Every Day is Sunday

The scenery is spectacular in the Lake District in Patagonia.  We decided the best way to enjoy it was on a raft with five strangers hurtling through white water rapids. 

We signed on with a company called Extremo Sur (Extreme South) and they took us down to the Rio Manso.  Jeff listened intently to the safety lecture as Waner showed off his impressive “guns.” 

The rapids were class III and IV — not too difficult but also not easy.  From the picture below its easy to see who is the adventure-seeker in the group.  Jeff and Waner are clearly struggling while Erin is mugging for the camera.

We encountered the most fierce rapid near the end of the trip.  Somehow the boat got turned sideways but we were able to straighten out. 

We survived the difficult rapids without getting wet, but we didn’t escape unscathed.  Our guide decided to play a little game with us.  Throughout the trip he kept repeating “When you hit a wall of water everyone MUST follow my instructions or you’ll tip.”  The man put the fear of death into all of us.  On a relatively weak rapid he starting screaming at us to all go to the left side of the boat.  As you can see from the picture below, we all went LEFT but our guide went RIGHT and tipped our raft just for fun.  We’re still trying to find the humor . . . I guess if we took tourists rafting everyday we’d probably mess with them too.  And when we did flip it wasn’t pretty (nice face Jeff). 

In the end, we conquered the river and emerged victorious (and all smiles).

More Photos of the Rafting Trip

 First things first - I had to flush a toilet.

Turns out, the water really does run the other way.  Satisfied with what the realities of life in the southern hemisphere said about my current place in the universe, I returned to the spread Jeff and Erin had prepared on our balcony: an assortment of local meats and cheeses accompanied by the liquid fruit of whatever passed for their labor in Mendoza. 

One of the gateways to Patagonia, Bariloche faces north across Lago Nahuel Huapi – a huge lake that serves as the centerpiece of Argentina’s largest national park.  An arid plain expands east, and to the west lies the Lake Country that straddles Argentina and Chile.  “Alpen” is the popular terms to describe the terrain, but that’s a misnomer: the place has the feel of what you’d get if Switzerland had a baby with New Mexico.  The penthouse apartment Erin found for us has a view of it all. 

Argentina is a bad place to be a cow. 

Dinner that night at Alberto’s may well have been the protein binge that served as Dr. Atkins’ first taste of dietician’s heroin.  Such a simple concept: light fire, apply meat.  All cooking is done on a huge grill with smoldering coals lovingly tended by exactly the kind of guy you’d want to see there.  There’s no stove, no oven, no range, no heating lamps, and nothing green to get in the way.   

Argentina is where salads go to die. 

This may have been the smallest order the restaurant saw all night.  The three Israeli guys next to us ordered their weight in beef and finished it off in the time it took our waiter to open our wine.  Jeff admirably fended off the advances of a DC reporter dining alone that wanted to join us and talk politics.  (to his credit, we later saw him at a bar with three local women – notes were taken on implications for my own game) 

Take a look at that meal again.  Now imagine 4-5 of them spread over three days.  The only time of day your body is left alone long enough to fend off the calories, protein, oil, and alcohol is at night, and that makes for some uncomfortable sleeping and a physiological phenomenon that serves as the title for this post.   

Vacation’s rock. 

The town of Bariloche itself rises up off the lake, getting steeper the farther you go (or at least as far as we were willing to go).  Most of the action happens around the few streets closest to the lake.  It’s a ski town in summertime, and that means pretty much what you think it does: teens in hemp necklackes, t-shirt shops, plenty of charming local dogs and the occasional outdoor concert. 

The guide book calls them “high end strays.” 

Bariloche is known for its chocolate, and Erin was carrying the golden ticket.  The rest of us didn’t complain, and that’s all I’m allowed to say on this subject. 

Initial impression of the Argentines is that they’re comfortable with who they are.  Their country is handsome, their people are beautiful, they eat and live tremendously, and they don’t really care if you think differently.   

As the first Ambassador of Back Home to visit them on this journey, I can honestly report they’re doing fantastic.  The same wonderfully balanced dynamic: yin complements yang, left brain works with right, and Beavis stands up to Butthead.  It’s going to be some kind of ride…

Mark

Click HERE for more Bariloche Photos

Our guidebook suggested that we take a short bus ride to visit the small town of San Rafael.  According to the book, it was the perfect place to rent bicycles and tour nearby wineries.  We were a little disappointed because the town wasn’t as cute as advertised - it is like a mini-Mendoza without any of the good restaurants.  And the winery tour on bikes turned into a bust when Jeff got a flat tire two miles outside of town.

The wineries were nothing special, and so we thought we’d try to “win the day” by opening a bottle of wine and having a picnic in the park.  As we were looking for a good spot for our picnic, we saw this guy walking a tightrope tied between two trees.  He was so focused on keeping his balance that he didn’t notice us approach.  After making it across the tightrope, we erupted into applause and invited him to join us for some wine, cheese, and chorizo. 

Javier was one of the most interesting people we’ve met on the trip.  He is an immensely talented acrobat and juggler who dreams of joining the Cirque de Soleil one day.  Although he is not in school, he studies literature and politics on his own.  He informed us that his views have changed a lot in the last five years — he is no longer a communist and no longer hates the United States.  

Javier didn’t speak English and so it was sometimes difficult to communicate, but luckily his friend Eduardo arrived who knew some English and helped to bridge the gaps.  Eduardo was also an amatuer acrobat, and we watched as the two of them walked the tightrope with ease. 

Jeff was eager to learn a new juggling trick, and so Javier worked with him on a new move. 

He also tried to get us both up on the tightrope, but that didn’t go so well.   

Javier and Eduardo were two of the most friendly and interesting people we’ve met on the trip so far.  When Javier found out that we had never tried Mate - the national drink of Argentinia - he immediately ran to the store to buy us some.  Mate is a non-alcoholic beverage that is prepared by brewing dried leaves of “yerba mate” in hot water.  Its infused with stimulants (mainly caffeine) — its kind of like drinking a double shot of espresso but without the bitter aftertaste.  Javier explained that Mate should be shared with other people — he doesn’t usually drink Mate alone.  He prepared the Mate in a hallow cup and we all shared from a metal straw.  It didn’t taste paricularly good, but it was special for us to share this traditional drink with our new Argentinian friends.

All in all, it turned into an amazing day.  We must figure out a way to get those guys to BONNAROO next year! 

Click here for more photos from San Rafael.