Into The Mountains (Fri 3/26)

Stats:
- 1 hike...climbed 2800 feet
- curiousity about mountains? answered!
- worst trail surface ever
- awesome dinner
 
From Mendoza, we can see the Andes.  They are tall, steep and impressive.  And, it is very clear that there is little in the way of vegetation.  Think desert and you have the right idea.  The mountains just top out alnost 23,000 feet and we are sitting at about 3,000 feet.  So, they are huge.  We have been curious to get into the mountains.  We have the option of backpacking in the Andes for a few days.  We have wanted to get closer and size things up to evaluate if this is something we want to do.  Mendoza itself is this little oasis in the middle of the desert.  The city streets are lined with beautiful and huge trees.  The trees provide fantastic shade and comfort from the sun and heat.  The streets are also lined with canals.  There are "gates" at various points in the canals.  These gates are opened and closed and used to control the water flow.  The water is used to irrigate the trees, parks and gardens.  Without the canals, the city would be scortched earth --- like we see in the distance.  So, our goal is really to check out what things look like in the distance. 
 
We found a company that does day hikes.  Their fee is not that different than the price of a car rental and it is much easier for someone else to do the driving.  People here drive like maniacs, so driving is an experience we don´t need.  A van picked us up.  Inside the van, there were several people going horseback riding for the day.  There was a couple doing a 1/2 hike.  We were the only two doing a "full day" hike.  The van drove out to a ranch where the various groups headed off, each with a guide.

Now, I before I tell you about the hiking, I need to catch you up on something. You'll remember the weight lifting? Yes, today it caught up with me.  Every muscle hurts to move. On the one hand, laying stone still for three days might hurt less. On the other hand, once I get moving I know the lactic acid will start to process out and things will feel better --- until I stop again or sit in a van for another 45 minute ride.  I feel like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz. Alright, back to the story.  

Our guide, Mati, was a nice guy.  He gave us two options.  We chose the hike with more climbing that reached something called, "Black Mountain".  The vegation was short and scrubby.  Much of it had nasty thorns that left plenty of marks below the bottoms of my capris (so glad I zipped off my convertible pants).  As we climbed, we started to see more and more cactus.  My hope was that we could reach the top and be treated to awesome views into the next valley.  I was convinced the snow capped mountains would seem very close once we got to the top.  Getting to the top was no easy task.  The trail sucked.  In Arn´s words, "This is the worst trail surface I have ever hiked for the full duration of the hike".  It was terrible.  It was either a sand pit, loose rock, or medium sized rock.  And, it was really steep.  The higher we went, the worse the surface and the steeper the pitch.  The whole time, I thought of only one thing --- this is REALLY going to suck on the way down.  In total, we think we climbed about 2800 feet.  From the top, the views did not improve.  Everywhere you looked --- more scorched earth.  It was a totaly desolate landscape.  It went on forever and forever and was the same.  Mati said that in the valley where people backpack, it is even drier and nothing grows.  I looked at Arn and asked, "What do you think of backpacking?"  It was funny.  I already knew his answer and it was going to match mine --- "no way".  It is not our landscape and the temps were well into the 80´s.

At the top, we ate our packed lunches and Arn took the "obligatory photo".  Yes, this is how he referred to it.  Before we left the top, I zipped the bottoms back onto my capris. I figured there was no need to draw blood a second time with all the thorns. Then, I made my final preparations. I used my Buff to wrap my left hand. I used my long sleeve shirt (which had been stashed away in the backpack) to wrap up my right hand. Here was my thinking.  I figured there was no way I was getting down from this summit without either falling or engaging in some five points of contact hiking. In either case, padding up my hands as protection from the rocks and cactus seemed like a good strategy. What is "five points of contact hiking"? Well, count them --- it is hiking when you sit on your butt and spider crawl down --- two feet, two hands, one butt.  The downhill sucked, but admittedly it was not as bad as I feared.  There were plenty of slips had by all three of us, but we all managed to stay on our feet. Funny --- cactus the size of basketballs is good incentive to remain upright. 

So, today's hike was clariying. We will not be headed out for a backpacking trip or another day hike. It is not our landscape. And those trail surfaces, will leave me crippled and limping. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the bus terminal and figure out where we are headed. We did a bit of looking online after returning to the hotel. A last minute cruise is out (there are no trips running on the right dates).  Heading north in Argentina to Salta (desert) is out. It is an 18 hour bus ride.  So, we are going to check the other bus options, but it looks like Chile and most likely Valparaiso or Santiago. 

For dinner, we returned to Azafran.  We had a great meal there earlier in the week. While Arn enjoyed his meal, I considered my dinner one of the best of the trip. It was a filet steak topped with blue cheese, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and all wrapped with phyllo dough and served with eggplant mashed potatoes and grilled onions. 

A Slow Day in Mendoza (Thurs 3/25)

Stats:
- 1 run for the gringo
- 1 more round of weight lifting for the gringa
- 1 "overdose" on cough syrup

Again, Arn took advantage of the cool temps in the morning and went for a run. I figured my upper body survived the weight lifting, so I returned for a lower body workout. I know this is going to come back to bite me. It has been too many months since I have done squats to not pay for this.  After the weight room, I decided to take advantage of the stairwell. With 20 floors in our building, I figured I could use his as my stairmaster. After my first lap up and back down, my stomach went really south. It happened quickly and I dashed up the stairs to our room. More specifically --- the bathroom.  It wasn't pretty. Now, perhaps what got my goat was the blood sausage from last night.  I don't think so. See, I have continued to hack my head off with this cough and I have been hitting the cough syrup regularly. The bottle indicates that it contains sorbitol, an artifical sweetner. It also indicates that it can cause stomach upset and rapid evacuation of everything in your guts. Okay, that is not the direct translation BUT it is an accurate description of what really happens. It was the sorbitol and not last night's dinner. So, note to self --- take less cough syrup. 

The rest of our day was pretty low key. We have booked ourselves for a hike tomorrow. More on that tomorrow. We are trying to figure out where we go from here and when we leave. The hiking tomorrow will help us decide if there is more hiking we want to do.

We enjoyed dinner in a lovely Italian restaurant. The tables were set up under a huge tent inside of a large garden. The temps were perfect for sitting outside. Arn had pasta with seafood. I had fish. We enjoyed a break from the Malbecs and ordered a white wine. 

Today, I finished the book on brain surgery. If you ever need a brain surgeon, I have a good referral. It is sad, but I have more than one friend that needed this type of help. I have a lot more insight into the battles with brain tumors than I did before. Turns out the blood brain barrier is a really big deal in this war.  So, I have started a new book. It is the Pat Tillman story. He played professional football, enlisted in the service,  served in Afganistan, and was killed. Maybe you have ideas for some "lighter" reading material???   

A Day In Town (Wed 3/24)

 
Stats:
- 1 run for the gringo
- 1 gym workout for the gringa
- a totally different dining experience
 
The temps in Mendoza are very comfortable.  In the morning, it is mid 60´s and Arn has been enjoying morning runs.  Today was no exception.  He headed out early while I slept in still in a drug stupor from more Benedryl for my cough.  Once I woke up, I finished reading the "Safe Patient, Smart Hospital" book.  I am glad that one is over.  Clenching my jaw while reading is not my idea of a good time.  After Arn returned and showered, we had breakfast, packed up, and caught a cab --- 6 blocks to our new hotel!  Luckily, our room was ready. 
 
We checked out everything in the new hotel --- gym, computers, pool, wine bar, and breakfast area.  We killed some time on the internet before heading to lunch.  Lunch?  McDonald´s.  Again, Arn tried the "local burger" special; however, he substituted fries for the empanadas and a diet coke for the wine.  I stuck with a kids´ hamburger. 
 
After lunch, I spent a couple of hours in the gym.  I am sure to pay for this in the coming days.  It was the first workout with weights since I went to Borrego Springs on Jan 1st. So, this is going to hurt. 
 
We did a lot of chilling today.  We have decided to stay in Mendoza until next Monday.  We don´t know where we are headed come Monday and we may decide to just stay here longer.  Time will tell.  But for now, we are reading, walking, interneting, eating, drinking, running, and using the gym.  Mendoza is a wonderful city for just chilling.  However, we are not good at chilling, so we will see what happens.
 
Now, dinner --- we must talk about dinner.  Arn booked us in the number one rated best place for dinner in Mendoza.  It is called, "Los Chocos".  Let me explain these terms better.  "Booked" in this case refers to an exchange of emails followed up by a message in our hotel and a live phone call.  All of this was necessary to establish the date for dinner and to provide the directions.  "Number one best rated" refers to what Arn learned on Trip Advisor.  And "Place", this is the tricky one.  The place is in two guys´ apartment.  Yes, the two guys are together -- a couple.  We later learned they share the same first name.   "Hello, my name is Martin and this is my partner, Martin.  Yes, we are Martin and Martin".  How often do you think they say that??  Anyway, we were given an address and a time.  We were told to wait downstairs on the street and someone would come downstairs to get us.  So, 10 minutes before 9pm (the appointed time), we were waiting downstairs.  It was basically a narrow outdoor alcove.  On one side, there was a DVD rental and sales store.  At the back of the alcove, there was the entrance to an old time pool hall.  It was full of all these old guys shooting pool.  The other side of the alcove was a locked door into a non-descript apartment building.  At 9:05pm, someone entered the building and told us we wanted the 4th floor, apartment #12.  He clearly was not the guy sent to meet us.  He was a well intended neighbor of Martin & Martin.  Once we entered the building, we could see a list of names on the apartments and the neighbor´s directions seemed to be correct.
 
Luckily, we got on the elevator with another couple because this was an old time elevator where the doors are operated manually.  They knew how to work the elevator.  We all went to the 4th floor.  They went to their apartment.  We knocked on the door for #12.  There was no answer and no sound. We waited.  We knocked again.  Nothing.  Then, the lights in the hallway went out and everything was completely black.  The lights were on a motion sensor.  Once we moved enough to trip the sensor, we had lights again.  This is a pretty common set up with the lights in hallways and bathrooms.  Yes, I have had a public bathroom go black in less time than it takes to pee.  Anyway, we figured it was best to return to the street level and see what happened.

We stepped outside and waited.  It was about 5 minutes past the appointed time.  In a few more minutes, a young guy came downstairs and was clearly looking for two people.  It was Martin #1.  He introduced himself and led us back up to the 4th floor, apartment #12.  Once inside, it was obvious that they never heard our knocking.  The apartment had a huge entry area.  The living room was well beyond the front door and music was playing in the living room.  Okay, here is the deal.  Martin & Martin used to run a catering business.  They got tired of cooking for 200+ people.  So, they decided to open a restaurant in their living and dining room.  They cook for up to 8 people per night.  They have one large table and everyone sits together.  The living room and dining room are one large room.  Tonight, we are the only two guests for dinner.  We sit down in the living room and Martin #1 pours us wine -- a Mablec Rose.  It is not our first choice in wine, but they are actually pretty good and not too sweet.  Martin #1 heads to the kitchen where Martin #2 is fast at work.  We are left alone with the music.  

