Monday, March 20, 2006

March 11, 2006 Day 16, Patagonia Trip

March 11, 2006 Buenos Aires

Thank God! The Argentian Air 24-hour strike was lifted yesterday, and the pilots/mechanics here in Argentina decided to work one more week before they go for the big strike. The last one lasted 15 days, and the reason they're striking is the management decided NOT to pay them 5 million of the 16 million pesos promised. That's about $1.75 million, US. So although our flight was delayed 2 hours, our 4 hour flight back to Buenos Aires went as planned. Interesting enough, we saw Stacy in the airport--the 18 year-old initial member of our group who had a ¨family emergency.¨ Ten days ago, she left 10 minutes after meeting us, and she unsuccessfully attempted to recover her trip costs. Turns out she lied about the whole thing, including attempting to get Roberto (group leader) in trouble over the ordeal. Drama, drama, drama. She must've been really embarassed when our entire group spotted her and Roberto confronted her in the airport. Yes, drama!We arrived back at Hotel Splendid. I could think of a few other adjectives other than ¨splendid¨ for this place. How about: stinky, cramped, tiny, dusty, or puny. Once Terri and I dropped our behemoth backpacks on the 3 square feet of open room, we pretty much have to hop on clothes and shoes to reach the bathroom. And this is coming from a guy who's perfectly happy in a 600 sq. foot studio in downtown Seattle... We had little time to shower, as we hit up the store for some empanadas, as well as some shaving cream/razors for myself. Today was the happiest I've seen Terri in many days--I shaved the Grizzly Adams beard. The lumberjack look just isn't very accomodating to the fashion world of Buenos Aires. Of course, I'd hate to look out of place. As if my 60 pound backpack, glacier terrain clothing, and camera strapped around my neck aren't enough...Tonight we said our good-byes to some of the group. The rest of us headed to Complejo Tango, providing tango lessons, dinner, and a 2 hour show. It was pretty fun. The tango is a 7 step dance that wasn't terribly difficult to learn. However, to learn the steps, lead a partner, and dance in time to the music.... That ain't happening. It was fun regardless, and the pictures are indeed hilarious. The dinner was good, as we're back to being strictly carnivores (STEAK!!!!!!!) the rest of the trip. The show also provided 1 bottle of wine per person, so by the end of the night, all was good. Time to hit the sack and enjoy the last few days of sunshine.

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