Tokyo-a-go-go

We didn't it last two days of our trip in Tokyo. For this portion of the trip, we stayed with my friend Leina and her husband Yusuke. We successfully navigated the Shinkasen from Kyoto to Tokyo. This time we went for reserved seats which definitely confirmed that we had selected a suitable train.

Once in Tokyo, we headed by can to Leina's apartment. Yusuke was out at a business meeting, but Leina showed us around her neighborhood, Roppongi. First stop was to grab lunch then we checked out the view of Tokyo from the Roppongi Hills sky deck. It was our first clear day in a while and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, out sky deck ticket included a trip to the starry night exhibit. We had to take it shoes off and walk through a dizzying room filled with "stars" everywhere you looked, up, down, left, right. It was almost nauseating.

After meandering our way back to the apartment, we just relaxed until dinner time. Leina introduced us to the some surprising local cuisine, Italian food. We asked pasta, pizza, caprese salad as roasted veggies. Unexpected, but delicious. After dinner, we nursed drinks over several games of darts (my eye-hand coordination is seriously lacking).

We headed back to the apartment for the night where I got my own room for the first time in weeks. Dan has been a great roommate add very receptive to me poking him when caught snoring, but given that I got over nine hours of solid sleep in a room to myself might be an indication that I was a little sleep deprived.

We spent our final full day in Tokyo checking out various neighborhoods, starting with the Tsukiji fish market. We wandered through the stalls of the outer market trying out food from various stalls. We tried everything from crab miso to a cooked various shellfish cooked using torches on a shell. But the real treat was super fresh tuna sushi.

We also checked out Shibuya (home to the Hello Kitty train) and Harajuka (where the kids hang out after school) before finally getting our first taste of gyoza. We attempted to eat gyoza a couple times previously but never found any at the right moment. Leina did not let us down by taking us to the best gyoza shop in Tokyo. I think we could have all eaten plenty more but we had dinner reservations and wanted to save or appetites.

It was a good thing we did, because of last dinner in Tokyo was probably our best. Yusuke and Leina took us to a a Japanese barbecue (yakiniku) spot for dinner. We tried a bit of everything from cow tongue (two cuts, both delicious) to cow stomach (flavorless and cherry) and everything in between. It was really just a bite or two of various cuts, just enough to leave you wanting more but not full.

We finished it the trip with a few more rounds of darts. Miraculously, to everyone, I actually won a round.

While Japan was not high on my list of travel destinations, this was a great trip that I will always remember fondly. And given the amazing powder and food, I just might find myself in the land rising sun again soon!

Golden Pavilion, Take 2

We decided to sleep in on our second night Kyoto and take a more relaxed approach to seeing the city. Since we missed the Golden Pavilion during our city tour, we decided to head there first. It started raining, so after we got off the train, we decided to haul a cab rather than figure out the bus route.

By the time we arrived at the pavilion, the rain turned in to the most beautiful, fluffy snowflakes. I was so excited that I was going to have the chance to see the pavilion in the snow after all. Since it was Monday, and the was not any able in the forecast, the crowds were nothing like they were the day before. We were able to get some great shots of this magical place. Almost immediately after leaving, the snow stored and the sun came out. Had we arrived ten minutes earlier or later, we would have missed it altogether.

After the pavilion, we headed to the Nishiki market. Given that the snow stopped, we opted to try navigating the bus to get there. Thankfully, Google helped us along the way. It is amazing how much easier it had been to navigate Japan in the Google/smartphone era than it was when I was here years ago.

We walked up and down the stalls of the market for a while, but I think the go go go schedule we've been on caught up with us a bit so we decided to catch a nap before heading out to the Gion district for dinner.

Gion is known for geishas, but I think they were hiding out from the rain. We only caught a couple glimpses, nothing long enough for a photo shoot. We did find a great yakitori spot for dinner before heading back to our hotel in order to get ready for our to to Tokyo.

Apres Tour

Fortunately our first two days after the tour were kindly planned out by Leina so we just had to follow directions. According to our itinerary, we were supposed to spend the morning at the Itsukushrina shrine. We took a train to the Mr. Miyagi station (OK, not the real name but it was a useful mnemonic device). And from there we headed boarded a quick ferry to the Miyajima island.

I thought it would be a good idea to start by taking the ropeway to the peak of the island and then make our way down. I was wrong. It turns out that it takes a couple days to recover from six consecutive days of snowboarding, and I wasn't recovered. Neither was Dan but we struggled through the uneven, up and down path back to the shrine.

