Christmas in Salta

Rented a four bedroom house with a pool in an upscale barrio of Salta called Tres Cerritos. Address: Los Abedules 255.

Christmas day was rang in at midnight with a splash in our pool. Fireworks from all of the neighbors. Games of chicken. And kisses as if it were New Year's Eve.

Fifteen guests were expected for Christmas dinner. Our Irish boys, Fitzy and Seamus, did everything to make dinner a memorable one. Women weren't allowed in the kitchen after 1pm. Two turkeys and stuffing had already been cooked the previous evening! What a change, the men of the house took care of everything from setting the table to planning and cooking an entire three course dinner. When we were finally allowed to attack the buffet, we found 15 pre-plated servings of turkey, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, roasted potatoes, carrots, brussell sprouts, two types of stuffing, and tasty gravy. Dessert was apple pie by Nati and home-mixed oreo chocolate ice cream with Irish coffees and chocolate liqueur for an aperitif. Geez, we ate like royalty.



The rest of the week at the house was spent in our swimming suits, in and out of the pool. Our neighbors popped by two days after Christmas. Paula and her boyfriend, Fernando took us in like family. Actually, more like their only friends in the world. They made pizza for us one night. Fernando took Seamus to get his chipped tooth filled in. On Friday, they took six of us out to Campo Alegre. We spent the whole day at the reservoir playing in the water, kayaking, canoeing, and windsurfing. Paula's dad took two trips to ferry us all there! Seriously, these guys took hospitality to an extreme. After meeting them, we went to sleep to their goodnight kisses and woke to their grinning faces for almost three days straight! To be honest, it was overbearing. The six of us left at the end of the week, Adam, Noah, Fitz, Seamus, Nati, and me, really just wanted to have some quality time to ourselves.

I wonder how I would treat a foreigner in my hometown.

In general, I had a good time over Christmas. However, it was hard for me to get into Christmas spirit. And even harder for me to join in on all of the laughing and fun. Felt a bit like an observer looking in on a great party from a frosted window. Something that actually happens often, but seems more pronounced now that I don't even really try anymore.

My One Do-Over

Mom & Dad, this story has a happy ending.

Nati and I arrived in Mendoza in the morning. After an afternoon of shopping to spruce up our 2 month old wardrobe, we decided to siesta in a big plaza. I napped for a good hour underneath a tree using my bag as a pillow. As I started to stir and wake, I heard fast steps and felt my bag get pulled from under my head. I don't think my head even hit the ground before I was up running after the thief. I just instinctually started off. It took me several strides before I realized that I was running barefoot after a youthful lad with long legs who had just stolen my bag!! My money! My passport! My bus ticket! My new dress!!

The boy ran and ran... and me after him screaming for someone to help me. My intention really was only to keep him in my sights and hopefully get someone ahead to tackle the guy. No such luck. For nearly four blocks people watched as he zipped by them... and then stared as I ran past too. Finally, the guy slowed to a walk to round a corner. It was my chance to catch up since by that time I was one block behind. I have no idea what I would have done if I had caught up to him. As I neared flailing my arms screaming ¡Ayudame!, three policemen guarding the same corner realized what was going on. They chased and caught him! With my bag returned and me unscathed, I was happy to spend the rest of the afternoon filing the police report.

Gotta tell you that I surprised myself with my reflexive chasing. I realize that I can only tell this story cheerily because it ended well. I know I was really lucky that the police happened to be around. I am truely thankful.

That was it, my one do-over. Next time I won't be so lucky. Next time I will be more careful. I promise!

