How to buy clothes for a giant in Argentina

Hello friends!!  Greetings from San Julian, Argentina.  This is a small, dusty town of about 7000 inhabitants in the southern part of the Argentina coast line.  Magellan arrived here in the 1500s and it is here that Magellan reportedly gave the Patagonia region its name.  No one is very sure where the term "Patagonia" comes from but it probably refers to the natives' big feet.  There are penguins and sea lions here, although I haven't seen any today.

I think I last left you soon after my bag and belongings were stolen.  I've managed to recover (mostly) and even started shopping around for some new clothes.  We passed through Comodoro Rivadavia two days ago.  This is a southern hub which is primarily known for the petroleum industry.  I could tell it was the sort of place that rural folks drove to and did their shopping.  Buying underwear, shirts, pants, rain coat, socks and a fleece for a person of my size turned out to be a rather amusing adventure.  Mostly, I just stuck to the men's side and convinced the disapproving shop keepers that I would be fine wearing a shirt made for teenage skateboarders.  I am kind of glad that I cannot upload any incriminating photographs of myself.

Yesterday we drove to Parque Nacional de Bosques Petrificados and oogled some really huge petrified trees.  The park was 50 kilometers down a deserted dirt road, surrounded by mesas, old volcanos and dried salt lakes.  The ranger and his wife have lived there for three years.  They have an adorable and gigantic 8 month old, Manuela, who flirted mercilessly with me.  During the winter, they sometimes have as few as 1 visitor a week.  He also said that almost no Americans visit the spot.  I was his first of the year and last year there were 5.  He asked me the obligatory questions about Obama.  I love that everyone wants only to talk about my president.

We camped illegally in the park (shh!) high atop a mesa.  We walked among the guanaco and were treated to an amazing star gazing and sunrise show. 

I am hoping that we will make it to Tierra del Fuego in the next two days.  There, I imagine we'll spend a few days in Ushuaia and ride a boat through the Beagle Passage so I can really say that I saw the end of the world.

Thank you for the many, many emails of support and comfort.  I am really doing quite fine and I am enjoying my new state-- unencumbered by material things and dressing like a 14 year old Argentine boy.