Unfortunately, during our hike, the tide went out so the famous floating shrine was actually sitting just above muddy sludge. I assume this took away some of the magic of the site, but it was still interesting. And the gate to the shrine remained awe inspiring in the water further out.

We spent the afternoon at the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima. I'm not sure I will ever fully recover from this. Every picture, every video, every description of the destruction is burned in my heart and mind. It is unbelievable that there were any survivors at all. If anyone is planning a trip to Japan, this is worthy of a visit. You may want to bring tissues.

In the evening, we found out way to Kyoto. With all the platforms and trains coming and going we were excited to find the right train. Of course, it only took five minutes into the ride to realize that we were wrong about this. The train, was going to stop in Kyoto, but was also not one covered by our Japan rail passes. Fortunately, the conductor was very nice and helped us figure out how to get to there. We got off at the next stop and then had to make one more connection but we did eventually make it.

I loved Kyoto on my previous visit to Japan and was super excited to revisit the city. We booked an all day tour to check out the sites. Our first stop was to the Nijo Castle. I remembered this place because of the squeaky floors that prevented unwanted visitors from sneaking in. Whenever we arrived, we were the only your bus and had the entire grounds to ourselves. With the unusual snowy weather, the gardens and grounds were amazing.

The next stop on the tour was my favorite place from my last visit, the Golden Pavilion. I was super excited to see it covered with snow. Unfortunately, so was everyone else in the entire city. It was a wall of visitors with umbrellas threatening to poke out eyes out. Our tour guide wasn't able to penetrate the masses to even get near the ticket counter. As a result, we had to leave on order to continue the tour. Needless to say, I was super disappointed.

The rest of the tour consisted of a few more Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. All made more interesting due to the dry humor and comic running of our awesome you guide, Makiko. She definitely kept us laughing throughout the day which almost made up for the super disappointment of missing the Golden Pavilion.

Goodbye Hokkaido

After three days of snowboarding on the western side of Hokkaido, we headed east, to the less touristy side. Our first spot was a small mountain called Kamui. The best part of this mountain was the complete lack of lines. In fact, there were so few people that we often had wide open runs all to ourselves. Although the powder was spectacular, even the on piste runs were great. The only real problem was that accessing some of the best powder required a long traverse back out. This was such a calf burner for me and quad burner for Howard that we had to stop for lunch while the skiers (and other snowboarder) went for one shot try at it. We did give it one more run after lunch but somehow the traverse got even longer so we called it a day soon thereafter.

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped for a sake tasting. We tried a wide variety of sweet and dry sakes, including an award winning variety. While my palette is not accustomed to sake, even I could recognize the superiority of the winning variety.

Our next two days were spent at Furano. We were supposed to go to another resort but the high winds caused us to seek shelter in the trees at Furano. I was finally able to use my powder board (although, I'm sure in the States I would have used it for all the days in equivalent conditions). The snow at Furano was truly epic. Waist deep in parts, light and fluffy. And I should know since I didn't a lot of time sitting, rolling over, and struggling to stand up in the deep snow.

Once the sun went down and we worked out way to the base though, it was frigid. So much so, I got a little frostbite on my cheek (don't worry, it didn't turn black and fall off) and we could see our breaths in the car ride for, what seemed like hours, but was probably only fifteen minutes.

Our second day at Furano wasn't nearly as fun as the first. The snow seemed heavier, as did my legs. The fatigue of six straight, full days of snowboarding was hitting me hard. I was feeling pretty good after lunch until we did our second run and realized that my legs had turned to jello. Everyone was done for at this point so we called it a day on the earlier side and headed back to the hotel.

Both Dan and I had hoped that or early finish would be rewarded with a pre-dinner massage but nothing was available. Instead I spent nearly an hour at the onsen, touring the hot pools, cold pools, steam room and sauna.

We celebrated the end to our successful your with a sukiyaki dinner as a group before heading back to the hotel to pack and prepare for the second half of our trip.

Guest Blogger

Lucinda: I'm behind on my blog. 

Dan: Uh oh. The masses are a awaiting your update. 

Lucinda: If only I allowed guest bloggers then you could get to do it too. It is the best. 

Dan: Are you trying to Tom Sawyer me?

Lucinda: Never! But it would be an honor ... for you. You will be the first ever. 

Dan: Do I have full editorial control?

Lucinda: Yes. Wait ... what do you mean. 

