Link to photos!

Muchas Gracias Jake!
Scroll down to the LINKS section and click to see some photos from the trip thus far. There will be more when there is more time to sit still...but this is not that time! Love from Esquel, Patagonia!

photos!

So, we are departing from this wondrous place in Patagonia in a few hours. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to our new friends, but the rest of Sudamerica awaits. I have uploaded more pictures onto Flickr. If you know how to view them, my username is ibekb, and if you know tell me how to link Flickr to this blog! Ok, we are off to Puerto Madryn on an overnight bus and will awake to the Gulf and mating whales, sea lions, and more Patagonia splendor. We have a tentative plan to head to Puerto Madryn, Mendoza, Salta (all in Argentina), then to Bolivia for the salt flats, a mountain bike ride down the Worlds´s Most Dangerous Road (sorry mom!), and a trip into the amazon then into Peru and finally back to Chile for the Atacama Desert.
As always...this is tentative and we will try to keep in touch!
Mad love from a sore, smiling snowboarder and lover of Sudamerican culture!
Remind me to tell you the ¨You know you are in South America when...¨ stories sooner than later!
Hasta Pronto!

Learning Truco-Argentine Card Game

See more photos on our hostels website.
Sitting at the hostel, at about 4 am, trying (at least the two gringas (Kelly and I) in this photo are trying) to learn this tricky Argentine card game. The man sitting near me is the hostel owner and was extremely patient with our gringa-ness (a constant joke). The other smiling face is Sergio, a Mexican who speaks better English than Aaron (another reoccuring joke!). Since I descend from an avid card playing family where our bloodline contains Kem Card ink, I had no choice but to drink enough beer and yerba mate and to learn quickly.

In Truco you use this wacky Argentine deck of cards. There are 4 suits like our traditional deck, yet the suits are extremely different from my well-known clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds (one is supposedly a ¨branch¨ but it clearly resembles a strangely colored and skinned animal leg). Regardless, this game is all about table-talk, cheating, and lying. Needless to say we had a blast this evening, and when the alarmn went off the next morning, a mere 3 hours after I found my way to bed, I was up and chipper to head the mountain for a day of snowboarding with newfound backpacking friends.

Speaking of the mountain, yesterday was EPIC! I have become extremely fond of the sport of snowboarding and we found ourselves riding jar-dropping powder (no joke, waist deep at parts) at the biggest, most impressive resort I have ever seen. We (Amy, Cam, Miguel, Aaron and I) rode all day...well, until our legs were shaking from the incredibly long runs, and our arms exhausted from unburying ourselves from the deepness. Wow, being in Patagonia is everything I have hope, and more.

¡yerba mate!

I just have to write quickly about the past twenty four hours. We are settled in the best hostel in Patagonia (just typing the words ¨we¨, ïn¨, and ¨Patagonia¨ makes my heart smile) and we made some memories last night...in fact, this has to be quick because more memories are being made right behind me in the living room of this, the best hostel in Patagonia. But, we (Kelly, my friend from grad school, Aaron and I) are all staying in the same hostel and we sat with the owner, his girlfriend and a few other cohorts and drank yerba mate for 3 (if not more) hours before we collectively dined over homemade pizza. Turko, the hostel owner, and our newfound friend, taught us the Argentine tradition of drinking mate. I was even fortunate enough to gain the honor of being the ¨server¨. I was only criticized once when the water was a bit too cold (even the temperature of the water has to be precise for acceptance from the Argentines). I will recount this entire tradition when there isn´t so much interesting chatter behind me. Truly, being in Bariloche has been magical every moment, even despite today´s constant rain. I will tackle the photo chore tomorrow, just so we can share in the magic that is Patagonia!

¡Fresh air!

So, after two long bus rides (departed Santiago at 10pm, arrived in Osorno, Chile about 9 am, then to Bariloche...where we arrived about 5 pm) we are settled in a wonderful hostel in the quaint, slightly European ski town of Bariloche, Argentina. Even though we have only been here for 6 hours (mas o meños) I have fallen for this town. As Aaron stated earlier, most ski towns have a familiar feel. And, since we have been to most of the hot ski towns in the states, and even though we are a continent away, we have been able to easily soak in the jive of this place. Bariloche is notorious for its chocolate and Saint Bernards dogs (oh, plus the world class mountain resorts). I can´t wait to see a real working Saint Bernand when we head to the mountain. There are few memories from my elementary school years, but those fleeting memories are what tend to drive me daily. For instance, I vividly remember watching a film strip (wow, just typing ¨film strip¨ sure does date me) about Thai elephants. To be honest, I can´t remember why we were watching this film strip (more or less for which class) but seeing those elephants and a beautiful Thai man working with them, motivated our trip to South East Asia. Similarly, I remember seeing many pictures of Saint Bernards carrying Brandy in their barrels at ski resorts. AND NOW, I get to see these real majestic dogs in action. No worries, I will surely take the classic touristy shot of these wondrous animals with a big smile on my face. Oh, now I wholeheartedly miss my puppy!
Well, we are heading to bed. The lack of sleep from the overnight bus ride, and viño con cena will put a girl out for the night. I will be sure to write more in the morning. Plus, I think I can upload pictures here, keep your fingers crossed... The owner of this hostel is super wonderful. He drove us all over town this evening and also runs a computer jig on the side. His computer room is the best I have seen and I will ask for his help tomorrow to try to get some pictures up here! oh, and I also have to say that we had an incredible vegetarian meal this evening (cena = dinner). Since Argentina is the world´s destination spot for carne (meat), I persevered and convinced Aaron to comer (eat) dinner at this veggie spot. He was happily fed with the meal and we will surely return. The menu is a fixed plate with delicate pumpkin, beets, fried zucchini, crepes, gnocchi, and salad...to die for in the meat capital of South America. I did have to promise Aaron that we will go out with the crowd from our hostel tomorrow night as we head to the locals´ restaurant of choice (even I can´t hide from carnivorous Argentine men at a local dining spot! In fact, I am as eager for the adventure as the carnivores!). The hostel owner, Turko, assured me that I can eat a huge plate of pasta while the restaurant owner makes jokes at my vegetarianism...fair enough, eh?! PLUS, we are meeting Kelly (my friend from grad school) tomorrow. We are taking a week of Spanish classes together here in Bariloche. I am very excited to have another traveling partner. Oh, the fun just keeps going...
Hasta manaña!