Martin and Martin have taken great care in their interior decorating and design.  We both like their use of color.  They have painted two of the walls orange.  They have decorated the walls with fabric panels that have been framed.  They have created different corkboard designs with wine and champagne corks.  They have so many throw pillows that we have to reposition them just to sit down.  They have created beaded wiring around the windows and have draped strings of beads around all the light fixtures.  Everything is done in orange, rust, black, cream, and with lots of floral patterns.  They have carefully placed objects on the tables --- stacks of old books, antique keys, giant serving spoons holding rocks, and candles.  

Now that you have the scene, let´s move onto the food.  Martin #2 served each course and described everything in great detail.  He sources everything  local and his goal is to showcase the food of Mendoza.  The first course was a goat pate on crostini with a chickory leaf and some type of jam on top.  The second course was the best carne (beef) empanadas I have ever eaten.  They were made in phyllo dough and served with chimichurri sauce.  The third course was goat cheese and tomato jam on a bread base (something called a sopapilla -- fried dough).  For the next course, we moved to the dining table and changed wines --- a very nice Malbec.  The fourth course was a blood sausage pudding with sweet potatoes and vegtables.  Blood sausage sounds less scary in Spanish, but it is not at the top of our list.  Still, it was interesting to try.  The main dish was baby goat that was slow cooked for 6 hours.  This is pretty traditional in Mendoza.  Again, it was good to try and it actually tasted pretty good.  The dessert was served with sparkling wine.  The dessert is best described as a spice cake.  Martin #2 buys these things that look like beans.  He dries them, roasts them, and then grinds them to create the flour for this cake.  The result is something very earthy and rich.  All in all, it was a great experience and a really good dinner. 
 
 

Another Day in the Vineyards (Tues 3/23)

 
Stats:
- 4 nice wine tastings
- 1 great lunch (prepared by a vegetarian)
- Aced on our "A Plan" for dinner
 
Today we took another wine tour.  Again, the van was on time.  This time, our fellow tasters were from the U.S. and Italy.  The first winery was Terrazas.  They did a great tour and even talked about the difference between American and French Oak.  It all has to do with the speed at which the trees grow.  French Oak grows slower, giving the wood smaller pores.  This means the barrels are slower to impart the flavors into the wine and the barrels can be used a bit longer (one more year I think).  So, you can guess the American story --- trees grow faster, pores are bigger, flavors are imparted more quickly, and are used one year less than the French barrel.  Now, pricing --- the American barrels are much lower priced.  I always throught the Americans were quicker than the French.  Interesting to learn that our trees are quicker too!
 
Anyway, at Terrazas, the tour guide presented the wines and the "essences" of the wine.  For example, if a wine had aromas of vanilla and caramel, she had vanilla beans in a glass and caramels in another glass.  We could compare the wine to the actual things.  In some cases, she had oils of essence (for prunes, pears, rose, etc).  It was pretty interesting to smell the various scents and compare them to the wine.  It was also interesting to experience how the smells changed over the time and we tried more wines.
 
Our second stop was at Renacer.  In Spanish, "renacer" means to be reborn.  Again, we had a very interesting approach to the tasting.  We were given pours of 3 different malbecs --- one from a low elevation, one from 100 meters higher, and another from still 100 meters higher.  We were able to taste the differences.  Then, we were given a measuring cup and allowed to "blend" the three "component" malbecs to create a final product.  It was very interesting to smell and taste the difference of altitude on the same grape.  We both preferred the wine from the highest elevation and Arn declared any blend with the lowest elevation wine to be inferior.  We also tasted other wines from Renacer.  They are working with a winery in Italy (one that we quite like - Allegrini) to produce an Amarone style wine.  To make this type of wine, the grapes are actually dried in the sun before the wine making process begins.  In Italy, they dry 100% of the grapes.  Here, they are drying 20%.  The grapes are tested during the drying process for sugar content.  When they hit the right level, production begins.
 
The third vineyard was Maipul.  They were in the midst of bottling.  The "bottling truck" is rented and parked outside.  The wine was pumped through a hose to the bottling truck.  It was interesting to watch.  We were surprised by how the filled bottles were stacked on pallets and wrapped in plastic wrap.  We quickly calculated the weight and it did not seem like the right warehousing strategy.  We had lunch at Maipul.  Lunch needs two statements to summarize it.  First, the meat was dreadful --- over cooked to leather.  There was a pork salad.  The pork was like leather.  The entree included a steak.  It was also, cooked to leather on everyone´s plate but one.  Now, everything but the meat was totally awesome.  The chilled tomato and watermelon soup, the beet and goat cheese salad, the asian slaw, the roasted vegtables, and the dessert were all fantastic.  So, I think the chef doesn´t eat meat.  I have no other explanation for how a kitchen does such a beautiful job with fruits, vegatables and grains and misses it so badly on meat. 
 
Our last wine stop was at Alta Vista.  This was an all Malbec stop.  The tour was interesting as we saw a winery that stores wine in concrete tanks.  They don´t use metal or stainless tanks.  They are concrete lined with epoxy.  While this seems pretty old school, it sounds like places are actually building new set ups like this.  Our day ended with a glass of champagne. 
 
Having had a big lunch, we wanted a "little something" for dinner.  We headed to a wine bar with a tapas menu.  We figured we could get a couple of small plates and call it good.  Well, it could have been good, but we were aced.  They were closed for a private party.  So, we strolled the streets looking for "Plan B".  We picked a place based on what we saw on people´s plates and we were duped.  Arn said, "You know, on the Carretera Austral, we would have thought this meal was great".  Still, I don´t expect to cut into a piece of beef in Argentina and find myself asking, "Really, this is beef?  It looks more like a pork chop". 

Sorting Things Out In Mendoza (Mon 3/22)

 
Stats:
- lots of time on the phone with Delta Airlines
- checking out the options
- finding a new place to stay
- and ANOTHER trip to the pharmacy
 
Okay, our return flight is scheduled for April 8th out of Santiago.  Our original plans were to return to my favorite place in Chile.  We figured we could chill out in the wine country in Chile --- Arn would go for runs, I would have a mountain bike (that belongs to the winery), we would enjoy swimming in the pool, reading, interneting, etc.  The earthquake eliminated this option.  Given this and the situation in Chile, we decided to check our flight options.  Initially, it appeared we could fly home early for no change fee.  We tried to do this on-line, but at the 1 yard line, we were denied --- "Cannot complete this transaction on-line".  Turns out that this transaction cannot be completed on the phone either.  Delta gives a different story on the phone and the fact we booked through Expedia makes the problem worse.  So, while we initially thought about returning home a week early, that plan did not work out.  Or, at least we were not willing to pony up the change fee.  And yes, we even called Expedia and they were totally useless.  Booking through them increased the change fee by $50 and they offered no help.
 
We spent much of the day strolling around Mendoza checking out our options --- rental bikes, hiking, kayaking, etc.  We have heard about a few interesting bike ride options; however, the bikes are dreadful.  With respect to hiking, it seems the best answer might be to rent a car and do it on our own.  We will see what happens.  As part of our "stroll", we checked out a different hotel.  Our reservation ends and we will need to move on Wednesday.  This is not going to be a hardship.  We found a much nicer place with great ammenities including a pool and well equiped gym.  So, while Arn enjoys his morning run, I can enjoy a weight room with reasonable cardio equipment.  They even have pilates and spin classes.
 
On this trip, we have made many pilmagrages to the local pharmacy.  Arn has gone looking only for toothpaste and dental floss.  I seem to be on the "frequent shopper" program.  Today, we went in search of cough medicine.  I hacked my head off last night and did not fall asleep until after 4am.  As the baby who slept through the night -- the first night home from the hospital -- this kind of thing leaves me totally rummy.  Arn likes to say that his best night of sleep would leave me wiped out and grumpy.  He is right about that. 
 
Back to the pharmacy, you can´t look at shelves filled with things for coughs and colds.  It is ALL behind the counter and requires a conversation with the pharmacist.  Imagine what this would do to the cost of drugs in the U.S.?  Oh well, after a discussion, the woman presented two bottles.  Arn looked them over and picked the one she said works better.  We also restocked on Advil --- 10 pills!!!  Okay, they are double the dose in the U.S., so it is more like 20.  And yes, I know the mg dose in Advil.  You´ll remember my feet.  Let´s hope the cough syrup works.  If not, Arn is "suggesting" a trip to the doctor.  Don´t worry, I´ll be calling American Express to help me out with this one if it comes to it.  They have this service that helps you find an English speaking doctor (and preferrably someone trained in the U.S.).  Let´s hope it doesn´t come to that!  I have had to do this in Aruba and Switzerland.  I would prefer to skip it in Argentina.
 
The highlight of the day was probably dinner.  The weather is great for eating outside and we took advantage of it.  We shared a goat cheese and roasted beet salad along with a sampler of cheese and house smoked meats.  This is more variety of cheese that we have seen since we left the U.S.  It was awesome.  Arn had seared tuna for dinner for grilled shrimp.  I had tuna tartare with smoked salmon and avocado.  For dessert, we shared a "volcano chocolate cake" --- not as good as my molten chocolate dessert, but it was tasty.
 
 

Welcome to Wine Country (Sun 3/21)

 
Stats:
- Dessert for breakfast
- 3 winery tours and tastings
- 1 winery lunch that included 11 courses
- Ice cream for dinner
 
Can you believe this?  Today was the first day we did not eat dinner!  Who could eat dinner when lunch did not end until after 4:30pm!
 
We had to set an alarm this morning.  After arriving so late last night, neither of us could get to sleep right away.  My issue is partly my fault.  I am reading a book about "patient safety" in healthcare.  It is so offensive to the whole science of industrial and process engineering that I cannot turn my mind off.  I go from feeling shocked, to outraged, to pissed, and to pity for the medical community.  Then, I remember, "Hey, I am a consumer of the community and then I start with the shock and outrage all over again.  To help, I have started a second book for when I need to "take my mind off the first book".  The second book is about brain surgery.  My last two books were about the dynamics of communications.  Last year in South America, I read the whole Twlight series.  It might be time for some "lighter reading".
 
Anyway, we were slow to stir this morning, but we had to move.  We had an 8:30am pick up for a day of wine tours.  Breakfast was another festival of cakes and cookies.  Dulce de leche was a featured ingredient.  At least fruit was an option this morning.  The van was on time.  We were joined by another couple staying in our hotel.  They are from Greece, living in London.  On our way out of town, we picked up another couple (Canadians) and a man from the UK.  We headed to the wine valley the furtherest outside of Mendoza.  It is interesting in several regards.  First, it is at the highest elevation of the growing areas around Mendoza.  The elevations range from 3000ft to 4000ft.  Second, it the newest growing region.  And third, most of the investment in this region is from overseas.  It is called the Uco Valley.
 
