Hi everyone - it´s been a while but we´re back to share some more fun from our adventures. Hope you´re all happy, healthy and enjoying the holiday season! Now Aaron wants to relate one of his (and my) favorite stories from the trip thus far. Take it away, Red...

Back in early November, Melissa and I took on a hike that we were a bit under prepared for. After mistranslating "lots of snow at the top" as "lots of rain at the top", I began to realize my error about 3/4 of the way through our ascent. We were hiking up a small mountain in Parque Huerquehue in the lake district of Chile and, after slogging through lots of mud, we started seeing patches of snow. Patches turned into trail covered stretches, and Melissa was starting to get annoyed with either me or the unfavorable conditions, probably both. Our light hiking shoes were pretty wet. Finally, we turned a bend and saw our trail disappear into a snowy bank. As I turned to see the expression on Melissa´s face, I was cringing. Was this the end of the line?

"Oh. What?! No. No way. That´s it," with a shrug and defiant tone, "I´m done. I can´t do that."

Ahead of us, 15 feet or so, a woman stood at the base of the incline and lamented, shouting to three other members of her tour group that had already summited the worst of it.

It was looking grim.

"Hon, you can do this."

"No, Aaron, I cannot do this. And, I know that you saying I can do this really means you want to do this, and I don´t blame you for wanting to go up to the top of the hike, but, I´m telling you that I know what I can do--"

"But--"

"No, Aaron, I know what you are going to say, so just don´t," closed eyes, shaking head, "I - can - not - do - this."

At this point, the tour guide from the delayed group ahead of us had come back down to help out the last of his crew. He pulled on one end of a walking stick and the woman, clutching the other end, feebly followed. I considered telling Melissa that if this woman could do it, so could she. Just about then, the woman fell backwards and slid screaming, erasing her 10 feet of progress in dramatic fashion.

"Es imposible!" she yelled, from her prone and inverted position.

Melissa was not looking happy - this clearly wasn´t the sort of encouragement she needed. Thanks a lot, Mr. Tour Guide. I wanted to see for myself how hard this was. I headed for the most trodden part of the embankment and followed the well stomped steps. It was steep, but in about 30 seconds, I was near the top.

I came back down. I waited a bit. And then, Melissa agreed to try it! I was very proud of her.

We began our climb - her in front, me behind providing artificial support, going one careful step at a time and never looking down.

Pictures will do a better job describing what we saw at the top but let´s just say it was more than worth it. You can find photos of our hike, and the summit, in this photo collection:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/2007112118AroundPucNAndCollipulli

As for how we would get back down (on Melissa´s mind as soon as we got to the top) it was easiest to just slide on our jackets. Video of Melissa here (her first sledding experience):
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-4184233498197143378&hl=es

A week or so later, we were in Valdivia, Chile, a pretty university town south of Pucon. And then came Bariloche, Argentina - wow! - views that really live up to expectations. We took many photos, and some video:
(pics) http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/20071191115ValdiviaAndBariloche
(video) http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-351576861924611022&hl=es

We´ve got some more pics and stories to share from our fantastic T-giving with the Boyds + Hut, hanging on the beach in Argentina and our first couple weeks in Ecuador so stay tuned...

xoM+A

We`re elated to be getting caught up on posting our photos, as we sit in a café in the most boring city we have yet to visit, Bahia Blanca, Argentina. It´s not really Bahia´s fault, since Bahia is more a travel hub than a destination.

"Stop twirling the ring, Aaron."
"Ok."

Anyhoo, the first photojournal (Aaron informs me that is the proper nomenclature) we`re forwarding is from Mendoza, Argentina, a.k.a. Heaven on Earth. Ok, there were some downsides, like the half-naked party girls sent around to raise support for various election candidates, but how bad could any place get where you`re practically guarantied sunshine and 80 degrees as you stroll down the wide, tree-lined sidewalks on your way to a beautiful park?? Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/200710181025MendozaAndTheAndes

Melissa accomplished a MOST amazing feat while we were in Mendoza. You´ll have to watch the video to find out. (the first minute is a little slow, but the conclusion is not to be missed... sound recommended) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4635136088480542563&q=melissa+bike&total=62&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2

As you`ve probably just seen, we snapped just a few photos on our drive through the Andes into Chile - it was 75 to be exact, be happy we cut liberally.

