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Published: August 11th 2009
El Barrio
Looking off my porch I sit here writing this after shooting jets of spicy hot gastronomical liquid out of my fanny (gross…? Whatever, just deal with it; it’s the natural way of things). Two Sunday’s ago, I made a trip to “shopping,” which is basically the mall here in Argentina. I ate in a mall’s food court for the first time in countless years. I got lasagna. Lasagna with meat sauce. Hives broke out. Fecal matter became less solid. Doctors came and put a needle in my butt. This last week I have spent recovering from this allergic reaction (the first I’ve ever had in my life) and trying to figure out what caused it. Apparently, meat sauce (carne molida) is the culprit, as I found out with a surprise wake-up call from my intestines early this morning.
Last night, I again ate lasagna, lulling myself into a false sense of security due to me thinking it was chicken lasagna. Apparently, it was not. Because here I find myself again, broken out in hives and getting to know the toilet a bit better.
Yet again, I am convinced that meat is just not good for human beings. It will be a glorious
Chuck
En route day when I get back to a healthier diet in the States; however the food is really the only complaint I can dish out. The weather and people have been absolutely amazing, and I can now say that I have skied in the both hemispheres! From now on, extreme caution will have to be taken when it comes to eating.
My trip to Las Leñas started when my good friend Charles came over after class to get a Buena session going. Chuck mentioned that he was taking a 2:30 bus early the next morning for a 445 km (each way) day trip to ski some South American powder. Me, being in the good mood that I was, spontaneously agreed to accompany him. I proceeded to speed pack that evening, successfully purchased a round trip bus ticket, and found myself on the CATA Internacional Micro that morning.
We awoke to a bitterly cold morning in Las Leñas, with a full moon setting between two majestic cumbres (peaks). It was one of the most spectacular sights I have had the pleasure of experiencing. After being unable to find a day lodge, we crashed one of the nicer hotel’s buffet
breakfast. I felt a bit bad. But hey, LL is by far the most expensive and ritzy resort in Argentina. I didn’t feel bad after buying a day ticket and renting gear, however. The skis were short and skinny, and my first run down, they immediately hooked up in the powder and sent me tumbling down a rocky face. Luckily, I avoided all of the rocks and got back up smiling.
Early in the day, my friend Dylan and I decided to hike up a bit past the lifts. Eventually, Dylan decided he couldn’t wait any longer and had to SHRED. I continued to hike up to the summit that was just a few hundred (steep) meters further. At the top, I realized that there was an ungodly huge mule brewing inside me, and that I had to burn it within the next few minutes. Having just gotten to the summit, I had no intentions of skiing down so soon. I contemplated my options for a few seconds, and then…. Eureka! I had an idea. I burned that mule right there on top of the summit, and used my LL trail map to finish the job.
The snow
was perfect: there hadn’t been a storm in days, yet there were still countless fresh, straight-out-of-a-movie lines accessible from the lift. I tried to suck up and shred with the rentals, but I know now that there is nothing like a good pair of fat skis with a little bit less sidecut. A 900 km round trip brought me back home at 23:00 that night. After getting home, I promptly passed out and had one the of the best sleeps in awhile.
Classes started on Monday, but with the allergic reactions and a combination of a busy program schedule and culture shock, I have not been able to visit any of my possible classes. This week will mostly be focused on choosing my classes (so don’t expect much), although I do plan to head down south to Bariloche National Park in the Lakes District for the upcoming long weekend. Hopefully a little blog can be made out of this excursion. It has also just occurred to me that I should snap some pictures of my family, house, and barrio (neighborhood). Stay tuned…
Cameron
Ferroviarios Argentinos 521, Mendoza Sexta Sección
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Keirsten
non-member comment
WOW
I can't believe you broke into hives! This seems to have been a very happening week for you!! The pictures are amazing, and I can't believe you hiked and skied all the way up and down that. I really like reading your blogs and I hope to see some more soon. I hope you feel better :) -Keirsten P.S. The mule sounds epic.