The drive to the valley took about 1 1/2 hours.  The Andes have returned to our landscape.  While we had a great time in Buenes Aires, I must admit --- I missed the Andes.  Here, there is a bit of snow left from last winter.  Included in the mountains was a stellar volcano standing at over 21,500 feet and covered in snow.  It now ranks as the tallest peak either of us has ever seen!  The winery person said, "But don´t worry, it is not active".  I had to reply, "Yeah, they said that about Mount St. Helens".  Another peak topped out near 20,000 feet.  So, the mountains are TALL.  We cannot see Aconcagua from our location.  We have been told we need to be one valley further over in the mountain range. 
 
Our first winery was Andeluna.  Their mid-range Malbec and top-end blend were great.  The top end wine, about $50 a bottle, was truly stunning.  But really, shouldn´t anyone be able to produce a great wine for that price?  The place was a joint venture between an Argentina family and "Mr. Lay".  Yes, I mean Mr. Lay of Frito Lay potato chips.  And you know what Arn had to ask while tasting wine ... "Where are the chips?"
 
The second winery was a place called Salentein.  The woman gave a great tour and showed us everything.  She kept referring to the "young" wines meaning their "entry level wines".  In Argentina, they pronouce "y" like "j" in English.  So, rather than "young", we kept hearing "jung" or "junk" wines.  It was pretty funny.  Their pinot noir and malbec were both good.  They can actually grow pinot noir because they are located at the higher elevations where it is cool enough to grow the grapes.
 
The third stop was at another winery to eat lunch.  The lunch started with about 8 rounds of starters served in either individual tablespoons or as small bites.  The food was excellent.  It was the first time Arn both ate and praised braised meat.  I think lunch started around 2pm and ended around 4:30pm. 
 
The day included a lot of wine, tasting grapes right off the vine, enjoying views of the Andes, and a lot of good food.  We were returned to our hotel around 6pm and neither of us wanted dinner.  We chilled in the hotel and headed out around 8:30pm to go for a walk around town.  Town was hopping!  We were stunned by the number of people in the park, eating outside, enjoying ice cream, and roaming the craft market.  We were also blown away by the amount of retail in town. And, we were really shocked by two McDonalds that offer a combo meal --- some kind of burger, two empanadas, and a small bottle of wine! 
 
We stopped for ice cream and shared three different flavors.  The temperatures were perfect for a stroll wearing capris, t-shirt, and sandals while eating ice cream.
 
Tomorrow, we need to make a plan --- figure out how long we are going to stay in Mendoza.  So, we will be figuring out the hiking and biking options.  We can only do one more day of wine tours and that is scheduled for Tuesday.  Really, we cannot drink and eat like this for too long!

Reruns and Delays (Sat 3/20)

Stats:
- 60 minutes wasted with Delta Airlines
- 1 last visit to Kitty Park
- a 1 in 13 million chance encounter
- 1 repeat on lunch
- a return to the movies
- 3 hours of delay!!

Today we headed to Mendoza. After breakfast, Arn did some checking on our return flights to the U.S.  On-line, we have been given the option to make changes for free. In reality, they will let you get to the one yard line and then say, "Sorry, you can't complete this transaction online". It also turns out the you can't complete this transaction on the phone within 45 minutes either.  More on this another day. 

We returned to the kitty park on our way to the movies.  While checking out the kitties, we hear, "Hey! I know you!" It was the woman that gave the underground tour yesterday. She recognized us (just as a clue, we were wearing the same clothes).  She, her daughter, and a few friends manage an effort to help the cats --- adoptions, vet care, spay/neuter program, food, and kitten care. She said they found 6 new kittens today and have homes for three of them already. She said the hardest kitties to place are black cats.  They have to be very careful with finding them homes. Given superstitions, they exercise care. The second hardest kitties are those with tortise markings. The easiest are all white cats. With 13 million people living in BA, what were the odds of ever running into someone we had met? 

We returned to the food court in the mall for lunch. Arn ordered some "local" burger from McDonalds. I decided to try out the McCafe and made lunch out of a slice of pie. After trying "Pirineos", we both agree --- this should be brought to the U.S.  From the bottom up, it is a brownie crust, followed by a layer of Dulce de leche, followed by another layer of something similar to cheesecake, and topped with a sticky, marshmallow like merguine that has been carmelized on the very top and drizzled with chocolate.  Really, I wish I could tell you to look for this in a McCafe near you. 

Today's movie was Shutter Island. It was not what we expected, but we still enjoyed it. After the movie, we hopped in a cab, picked up our collection of a backpack and three duffle bags, and headed to the airport. The cab driver revealed that all the cabs are run on natural gas. The large tank in the trunk explained why our bags were stashed in the front seat. He said that the buses, trucks, and many people have switched to natural gas. It is much cheaper than gasoline. 

We were told to get to the airport 90 minutes before our flight. We were running ahead of schedule and arrived two hours ahead only to learn the flight was delayed THREE hours. This sucked. Rather than our nice dinner in Mendonza sitting outside somewhere, we ate an airport dinner (worse than a Carretera Austral dinner). And in case you don't know, we aren't good at waiting.

We arrived in Mendoza at nearly 11pm. After getting bags and a taxi, it was practically midnight by the time we were taking showers and going to bed. Arn said it right, "Traveling sucks.  Being there is great, but the getting there sucks".

Crawling the Streets of Buenos Aires (Fri 3/19)

Stats:
- 1 run
- 1 sick puppy sleeps until construction starts
- 1 aborted subway ride
- 1 cup of coffee at McCafe
- 1 awesome pizza, but only 1/2 with cheese (there was also only 1/2 with anchovies)
- 1 below ground tour
- 2 gringos and a cab driver NEARLY smashed 
- 1 fantastic Italian dinner selected by 1 sick gringa now wearing one of the last remaining "Breath Right Strips" belonging to the gringo (I argued that he should wear it as I am taking Benedryl, so it will be okay that I can't breathe as I try to fall asleep).

Okay, before we went to bed last night, I dipped into the "medicine chest" (or arsenal --- depending on your point of view).  After the ripio riding, you need to get the right image in your mind. First, most of the reddish coating on the Advil is gone. It has been bounced off.  Second, Aleve is a much lighter shade of blue. And everything, I repeat EVERYTHING is covered in the dust of Vicodin and aspirin (I started carrying these after a Cardiologist said they were good to take or administer if someone had the symptoms of a heart attack. I met this guy on our cruise, with our parents, to the Panama Canal --- seemed like a good idea to add them to the "kit").  What does this mean?  Think!!! People, think!!!! Everything out of my med kit has a bitter and fowl coating!! It must be swallowed quickly and with a strong tasting fluid.

So Arn went for a run this morning. Being sick, I was sleeping hard and never heard him leave and only barely moved when he returned.  After he showered, we had breakfast and headed out for the day. We decided to take the subway across the city to check out an "underground tour".  After four or five stops on the subway line, we had to get off. Arn was melting down in the heat, humidity, and crowd on the train. I have had this experience in Santiago and you think you are going to die. It is a horrible feeling. So, with 5 stops left, we decided to walk. It was a long, long walk. However, it was not without it's rewards. First, we gained a better sense of the massive size of Buenes Aires. At one square, I am guessing I could count 50 buses within my field of vision. The road held at least 16 lanes of traffic. As a pedesterian, it was a sea of humanity over flowing with activity.  The noise was incredible --- buses, motorcycles, taxis by the hundreds, people walking by the thousands. Don't get me wrong, I grew up just outside of Chicago, I've been to New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London, yet this seems almost oppressive. Maybe the heat and humidty have something to do with it. 

Along the way, we decided to stop in McDonalds for a break. Despite the heat, Arn was able to enjoy a cup of coffee from the McCafe. I found the bathroom and discovered a "first ever seen" in McDonalds --- an Internet kiosk with computers for rent!  We continued walking and found ourselves in the neighborhood for dentists. Arn was fascinated and I was creeped out. There were all these store fronts showing the lastest dental equipment --- tools, drills, chairs, etc. I couldn't look too closely, but it went on and on for several blocks. There were even places to go in for treatment. The chairs faced the street so everyone could watch you having your teeth cleaned or whitened. Weird!!!

We also walked through the financial district. The taller buildings provided better shade from the sun. On many streets, the pedesterians took over. They filled the sidewalks and street. While cars were still 'allowed', they didn't dare to attempt it. It was like watching water that overflowed the river bank and just spread everywhere. The people overflowed the sidewalks and filled the street. 

Eventually, we reached the location for the tour. We pressed a call button and talked over the intercom. The tour was scheduled to start in 90 minutes. So, we made a reservation and went off in search of lunch. We found a great looking pizza place with a real brick oven. The pizza was awesome and our Coke Zero was served in glasses bottles.  My 1/2 of the pizza included tomato sauce, cheese and fresh tomatoes. Arn's 1/2 was tomato sauce, garlic and anchovies. He merged the best of his slices with the best of my slices and enjoyed the combination he had expected. 

Our underground tour was a cool look into the past of Buenes Aires. This guy bought this run down, condemned property for very little money in the mid 80's. His plan was to build a restaurant and art gallery. As restoration work commenced, the history of the place started to be revealed. At the lowest level, they found three small houses built in the 1700's. In the mid 1800's, a wealthy family built a large property right ontop of the older houses.  This house included rooms for servants.  They found the cisterns used to collect and hold water. From 1880 to 1965, the house was used as a boarding house for immigrants from Europe. The most interesting feature was the fact at one time a river ran under the house. It ran under most of the buildings in the neighborhood. People built over the river and those that could afford it, built tunnels to enclose the river. The rivers were used as the sewage system and smelled terrible. 

So, rather than building a restaurant and art gallery, the owner decided to restore this piece of history. On the tour, we walked through the old courtyards and tunnels. The river was diverted to run under the street and these tunnels are now dry. We could see the old walls from the original house, the house as it was built in the 1800's, and the tunnels. It was a very interesting look into the past. 

Given our long walk in the morning, we decided to catch a taxi. Yes, the subway would be both cheaper and faster, but neither of us were up for the sardine in a can in 80 degrees with 100% humidity. It was actually interesting to experience the traffic of BA from inside of a cab. First, the people cycling (yes, there were a few), were insane. Several rode "no hands" and without helmets. It looked like a death wish to me. Second, the motorcyclists were also crazy --- wearing helmets but most not strapped on and tipped slighty off their heads. They wove through traffic like bees navigating through flower beds. For all the traffic, the painted lines on the road marking the lanes were merely there to suggest which direction traffic should be headed. No one drove within the lines. They bobbed and weaved like the motorcycles. It was one huge game of chicken --- who would touch the brake first.  Of course, this was all played out at high speed with little respect for red or green lights. At one point, our taxi driver slammed the brakes, locked up the wheels, and the taxi started sliding and twisting. We thought for sure we were headed into the car in front of us. Once it looked like we might stop in time, I looked back expecting to see another car headed for us. Luckily, there was no one there. And seatbelts? What, there were no accessible seatbelts in the back of this taxi!

For dinner, we stayed close to our hotel and tried a great Italian place. We sat outside and made good use of the warm weather. We shared an eggplant parmasean thing to start. For dinner, Arn had a steak dish with Rosemary potatoes and garlic spinach and I had some kind of fish with tomatoes, eggplant and asparagus and a cheese soufflé.  We passed on dessert. Arn said he wants my tiramisu and that will certainly not be what he gets. After we paid the bill, the waiter offered and brought us two glasses of champagne. It was a nice ending to our last in Buenes Aires.  