Valparaíso was our first stop in Chile. We really liked the vibe and bohemian style in Cerro Alegre. Melissa got an infection that earned her the nickname "puffy." See our second photo journal for a visual. http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/200710251031ValparaSoAndCollipulli

From Valpo we headed south to Collipulli and had the pleasure of staying with Connie Landinez´s in-laws. They fed us VERY well, directed us to beautiful nearby locations (pics coming soon), gave us great opportunities to practice our Spanish and, most importantly, truly made us feel like family. We`re hoping to return the favor someday in Bend, OR.

We´re off to dinner before we catch our night bus to Buenos Aires for a T-giving reunion with the Boyds! Happy holiday and talk again soon.

xoM+A

We put up a new slideshow from our final three weeks in Buenos Aires. You can see it here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/200709251017BuenosAires.

I took a video of some Tango dancing in Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo. You can see it here: http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-5872371759656143863.

More pictures to come soon. We are trying hard to get caught up! We´re having a great time right now, surrounded by the natural beauty of Chile´s lake district (mid-south part of Chile). Melissa scaled an ice mountain, after artfully accusing me of putting her life in danger, and then slid down on a make-shift sled made from her rain jacket. More on that later.

Hope everyone is doing well.

xoM+A

Some folks have asked about our itinerary. Visiting us during our travels is strongly encouraged! Here´s the rough schedule that Melissa, the principal travel agent, has lined up. In general, the cities represent our "bases" and not necessarily where we´ll be the whole time.

Oct 18 - 24: Mendoza, Argentina
Oct 25 - Nov 1: Santiago, Chile
Nov 2 - Nov 14: Temuco, Chile
Nov 17 - Dec 3: Buenos Aires
Dec 3 - early Jan: Quito, Ecuador
Early Jan to late April: Take buses from Quito to Cuzco, Peru, spending a lot of time on the coast Late April to May 24: Cuzco, Inca Trail, Titicaca
May 24: Fly back to NYC

If anyone plans on doing some of their own adventure travel, I highly recommend visiting http://www.onebag.com/. This site saved me countless hours. The content and organization are both very high quality.

We have now trekked much of Buenos Aires - at least the part that appears on most tourist maps, which excludes the outer residential areas.

We took in more great Tango. A couple Saturdays ago, we went to a locals hangout called Guayana. It was a sort of "open mike" night where audience members, almost always male and at least 50, took their turn crooning and belting two or three Tango songs, accompanied by live musicians. A kind fellow attempted to educate me on how to critique Tango vocals. Lots of hand gestures were involved. I gathered, at least, that range is very important. The mood reminded me of Flamenco joints in Madrid. I love the broad participation that seems inherent to folk music. I cringe when I think of current pop music in comparison to folk music of previous generations. Of course, every once in a while, we do have a modern day masterpiece like that Umbrella song - "Eh! Eh! Eh!"

That Saturday we were attempting to party like regular porteños (BsAs locals). We took naps after dinner, and didn´t arrive at Guayana until after 1am. At around 3am we arrived at Muséum, a disco that was lamentable for the lack of dancing happening -- not recommended. Still, it was fun being out late and seeing the sunrise from our apartment.

That afternoon we took in some free Tango dancing in Plaza Dorrego, a few blocks from our apartment. We had a great view so I took video which I will eventually post on YouTube (my first attempt posting through blogspot was a failure).

This past Saturday we went to an art showing put on in a home to contribute to Help BsAs (Buenos Aires). The host and artist who invited us, Aidana, makes very cool, even chic, funiture, accessories and clothing out of garbage. The picture to the left is of purses and clothing (hot!) she makes from innertubes.

It´s nice to finally be meeting some people - not that we don`t enjoy each other`s nearly exclusive company 24 hours a day. (Case in point: we actually just argued over the right way to express the sentiment "24 hours per day and 7 days per week" - all those for 24x7? 24/7? :-))

Sunday we went to our Spanish teacher´s apartment and discussed the tragic state of Western medicine (drugs, drugs, drugs), the grandeur of the Teatro Colon (which is closed for renovations! :-( ), and the extraordinary reproductive practices of the Emperor Penguin (after watching March of the Penguins). We were very lucky to find a teacher who is quite spirited and opinionated while at the same time wonderfully bright, well-organized and all around excellent at her job. She was successful at cramming our heads full of grammar - now all we need to do is learn more than the 50 or so Spanish words we currently know...
















