Day 4-6, Mas bus!

More bus, less snow. In search of the perfect pow..it can't always be glamorous. Chile's weather forecast has been calling for about a meter and a half of new snow. Half the int'l team left for Chile on Friday, who knows where they are now. 3 of us stuck it out in Bariloche one more day to avoid the stress of catching the bus on a short notice. To burn time, we went to a national park and arrived with a broken camera. Probably the most beautiful sights I've seen since coming to Argentina and spent most of it trying to fix said camera. We walked around a small peninsula, befriending the homeless dogs, touring a Catholic church and trying to hitchhike back to town. Another night in the hostel in Bariloche, and an early wake-up call will take us on a trip to Chile.

Yesterday was a travel day..with fresh snow in Bariloche, no less. Missed the first bus by 5 minutes and spent a few hours drinking coffee and filling up on jamon y queso sandwiches. 11 hours later, our journey ended in Pucon, Chile, a small ski town NW of Bariloche. Staying in a comfy hostel with a very friendly host family. Okay with calling this home for a few days. Haven't explored town yet, but the casino is apparently where it's at.

It's been pouring in Pucon since we arrived last night around 11pm. All ready to ride this morning, we find out the mountain is closed...perhaps we'll have better luck tomorrow, but the weather forecast is promising lots of rain or very wet snow. Mother Nature has been disappointing, but if she shows us one good day, it will make it all worthwhile. A few days here and then....? Heading to Santiago next Saturday and flying to Buenos Aires on Sunday to wrap up the trip. One week down and not even a full day of riding yet.

Pray for pow....

Day 1, Just about done

48 hours of travel time finally left behind. Bariloche welcomed me this morning at the bus station just outside of town with 2 pesos to my name. Unexpected payments left me short on cash for little more than a bus ride on the public transportation. After 3 stops to the same woman at the tourist information desk, I timidly made my way over to the bus shelter. The policia standing by the bus helped me with all my bags, and we begin to head into town. Small shacks line the road, giving little indication that this is a ski or tourist town. Perhaps my notion of ski towns have been Americanized, but even after being dropped off in the heart of downtown, it felt I had closed my eyes and randomly picked a town from a map and said, ‘Yeah, I think I’ll bring my snowboard gear and see how that goes.’

The only indication of snow are the hordes of ‘snowboard’ shops and ‘surf’ shops that are as abundant as Starbucks. Even then, they seem to be only useful if you don’t mind dropping $$ on everything and want to dress in Burton from head to toe.

Hello, Bariloche. Time to explore. First stop, tourist information. Check. Second stop, ATM. Wait, was it on this corner or across the street? That looks like a bank…nope, cell phone shop. Ok, well, money can wait. These bags need to go. Hostel 41 Below. Seems chill. Are we there, yet? Oh, this looks nice! Shoot, I should check on their availability before hauling my gear up these 40 stairs. No rooms available? Ok, any suggestions for a hostel close by? Perikos? 2 blocks? Oh, uphill? Alright, thanks. I’ll check it out. Periko. Perkolis. Perfecto? Shit, what? Oh, this starts with a “P.” This is probably it. Hello, grandmother. (Nope, not it, but I’ll take a room!) 70 pesos, si? (Oh, damn!) Si, gracias. Showerrrrrrrr. Ooo, one of those toilet-sink lookin things that wash your butt. How pleasant!

3 hours after the end of the long bus ride, I’ve finally settled..for a night at least. Though there is plenty of time to catch the bus and head to Cerro Catedral, I opt to walk around and learn about this town. Lots of chocolate, cheap alcohol and good coffee. Not a bad place to end up for 2 weeks. Periko hostel finally comes within sight and I put down a reservation for tomorrow night. Anything to save a few bucks, I suppose.

Checking in with my American life, I ended up at a café for most of the evening, sending out emails and getting a draft of a story to an editor. Closing down the café, I’m eager to explore just a little more under the drizzling rain/snow that’s falling. Argentina is known for their late nightlife and dining, and plenty of restaurants were full of diners just getting their evening started. Looks nice, but too much food and money for what I wanted to spend. A nearby grocery store calls my name, and fresh baked bread, cheese and a liter of beer sounds exactly what I want for 4 bucks. Looks like breakfast will be mighty tasty.

No beer opener. Right. Well, the door jam will do just nicely. Enjoying my liter of beer. About to do some in-room yoga. Buenos noches y hasta manana.

deep down, we're all just a little material girl

park city's annual 80s prom went down on saturday. while i didn't get my groove on to any iron maiden that night, i was fortunate to have a few drinks with jenny beforehand.

yay. 80s.

vodka/monster, art and airplanes

mary jane's had an art opening last night at their main street store in park city. saturday night. during the first weekend of sundance. free bar. yeah.

erik otto. greg gossel. stella im hultberg. travis louie. joshua petker. oh it was good!

this was my first legit art show. these were names i've seen gracing the pages in juxtapoz. artists whose work i rip out from the magazine and pin to my bedroom wall because i can barely afford a print. the small, local openings i've been to were never on this level. the whole night reminded me of being on an airplane for the first time.

when i was 5, i went to disneyland and my parents told the flight attendant it was my first time flying. they said my name over the loudspeaker, congratulating me on this accomplishment and gave me one of those wings pins. it was all very anti-climatic. i thought people might applaud or the pilot would invite me into the cockpit or i would at least get an extra pack of in-flight crackers. nothin except a handshake and a free souvenir. but it was the most exciting nothing i had received. very similar to losing my virginity.

i've learned to appreciate flying more now than when i was 5. it's more exciting than it was back then and there are always new questions that arise with every trip. like, 'why am i going to alaska for 2 weeks by myself?' 'is the plane going to be hijacked?' 'will my panties be sifted through by TSA?'

and just like that, my first big art opening was over. nothing spectacular, but it was everything i could have asked for. can't wait to do it again!