Penitentes, Mendoza Argentina

Mendoza has grown on us after spending 2 weeks here. Spanish classes, meeting new people, visiting all of the plazas and venturing out of town this place has a lot to offer. Not to mention it has the best Mullet spottings i have ever seen! The guys here are infatuated with mullets and rat tails, they all have them and love them! Sometimes Em has to tell me that we are not in a time warp.

We had a great week of Spanish class, went to the zoo, looked at caballos de salto (jumping horses), indulged in great local MAlbec, cooked our dinners and ran in the nearby park often.

Yesterday we rented a car and drove to ski Penitentes a ski area about 200km from Mendoza near the Chilean border. WOW it felt good to drive, i really miss it. Certainly not for the faint at heart (EM) but great fun for me. The vineyards backed by snow capped mountains is quite a wonder.

Driving-skiing-driving made for a long day, but the skiing was fun. There is not a tree in site and the wide expanse of white is super flat light and makes it difficult to see, but all in all very cool experience. Not to mention it is July and we are skiing in the ANDES!

Em fashioning her Argentine gear, Muloc hat, Montagne gloves and goggles from the star wars set. We are missing our gear so much!!!!!

Just when we were wondering where all the rear entry boots, straight skis, one piece ski suits and just flat bad style, it is HERE! It was like living 80´s day and acting like it was really hip? You decide. Sorry no mullet-ski digs pics, but believe me we saw plenty.

A quick drive to the Chilean border to see Punta de Inca. A wild sulpur pool where an old spa existed above the river, pretty cool.


As for now we are nursing sore backs and ski muscles (of lack of), enjoying our coffee and off day. The B&B we have been staying in thinks we moved in, but it is so comfy and non-moving so we have kinda moved in. Spanish is becoming more and more fluent, we are in the thick of past tense now, but talking to about everyone whom is patient enough to listen-teach us. The people here are always into socializing more than work, which is good for spanish bad for trying to accomplish anything.

We are finally headed into Chile tomorrow, excited for a change of pace and country

Mendoza Argentina

Well I wish we were more excited to share news of an awesome apartment, an amazing city and our instant web of new friends...Sorry we are still a bit somber ourselves. Mendoza lacks a certain vibe, energy, something that we both thought it would definately have. Dont get me wrong the city is nice to stroll in and has great big trees, bottomless wine but no vibrant life. I do not want to wrong you in that the city is no good, but as most things here they are not what they seem or what we built them up in our heads to be? (this seems to be our constant dilemma, so with advice from our new savvy traveling friends, ¨just expect less¨). However, I envision the summers and fall here to be awesome.

SO We are in full swing with spanish classes and are enjoying more structured learning, i am still convinced talking, talking and more talking is the best way to learn! We are in a sweet hostal, surrounded by good folk and comfort. Tonight is also officially the 7th night in one place!!! A record for this trip which is hard to believe but wow we need to relax a bit. Our classes contradict this place as a whole, late dinners mixed with a bottle of wine, then awake before sun to walk in the cold to class. Someone needs to share the daylight savings concept to these folk as well as a nice dinner spot for a 7pm dinner (not 10-12). Also not much snow here, no until next week in Chile we will wait to ski. I should cheer up, i have a new guacho hat and i am madly in love with my travel partner !!!!

Cordoba, Jesus Maria, Argentina

We are fitting into the city of Cordoba it is a very hip city. Today we had a chance to visit an artisan market and bought our new wedding rings. I endulged in some cotton candy and later had a sugar crash

Yesterday we went on a wild goose chase, walking a lot. We finally found the Criollos La Rural and horse event. Very Rodeo, but the Guachos here are so cool! We had fun watching and ended up staying in Jesus Maria.

The things we see here seem to be very inspiring, frustrating and intriguing all at the same time. I am so ready for some consistency...hopefully Mendoza brings that this week.

Our 5th ANNIVERSARY, Cordoba Argentina

We did not quite make it to Mendoza so our real celebration will be next week. However 7-11 was our 5th wedding anniversary. We bought ourselves some new running shoes and went for a nice run. Last night we had a great meal and watched some live music. Today we are headed a bit north to watch a horse cutting (or similar?) event with a guy we met. Then we are hoping to visit a few farms with jumping horses. Em is excited and i hope she gets to ride a bit. Cordoba is nice, but very big and busy. Next week we head to Mendoza (wine and mountain country) and will probably be there for awhile, skiing, etc.

I started a new Facebook account, so look me up...a fun way to connect to old friends.

ARGENTINA!

After a short trip to Chile we have moved east to Northern Argentina. We felt an instant change in security, infrastructure and enjoyment. Not that we have not enjoyed the countries we have been to, but Argentina already feels the most like home. Our first city Salta was pleasant. We rode a gondola to the top of a nearby hill and walked about the city.