Behaving Like Gringos (Thurs 3/18)

Stats:
- 65+ kitties
- 1 movie in English
- lunch in the food court
- dinner around the corner 
- 1 sick person 

I am sure there are those of you that will find our judgment today to be lacking. What, with all the musuems, galleries, yadah yadah yadah, in Buenes Aires, we chose to do what we have done. Well, in our defense I have two things to offer. First, there are a few key things that Arn and I share in common: we both hate horseback riding, we both love cemetary crawls, we both love factory tours (seeing how stuff is made), and we both have a sub-12 minute attention span for musuems. Second, you can take the American outside of the U.S., but you can't take the American out of me.  Today, we decided to just enjoy a few favorite things. 

We returned to the Kitty Park. Okay, it is the Botanical Garden, but we will forever call it Kitty Park. We were interested in checking out the conditions of the kitties after the massive rain storm. Unlike yesterday, the cats were gathered in huge prides like something off of Animal Planet. The first "pride" included 17 cats stretched out on the lawn next to a sign that read, "Please Stay Off The Grass". The next pride, about 10 cats, claimed a statue and the surrounding stone work. Tails and paws hung leisurely off the edges as they enjoyed sleeping in the emerging sun. The final pride, perhaps 21 members, took over a patio area that had become storage for supplies and building materials. Cats were tucked into corners, between stacks of lumber, stretched out on tables and sitting in the sun.

After a visit with the felines, we went to see the movie, "The Hurt Locker".  It was nice to just do something we enjoy doing at home. Afterward, we checked out the nearby shopping mall. It was new, huge and filled with all kinds of high-end retail. We surveyed the food court and had choripan (sausage on bread) for lunch. It was good, but I should have gone with my original idea --- ordering dessert instead of lunch.

We returned to the hotel. I was pretty wiped out with a cold. I sound exactly like the chica on the plane from a couple of days ago.  So, for dinner we decided to check out the Japanese/Peruvian restaurant around the corner from our hotel. Now, you might wonder --- how do they put Japanese and Peruvian food together. It is pretty easy as both cultures like raw fish. One is sushi or sashimi and the other is ceviche.  So, we ate some of it all. Our conclusion was 1) it was good, but not as good as at home (the place we tried was highly rated and reviewed), and 2) the people in BA are obsessed with Japanese food. It seems to be the new "new thing".  

A note about restaurant reservations --- we have made a few interesting discoveries. Some places only take reservations for the eariliest seating which is 8:30pm. So, if you are willing to eat "early", you are guaranteed your table. After that, all bets are off. The place we tried today for dinner had a different policy. They took reservations. If you arrived without one (like we did), they will tell you if they hav a table and if they do, they will tell you how long you can have it. For example, we arrived a few minutes after 8pm and we could have the table until 9:30pm. It worked perfect for us and the people who had the table reserved for 9:30pm. I like this policy. 

    

Exploring Buenes Aires (Wed 3/17)

Stats:
- 1 more haircut
- 75+ kitties!
- 1st McDonalds in Argentina
- Best cemetary crawl ever!
- Shopping on steriods
- 1st Starbucks in Argentina
- 1st subway ride on oldest subway in Latin America
- 4 tired feet
- 2 "drown looking rats"
- Most memorable dinner
- Most outrageous statement by a local

If you get the idea that today was jam packed, then you are right. We started our day by walking to the Botantical Gardens.  In route, we discovered that the camera batteries were dead. The camera has this bad design where it seems to turn itself on, allowing the batteries to drain while inside a jacket, pocket, or pack. Arn discovered today's lack of "juice" when he went to take a photo of one of Buenes Aires many "dog walkers". This woman was about 110 pounds, walking about 600 pounds worth of dog. No joke, she had 10 or 11 different dogs and leashes.  So, we decided to split up and multi-task. I would stop in a hair salon for a haircut while Arn raced back to the hotel to put a quick charge on the camera.  

I had a haircut photo in my pocket (same photo I pester Molly with in Seattle when I get a cut).  So, it was easy -- point to the photo and say, "Como esto".  Then, I think she asked if I really wanted it that short, did I understand how short that is on top, do I know how to style hair like that, etc, etc, etc. I tried to explain how long ago was my last cut and yes, chop it off. In the U.S., there is an infinite number of styling products to make short hair stick up. In this salon, there were zero and probably because other than men, there has never been a woman with hair this short before. And, by my standards she trimmed it. I think she was too nervous to cut it as short as the photo. I'll see what Molly thinks in a month. My mom would say, "she gapped it". There are a few weird bits, but mud, gel, and clay can hide a lot for a few weeks. 

So, with a bit less hair and a bit of life in the camera, we resumed our pursuit of the botantical gardens. It is loved by people in search of beautiful plants. This was nice, but we have enjoyed awesome scenery, so we came for the second reason people love this park -- the feral cats. It is very sad to think about a pack of feral cats, living in a park, and most of them abandoned by their once families. Still, we wanted to check it out. It was unreal. There were kitties everywhere.  You could stand in one place and several kitties might walk up to check you out. We saw a woman sitting on a bench reading. On the bench with her was a cat splayed out, sound asleep. Under the bench there were two more cats. And sitting near her feet, were still two more. We found cats crashed out in the grass, sleeping with their tongues sticking out. We found a few doing the "sleeping on my head upside down" thing. We found bushes with three or four cats crashed out together. Surprisingly, most were in good shape, well groomed, and friendly. I particularly enjoyed watching the dogs getting walked on the sidewalk outside the park while the cats seemed to rule every domain inside the park and gardens.

Arn has this thing about trying McDonalds in every country we visit. Before today, we had never been to one in Argentina. This has been resolved. And for those that have requested some food photos, this one was been captured.  They were the best french fries since we left the U.S.

After lunch, we headed to the oldest cemetery in BA.  If you didn't know this about us, we love to visit old cemeteries. We have spent entire days crawling through them. We have even done this in Seattle. Today's cemetery wins the award for most different and most creepy. The whole place is walled in. From the outside, you can't see in. From the inside, you can't see out. It is a tall, solid wall. From the inside, there is nothing green other than a few palm trees. The cemetary is rows and rows of walled together "things".  I don't know the right term. They are these little above ground crypts. Most are set up the same way -- small room, a set of shelves holding two coffins (one stacked on top of the other), a metal grate in the floor, a staircase down to a lower level, and Jesus on the Cross on the wall. Some were very fancy little buildings --- granite, statues, stain-glass, turets up top, brass fixtures. Others were out of a horror movie --- crumbled brick, broken doors wired shut, coffins that were toppled off the shelves and cracked (no I an not bullshiting you on this), and ivy growing up through the floors. It was seriously spooky and not a place I want to be after dark and note: I grew up with a cemetary on the other side of the fence in our backyard. This cemetery is the resting place for "important", "wealthy", and "historical figures" in BA. Think presidents and military leaders. We took photos at Eva Perón's "place". Really, what do you call it?  Her "crypt"?  And where is she in there anyway as there are a lot of names on the door and only two coffins?  The oldest grave we found was from someone born ~1760 and died ~1830. And they are still packing them in there as we found signs of current activity. 

Leaving the cemetery, we headed to central shopping district. The "main drag" is closed to cars. Arn read that over 1,000,000 people walk this stretch of retail everyday. I think they were all there at the same time!  It was mayhem. I have never understood how someone could get pickpocketed.  However, the overwhelming nature of shopping here makes it seem like it would be very easy to get distracted and never notice it. It was a bizarre collection --- high end retail (say, "Izod") right next door to cheap boutiques selling plastic jewelry and flipflops. In the midst of it, we crossed a huge mall in a old and beautifully restored building. It reminded me of shopping in the Venetician Hotel in Las Vegas only much much bigger. Inside, we found a Starbucks. Arn learned that when you buy coffee here, you pay extra for the cream. 

With 4 tired feet, we decided to take the subway back to our hotel. We have been told the subway was built in 1913 and is the oldest subway in Latin America.   

We crashed for a while watching bad television and using the internet which only works in th hallway and lobby. While not private, it is at least fast.  Now, at some point the skies opened up and it began dumping rain. I mean it was a down pour. So, we figured we'd get a cab to dinner. The hotel called for a cab, but it would take 30 minutes and our reservation was in 30 minutes.  The girl tried to hail a cab. We finally gave up, borrowed two umbrellas from the hotel, and headed out into it. Within minutes, our feet were soaked, my nightgown-turn-dress was soaked, and Arn's pants were soaked. Now, maybe this is where I should tell you --- the streets in BA are not clean. There is a lot of trash. There is a ton of dog shit. And, my best explanation for the poor quality in sidewalks is that every business, building, establishmet is responsible for it's "out front sidewalk turf".  So, the surface material changes every 6 to 25 feet. Some is slick when wet. Much of it is busted and uneven with the equivalent of potholes.  So, add all this together --- rain, darkness, crappy surface, dog shit, and two people in sandals. You know we were glad to reach the restaurant. 

Tonight's dinner selection was the best recommended steak house. It was a place called, "La Cabrera".  This was truly the shock and awe dinner of the trip. We were told to order only one meal and share it. So, we ordered a cabresse salad and "one" order of fillet steak to share. Now, here is what came to the table:

1) bread sticks plus a basket of assorted rolls, roasted garlic, a jar with black olive paste, and a jar with a mayonaise garlic paste.  The capresse salad included fresh and dried tomatoes. 

2) "one fillet steak" --- FOUR pieces of fillet arrived. I estimate each to have been 6 ounces. And then, there were the 14 accompaniments!!! Yes, that was FOURTEEN!!! In one moment, this waiter deposited onto the table in front of us more variety in vegtables that we experienced in THREE weeks while on or near the Carretera Austral!  People could hear our giddy laughter and Arn repeating, "This is unbelievable, this is unbelievable, I mean really this is unbelievable".  This was the moment we needed to take food photos and didn't have the camera. And, you probably think we have lost our ability to count, so we are going to enumerate the dishes:
1. Baby potatoes roasted in a mustard sauce
2. Hearts of palm with homemade 1000-island type dressing
3. Sliced green olives with a chimichurri type sauce
4. Artichoke hearts with bell peppers of three different colors
5. Sundried tomatoes with mini corns
6. Black olive tapenade
7. Mashed pumpkin
8. Mashed potatoes
9. Pickled onions
10. Peas with mushrooms
11. Carrots with roasted garlic
12. Lentils
13. Roasted eggplant with tomatoes and onions 
14. Homemade stewed applesauce 

It was shocking and awesome and all of it was fantasic. We counted the dishes, we counted the unique number of fruits and vegtables, we compared it to our sum total for the Carretera Austral, and we continued to eat. If I arrive home and I look like I gained weight, you'll know it came from Buenes Aires. This meal was such a contrast to the days our eyes feasted and stomaches longed for something better. Really, if this meal was waiting at the end of the day's ride on the Carretera, I think I might still be cycling --- laps on the Carretera to earn this meal night after night. If you are ever in BA, this is a must experience. And the price for this "one filet and it's accompaniments"? $20!!!  