Tales from the Other Twin Bed

Lucinda is so fortunate to have a great travel mate like me. 

Lucinda: Stop! You no longer have full editorial control. No fake news here. 

Dan: Fine...

Lucinda is the best travel mate. By the sixth night she cured my (very minor) snoring. Her method:

- Night 1: Observation

- Night 2: Poked me once with a ski pole that she kept near the bed

- Night 3: One ski pole poke

- Night 4: One ski pole poke

- Night 5: New hotel with closer beds. Kicked me (once)

- Night 6: Asked me nicely not to snore ... and no snoring!

Lucinda: Stop!

Dan: What?

Lucinda: I am not a monster. 

Dan: Of course not. 

Lucinda: My followers want to hear about the trip. Blog about that. 

Dan: Okay okay.  But next time. Good blogs keep people wanting more. 

Stay tuned for more Tales from the Other Twin Bed!

Rutsusu, Niseko & Kiroro

We headed to the resort of Rutsusu for our first day on the slopes. Daniel, our guide insisted that the snow would only be ok because it hadn't snowed in a few days so we should plan on bringing our standard gear. It only took two runs to discover that Daniel's standard of "just ok" conditions was equivalent to our description of a powder day. We spent the day gliding through the trees and over large stalks of bamboo. It took a few turns to realize that the bamboo was okay to just board over since it was often several feet tall. If you tried to avoid it completely, you would never be able to make it through a tree run. Great first day! Makes you wonder what the Japanese version of powder is.

The resort for day two, Niseko, was much larger than Rutsusu. In fact it is four resorts that all connected at the top. The chair to get to the very top was a one seat chair lift that they referred to as a "pizza box" chair. It was a little disconcerting at first given that there are no arm rests and barely a back to the chair. Fortunately, we only had to ride one once. The conditions were not great so after a few runs we decided to call it a day at Niseko and look for some back country runs.

Our first stop after Niseko was the hotel to grab some gear and then to a rental shop to rent snowshoes. If you have never used snowshoes before, I don't recommend you do it for the first time up a mountain with a snowboard and snowboard boots strapped to your back. It was a beautiful, but exhausting hour+ hike up hill (sometimes sliding downhill). I will admit, that the turns we got in fresh powder were great, but I definitely prefer chairlifts to do the work to get me to the top. 

Day 3, we hit up the resort, Kiroro. Surprisingly, I still had legs left after the previous day's hike. Although, it may have had a lot to do with the Advil I was popping like candy, and our spectacular dinner the previous night of Ghengis Kahn. Yes, that it right, we ate Ghengis Kahn for dinner! It was the Japanese version of Korean barbecue but with perfectly round pieces of delicious lamb. All that protein definitely helped out with recovery from the hike.

Kiroro powder was a little heavier than we found in Rutsusu so we stuck mostly to groomers in the morning, but we did find a couple nice spots in the afternoon. Most of our group chilled out in the cafeteria after lunch, but Dan and I came to ski, dammit, and we were the first back on the slopes. A private tour of the powder with our guide led to the best powder of the day. All in all, great so far. The question is, will Advil be enough to get me through three more days?

 

Sapporo in Sapporo

Returning to Japan is not helping me catch up with my grandma in our competition to visit the most countries (she's not really competing, but at 137 countries under her belt, she doesn't have to). Competition aside, I'm super excited to spend the next week exploring the ski slopes of Hokkaido. 

Dan and I arrived in Sapporo in the evening so we didn't get a chance to see a whole lot the first night. We found our way out of the Sapporo station (not easy) and walked, suitcases in tow, to our hotel. After checking in, we headed back out in search of a bite to eat and a Sapporo to drink (when in Rome...). We succeeded on the food, but failed on the drink and had to settle for Kirin instead.

After a great night's sleep, day two led us to our first great meal of the trip, soup curry. I first read about soup curry in the Japan rail travel guide that came with out rail passes, and then was pleased to discover that the #1 restaurant in Sapporo, according to TripAdvisor is called Soup Curry & Dining Suage. We decided that this was a sign to find our way there. We had to walk to snowy streets, past the Sapporo radio tower and Hello Kitty construction barricades, but eventually we found ourselves second in line just before the restaurant opened. The reviews did not disappoint. Not only was the soup delicious, they also carried Sapporo beer so we were able to check Sapporo in Sapporo off our list. 