We made our first visit to the Recoleta Cemetery (pictures above). I know it won´t be our last because we were rushed and didn´t even have time to find Evita´s tomb. The mausoleums are impressive in detail and size, and there are miles of well organized pathways. Being there feels as if you have entered Buenos Aires´ neighborhood for the dead elite.

We were happy to escape some of the hustle and bustle of the city when we spent an afternoon walking around Palermo - still a part of Buenos Aires but a 20 or 30 minute subte (subway) ride outside of the center. We picnicked in a gorgeous and huge park (complete with paddleboats and rollerbladers) and basked in the beauty of a Japanese Garden.

Perhaps most important, however, is that we saw Juegos Prohibidos, or "Alpha Dog" as it is known in the states. This gratuitous, slick and seemingly artificial recounting of a real murder story was disturbing and even disorienting. A word to the wise - if you find yourself travelling and home sick for some modern americana, don´t see this movie! You`d be better off popping into a McDonald´s and grabbing something off the 3 pesos menu - not that we`ve done that or anything...

We also took a Tango class. Aidana told us it would take a year of practice to get good and after spending 10 minutes merely walking to the beat of the music we believe her - yikes...

We are off to a "tenedor libre" parilla (all you can eat grill). I know, I know - try not to envy us too much!!

Hasta Luego,
xoM+A

Hello from San Telmo, Buenos Aires and welcome to our first semi-weekly blog posting. It´s for real, yo.

First off, it´s true and not exaggerated: Buenos Aires is still extremely cheap, especially for a cosmopolitan locale. Argentina´s peso crashed in 2001 and it still sits around 3:1 with the US dollar. Here are some items from our first grocery receipt (converted to US dollars for your convenience):

Very drinkable bottle of red or white wine: 80 cents
Beef Tenderloin: 3.50 u$s / pound
Big bag of addictive cookies known as Pepitas: 1 u$s

You can get a cafe con leche with 3 medialunas (croissants) for 2 u$s and a 3 course steak dinner for two with a bottle of wine and 10 percent tip for about 25 u$s.

We don´t really know what anybody is saying, until they take pity on us for our deer-caught-in-headlights expressions and either slow down or speak in English. Not that we aren´t trying to use the bit of Spanish we have learned, but the (blended) words come at you rather fast... We´ve had some successes, but our favorite mistake so far is probably: Excuse me, can I use your salad? Luckily, they figured out that salt is easier to share than salad.

So how do we feel? Pretty darn good if we´re talking about the feeling of a bidet vs. toilet paper. Seriously, it just makes sense. We will be the first family in Bend, Oregon with a bidet.

We like our neighborhood, San Telmo (picture left). It´s a bit gritty, the old-world architecture is beautiful, the streets are cobblestone, and it is known for Tango and antiques. We saw some free Tango dancing in the Plaza on Sunday (hot!), and took in a Tango music show with a famous bandonen (tango accordion) player by the name of Leopoldo Frederico. The music is very passionate and grand - the lead singer (a gentleman of 60 or so very well-dressed with silver hair) was actually beating his chest intermittently. Of course, we're not quite sure what he was so riled up about, but I'm thinking it had something to do with a woman!

About to get bounced from this Internet Cafe but need to mention the Lord of the Flies scene we encountered. Check out the last pictures below. We stumbled upon thousands of mostly middle school aged kids while taking a walk to the waterfront´s ecological reserve. One of the niñas told me there was no school in honor of the first day of Spring. All the kids seemed to know where to go, and the adults seemed to know to stay away (we did our best to play it cool). Kids don´t organize like this in the States. Occasional whifs of mota were in the air. The kids seemed largely separated based on which side of the tracks they were from. To the south, there were edgier dressed little folk wearing not so pricy clothes, and to the north, preppy; which, as far as we can tell so far, seems to mirror the city itself, with upscale and middle class Recoleta and Palermo in the North, and La Boca in the south.

You can see more of our first week pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronboydyo/200709170924BuenosAires

Till next time...

xoM+A