Los Penitentes and Mendoza

We passed Point Del Inca where we started our Aconcagua climb to a small ski village called Los Penitentes. We went into one of the lodges and found our gear the mules had brought down. We got our room and we took showers. Then we ate lunch at the restraint in our lodge. It had some strange stuff but the main dish was steak. It was good. It is also #2 of the four I plan on. After dinner I packed everything into one duffle and my carry bag. I found my comb and borrowed a razor. Now I sit in a lobby waiting room in some chairs with Bob, Boyd and Colleen. The rest of the day will be sitting, waiting for dinner, then bed and a mattress! Tomorrow we are off to Mendoza! There will be steak #3 and the festival. It is now 11 at night. Forget the steak, I am so full I might puke. After the big steak lunch today we just sat and waited for dinner. Two other groups of climbers arrived. By dinner we thought we were hungry but when the main course hit we were stuffed. Rob and Colleen only ate half. Boyd, Bob and I slowly ate all ours. It was this steak fried with something on top that was just pure fat. All we talked about was the cholesterol we had today. My stomach hurts so badly, the pain. I have eaten more today than several days combined on the mountain. Then to top of the evening we ordered a pitcher of water because the soda pops were not enough. After everyone had drunk many glasses, Rob found a larva swimming in his glass. We all may be sick, who knows. Now I am on my bed ready to sleep this pain away.

Today we awoke to a 9 a.m. breakfast. It was much lighter than the last lunch and dinner but still cooked in a pool of grease. After breakfast we packed and waited for our 11 a.m. shuttle transfer to Mendoza. It was part of the arrangement the keewees had. The shuttle was theirs. We got on with them at no charge. When the bus arrived well over an hour late the driver would not allow the keewees water buckets on top. The hotel and driver fought but we would not budge. The hotel lady offered to pay 50 of the $100 extra charge but we did not want to encourage the shuttle driver. So, the hotel lady got another shuttle to come at 4 and she gave us a free lunch. The hotel was in charge of the transfer so they were responsible. I guess the keewees had three barrels before and the driver just threw them on top with the same van service. Before our free lunch we walked over to the ski lift which was running tourists up the mountain. We decided this was a good time killer so we paid $5 and went. The top had good views but nothing special. Soon we were eating lunch. Afterward we waited in the lounge area until our shuttle arrived. It arrived late, of course, but everything went well with the gear on top. The driver was terrible; he went really slowly but some corners he took too fast. The whole way to Mendoza had military and police stops. They were more like slow downs and the driver waiving while pulling his seat belt down for each one. He never clipped his seatbelt in but just brought it down. He must have done it 20 times. Everyone in the car was making fun of his driving. Luckily he could not understand what we were saying. With a lot of luck we arrived in Mendoza. At the hotel we said goodbye to Ahlah. He was R.J. Secors friend who we allowed on the bus with us. He was a veteran of many big expeditions. Our hotel is in the downtown area. The rooms we have are incredible. It is one giant living area with kitchen and TV. Then there are 2 bathrooms and 4 rooms. There are 8 beds all together. We have all kinds of space. We each paid $30. Tomorrow night, we each only pay $21. Such a bargain for a hotel room that seems like a penthouse. This evening we went out for dinner, walking around Mendoza until finding a place. The place is full of lights and people everywhere, a high energy atmosphere. There are thousands of little shops selling all kinds of crap. We ate at a place with tables and chairs outside. It is about 80 degrees in the evenings, nice enough to wear shorts. Dinner took awhile but that is the way it is here. After the meal we headed back to the hotel, watching a street painter on the way. In the hotel everyone is watching a Jazz game and Friends. Called home today, that was nice. It is around 1 a.m. I think I will retire for the night.

Today was a real tourist day. We started with breakfast then went out to make some plans. We went to the tourism office but they did not help much. We found a travel agent and bought tickets to Buenos Aires, leaving tomorrow morning. Bob and I also bought tickets from Buenos Ares to Santiago. Then we were off to hunt for T shirts. I bought an Aconcagua shirt and put it on in the store because I had been wearing the same shirt for days. Also bought socks! By lunch we went into a really cool market selling everything from whole pigs to fruits. We bought a whole bunch of stuff for lunch. About this time they were shutting down for siesta. We took our stash to the hotel room, ate, got fat, and took a siesta. I awoke around 6 p.m. to Colleen watching Seinfield, an episode I really liked. Everyone returned from shopping and we all took off again to be tourists and sightsee. We found another outdoor restaurant and had a meal with salad and ice cream. Went home to pack and prep for tomorrow.

Today we got up early to eat breakfast provided by the hotel then caught the mini bus. It arrived on time and we were off to the airport. The Mendoza airport is quite small. We hung out for about an hour and soon we were loading the plane.