Fear Factor

---

So, back we go to Mendoza from Santiago. It doesn't look very far on the map for a seven hour journey. But, we must cross the Andes again! Snail pass is a series of 27 hairpin bends winding their way up the mountains. The buses, huge lorries and cars snake their way up and down emitting large black clouds of smoke. After a pretty thorough check at passport control and customs, we are winding our way back to Mendoza, know by the locals as 'La Tierra de Sol y Buen Vino' - The Land of Sun & Good Wine! On a par with the Bariloche Views & Chocolate combo!

We're back in the city we had to leave in a hurry (Aerolineas strike) and are greeted warmly in our favourite hostel. We're back for adventure (feels like the trip here was the start of it with all those hairpin bends!)and sign up for a White Water Rafting trip.

Jane's story: I'm very quiet on the bus up to the Adventure Centre and my nerves are not helped by Josh, from Toronto's stories of extreme sports and subsequent accidents! Nige tries to divert attention from the Danger element and focus on the Fun Factor.

The comprehensive safety briefing at the Centre does little to soothe my nerves, as we get dolled up in wetsuits, booties, lifejackets & helmets. Then before I know it we're off! The River Mendoza is fast at the moment (lots of melting snow) - with Grade 3/3+ rapids. Diego, our guide is great and keeps making us High 5 with our paddles to detract from the fact that the raft behind us has overturned in the first minute! We have a great team - Mark & Garcon at the front, Nige & I in the middle, Anna & Geraldine at the back and we have SO MUCH FUN!! The 45 minute trip is over before we know it, and all of us (yes, including me!) want to go back and do it again.

Over lunch we realise that the video camera and woman with microphone that have been following our trip (who we thought were making a video for us to buy) are in fact a Brazilian travel programme. We all get interviewed by the impossibly pretty woman whose make-up hasn't moved despite being on a raft for 45 minutes. (A particularly sore point for me at the moment as my make-up was stolen 2 weeks ago!)

Also over lunch, still pumped with adrenaline from the rafting, we decide to stay for the afternoon at the Adventure Centre and do a Trek followed by an abseil. (WHAT? I'm scared of heights for goodness sake!) Accompanied by Mark & Anna from the raft, and Josh from the bus, we walk into the hills for about an hour, then reach a steep rock face by a waterfall. And then we all take it in turns to walk off it backwards. Pure stupidity. I am so scared I nearly throw up, but I'm glad I did it. I know the photo tells a different story! Nige was nervous too, but decides to do it twice - second time round he bounces his way down the cliff!

We chat away to our new adventure friends on the way back to Mendoza and dream about the big steaks we've earned for ourselves this evening. However we're too knackered to search out a good place to eat and end up shoving down a substandard lump of meat in a cheap restaurant.

We make up for it the next night by having a great meal in a very posh restaurant (voted 7th in the world by The Times) along with Mark, Anna, Josh and our new Mendozan friends, Frederica & Martin. Josh chooses some exquisite wines, we chat away happily for hours, enjoy great steaks and fantastic deserts. A fitting way to spend our last evening in Argentina.

We will be back.

---

Comments

[Dad]

Fun comes at a cost
Your face tells it all Jane. I can remember our jet boat ride in Queenstown with all that fear and anticipation. Then it all goes so quickly and you feel so thrilled afterwards.As you say you want to do it all over again. I shall dream about those wonderful steaks you keep mentioning. Love, Dad