¿My Brother?

This is torture!
What is the big news?
I am going crazy making guesses with Aaron! Mom, you can´t leave comments like that when I have no way to contact him (or anyone for that matter)! Someone give me a clue, or just tell me what I need to do to find out his ¨Big News¨!
I am dying down here!

Hitting the Andean slopes

¡Hola!
So, last Sunday we went to El Colorado. Not only did we spend the day snowboarding in the Andes, but this was the final game of the World Cup... So, we were able to take runs in between the championship game. Watching futbol with Latinos has topped my ¨favorites¨ list so far. Every Chilean rooted for Italy, for the French are as popular here as they are in the States. Needless to say, the game was a nail-biter and the ending was full of cheers, screaming, tears, and many joyful last runs on the mountain. The snow was incredibly fluffy powder and it snowed all day. We are headed back tomorrow with other students from school, tomorrow will be memorable without a doubt. The ride to-and-from the resort is SCARY! Imagine a shaky bus without chains, climbing switchbacks that outline heart-pounding drops. We did see the most incredible sunset on the way down. The rays peaking through the clouds under the jutting tips of the Andes...oh my...my words fail.

¿los baños?

I just learned the hard way that it is not common to have toilet paper in the bathrooms...chalk this up on the lessons learned chart. I have been trying earnestly to speak Spanish by trying to order food and drinks, asking for directions, repeating the cost of items and my change, and getting into conversations deeper than the ¨hello, how are you, what is your name...¨ This has been very fun, especially when my normal apprenhensions are surpressed by a few pisco sours. Aaron and I met a couple of amazing Chileans two nights ago. Clarita, Rodolfo, and ummm...I forgot the other guy´s name, but we are going to meet up and they will take us out and about in Santiago. Clarita and Rodolfo are photographers and speak enough English to make our funny circle of friends more than simply smiles and nods. I only brought one pair of pants with me, so it is time to make a purchase (oh, no need to worry, we can do laundry at our homestay!) and Clarita is just the person to take me out shopping.

Today it is raining and chilly. We were going to go on a trip with our school to the Concha y Toro vineyard, but with the rain we decided to wander around the city and watch the futbol game in a few hours. Oh yeah, I had no idea how crazy this area was about their soccer (futbol). A local Chilean team, ColoColo, just won a championship and there were parties in the streets to top all other parties in the world. I have many pictures...but imagine streets being forced to close because of the number of people chanting and dancing in the roads, young men climbing atop the street lights, well-known chats ringing throughout the country (no exaggeration)...it is was quite the cultural experience, for I can´t think of anything in the States that would get Americans that excited. Confetti, chants, songs, dances, smiles...it was a beautiful site!

Oh more thing...today is Anna and Ben´s wedding. Here is a virtual toss to the two of you: May your wedding day be beautifully full of smiles and laughter, and may you both have many, many beautiful years together. I can´t wait to see you both and to hear all about the wedding when I return! I love you!

¡HOLA! de Chile

Ok, this must be short and to the point, for Aaron and our peers are waiting for me amidst muchas cervecas, but...¡CHILE has exceeded expectations so far! We are taking Spanish classes in Santiago. Our classes full of learning, great teachers, fantastic new friends and the best homestay in the world. We are staying in the Provedencia neighborhood of Santiago, and our homestay is a true dream. She speaks English (whew), Spanish and French. So, I am brushing up on the little French I learned in high school, plus we have a private tutor for our Spanish homework. Her boyfriend is a famous Chilean sculptor and he uses recycled materials to create brilliance. ¡Plus! they go to their "farm" for every long weekend. Meaning, we have our own departimento in Santiago for 4 days each week.

It is amazingly difficult to learn a new language. I had a bad day in class today-- a bit tired, a bit frustrated, and I am lagging behind my peers. But, no need to worry I will study tonight (after the party with classmates) and will catch up (keep your fingers crossed for me!)

Ok...I am being happily summoned away from the internet cafe! More soon...please leave comments if you are checking here, for I am not sure if I should send out emails or just post on the blog!
We love and miss you!