Our unabashed expressiveness and enthusiasm over this meal drew the attention of the table next to us.  It was so much so that we struck up a conversation. Arn explained where we have been, what we have done, and how far we had traveled by bike. They were a couple from Buenes Aires. He is a radiologist and she was a woman that kept referring to him as "the doctor". I don't know what this says about the relationship between them. Anyway, they, being Argentinian, enjoyed it when we said the people in Argentina are better cooks than the Chileans. The "doctor" was quick to say they are the best cooks in the world.  I both disagreed and I enjoy the ocassional "stirring the pot".  So, I added that yes the Argentinians are better than the Chileans, but the best in the world is a title the belongs to the Peruvians.  At some point, the conversation turned to the earthquake in Chilean. This comment will stick in our memory for a long time. And I quote  "the doctor"--- "We feel badly for the Chileans. Many have lost everything. But, as a result of the earthquake, they say Argentina is 20cm wider!!!"  Can you believe this?!?!  So many people have died and so many people have lost everything and this guy is talking about 8 inches of dirt!    

We finished dinner with strawberries flambé and vanilla ice cream.  This was a night worth returning to the hotel and washing my feet and sandals and declaring my dress too wet and dirty for anything other than the Lavanderia. 

Buenes Aires (Tues 3/16)

Stats:
- 2 gringos eat dessert for breakfast
- 1 long flight
- 1 haircut

This dessert for breakfast thing beats bad toast. Arn considered the eggs, but the eggs are seriously under-scrambled. So when desperate, they work. But today, we stuck with cookies, bars and cakes. 

This was our first trip to an airport since leaving the U.S. on Jan 22nd. The "in country rules" were pretty lax --- leave your shoes on, don't pull out any laptops, and carry as much liquid and gel as you like. While in line, a young couple asked, "Are you from Seattle?" They are from Seattle as well and claimed our numerous REI logos gave us away. It was my pants and my traveling duffle bag. Go figure.

Despite it feeling like a long flight that would never end and the fact that the women next to me sounded like she was dying from the flu (more on this next week when I feel the same way), I was glad to be getting out of the wind and cold. 

Our landing in Buenes Aires was a rough smack to the ground. Even Arn said, "Wow, that was a hard landing". I explained it to him -- "You see, this pilot is used the wind in Patagonia. He normally has to gun it to get to the ground through the head wind".  We both laughed at this as it is probably true. 

Our hotel in BA (Buenes Aires) is a super modern place. The room has the biggest bed we have ever seen. We have CNN in English (I have yet to run all the other channels to check my options).  The tables and chairs and other furniture items look like something out of Italian design catalog.  Breakfast is included for the price of $100 per night. This seems like a good deal. 

After arriving, Arn went out for a run. Not understanding the neighborhood safety for a woman alone, I decided to walk/run laps in the stairwell rather than go for a walk. There are nine stories of stairs and I do this at home in Seattle, so it beats looking for a gym. At least this stairwell has a skylight at the top and if I move fast enough, the motion sensitive lights stay turned on. 

After showers, we took to the streets for a walk. Arn found a place to get his hair cut. You need to imagine a place that looked the inside of the barber shop on the Andy Griffith Show....same chair, same mirror, guy dressed in the same smock with the same patch pockets. He even used a straight edge razor over Arn's ears. Arn had to remove his glasses and once the guy got started, Arn put his glasses back on to check the length. He asked me, "Do you think that's too short?" I had to laugh. I explained, "It doesn't matter now. He has to make it all match, so go with it". It is not a bad haircut. 

We wanted a homerun experience for dinner and chose a sure bet -- Astrid y Gaston. It is Peruvian food. We've been to one in Santiago and Quito. And, we have been to the sister restaurant, La Mar, in San Francisco and Santiago. In a word, it was awesome!  We started with a very fine PIsco Sour. We shared a selection of "causas" --- mashed sweet potato base topped with crab, octopus, or shrimp and intense sauces. Arn had salmon and I had merluza (hake).  It was out of this world. For dessert, we did a "tiramisu unplugged" thing. It was the components of tiramisu, but not put together. It was okay. We had a nice white wine (for a change). It was a torrontes.  The whole dinner was a great experience --- service, atmosphere, food, and drinks. It will be hard to top this!

More Photos!!!

Here is the link to our photos. You will need to copy and paste. This is the same link as before, but Arn has added 150 new pictures! He says, "Sorry about all the photos from Fitz Roy -- he just couldn´t cut them back any further".

http://picasaweb.google.com/ArnSchaeffer/ChileAndArgentinaCycling2010#

Killing Time (Mon 3/15)

Stats:
- Dessert for breakfast
- 1 load of laundry
- Hours and hours of Internet
- 1 pizza

Well, we became honorary Argentinians at breakfast. We both passed on eggs and enjoyed only sweets for breakfast. In the U.S., these bar, cookies and slices would be called only one thing --- dessert!

Arn took our laundry to the Lavanderia. We will arrive in Buenes Aires with mostly clean clothes. I say mostly because we can't send our only pair of pants to the Lavanderia.  It is too cold to try and get by in shorts for the day. So, I will handwash our pants at some point. 

We spent hours on the Internet. Yes, we are junkies and are getting our online fix. After El Chaltén, it is going to take time to get caught up. Arn has been working on photos and future travel reservations. I've been working on travel research, communications concerning projects in Seattle and generally goofing off. 

Before lunch, we scouted a new place for dinner. More on this after we try it. For lunch, we enjoyed a pizza and huge bottle of Pepsi Light. We prefer Diet Coke, but Pepsi products are sometimes the only option.

Arn spent the afternoon on the Internet. I spent the afternoon watchig a bad movie, but at least it was in English. Dinner was not at the place we scouted, but some where else. Our dinner conversation included a night by night recount of every dinner we have had since we left the U.S.  It was during that I realized I have ordered lamb three out of the last four nights.  I can only draw one conclusion --- I am tired of grilled steaks, my search for something different has led to lamb, and it is time to get to better food choices. More from Buenes Aires.    

Killing Time (Sun 3/14)

Stats:
- 1 run for the Gringo
- 1 walk for the Gringa
- Wind battering experience for both

Our day started with more good juice and nice breakfast. Also, we are drinking real brewed coffee again and it is very good. With his new shoes purchases in Chaltén, Arn decided to go for a run after breakfast. He braved it in a pair of shorts! I put on my hiking shoes and went for a walk.  It is far too cold for shorts, so I wore my hydroskin tights (longwear under my pants, cycling tights over my cycling shorts, and the best thing for under a drysuit when kayaking but that is a different trip from this one).  

We are sick of the wind. There, I said it. It has turned too cold and we have been in the wind for too long. My scalp hurts from the wind. My ears are tired of the sound.  The inside of my nose feels burnt. It makes me grouchy.  We have seen countless dogs laying around sleeping in the wind. They are totally out while their ears are whipped around. We have seen two cats --- one tucked into a windsill trying to get shelter and the other looked exhausted. I think the rest of the cats have either left or committed wild acts that got themselves killed. 

For lunch, we did the "El Camino Crawl".  This is an inside joke that has been around since we first started dating. El Camino Real is a street in the Bay Area tha runs just about from San Francisco to San Jose. It is suburbia lined with strip malls and storefronts -- some new, some old. Lacking a good idea or a plan for dinner, we used to do the "Crawl. This involved driving to El Camino and picking a direction.  We would drive along the El Camino until a good idea presented itself. So, this is how we spent time today; crawling around looking for lunch. We ended up enjoying an awesome lunch of homemade pasta. Arn had linguine with pesto. I had cannelones stuffed with ricotta and vegatables in a tomato sauce. 

Our flight to Buenes Aires is not until Tuesday. Given how the flights are priced, this was our first opportunity to get north. We are both ready for calmer days and a change of scenery. I think Arn is most excited about the eating options in Buenes Aires. I am most excited to get out of the wind and out of wearing at least two jackets simultaneously. Really, this is supposed to summer or early fall.  Since we got off the bikes, it has turned colder and colder and windier and windier.   

So, until Tuesday, we are killing time. We had a super fast internet connection yesterday. I even managed to call my mom for the first time in many weeks. She told me about some chocolate chip cookies she baked for church. She said she tried one and they were good. You'll notice, she told me this yesterday and I am still thinking about it today. The Skype connection went whacky in the middle of our call and I have not picked up the WiFi connection in our room since then. Gremlins are in my technology.

For dinner, we returned to Don Pinchon's for dinner and again, "Batman" picked us up at our hotel. We picked up another American couple from NY in route. They are traveling on a crazy itinerary and going to places to see things that don't make sense to us.   Well, tonight's dinner was different. Arn ordered lamb ravioli in a garlic and anchovy sauce. He expected it to be olive oil based and it arrived as a cream sauce. Neither of us are big on cream sauces and we continually forget that we must ask about that in Argentina. If something is deemed too strong of a taste, then they add cream. A lot of places put cream in their tomato sauce because straight tomato sauce is too strong. Same rule applies to pesto. Luckily, the restaurant was willing to remake the dish for Arn with olive oil. Now, I ordered what can only be described as a Fred Flintsone meal. It was lamb --- you know, the kind where they saw off parts from the lamb strung up on the crucifix over the fire. It was served with roasted root vegtables and a reduced wine and Calafate sauce. Calafate berries are a lot like huckleberries. They say if you eat them, then they assure your return to Patagonia. My lamb required the skills of a butcher which I don't have. While I love meat, if it looks too much like ot once was, it is almost enough to make me a vegetarian. I didn't peer too closely at the lamb for fear I would find a hoof or the bell that was arounds it's neck. Still, it tasted great. After I gave up, Arn took over and demonstrated his butcher skills. Tomorrow, we will try something different for dinner 

Perito Moreno Glacier (Sat 3/13)

Well, our morning started with a few surprises. First, we were presented with REAL juice squeezed from REAL fruit for breakfast.   Okay, it wasn't the grapefruit juice I squeezed in Borrego Springs, but it was the best juice since the fresh squeezed orange juice we enjoyed for breakfast in Pucon or the raspbery juice in Santiago.  Yes, I probably take juice a little too seriously. I just figure if I am going to drink calories instead of chewing them, they should be tasty.  The second surprise also presented itself at breakfast --- so many food choices it was staggering. Now, do you think I ate bread?  No damn way!  Fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, and a Dulce de leche "cookie bomb".  Today was the best breakfast of the trip!

The third surprise was snow. Yes, it snowed last night and the current snow level seems to be between 750 and 1000 feet above us. This means it was in the 30's last night where we are.  Given that we are downhill and to the east of the Southern Icefield, I guess one could call this 'fall weather'.   
 
Over breakfast, we discussed plans for today, our next two days and three different all conflicting weather forecasts. Based on our sizing up of El Calafate, it is a one trick town for us --- the Perito Moreno Glacier. Beyond this, there is no hiking, biking, or other outdoor things of interest. We are not into "treking on ice" or "horseback riding".  As Arn likes to explain, a horse killed Superman.  And, as I like to say, "I ride only one kind of pony and it has two wheels." And, we could go watch them shear a sheep on a working ranch and eat bad lamb for lunch. Yeah, that's not happening either. 

