MarkMaddensMeanderings: September 2006

ONE WEEK IN ESQUEL -part 1

Welcome to Esquel. Please hope aboard for the ride...

A very modest town some 300 kilometers south of Bariloche

Located on the valley floor at the start of the Rio Negro, this village is going to be our home for the next week. This is the location for our Freestyle and racing clinics.

This view of Esquel is taken from the mountain upon which we will ski.

It has all the nick nacks of a small town, a main street, or two with shops and this is where the money is.

The further you go from the main street the less the income but with these mountains around you, who cares. This is God's country.

So, now the sun is going down, it's off to dinner then bed. We hit the slopes tomorrow for the first part of our racing clinic. Night all.

CERRO CATEDRAL - The Mountain
Part 2

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am CERRO CATEDRAL. I am mountain and all who ski me are my subjects, those who maintain me, my servants.
Embrace my morning

I am not alone in this place, I am surrounded by my brothers, sisters and cousins

Up close and personnel we are not to be taken lightly. Respect us or die

However, we are not as dark as that. In the right light we are beautiful, smooth and gentle

Oh so smooth, reach out and touch me, stroke me with your ski for on my silken skin I can carry you down to my feet where the people, who groom me and keep me looking this good, live.

There are many sides to me. My left and right but.........................

But the best part is my middle

I am mountain, I am CERRO CATEDRAL

HOSTERIA EL RETORNO (part 3)
The Jetty

Mentioned in previous posts, the jetty features heavily in our daily lives. Not for the beauty or a nice place for a walk but for the Entertainment and Therapeutic values it has added to our stay.

Oh the peace and tranquillity of it all. The scenery, the snow covered mountains embracing the lake. Where wood meets water. All to calm...............
Then the kaos that is Peak leaders apres ski.

This activity has made us onto national radio with a radio jock staying here at the hotel and seeing us perform this, somewhat, bizzare ritual. The water sits somewhere between 2 and 3 degrees but for us it is therapy that is most important.

Did someone say therapy, more like phyico-therapy, S##t it is cold.......!!!!!!!!!

But we can make light of it and have some fun with the lake that is our friend

We all have done this. Apparently the cold makes the blood from the rest of the body races down to the cold bits to help those parts warm up, the consequence of this is fresh blood to those tired muscles to aid in building new muscle tissue. S##t it's cold

Do you think I can still father children?????????????? S##t it's cold.

CERRO CATEDRAL - The Mountain

This is it folks, over the top we go...........

This the top, turn around and look behind.........

It's Stu & Joe, not just them, the view. So lets get on with it, lets ski.

A quick lunch at Venti Cero ( which is to become our lunch stop each day )

Bec, Katie and Emily striking a pose, go girls. Then it's back into the action
Ant and Neil plotting the next route down, I'm right behind.....
This is all abit much, legs are not used to it, so lets sit here and admire the view.

So, that's a big day. It's back to the hotel for warm down and aprie ski.

WELCOME TO HOSTERIA EL RETORNO
- Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina.
Part 2

The hotel has a main building housing rooms, admin, dinning and a couple of lounges.

And there is the ever present views, you could never tire of this

This is the main lounge. TeTe, Max ("see that's me there") , Will ("here's a photo of one of my girlfriends") and Stu comparing notes

Very comfy lounges adorne the walls, just ask Louis. Eh Louis how is it? Louis! Oh well

Lucky it has WIFI, where would we be without it (here I guess). Maddo and Ed preparing the next day's activities.

James checking to see if the beds work.That's always a good thing.

My little mate, on the welcome mat with snack.

WELCOME TO HOSTERIA EL RETORNO
- Bariloche, Patigonia, Argentina.

Finally, after yet another delayed flight we are here and as we arrived at night, what a sight to wake up to.

This photo is not from a file but from my camera. It is that beautiful. The jetty in the middle of the picture will feature quite heavily in our daily lives.

The hotel, not only well postioned next to a lake, Lago Gutierrez, but well postioned from the main centre of Bariloche, some 15k's away. It has a number of buildings for rooms with most of us set into twin share style accomadation.

Another new day and the start of our first day od skiing.

BUENOS AIRES Part 3

Cementerio de la Recoleta
This city of the dead holds the remains of some of Argentina's most influential
people, past presidents, military heroes and is also the resting place for Evita Peron, where daily, flowers are still placed.
Enough said, enjoys my version:-

And finally, "Don't cry for me Argentina"

BUENOS AIRES Part 2

This place is to huge to let one page go by, so here's some more for you. This place is like a diamond, many faces, oh so many faces.