Live to ski

Today is Monday and it started with four hours of Spanish class together with a guy from Wyoming. After the lesson I went down to the beach as always. The weather was really nice and sunny. Too bad I was too lazy today. If I had brought my skies to school I might have gone skiing. Well, tomorrow.

Down at the beach.

Based on several recommendations I decided to take the bus to km 17.5. From there one can climb Cerro Campanario (engl. bell tower) within 25 minutes and apparently the peak offers stunning views. So I got a bus pass (read: I had to talk to two guys with no English knowledge at all to get the pass) and got to the base of Cerro Campanario. From there it actually is just a really short hike up. At the top I enjoyed the amazing view for a long time. They even stopped the chair lift before I descended. But the view was so wonderful it was hard to leave.

The view from Cerro Campanario

Some guys from New Zealand I know from the Spanish school were kind enough to take a picture of me on the summit.

At the top.

There, I enven made a new friend:

My new friend!

Slowly, it got late so I had one last view back into the mountains before I headed down.

A last view into the mountains.

At the base I just missed the bus. I am sure the driver saw me but didn’t want to stop. Anyways, I took the next bus and had some nice salsa with polenta. Another great day in Argentina ;-)!

On Sunday, Sept. 11, we had terrible weather. Constant rain. That was the ideal weather for a typical Argentinean BBQ, called ‘asado’. At the fire place Carlos got the coals glowing and when they were ready, they were moved under the grill and under the meat. I don’t know how long it took for the meat to be done. The heat is very low so it slowly cooks the meat.

Carlos taking good care of the asado.

Look at the meat. Doesn’t it look tasty. And the taste and texture. Amazing. We had it with salad and some bread. Thanks a lot for this amazing meal. So good!

Look at this meat! Gorgeous.

After a couple of windy and rainy days the forecast was good for Saturday. So Carlos and I headed out to ski Bariloche’s ski resort Cerro Cathedral. During the last days is snowed a bit so we had fresh snow on the mountain. Amazing! And the view from the top is just stunning. We skied until the lifts closed and had a wonderful time. Thanks a lot Carlos, for taking me up the mountain and introducing me to Cerro Torre.

Cerro Negro.

This picture is a view westwards from on of the peaks in the ski resort. You can see Cerro Negro in the back. For more pictures take a look at the gallery.

After a stop over in Houston and a 9.5 hours fight I arrivedin Buenos Aires. Regina had everything well organized and Carlos, a friend oft he Peralta’s, picked me up at the airport. He drover me downtown and dropped me off at Recoleta. There, I first visited Iglesia del Pilar and then the Cementerio de la Recoleta. Both of them are beautiful tourist attractions.

Iglesia del Pilar

Mausuleum at Cementerio de la Recoleta

It is funny, lots of the monuments are largen than my place in Vancouver. And made with real stone!

Another mausuleum at Cementerio de la Recoleta

From the cementerio I walked through the Buenos Aires to the Obelisco where I met Carlo at 1.10pm sharp. From there he brought me hoe to his place where we ha lunch with his lady Josephine. Some delicous chicken roll with mixed salat. And for desert some sweet strawberries with coffee. So good after this long trip. The two were so friendly and we had a good time despite my lack of Spanish.

My friends, Carlo and Josephine

At four, Carlo dropped me off at the bus terminal and made sure I got onto the right bus. And then the long bus journey began.The seats were very comfortable and great to sit. An extremely nice way of travelling. Outside the window the landscape just flashed by. Most of the time it was just a plane.

Somewhere along the way

Then, on Sept. 8 at 10:36 I saw snow capped mountainf for the first time. Still a the horizon but slowly getting closer. And after another 3.5 hours of driving I finally arrived in Bariloche.

Bariloche!

Regina picked me up at the bus terminal and brought me to their home where I had some tortelini. Delicious.

When Carlos returned from work they took me down to the lake for some mate tea. The scenery here is stunning with the lake and the mountains and all the snow on top of the mountains. It is such a grat place with such lovely people. Tomorrow, I will pick a Spanish school to learn this language. Regina, thanks so much for your help and hospitality.

At the beach with Carlos, Regina and Tika. And some mate tea.

So I am checked in to Argentina (Buenos Aires) and I am super excited. I have never been South of the Equator.

I would love to post more, but they just started boarding. Time to start the journey.