Where to next?

Happy Christmas all!!

I hope Santa was good to you!

Ginge and I have spent the last few days exploring the climbing area near La Serena. For a boulderer its pretty awesome, for 2 sport/trad climbers... not so much. We mucked about on some scary bulge-y routes for a few days and now we're both looking for something else.

We did meet up with a party of Chileano climbers who were doing laps on 5.10d's and 5.11+'s (i.e. hard stuff) Ginge worked an intimidating 5.10d, eventually getting to the top. I thrashed around on the bottom of it and eventually begged off citing polar insulation and notably strong gravity that day. The good news is that it looks like Ginge is going to have some climbing parters in Bariloche (read: the Banff/Jasper of Argentina) after I take off back home.

Christmas passed fairly quietly around here. Gine went to mass, I haunted a plaza and baby Jesus arrived right on schedule. There may have been some home-sickness for the traditions and rituals from back home, but, Viennetta and some good red wine goes a long way to make everything better.

Today, Ginge is off to Vicuña the valley where Pisco is made and where you can find a cool working observatory. Hopefully, they'll show her where to find the Southern Cross thus far neither of us can find it. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen if she can get back to La Serena tonight, transport out of the observatory can be spotty at best.

I'm hanging around La Serena chillaxing and working on figuring out the next part of my trip. Hostals are pretty packed in Valparaiso so getting a room there for Año Nuevo is proving to be a bit of a challenge. I finally have a reservation for tomorrow night, after that... well, who knows.

Gine is off to the mountains near Mendoza tomorrow, the beach life is only exciting for so long. I'm still working on my tan, a.k.a sunburn, so instead I'm going to spend some more time exploring the coast and some of Pablo Neruda's old haunts. There's a good chance Ginge and I will 'meet up again among the mountains, lakes and volcanos in the south.

Weird... a parade just went by... or a funeral... no one's smiling, it's second one I've seen today. Odd.

A quick note on the food:

The north of Chile has much to offer, great beaches, lots of sun, but not too hot, adventures up into Andean valleys, even, *gasp* more damned penguins. However, the food here, in a word: sucks.

If it's not a hotdog or hamburger, then it must be deep fried and/or smothered in oil. It will include meat, meat comes with almost every dish... kinda like ketchup. Generally, it's beef but one guide book claims it might be horse. I prefer not to know.

And good luck if you want to find a cafe with good coffee. Many hostals vie for better billing by stating that they provide "real" coffee to guests. So now I head out to the plaza for nice Coca Cola or even *gasp* a beer - Brianne you should be proud (she's been trying to teach me to drink beer for almost a year). It's crap beer in my completely unexperienced, unlearned opinion but pretty much anything is better than instant Nescafe "coffee".

On that note, time for a beverage of some description. Ginge and I are both healthy and happy if a little bruised and sunburnt from climbing. Yes Mom, I'm eating enough, wearing clean underwear, and not doing anything too stupid - I think that should go out to Holly's mom too.

Talk to ya all soon!

Hasta Luego!


Ryan