Dec 23 December 2010 - Sandboarding Las Dunas

Today we decided to go sandboarding. It was all adding up to be a great day as we were going to also go behind some sand dunes to blow up some fireworks. When we finally made it to the dunes we were very surprised. They had set up old tires just feet from the road to keep you from going out of control and possibly shooting out onto the road. This had us thinking twice about it all. We decided we would just stick to the dune furthest from the road which turned out to be perfect. All of our first attempts on the boards were not as good as we expected. From catching an edge to just not going anywhere at all we made our way back up to the top to try, try again. After getting used to the boards we decided it was about time to head down the ocean facing side to blow things up. It took about 2 minutes to run down the 100 foot sand dune. Bowen and I had a great time blowing chunks out of the side of the dune and his Iron Man action figure. After about a half an hour our dad came to collect us to head back. The walk to the top was both long and painful. For every step you took you lost a layer of skin as well as half the step you took as this was loose sand. After 10 to 15 minutes we got to the top and decided to start heading back to the B&B. Bowen and I found a perfect place to ride the hill on more time. It consisted of a bunch of bushes with a half tunnel through them. Bowen didn't think I would go through it but, by the time he turned around to call me an idiot I was already flying down the hill. Seeing all the speed I had got on the way down, Bowen was inspired to try it as well. He came flying down the hill only to stop abruptly in the sticky wet sand. We did this a few times, then paid for the rental on the boards and headed out to find some drinks.

-Hollis

This was a tough day for the parents. Thinking it would be cool to fly by the seat of our pants for the last week has led to be a highly stressful morning as we try to develop an exit strategy. Arranging travel and accommodation plans in a foreign language during the busiest travel period of the year is not so cool. We spent the majority of the day on the internet, researching and skyping places all over Argentina trying to come up with a plan. Things finally gelled into a plan to spend New Year in Mar del Plata, a beach town south of BA. It will take us three days to get there, though, including an overnight bus trip from Mendoza after an overnight layover, and then a further 5 hour trip from BA to MDP. The direct trip was all booked up. We had promised the sand boarding experience to the boys, and when we had finally finished our travel planning at 5 PM wondered if we were crazy to be setting out for the first time of the day. It worked out, though, as the overcast had cleared and it made for a cooler time on the dunes, later in the day. The boys had the opportunity to light off some of the firecrackers they had purchased in Argentina, in spite of the dire warnings of our B&B host about possible imprisonment or worse by the carabineros if we were caught in possession of them. To the sound of barking sea lions, in the midst of a huge expanse of sand, Hollis and Bowen found ways to blow things up and disfigure their action figures. The sand boarding was fun, too, and the time on the dunes proved to be a great stress relief for all.

Mom and Dad left the boys at the B&B with a movies and headed out to Valparaiso at 10:00 PM for dinner. We were disappointed to find that the ascensors are closed down at that time of night, but were consequently treated to a thrilling taxi ride through the winding, narrow streets of this hilly town. We returned to Cafe Vinilo and had another of their excellent pisco sours and chose from the excellent-sounding menu. Unfortunately, despite the enthusiasm of the chef, the promise of the menu  was not kept when the food arrived. The presentation was not appealing, and when you ordered the quail, that is what you got - one quail. Not a huge quantity of food. The cafe and its clientele was very cool and bohemian, but the clouds of cigarette smoke detracted from what flavours the food had. The walk back to the metro station took us through plazas full of manic crowds. Some of the areas we were in were a bit sketchy and we received some attention as "effing gringos". We found out the hard way that the metro does NOT run all night, and were told so by the maintenance guy with a hare lip. We flagged down a collectivo which thankfully drove right past our neighbourhood for the reasonable sum of about $2 per head, a bargain in this town. We made it safely back into the comfort of our B&B and the company of our children for a well-deserved rest in the early hours of the morning.

-Remy