Buenos Aires

Our days in Buenos Aires were far more relaxing than I expected. Our first day we bought some groceries and then just lounged around the apartment (still recovering from Mendoza and our early morning flight). We had dinner reservations so eventually we motivated enough to get dressed and head out. 

Dinner was an eight course tasting menu with wine pairings. In other words, we followed up two full days of drinking with seven plus glasses of wine with dinner. The food was fabulous and the restaurant was nice enough to swap out seafood for Dan and I with equally delicious foods.

As a result of our night out, we took advantage of the blackout blinds in our rooms and slept in rather late. Given the gloomy, rainy weather on day two, we opted to check out the Recolleta cemetery. Finding the cemetery itself was much easier than finding the entrance but once we did we made our pilgrimage to Evita's tomb. I was a bit surprised to find it adorned with flowers left by other pilgrims but happy to discover no tears on the cheeks of other visitors (she would have hated that).

By this point we were rather wet so we made our way to a nearby cafe for a late lunch. We hung out at the cafe for several hours hoping for the rain to let up. It didn't so we venture back out in the rain. Dan headed home while Holly and I headed to a tango shoe store so that she could buy shoes prior to our upcoming tango lesson. Once in the store, I had to buy some new dance shoes too. They had so many more options than I've found in dance shoe stores in the US. 

The rain caused us to be a little late to our tango lesson but we caught on quick (or at least looked good in our new shoes). Even though we were only slowing gliding across the floor, we warned up quickly and had a great time. Now we just need to find more classes when we get home. 

After class we met up with Dan for dinner and another tasting menu (this time, 16 courses). We decided to skip the optional wine pairings this time and just order by the glass. By the time we finished dinner it was 12:30. We felt like real Argentineans. 

Days 3 and 4 started similar to the previous. Sleep in late and then take the subway into town. We were awed by the bookstore in a converted theater. Exercised our pinkies during high tea. Shivered as we browsed antiques in a poorly insulated warehouse. 

We finished of our trip with one final tango lesson followed by a tango show. During the show, we realized just how beginner our classes were. I'm not sure my feet are capable of moving fast enough to master the dance but I'm willing to try a few more lessons. Perhaps I will have to return to Argentina some day to see if I'm successful. Now back to the real world.

35 Wines

I guess when you live so close to the wine region it never occurs to you to go wine tasting two days in a row. However, we only had three days in Mendoza and spent two of them trying out two of the wine regions.

For our first tour we hired a private guide, Miguel, to take us to the Uco wine region. On this tour we stopped at the wineries. Each winery was both more generous than those in  the US with both information and wine. The "tastes" were nearly full glasses. By the time we made it to our lunch stop at the third winery, we were a bit buzzed. So much so that after lunch Holly and I found a nice spot in the sun for an hour-long siesta. Unfortunately, this left us a bit groggy for dinner. Since we booked our reservation several months in advance, we rallied but didn't find that restaurant was as good as the winery where we stopped for lunch.

Our second tour was a group tour to the Lujan region. We learned from our previous day to pace ourselves. Particularly important given that we had four stops on this tour. On this tour, in addition to tasting wines we also tried our hands at blending wines. After thinking mine tasted pretty good, we tied the winemaker's blend and decided to leave it to the professionals.

I think one of the most interesting things about the region is the fact that Mendoza is essentially a dessert at the foot of the Andes. The Andes provided a dramatic backdrop but apparently does not deliver a significant amount of water.

When all was said and done, we tasted somewhere in the realm of 35 wines in two days. Now we just have to figure out how to get our two plus cases home without incurring significant airline fees.

Perito Moreno

Our visit to El Calafate was more if a flyby than a real visit. Although our entire stay was just over 24 hours, we made the most of it. The purpose of the visit was to see the Perito Moreno glacier. 

We booked a tour to take us to the glacier and were a little dismayed to get picked up by a fifty person bus. Fortunately, the group was split into two groups for the tour and we were in the much smaller English speaking group. 

The glacier itself looked almost unreal. Fifty meter high sheer cliffs of ice rose out of the water. As we approached the glacier by boat it didn't look possible that we would be walking on it, but shortly after disembarking the boat we were standing on crampons and walking on the ice. From a distance, the ice looked smooth and slick, but as we got closer, much of it looked more like a large pile of hale. 