So, we decided to hire a taxi for the trip to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. The price is not vastly different than renting a car for the day, but the stress level is hugely different.  The taxi was easy to arrange and he picked us up 45 minutes later. 

The drive to the glacier was beautiful.  The lake water was shades of teal against the golden grasses and the mountains dusted white with fresh snow.  We drove through a beautiful lenga forest and there are more signs of the impending arrival of fall. The trees are turning yellow, orange and red.  Along the road, we saw a huge fox. He trotted into the center of the road, gave the taxi a long look of assessment and jumped back into the bushes. You aren't going to be surprised by this, but the wind was howling again. From the shelter of the taxi, this road cried, "Ride baby ride".  Really, everything about this road was ideal for a road bike ride...nice surface, no traffic, beautiful views, and the promise of a nice experience. HOWEVER, the wind guaranteed that no rider would ever live out that promise.

Once at the glacier, our cab driver dropped us off for the "walk" to see it.  For you to get the right image in your mind, I need to give you some context. First, there was a guy named, "Moreno". He was an explorer in Patagonia and set out to demonstrate that people really could settle in these parts. Frankly, I think he must have had an in with the gods because in this wind, no one would park themselves here permanently. Either the gods put the wind on hold for a few seasons or Moreno is also the inventor of earplugs.  So, the glacier is named after this dude. Second this glacier is huge. It is part of the Southern Patagonia Icefield. The terminal face of the glacier reaches to Lago Argentina. Despite being 50 miles from the glacier, the town of El Calafate is located on the shores of this same lake. The Perito Moreno Glacier reaches heights of nearly 200 feet. However, none of this tells you the single most defining feature. Perito Moreno is an advancing glacier. It is actually growing in size. It has advanced as much as 6 feet in one day!  Third, the glacier is easily accessible. From El Calafate, it is a short drive that ends on a pennisula of land that juts into the lake. At times, the glacier reaches this pennisula. It creates an "ice dam" between the face of the glacier and the land. Since the mid 80's, this ice dam has formed and exploded 7 times.  The glacier is part of the national park (Parque de Los Glaciers).  The park service has built a raised, metal grate walkway with viewing platforms.  There is a cafeteria that would hold several hundred people, parking for probably fifty buses, and a boat ramp for those interested in paying the bucks to take a ride along the face of the glacier.

Okay, in case you haven't read between the lines, I will spell it out. The place is more Disneyland than wilderness experience.  While many are surprised to learn that we love Las Vegas, probably no one will be surprised to learn we don't like our nature experience "a la Disney".  Still, we can be entertained by spliting ice. There was only one big break.  It was a stunning face to a massive glacier. Our favorite part of the experience was the drive through the changing lengas and the fresh snow.       
 
Our taxi driver took the scenic route along the lake into the center of town. The drive went along a small bay of the lake. The edge of the water was very marsh-like and it is the summer home for hundreds of flamingoes. I have only see flamingoes in the wild one other time. It was in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile where it was about 90 degrees. Here, the winds are howling, I'm wearing long underwear under my pants and there are flamingoes playing in the water. It was an image that didn't ready add up in my mind.  Who knew flamingoes would tolerate having their pretty pink feathers whipped and beaten around in the freezing cold wind with snow on the nearby hills and mountains?  Really, isn't it time to fly north?

The driver also took us past the President's house. Yes, the President and her husband have a house in town and it turns out they are IN town. It was a nice looking place along the water. Perhaps her location explains all the road improvements along the lakeshore. Yeah, I sound cynically, but I'm probably right. 

Our driver dropped us in town. We walked around town looking for something to compliment the bad cheeseburger we shared in the cafeteria near the glacier.  Arn had a slice of pizza on his mind. My idea won out and we had alfajores dipped in chocolate. I like alfajores. I make them at home. But, what I would really love is a good, chewy chocolate chip cookie made with no nuts and semisweet chocolate. Also on the agenda was buying another duffle bag. While waiting for the store to open (everything closes between 12pm and 3pm), we ducked into the enclosed ATM machine to get out of the wind. We noticed a poster advertising loan rates. 18% for a mortage, 46% for a personal loan, and 72% for some type of business loan.  This certainly says a lot about the economy in Argentina  Once the stores opened, we bought another duffle bag for about $18 and learned latter that everthing in it will need to be packed in plastic bags. The duffle smells like manure.  Okay, horseshit --- I thought I would try and improve my language for the blog. 

For dinner, we were picked up at our hotel by the restaurant. How nice is this? The driver looked familar and I finally put my finger on it --- he looked like Batman (Christian Bale).  The restaurant was a place called, "Don Pinchon". Everything about it smacked of Argentina. The lamb was strung out on a crucifix over hot coals. The tables, floors, and chairs were well worn wood. The placemats were black leather. The light fixtures were wagon wheel looking things with huricane glass bulbs. The bar was massive and bulit from timbers that still show where the tree branches were cut off.  The menu pages were incased in plastic sheet protectors. And, the silverware had wooden handles. We enjoyed a great steak dinner and the waitress complimented Arn on his Spanish. We enjoyed great views looking over town and the lake. Once it grew dark enough, we noticed that music videos were projected onto the wall above the bar. The music was like a Deborah's greatest favorites collection --- Scorpions, Bee Gees, Nazareth and Poison...just to name a few.  We will be headed back tomorrow!   


 

Bus to El Calafate (Fri 3/12)

Stats:
- Wicked winds, threatening clouds
- 3 1/2 hour bus ride

Today's weather was really good for one thing --- being inside - out of the wind. Man, it howled and growled. It reminded me of the line from the "Three Pigs" about 'huffing and puffing until I blow your house down'.  I really don't know how the people in El Chaltén live with it. I would be dead with headaches inside of a month.  If by some miracle I survived the first month, then in the second month I would be sent away for help due to sudden fits of outrage that involved cursing and wild gestures into the wind.  And should they leave me on the "outside", then I would be headed to jail by the end of the third month for killing someone.  Seriously, the wind could drive me to do horrifying and unexpected things.    

Well, I am back working with my thumbs on the iTouch after a few days of being held up in an internet cafe without WIFI anywhere. Okay, they claimed to have WIFI, but "having it" and "being able to use it" is like the ATM having cash.  This was the reason for my delayed postings.  And, a theme seems to emerging for the day, so my thumbs are going to go with it.  With the wind that is.  

Okay, you'll remember that the "ponies" were sold. We are still traveling with the panniers off the bikes. So, we walked to the bus station looking like two people in search of a couple of bikes...a pannier over each shoulder, another bag slung around neck and shoulders, and bike helmets bobbing along clipped onto something.  Luckily, the wind was at our back and it waited until we were safely inside the bus terminal before it really let loose. 
 
With an hour to kill, I started studying a bit of "human "nature".  The bus terminal was a long, narrow structure running east west. The doors opened on the north and south side of the building -- basically you can think of the doors as across the hall from each other. The wind was howling out of the north. The doors only worked to be open one at a time. For example, if the doors were open on the south side, then the wind pressure would not allow the north facing doors to open. Same physics applied to the opposite door configuration. Okay, you have the physicality and physics of the scene.  A bit about bus travel ---- everyone does it.  It is the way to get around in South America.  Car rentals are much more expensive (and crazy expensive as a one way rental), you can't always cross borders with them, buses are cheap and usually the long distance buses are pretty nice.  "Usually" is the key word, but anyway, everyone is on the bus....backpackers, fancy lady from France with her eyeglasses that match her sweater and shoes, daughter from Holland traveling with her mom, guy from NY with his high-end suitcase, and us.  Now, I was amazed watching people come into the bus terminal. As I have heard my mother say, "Were you raised in a barn?" People were blown into the north side door. They would struggle to open it against the wind. But here is the best part, they would walk into the terminal and leave the door open!  The wind would catch the door and slam it shut. Now, the same individual would exit the south side door and leave it open.  Someone else would appear at the north side door, but the vacuum made it impossible to open the door. The south door would slam shut and now they could open the door --- usually walking in and letting the doors slam. I mean really people --- when you go to bathroom, you seem to close the door once you are inside but maybe you have been backpacking so long that you have forgotten how door technology works!!  I was reminded of an English teacher in high school. From her classroom, she could see students leaving the campus in the middle of the day.  This activity was against school policy. She talked about her fantasy --- a rifle with a high powered scope so she could "pop off their kneecaps".  A woman sitting on the floor and I started to make eye contact. Pretty soon I realized the following: 1) she and I were equally aggravated with all these morons, clearly raised in barns, that did not understand how to close a door behind themselves, and 2) she and I would be roomates in jail as the wind would drive us both to extremes and we would be popping kneecaps!  She was wearing a very nice Marmot jacket in my favorite shade of green.  So, clearly she appreciates good gear and maybe we even share the same favorite color.   

From the front row in the bus, we watched the scenery. The wind howled and the bus lurched around on the road. With low, dark clouds, we returned to the Ruta 40 views --- rather dull...rolling hills, no tress, scrubby plants bent to conform with the wind patterns, and very dry grasses. The landscape included huge lakes of teal water. The lakes are fed by the Southern Icefield, so the water colors are fantastic. Over the lake, the clouds took on a shade of green. The wind whipped up whitecaps on the lake and waves crashed onto the shore that exploded six plus feet into the air. 

The dominate wind direction (yes, I know I have said this before) is out of the north.  So, anyone cycling northbound is suffering. During our trip, we met several northbound cyclists that described pushing this headwind.  I have been waiting to experience it. In fact, they talked about their riding strategies: ride early in the morning and ride during the night. Their days were spent trying to sleep in the storm drains that run under the road --- the only place to escape the wind. There are no services for many, many miles. I saw these storm drains and felt the headwind bouncing the bus and quickly concluded: I would never have reached the Carretera Austral from the south. Riders said they pushed the wind and advanced the bike about 3 1/2 miles in an hour. Not bad if you only have to go 3 1/2 miles. But, it you need to cover 120+ miles, then it is going to suck. This would have crushed my enthusiasm and you know how Arn feels about wind. He says, "It is my least favorite weather feature."

After the bus, we hopped in a taxi to our hotel. It is a lovely, contemporary place situated along the edge of the lake. The sofas in the lobby and bed cover are bright orange. They remind me of home and our new, big orange sofa. Arn says, "The place feels a bit sterile".  To this, I say, "Bring on sterile! Especially if it comes without roaches and it is clean!" I didn't tell you this, but two days ago a roach crossed the table while we were eating lunch. I didn't complain because the lunch was actually pretty good. Still, I hate bugs...in case you hadn't figured that out by now. 

We dropped our stuff in the room and shortly headed to the "downtown" area.  In a town of 15,000 people, the word "downtown" seems like an overstatement. We were in the market for a duffle bag. It was raining pretty hard, freezing cold, and still blowing hard. We worked through the shops -- most everything was tacky tourist traps offering "El Calafate" printed on anything you can imagine.  Well, almost anything because it was a long hunt to find a duffle bag large enough to hold the panniers. They can't be checked as panniers. The airlines will tear then up. We can't carry all four of them on the plane.  Finally, we found a duffle and escaped the miserable weather to our warm, dry hotel.