I quickly enjoyed my first Argentinian beef for lunch, yummy! After a ong day of walking We decided to indulge in a fancy dinner. Here they eat dinnar no earlier than 10 pm, so at 11 we arrived to a packed house of merry, singing and eating folks. A bottle of nice Malbec, salad bar, a steak and Chicken for Em cost us $35!!! Finally We are in the land of good livin´ The steak was AWESOME and i send a shot out to anyone in my family whom loves the steak we get from Iowa ( and the traildust) this was quite possibly better and definately cheaper!

AHHH steak! Do not be deceived it is cooked to perfection.

Further south we are now in Tucuman, the city is full of people celebrating the Argentinian Independence day today. Just moments ago we had a chance to see the our first women president. The architecture is cool and the people are for most part very nice.

We are headed to Cordoba tonight and will probably be there for our 5th Anniversay on friday. However, destination Mendoza will soon as well, there we plan to settle for a bit, immerse ourseves, do some skiing and probably more spanish classes.

Happy birthday Brad!

Southern Bolivia into Chile

Well we survived our 4 day adventure via train and Land Cruiser. Arriving in Uyuni we felt the cold air immediately. We booked our tour and left at 10 Bolivian time, meaning noon. A quick stop at the train boneyard and then off to the solar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat.

A crazy desolate, flat, hard, mesmerizing, not mention salty place. Hard to describe the vast nature of this place? We took a few trick pictures and enjoyed our time with the 2 french, 2 italians and 2 bolivians (our driver Sebastian and our cook his wife Luisa).

We drove for miles with nothing arriving at our first place to stay, yikes. The only thing i will say is that Em and I slept together in a twin bed with as many blankets as we could find, super cold. The stars however were as close to God as I have felt this trip!

Our Cocinera Luisa, the food was Awesome!

Our next day we traveled further south stopping at different colored Lagoons, my fovorite Laguna Colorada, which was red with white borax on its shores and flamingos waltzing around.

Our driver was freakin crazy and about midday our side seemed to be a bit soft, thinking flat tire we stop, Sebastian climbs under to cruiser to take a look and says MUERTA. He digs into his tool kit and climbs back under, a few minutes later and punctured shock gets tossed aside. Just as we were wondering if you can drive where we are headed without a shock he yells VAMOS. Unfortunately Em and I were on that side of the truck, but fortunately it slowed him down!

The second night was much the same as the first, we shared a twin bed, but this time everyone was in the same room. We awoke and visited some geysers at 15,500 feet! It was super cold and we were exhausted.

To our final lagoon, skating on the solid ice, we then drive to the border. Em and I are the only ones who decided not to return to Uyuni 8 hours back on the roughest road you can imagine. Transfering to another bus we are now in Chile!

Only for a short time in San Pedro de Atacama, tomorrow we take a bus to Salta Argentina! I did do some sandboarding today which was quite interesting? We both have colds which means we are moving a bit slow but we are in good spirits. We both were feeling homesick yesterday on the 4th, missing family,friends and BBQ. So please email us some good photos of the 4th, we missed you all. Buenas noches.

Mountain Biking Bolivia

Since we delayed our trip south we had some days to play in and Around La Paz. We have also decided pictures are easy to take than buying things (for example the Che Homero shirt, amazing!) Che Guevarra is loved here, rumor has it that the CIA apparently killed him here in Bolivia. Maybe that explains why only US citizens have to pay to get in to Bolivia?

We signed up for Mountain biking the ¨World´s most dangerous road.¨ Well it may be dangerous for trucks and buses but for mountain biking it was great! First of all it felt good to bike, secondly Emily and I were the rippers in the group, always up front and Thirdly, the road is not used like it once was for all traffic into jungle. ***if anyone has the email that circulated this spring with pictures of the road with truck traffic please forward to me.

It truly was fun...we drove to La Cumbre (summit in spanish) and put on our gear, super cold at 8:30 in the morning. We descended on asphalt for about an hour and then forked off onto the crazy road. On Queue the mist and clouds hovered and we were instantly muddy!!!! I have never actually biked with goggles but it is the only way here. The road drops off vertically down to a deep river canyon. Brakes were crucial! We did have nice full suspension bikes with disc brakes, and that did pay off.

This is however a great oppurtunity to quote Che Guevarra, ¨Bolivia: todo possible, nada seguro¨ Which means: yes, Bolivia is full of possibilities, but nothing is truly safe.

After 11,190´of descent we are basking in the humid warm sun of the jungle! We were both quick to change into flops and drink a beer, finding out later that the mosquitos there are invisible until about a half our later when our legs are riddles with bites...still itching today, errrr.

We have now escaped La Paz, barely. Yesterday our bus was driving on roads not even my 4x4 truck should due to road blocking strikes? This place is so backward thinking and it is amazing how they survive?

We are now awaiting our train to Uyuni, where we plan to take a jeep tour for 3 days in some amazing salt flats and Lagoons. At that point we cross the border into Chile.

Have an AWESOME 4th of July, and if you need any fireworks the kids sell them here (with beer and cigs of course) and everyone lights them for no reason...so really everyday is the forth for us here in Bolivia! Love and miss you all tons, Dave and Em