Walking up the glacier was not too difficult but when walking downhill we couldn't help but be surprised that they didn't require us to sign a waiver promising not to sue. For me, the highlight of walking downhill was watching Holly walk downhill. If it was less treacherous I would have filmed it so that I could watch it every time I needed some cheering up. Our guide Luis recognized Holly's discomfort and took it on himself to personally guide her back down the glacier for which she was extremely grateful. 

We celebrated our sage return to solid ground with a bit of whisky chilled by a chunk of glacier.

After the hike, we made one more stop before heading back to town. Because of the high winds we checked out several viewing platforms before hiding out in the cafe. 

Passport Problems

Our first morning on Easter Island, Christophe gave us a brief town tour. During this tour he mentioned that we could go to the produce post office and get an Easter Island stamp in our passports. We liked this idea and decided that we would head there on the following day when they were open (it was Sunday). When we arrived the next morning I realized that I didn't have my passport with me. I was surprised but not alarmed by this discovery. I just assumed that it must be back at the hotel and decided that I would just return to the post office on Tuesday. 

We spent the rest of the day touring the island and taking photos. When we returned to the hotel in the evening I went in search of my passport. I removed everything from all my bags but couldn't find it. Colleen also went through everything followed by Holly and Dan but to no avail. Next Colleen and I returned to the airport to ask there but they were closed for a couple hours. 

In the morning we went to PDI (Police station) and I spent about an hour with an officer filing a report. We each had phones on hand so we could use our translator apps as I struggled to explain the situation in Spanish and he struggled to ask questions in English. Meanwhile Holly and Dan went to the LAN office to see about changing our tickets to Santiago. We took a small break in the filing of the report when Holly's phone autocorrect mistakenly led me to believe the airline had my passport. 

Unfortunately our tickets were not changeable but I was able to purchase a new ticket for the flight leaving that afternoon back to Santiago so that I could have a day to go to the embassy. Colleen was generous in booking me a hotel room using her points so I wouldn't have to scramble to find a place to stay and within a couple hours I was on my way back leaving Holly and Dan on Easter Island (Colleen was already booked on this flight and heading back to the US).

Upon arriving in Santiago I immediately checked with the LAN office to see if they had found it (by this point we had to assume that it feel out of my bag on the plane to Easter Island). Although she seemed to be flipping through several passports, mine was not one of them. 

In the morning I walked to the embassy and began the process of getting a temporary party so that I could continue on to Argentina in the morning. This involved a lot of waiting with no entertainment (I had to give up my phone and kindle to security). Fortunately after a long wait, I was happy to learn that they would be able to get me a new passport that afternoon. 

It was a stressful and expensive reminder to always return my passport immediately to my wallet. But at least I discovered the error with enough time to do something about it and continue my vacation.

Rapa Nui

I really don't know what to say about Easter Island (Rapa Nui). I had been wanting to go for so long that I don't even remember what triggered it. I will say that it is even more magical than I expected. 

Our first full day on the island started with a few sights that are walking distance from town. First, we went to the museum for a little background info. Although interesting, we didn't learn much since Holly had been binge watching documentaries and passing her knowledge on to the rest of us. Next we went to our first ahu (platform for the moai). Ahu Tahai has the only moai with eyes - although, there are actually replications.

After lunch we rented a car and stopped at several sites on our way to the quarry. This was nothing like I expected (especially since it looked like a hill rather than a quarry). However it was amazing. We stayed until they closed and knew we hadn't seen enough. Just as we were about to leave we caught a glimpse of a rainbow in the distance ending on top of the most famous ahu on the island - Ahu Tongariki.

Day two started back at Tongariki followed by a return visit to the quarry. We weren't the only ones to try to catch the sunrise at Tongariki ( it was a bust - too many clouds) but we were the only ones to go to the quarry. So far nearly an hour we had it all to ourselves. In addition to the moai we'd already seen, we also found the kneeling moai (only one of its kind) and then checked out the crater on the other side of the hill. We found many partially buried and toppled moai there too.

Side note: How did we only learn a couple months ago that moai had bodies? Archeologists have been restoring the ahu for over 60 years. I'm guessing we just assumed because of photos from the quarry - particularly of my favorite moai which Holly named Edward.

After several more moai sightings, we went to dinner and traditional dance show. It was a lot like going to a luau in Hawaii but worth less fire and terrible drinks.

One more thing... You can see in the photo above that many moai have it had topknots (the red rock crowns on their heads). In San Francisco, you also see many men with topknots (aka man buns). Just like most of the moai lost there topknots over time, we can only hope for a similar fate for man buns.