During our shopping expedition, we enjoyed what will be remembered as one of the funniest moments of the entire trip. We stopped in one of these hokey "expeditions" places. We asked about their "glacier hikes".  Well, it turns out we cannot go on their full day hike as Arn is TOO old!  You could have heard two gringos laughing all the back in Seattle. We told the woman about our cycling trip and she didn't believe that he is really 46 years old. The age cut off is 45. Still, she pulled out a brochure for a shorter trip that would be available to Arn. No worries, we had no plans to climb on ice with any such type of trip.  

My lack of interest in battling the elements resulted in dinner in the hotel. The wine, smoked trout salad and bread were great. Arn's ribeye steak was also prety good. Enough said. We are enjoying what feels like ripping fast internet. Tomorrow, we will see if Skype works. 

 

Hike to Chorrillo del Salto (Thurs 3/11)

Stats:
- 5 miles
- very little climbing

Again, we both woke feeling like we had been hit by a bus.  It seems so odd.  The "engines" are finely tuned Ferraris at this point.  Our cardio condition is fantastic.  I continue to be amazed at my resting and standing heart rate.  It is low low low.  And, I feel pretty sure we both possess the strongest cycling legs either of us has ever enjoyed.  Seriously, my legs are in better cycling shape than after our ride down the coast, before RAMROD and before the race up Haleakala.  And still, we have hiked a few days and we feel beat up.  My only solace in this is knowing that it is a shared feeling.  Arn has not been out for a run since before New Year´s, so he is feeling the impact of hiking.  However, the blisters are my experience alone.  Despite buying shoes and breaking them in, I am the one with the blisters.  I walked the treadmill at a 15% grade for HOURS to work in these shoes.  Arn bought brand new shoes a few days ago --- no blisters!  Just to point it out, I have NEVER had a pair of cycling shoes give me a blister --- never, not once.  

So, we decided on a short hike for the day...enough to call it a "fitness" walk.  We headed out to see a waterfall.  It was a nice single drop waterfall of about 100 feet (but then I am bad at guessing this stuff).  A few of the lenga trees were showing color.  It would be really stunning to see them in full color.  Along the walk, we watched a few people go by on rented mountain bikes.  I am sure they thought this was a "bike adventure".  We agreed they were not riders.  They didn´t understand gearing, they dropped the chain, and walked a few short bits.  Arn made his typical statement, "WEAK." 

The rest of the day was pretty lazy...internet, lunch, reading, handwashing clothes, etc.  Tomorrow we head to Calafate.  It is another bus ride, but only 3 1/2 hours.  More from Calafate.

Hike to Lomo del Pliegue Tumbado (Wed 3/10)

Stats:
- 15 miles
- 3600 feet of climbing

We said good-bye to the Canadians and Austrian this morning.  They were loaded up to ride south.  There is a good chance our paths with cross again in Calafate.  However, we continue to say big good-byes at each parting.  

Our plan for the day was to make great use of the weather --- completely clear skies and no wind!!  Today´s hike was to the only view point of everything...Fitz Roy, all the towers including Cerro Torre.  It is the "post card" photo and we had a blue bird day for it.  Unfortunately, I didn´t start with "blue bird" feet.  My left heal was taped for blister prevention.  Two toes have blisters that have expanded under the nails and created pressure.  

Now, I have to digress a bit.  There are two schools of thought --- 1) leave blisters alone and 2) pop them.  In the "field", I leave them alone.  Once home, I am a definite popper.  Well, I have popped these over and over and over.  I can´t seem to get them to dry out.  So, I have this stuff I consider "magic dust".  It is powder lubricant to prevent blisters.  Before heading out this morning, we both shook magic dust into our socks.  We will see how this works.

The hike was truly stunning.  The uphill grades were pretty continuous and only really steep at the end.  I rented a pair of Leki hiking poles for the day.  This might be the bargain of the century --- sweet telescoping poles with springs for $2.50 per day!  The poles were a huge help.  The trail followed a small creek, then traversed a large meadow, climbed through a beautiful lenga forest, crossed a gradual scree slope and then headed up the final steep pitch to the summit.  The views were mind popping --- the Full Monty.  We saw Fitz Roy, all the towers, Cerro Torre with it´s ice cream topper of a glacier.  Everything was wrapped in ice.  The glaciers flowed into the lakes.  The colors were awesome...dark rock, light grey rock, red rock, blue ice, white ice, white snow, blue lakes, teal lakes, and full blue skies.  Arn tried to take a photos that he can stitch into a full photo.  The challenge is that the scenery was a full 360 degrees of stunning.  We could even look back and see the town of El Chalten.  We decided there must be a conspiracy --- the locals are keeping this hike a secret.  We saw very few people and this was the best view spot.

At the top, we enjoyed our empanadas for lunch.  We also enjoyed what Arn refered to as, "The best thing I have eaten down here".  My best description is this --- dulce de leche pie with a chocolate layer on top.  It was awesome and something I will definitely recreate at home with a few minor "improvements".  Doesn´t Grand Marnier make everything better?  After lunch, it was time for "foot surgery".  The toes were trashed.  So, I cut blister bandages into small strips, taped them up, and slathered everything in a thick layer of Vasoline.  I also removed my sock liners and let my wool socks dry out.  I figured the "grease" would help with friction and less the liners would give my toes some more room.  I also popped more pain meds for my feet and we headed downhill.  

Yes, I take pain meds for my feet every time we go hiking for any distance.  It is a combination of Advil and Aleve.  Based on the day and the pain, the drugs get layered and timed and dosed to fit the bill.  Today´s strategy --- 3 Advil to start, 1 Aleve at the top, and 2 more Advil once the hike was over (so that I might walk to dinner without limping).  The Advil is better at reducing the bone pain.  After about 3 hours, the effects are gone.  The Aleve is a "patch" with a longer duration.  Now do you see why I prefer cycling?  My feet don´t hurt!  It takes several weeks of cycle touring before I need to tape my insoles and even then, there is no pain like today.  Oh well, it was a stunning hike and worth the effort and consequence.

Taking Care of Business (Tues 3/9)

Stats:
- 1 load of laundry
- 1 attempt at the ATM
- 4 (approximately) hours of internet
- 20 minutes in the police station
- 2 bikes

Well, today was one of those days that you just can´t predict.  Despite weeks of cycling, two days of hiking has left us feeling like we have been hit by a bus.  With threatening clouds, we decided to call it a day of "rest" and planned on taking care of some business...laundry, securing cash & bus tickets, reservations on the internet, attempting to sell bikes, etc.  As we started our day in town, we ran into Jullian, Shauna and Phillipe.  They too declared it a rest day.  It seems we are all feeling the impact of hiking...sore knees, sore feet, and sore leg muscles.  Cycling is really a lower impact activity.

So, Arn tested the waters for selling our camp stove while I dropped our laundry off to get cleaned.  He quickly scraped the idea and decided we would risk getting it home (given that it is used, it may get confiscated from our luggage).  I managed to negotiate laundry pick-up in time for dinner.  We suffered the day in shorts to have clean pants for dinner (really, we should have left the shorts at home and brought two pair of pants each).  

We headed to the ATM in search of cash. The ATM is out of cash.  Now, you might think I´m pulling your leg, but this is a regular occurance.  Just because there IS an ATM, it does not mean it HAS money.  There is only one ATM machine in town, so this errand did not take that long.  Oh well.  At this point in the day, the internet crawl began...from one internet place to the next to the next.  It is SO slow and every time Arn gets on the "1 yard line", it locks and does not return.  It was so frustrating and so slow.  Eventually, we secured plane tickets and bus tickets.  In short, we are headed to Calafate by bus on the 12th, Buenes Aires by plane on the 16th, and Mendoza by plane on the 20th.  (More details as it unfolds).

We bought bus tickets for the two of us and decided to wait on buying tickets for the bikes.  We were still hoping to sell the bikes before leaving El Chalten.  At worst case, we figured we would buy tickets for the bikes to Calafate, try to sell them again, and if not --- then we would take off the most valuable parts and ship them home.  Bottom line, the bikes will go no further than Calafate.

Our search for better internet continued.  We ended up in a place called, "Anita´s House".  Arn managed to get online and things worked "okay".  It was painfully slow, but his connection at least crawled.  Mine never got started.  After 13 minutes, I tried to log out.  It was painful.  I just gave up.  The woman claimed we owed twice as much as we did for my time.  Then, not only did she log off my machine, she logged off Arn´s.  He had to pay her for both machines just to get her to unlock his machine so he could log out of his account.  When she returned the change, she continued with charging me double!  Double and I was NEVER able to access my email in 13 minutes and we were forced to pay for 30 minutes (time in purchased in 15 minute chunks).  Well, there was no reasoning with her.  This was extremely frustrating as people were very fair with the internet issues everywhere else in town.  And trust me, we were in nearly every internet shop today.  So, totally outraged, we crossed the street and headed to the police station.  Arn explained the whole situation to the officer --- "it is not the value of the money, but the principle of how we have been treated".  Long story...but, our money was returned and the owner of "Anita´s House" will now know how screwed up their policies are for people trying to use the internet.  And, we feel sure that copies of our passports are floating around the Argentina police department.  If something "happens", remember this story --- this may explain something down the road.

We returned to the wine shop to check on the progress of our bike selling efforts.  Bottom line, both "ponies" have been sold.  Arn´s bike was purchased by the brother of the wine shop owner.  His bike was stolen and he seemed very excited to get a new bike.  I enjoyed the expression on his face once he grasped the benefit of grip shifts.  Frankly, he stands about an inch taller than me and I think my bike would have been a better for him with a few minor adjustments.  However, the "male macho" thing meant he needed the bike of a guy 6´2".  I guess this is not unlike the woman that buys a size 4 dress just because her size 8 body fits into this one size 4dress.  My bike was sold to a woman from Brazil.  She is headed to the U.S. later this year and will take the bike with her to Wyoming.  She and her boyfriend are planning to cycle tour in Nepal, so the bike will definitely continue to travel to interesting places.  Selling the bikes really marked the end of our "cycle tour".  It was hard for me to part with "naranjita".  Arn took a photo of me, the Brazilian (Kika) and "naranjita".  Kika promised photos from Nepal with "naranjita".  

The owner of the wine shop said any doctor would declare Arn sick and crazy.  He said Arn is the only person in history to say he would prefer to be paid in Argentina pesos over U.S. dollars!  Given that the ATM is empty, pesos will definitely help us over dollars.  So, the bikes are gone and we have the cash in the right currency for our trip.

