Not long now...

3 days to go...

So I'm off to Patagonia.
(It's the pointy bit at the bottom of this picture of South America.)

Why?

Well .... There's the volcanos and glaciers and deserts and lakes and rainforests and all sorts of interesting critters. It is a remote and desolate land of snow and ice and mountains.

ie: absolutely nothing like the South East corner of Queensland.

I am doing some volunteer work on an Andean Condor Conservation project. The work involves trekking up to observation posts in the Andes to collect population and behavioural data. The study sites extend from Mendoza in the North to the far South. Sadly, condors dont roost in the lowest branches of mango trees at the beach...

No.

They live high up on cliff faces.
So we need to climb up there to get a good look at them.

I'm not sure how I'm going to go with that.
(I'm .... not really great with heights......)

But I guess that I'm as ready as I can possibly be.
Although I wish I could speak more spanish.
(At least I can order a beer, and find a chicken ... if the need arises.)

I suspect it will be a bit difficult.
And some parts of it may get a bit ... iffy.
But that's a big reason to do it.
(Wouldn't be much point if it was easy.)

Besides, there are older, fatter and gumbier people than me who have done much harder stuff.

How hard can it be?????