No Vamos a Valparaiso

I On our third day of skiing I was riding a chairlift with Dan. I turned to him and raised as concern about going tip Valparaiso after six days of skiing (this is before I took a day off). Valparaiso is built into the side of a hill and is known for its steep hills. I wasn't sure how my legs would feel about this. Apparently on the previous chairlift, Colleen raised similar concerns to Dan. So rather than heading to the coast for our last two days in mainland Chile, we changed our reservation and decided to stay in Santiago. (This turned out particularly well for Colleen because she caught my cold - but had it much worse).

Holly arrived at out new hotel in Santiago at the same time as us and after freshening up, Holly, Dan and I headed to the Los Domenicos neighborhood to check out a local crafts market and then back to Barrio Bellavista for lunch. After lunch we took a funicular to the top of Cerro San Cristobal. Colleen, Dan and I tried this last week but the funicular was closed for maintenance. In a way I'm glad because it was a much clearer day this time around. You really get a sense of the vastness of Santiago from there. 

We attempted to return to our hotel on foot but Holly was clearly hitting a wall after her red eye flight and Dan and I were more than happy to hop back on the subway to return to the hotel. 

We started our last day in Santiago right. 80 minute massages to relieve our muscles after the weeklong ski trip and prepare us for part 2 of our adventure. Next up Easter Island (aka Rapa Nui)! 

Ski Arpa y Portillo

After three nights in Farrellones we moved to the town of Los Andes. It was nice to be in a hotel with room to spread out. The downside was our room was 85 degrees. When I spoke to reception he suggested we open the window. I think this cooled the room down to 84. At one point during the night I was so hot that I stood next to the window for ten minutes to cool down. Even the tap water only came in two temperatures - hot and hotter. The only good news was I think the heat helped me sweat out most of my cold. 

In the morning we headed off to Ski Arpa. This is a ski cat resort which means that there are no pomas. The drive from town was a little scary. We drove up a dirt road just wide enough for one car. The road was a series of very tight switch backs up the side of a mountain. I was glad to not be driving but would have appreciated a seatbelt.

Once we arrived, we had a quick safety talk and hopped on the ski cat. After several days of cloudy skies and high winds, we were blessed with a bluebird day. The only way the day could be better is if there was fresh snow, but we still managed to find some soft spots. I think both Colleen and I were happy that we had taken the previous day off because we needed fresh legs to manage the steep drops and areas with styrofoam-like snow.

Just before our final run, the clouds in the distance cleared and we got a spectacular view of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Andes. We decided this was a good time for a photo shoot. It was a good thing too because just as our shoot finished the clouds rolled in and out sunny day turned cloudy.

The next day we headed to Portillo. This is the most famous resort in Chile. It is also the resort that sent me an email that led to our Chile adventure in the first place.

This was our last day of skiing and I think most of us were pretty tired. The resort is really amazing if you are fine with pomas, as you will remember - I'm not. They have several multi person pomas which look like a disaster waiting to happen. I opted out and stick to the basic groomed runs available via chairlifts. 

After lunch I was forced to do one more poma, but once again, the poma won. Rather than give it the chance to school me further, I took off my board and hiked to the top of the lift. Halfway up I regretted this but was at the point of no return. Fortunately, it was the end of the day and I was able to recover/sleep on the drive back to Santiago.

Tengo Gripo (I have a cold)

I woke up on day three with a cold. This did not stop me from heading to the slopes for the third day in a row. We headed to Villa Nevada which is the highest resort in Tres Valles. It was clearly the resort with the most Americans and the most snowboarders. Perhaps there is a correlation but I have no evidence to back this up. 

After only two runs we took another poma. I'm happy to report that I somehow managed to make it to the top. Although, when the group was given the option to spilt so that the snowboarders (Colleen and I) could stick to chair lifts, we jumped at the chance. I was happy to finish the day Lucinda: 1, Loma: 0.

Considering it was our third day in a row snowboarding, I was expecting a shorter day. However, we kept going until nearly 5:00. By this point my legs felt like rubber and I was in desperate need of a long stretching session. 

Given my cold, after stretching I decided to nap before dinner. And after dinner it seemed like time to go to sleep.

When I woke up I felt marginally better than the day before but still suffering from a cold.  This didn't stop me from putting my snowboard on again. However, the icy run, combined with my tired legs and cold had me taking it right back off. I hoped to go back out once the sun warned up the slopes but the weather had other ideas. Winds kicked up and all the chairlifts  shutdown leaving plans as the only option. This was not my kind of option so I opted for hot chocolate. 