I collected our laundry and we returned to our very comfortable, clean room.  I sorted "his" and "her" laundry.  On a trip with three pair of underwear and 4 pair of socks, I count everything...what went to the laundry and what came back.  Many weeks ago, things came back without a sock and a glove.  I had to hunt them down at the lavanderia.  Well, today my nightgown was missing.  "Big deal" you say --- "it is just for sleeping".  This is where you would be wrong.  My black tank top styled nightgown doubles as a dress for going out to nice dinners.  Clearly, I have not had an occasion to wear it in such a mode since Bariloche.  Still, I know that in Buenes Aires and Mendoza, it will be warm and a dress and sandals will be great.  So, I returned to the lavanderia to track down my missing "vestido" (dress).  I described to the guy and he actually remembered it (seems a bit strange) and then he found it bagged with someone else´s clothes.  Arn later discovered he was missing his only cotton t-shirt.  That was not recovered.  Go figure.  In Arn´s words, "You gotta watch 'em like hawk".

Best Day of Hiking for all of 2010! (Mon 3/8)

Stats:
- 13.2 miles
- roughly 2700 feet of climbing

After not getting the views yesterday, Arn and I declared we were only going to hike if the day promised the views we expected.  We woke to howling winds and skies that did not convey certainty.  We still got up and went through the motions of getting ready for a day of hiking.  At breakfast, the owner of our lodge looked outside and declared it a good day for hiking.  I was not as sure, but we decided it was a go.

We met Shauna and Jullian for empanada "shopping".  We marveled at the choices.  We even found chocolate cookie "sandwiches" filled with dulce de leche and rolled in nuts. We all agreed it is a sweet kind of overwhelming to have so many choices after so long with no choice.  And, we also agreed --- our juice situation still sucks. With food in hand, we returned to our lodge.  Here was the plan...we would get a taxi to drive us out of town to the trail head.  Our hike would traverse the valley alongside of Fitz Roy and the Rio Blanco.  We would reach a junction.  From the junction, we would do an out and back hike to the lake at the base of Fitz Roy (Laguna de Los Tres --- the three towers).  Once we returned to the junction, we would take a different trail back to town.  So, the owner of our lodge called the taxi and we waited 20 minutes for our ride.

The taxi drove out the same road that Shauna and Jullian had biked into town.  It was truly terrible ripio and not worth a day ride (something we had considered until they told us the conditions of the road and recommended against it).  After about an hour in the taxi, we arrived at the trailhead.  Our views from the start were mind-blowing.  We could see the full tower of Fitz Roy, it´s neighboring towers, and the glaciers that abounded everywhere.  One of the peaks is named, "Electrica" and it was not hard to understand why.  The rock was brilliant red and appeared to be illuminated from within.  Against the ice and snow and blue skies, it was stunning.  The hike was a gradual climb through a lenga forest.  The forest was thin and we enjoyed view point after view point after view point.  The cameras were never in the pack for more than a few minutes.  It was awesome.  Arn said, "This is awesome, this is incredible, this is the best ever".  In the way that I dreamed of the Carretera Austral, Arn has dreamed of Fitz Roy.  He has wanted to see it, hike it, and know the place.  Shauna and Jullian came with no expectations and knew very little about Fitz Roy. 

While it seemed hard to believe, our views just got better and better and better.  Arn finally declared, "If we get to the lake and can´t see anything, it is fine with me.  This has been awesome and I am going to go home happy."  Well, I didn´t share his perspective.  I declared myself too greedy and wanting the Full Monty from this hike.  It was an awesome display of rock, ice, water, sky, and wind.

We finally reached the junction and turned toward Fitz Roy.  The trail turned upward.  It was a steady grind for about an 1800 foot climb up and over the moraine.  The trail surface was good, but I knew this would hurt more on the return downhill.  As we climbed, the skies were sunny and the winds disappeared.  The four of us joked about the wind and all agreed --- when we reached the top, we were going to get blasted.  Based on the downhill hikers, it appeared that more clothing was required for the top.  We continued up and up and up and up.  Once at the top, the views were unreal....full views of Fitz Roy, the other towers, the glaciers, the lakes, and all the other peaks.  The fog and clouds were gone.  And the wind....well, there was NO wind!  It was calm and sunny!  We took photos and strolled around until we found a nice place to park ourselves for lunch.  We laughed about how few times we have enjoyed snacks or lunch without horseflies or violent wind.  Today was sweet!  

Arn, Jullian and Shauna decided to climb one more short pitch to see if the views improved.  With fresh drugs in my system and a lot of miles to go, my feet prefered the downhill to more rocks.  I slowly picked my way down the moraine.  As we left, the winds started to roar and howl.  We were lucky with our timing.  The four of us rejoined toward the bottom of the descent.  At the junction, we took the trail headed back to town.  For many miles, we looked back to see views of Fitz Roy and the other towers. The wind continued to howl and whip around.  The hike wandered through a dense, short forest.  It was more like a maze through tight hedges.  The trails are very well maintained, so at least we didn´t feel like we needed hedge clippers to get through.

The trail finally returned to the valley that includes town.  We had views of the mountains and the braided turqouise river below.  The trail wound through large rock croppings and slowly descended back to town. Under the "Canadian influence", we returned for more ice cream --- same flavors as yesterday.  Arn summarized the day correctly: "Best day of hiking for all of 2010!"  It might seem like a bold statement for the 9th of March, but it was so awesome that we cannot imagine anything that could trump it.

We met Jullian and Shauna later in the evening for a great dinner and great wine.  It was an awesome day. We laughed about how many miles we have cycled and how beat up we all feel after two days of hiking. Sore feet and legs were shared by all.  Plans for tomorrow remain uncertain.

Hiking at Fitz Roy (Sun 3/7)

 

Stats:
- 10 miles
- roughly 1200 feet of climbing

Well, it has been wonderful to stay in a clean room and enjoy a roach free environment.  We are staying at a place that opened only last October.  Everything is new and the bed is super comfortable.  Yeah, I told you this yesterday, but it was worth repeating.  It is such a welcomed change!  The shower leaks like a sieve, leaving the floor soaked.  I guess it is the reason for a squeegy on a broom handle as there is a drain in the floor.  Oh well, it is not perfect, but it is MUCH better.

Our first order of business was trying to find a pair of hiking shoes for Arn and a daypack.  We walked through town, checking each shop.  Really, without a lot of effort or stress, Arn found a pair of Salomon hiking shoes that he can also use for running.  And, we found a daypack that he has declared as his "new favorite daypack".  This is a good thing as he is the one carrying it.  This is lucky for my feet.

We headed off for a hike to see one of the towers near Fitz Roy. The tower is called "Cerro Torre". The end point of the hike was to the lake with a glacier in front of the Cerro Torre (tower).  The day was not perfect, but we hoped the weather would improve.  After a full day of rest and another day on the bus (all day long), we needed to get out for some movement.  Or as we like to say, "The dogs needed to be taken for a walk".  We were feeling a bit like caged animals.  The hike left directly from town.  We picked up some empanadas for lunch.  The choices were staggering....way more options than simply "carne".  We selected tomato basil, chicken, and beef empanadas.  On our way to the trailhead, we ran into Santiago (the Spainard we cycled with for a few days on the Carretera).  He and two other guys were headed to do the same hike and we decided to go together.  They were still trying to gather gear and climbing harnesses for some river crossing they wanted to do.  After 45 minutes of hanging around, we decided to head out without them.  It was a 10 mile hike and the time was nearing 1pm.

The hike was nice...no major climbs, no steep descents.  We reached a viewpoint over the valley and could see the glacier in the distance.  The tops of everything were shrouded in clouds and fog.  We continued, hoping for improvement.  It didn´t happen.  The temperatures were nice for hiking and we joked that we could even take the temps a bit cooler.  Well, sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.  We reached the glacial morraine.  The trail stayed low and curved around to the lake and the glacier.  Well, once we gained views of the lake, we also gained a violent wind coming off the ice.  It was raining, windy, and unbelievably cold.  We basically walked up to the view, said, "yep, that´s it, now let´s get out of this".  We turned and started walking back up the trail (this was an out and back trail).

Once out of the wind and cold, we pulled out the empanadas.  We continued to walk and enjoyed the empanadas.  We kept thinking we would run into Santiago and the two guys we met with him.  So, we had our eyes out for familar faces.  I am convinced we met most of the people that were on the bus yesterday.  And, most of them had gotten an earlier start than we did. I looked down the trail and saw a person with a green jacket and a person with an orange jacket.  I told Arn, "That has to be the Canadians".  We started screaming, "Shauna, Shauna, Shauna".  And sure enough, it was Shauna and Jullian (we first met them in El Bolson and enjoyed beers together and met again on the Carretera Austral).  They too had gone to the lake, got beaten back by the wind and rain, but they took their lunch shelter in the campground.  So, we just missed each other at the lake.  

The four of us hiked together and shared travel stories.  They told us about the crossing from Villa O´Higgins and it sounded like they had good strategies for managing a tough hike-a-bike.  They removed their pedals and everything from their panniers.  This allowed their bikes to fit in the trench.  They managed to load all their gear onto their backs and pushed the bikes.  They also told us about another tire blowout.  They said that if there are 1000 tires you could pick for the Carretera, they rode on tires 998, 999, and 1000 .... not great tires.  The last 23 miles of riding into El Chalten took them 6 hours!  This is how bad the ripio was!!We told them about the boat trip to Laguana San Rafael and our day in the Valle de Los Exploradores.  We also told them about my rear hub.  In hind-sight, my hub came apart on the day we rode together (the four of us plus the Austrian and the couple from the U.S.).  Of course, at this point in the conversation Jullian revealed that he was carrying cone wrenches and could have fixed the hub.  We didn´t know there was a problem until the next morning after we had spilt company the afternoon before. Bummer!

As we continued along the hike, we ran into Phillipe, the Austrian.  He is still traveling with Shauna and Jullian.  He told us about his bike crash coming into Villa O´Higgins.  He has the holes in his clothes and skin to illustrate the story.  And, he told us that he too is carrying cone wrenches!! The five of us finished the hike in the cold and wind.  Arn was nearly frozen.  He continued to hike in a just a t-shirt and never broke out more clothes.  Shauna and Jullian had dreams of ice cream and once in town we headed to the "helado artesenal."  Arn had dreams of a hot cup of coffee until we walked into the ice cream shop.  It was toasty, warm, and smelled great.

Arn and I shared a bowl of three different ice creams -- coconut with dulce de leche, chocolate with cherry sauce, and banana split.  They were awesome and we don´t even like ice cream that much.  Over ice cream, we hatched a plan for tomorrow´s hike and will meet at the panaderia to buy empanadas.  We parted ways for the time being.  

Arn and I headed to the wine bar.  Several people have told us that the owners of the wine bar are very avid cyclists having ridden from the southern tip of South America to Alaska.  They lived in Alaska for a few years before returning to Argentina.  So, we thought they might know someone interested in buying mountain bikes as our trusted "ponies" are now for sale.  After a brief conversation, we figured "show and tell" is better than "tell".  We picked up the bikes and returned to the wine bar with them.  Once they looked them over, they started making phones calls.  Several people came buy to look them over and take test rides.  So, now we wait and return to see what people think.  

We enjoyed a pretty good pizza and a great salad for dinner.  Our food and lodging has greatly improved!  In fact, we have extended our stay in El Chalten by a day.