans and rice.

Warm chocolate chip cookie in a skillet with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. 5 spoons.

At the airport.

After I went through security, I was glad to have this snack.

Unfortunately, the cookie was really difficult to eat because it was crushed and crumbled, like my heart, as I left my comfortable family and chose to get on a plane to Argentina.

Nutella, biscuits with nuts and fruit, and white cheddar cheese for breakfast on my flight to Buenos Aires.

Grainy pic of a lackluster egg sandwich.

See ya soon Buenos Aires...