The rest of our crew finished around 2:00 and we ate a traditional Chilean lunch - fondue, before getting in the bus to head to our next destination. 

Santiago Y Mas

I spent my first morning in Santiago with the United Airline Baggage Services. Apparently, my suitcase decided 5 hours was not enough time to enjoy the Houston airport and skipped the flight. Since there is only one flight per day to Chile, it looked like I was going to have to do a little shopping.

We fought off our desire to sleep and after a quick shower we caught a ride with a friendly Uber driver to a Barrio Bellavista. This neighborhood seemed a little sleepy but after a strolling around a little we realized that it must come alive at night since it seemed every other establishment was a nightclub.

After lunch we walked to the center of town to look for a few items to hold me over until my suitcase arrived. Our jet lag was quickly catching up to us so we just tried to kill time until it was acceptable to eat dinner.  Just before dinner we found a park with some spectacular sculptures. After just a few minutes we realized that this park was a favorite with young couples. There were couples snuggled up every few feet. It was borderline uncomfortable for Colleen, Dan and I but we ventured on and took in the entire park.

Finally, we decided it time to eat and found ourselves at a nice wine bar that served several Chilean and Argentinian wines by the glass. We stretched out our dinner so that by the time we finished the restaurant it was finally an acceptable hour to eat dinner in Santiago.

Day two was the start of our tour and thankfully the return of my suitcase. We returned to the airport and met our guides Vicente and Claudio. It took us a little while to get to Farallones but we still managed to have a group meeting before heading to Valle Colorado for our first day on the slopes.

One thing I’m not loving about the ski resorts in Chile is the extensive use of T-Bars and Poma Lifts. These are not snowboard-friendly methods to the top of the mountain. On day one, in the battle between Lucinda and the T-Bars, it was T-Bars 4, Lucinda 3. Perhaps I will catch up by the end of the trip but I’d prefer to retire from the T-Bars altogether.

After a couple hours on the slopes we took a break for an avalanche safety course in the unlikely event of an avalanche. Just before we all froze on top of the mountain, we finished the class and snowboarded back down to our lodge for the first half of our tour.

We enjoyed a spectacular sunset, followed by a steak dinner and then a well deserved night of sleep.

Day two, we headed to Ski La Parva. At this resort we made our first climb of the trip. About halfway up, I had a newfound respect for the people I see climbing Granite Chief at Squaw. I also discovered that they were crazier than I thought. By the time we made it to the top, my legs felt like jello and my lungs were burning. It took about 40 minutes to get up and about 1 minute to snowboard down. The snow was great, in fact the best we found all day, but I would have preferred a shorter climb and longer ski.

After a couple more runs on piste, we broke for lunch where we were introduced to a Chilean specialty – Chorrillanas. This was a giant plate of French fries topped with chicken, steak, chorizo, hotdogs, grilled onions and three fried eggs. I’m not sure I’m ready to eat this dish again anytime soon, but after the long morning of snowboarding, it hit the spot.

After lunch, I began my battle with the Poma Lift. Poma Lift 4, Lucinda 1. Eventually Vincente took pity on me and took us to a chair lift. From there, we took a long ride all the way back to the village and called it a day. It was a good thing too, because, we still have several days of snowboarding still to come.

In Search of Snow

It is finally time for a new adventure. There were a few months early in the year when I was pretty depressed. Not only was there hardly any snow in California, but I also didn't have any trips planned. Not even a short one. Then one day while chilling in the cabin in Tahoe dreaming about snow I remembered this email that I received a couple days earlier from Ski Portilla. I jokingly talked with Dan and Colleen about going to Chile in the summer if it didn't start snowing soon. 

Well, within a few weeks we went from joking about it to researching options to booking a tour. And once we were committed to heading all the way to Chile, we figured why not have Holly join us and head to Easter Island. 

(Yeah, it's not that close but you can only get there via Chile, Peru and Fiji and I've always wanted to go. It didn't hurt that I was feeling a little jealous that my mom's friend Sue had a trip booked and I didn't want to feel left out.)

Oh, and did I mention that Chile is right next to Argentina? I spent a couple hours in Argentina at Iguazu Falls when I was traveling in Brazil, but they refused to stamp my passport so I'm not sure it counted. And this way I get to check out Patagonia, Mendoza and Buenos Aires. So what started as a desire to have at least one really good day snowboarding in 2015 quickly turned into a 3 1/2-week expedition. 