Southern Argentina and Patagonia

We left Puerto Madryn on a 30 hour bus ride to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Some of you may argue that there are cities in Antarctica; they don't count, they're not big enough to be called a city. Also, for anyone considering this trip, it's a pain in the arse. We had to cross the Chilean border a few times, so my passport is now drowning in Chilean and Argentine stamps. In Ushuaia, Nati and I met up with Fitz and Seamus, our Irish friends from Buenos Aires. The four of us rented a car and drove out to Desdemona. She is a big freight liner ship that wrecked on a beach in 1989. We arrived at low tide which meant we were able to crawl and clamor all over this huge rusty ship. I took the opportunity to climb up one of the tall ship masts to grab a few pictures from up high and for the thrill. We spent the next two days hiking around the Parque Nacional del Tierra del Fuego and goofing off in the southernmost golf course. The best part of traveling with four people is that we all get to save money by cooking together. Thanksgiving dinner was fish fillet, mashed potatoes, peas, pumpkin (thanks mom!), bottle of wine, and ice cream for dessert!



Next, the four of us headed up to El Calafate where we again rented a car to drive to the Perito Moreno Glacier. It's this huge dynamic glacier. We just sat for a while watching and listening to big hunks crash into the water. The blue ice was a very deep and clear blue. It was really amazing to think about how old the ice was. It seemed so close that we could touch it. While in Calafate, Nati, Fitz, Seamus, and I decided that we would attempt to conquer the ' W ' trek. It's is a famous 5 day hike through Torres del Paine National Park (yeah, I didn't know about it either).



The jumping off point for Torres del Paine is Puerto Natales. We spent one afternoon renting all of the necessary camping gear, buying food for a week, and packing it all up. Our hostel owner Omar, a tall skinny long haired Chilean, hooked us up with a thermos for hot soup. It was my first time hiking while carrying a big pack, so I was excited for the challenge.

Day 1 of the hike was brutal. The terrain was actually quite easy, but the wind was blowing against us. I estimate at upwards of 70mph. I've learned that I will not survive a hurricane. There were moments that I swear I was standing at a 45 degree angle with one leg trying it's mightiest to move forward. We were rewarded at the end with a royal blue lake.




Day 2 was a long hike up and back from Glacier Grey in crap weather and then across to a free campsite.

Day 3 was beautiful. Despite two grandisimo blisters on my heels, it was my favorite hike. The trail weaved through forest, across streams, over boulders, and along a stoney black&white beach with the sounds of avalanche in the background. From the trail, we experienced some of the greatest views of the Torres mountain range.

On Day 4, the guys schemed a plan to go ahead with minimal gear (meaning one tent for four of us) since they were hiking at almost 1.5 times our speed. That was a hard hike uphill for an hour but still through beautiful terrain and great views.

Our last day, we woke at 4:30am so we could catch sunrise at Torres del Paine, the grand prize. Torres del Paine is a set of towers formed by geologic magic. As the sun peeks over the horizon, it's light hits the towers and lights them up in awesome oranges and reds. The hike up may have been my lowest point just because my feet were in so much pain, Nati too had twisted her knee and the two of us nearly cried while climbing up what seemed a never ending pile of boulders. But it was all well worth it. Sunrise was beautiful and I felt so accomplished that I made it through 5 days of trekking.




Looking back though, we didn't rough it too much. We cooked great meals of spaghetti bolognese and Irish stew. Porridge for breakfast. Hot soup, salami, tuna salad, and crackers for lunch. We didn't even need to carry water because all of the water in the streams and lake is drinkable and very tasty. I even got to take one shower. Still, I proudly declare that I have hiked The W.

Perito Moreno is the half-way point between El Calafate and Bariloche. It's a quiet town with one main street. It is also the home of Cuevas de Las Manos (Cave of Hands). Nati and I stayed here a couple of days extra while the Irish boys moved on. The tour of the caves was really interesting. There are about 70 caves in the region with hand prints painted with minerals, guanaco blood, and spit. Hundreds of "I was here!" declarations from 7,000 to 3,000 BC. One 6-fingered hand, only 33 left hands of 859 total, and one foot. Maricelo, our hostel owner, took us in for two days as surrogate daughters. He made us pizza and had breakfast ready for us each morning!


All along this trip through Patagonia, I have California in the back of my mind. Much of the scenery is very similar to those you'd find in CA. The Sierras, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, boring farmlands, beaches are all here just on a grander scale. Makes me appreciate home.