As usual, I will brag blog about it along the way for those of you interested in living vicariously or, like my family, want to make sure I'm still alive.   

Operation: Rescue Holly

Colleen and I flew out to San Antonio, Texas on Saturday with one mission: help Holly pack up her apartment, sell her car, and drive her back home to California. To assist in this mission we rented a white Chevy Impala that we have named Grandma Pearl. We fit all our bags in Grandma Pearl's ample trunk and if Carmax will hurry up with the paperwork, we will get the hell out of Texas.

Last Few Days and a Little Advice

I learned a somewhat obvious life lesson on the road from Myvatn to Akureyri and I thought I should share. If you see an amazing waterfall just across a bridge and a rest stop before the bridge, stop and use the bathroom before heading to the waterfall. You will enjoy it far more. I recommend this even if you don't think you need to go because as soon as you step out of the car to the roar of the falls, you'll regret it.

The waterfall that taught me this lesson was the last of the well known falls I would see on my tour of the island. It's named Godafoss (waterfall of the gods), named because some tribal leader dumped all his pagan idols into it when he converted to Christianity.

After a short while longer, I arrived in Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland with a whopping population of 17,000. Compared to every town I've stayed in outside Reykjavik, it was huge. I was thrilled to have more than two dining choices.

The following day I had a long drive back to Reykjavik, nearly 400 kilometers in a single day. The drive, while long, was just as scenic as every other drive in the country. After several hours and a few stops, I finally made it back to the capital.

My last day in Reykjavik was spent touring around, including a free walking tour, which I highly recommend, and some window shopping. I considered bring some souvenirs and gifts, but after nearly two weeks drinking $5 coffees and eating $30 hamburgers, I couldn't bring myself to buy a $40 t-shirt or $70 mud mask.

My recommendation... go to Iceland but budget to spend a lot of money on food and lodging. Fortunately, nature I'd free. And don't worry about GPS :)

Frozen Fosses

From Borgarfjord, it was time to start heading west. I took the scenic route to Lake Myvatn, stopping first at Dettifoss. Dettifoss, is not the biggest or tallest waterfall in Iceland but apparently it is the largest in terms of the volume of water posing over it per year. Just beyond Dettifoss, is Selfoss. If Dettifoss was a large fist, Selfoss, were its delicate, unclenched fingers. The only real disappointment was the non stop rain that prevented any rainbows from peaking out from the mist.

From Dettifoss, I continued north along a bumpy, gravel road to the coast. The drive along the coast was beautiful, one cliff after another drawing down to the sea. I stopped for a while in Husavik, the whale watching capitol of Iceland. I briefly contemplated jumping on one of the whale tours, but the thought of being out at sea in a small boat in the rain just didn't seem worth it.

The following morning I had booked a tour to the Lofthellir cave. When I woke and saw the rain was really coming down, I was happy that the cave would protect me from the rain. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate a fifteen minute walk over lava fields to get there. Once we arrived, we switched it off our shores into the rubber boots (equipped with metal studs to cling to the ice) they provide and headed into the cave. During the tour, we climbed icy slopes, slid down ice slides on our butts, repelled/slid on our sides, etc., to make our way from chamber to chamber of the cave. And we were rewarded for this hard work by amazing ice sculptures. By the time we saw one sculpture, named the Frozen Foss, I realized that there were in fact two frozen Fosses. My thin gloves were soaked from clinging to the ice and I was desperately wishing I had worn another layer. Fortunately our time in the cave was coming to an end before I lost any fingers out toes.

I took a short break after the tour to warn up (and add a layer) before heading out again to Dimmuborgir. This is another lava field, but unlike most, relatively flat fields, in this one the lava shot straight up in spots and froze. Walking through the park, it felt like the walls were really angry trolls starting down at me. Maybe they only looked angry because of the terrible weather, but it was a bit disconcerting.

My next stop was to the Myvatn Nature Baths. This is often called the Blue Lagoon of the North. In my opinion, it was a perfect way to return one frozen Foss back to a nice warm Foss after time spent in the cave and Dimmuborgir.

For dinner, I went to the Volcano Cowshed. I sat looking out the window at an actual cowshed. In fact, if you go at the right time, you can even watch them being milked and taste their fresh offerings. I did not go at the right time. But I did feel a little guilty eating a hamburger (it was quite good) while looking out at the cows. It felt a little like I was at `The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'.