Checked out of the hotel, grabbed a cab & hit the local/domestic airport for our flight to Bariloche.  Nice views on the way in & were me by Shea, the owners’ son of La Confluencia lodge we are staying at.  Also with us was the only other guest on our trip, Robert, from Ashville, NC.  So it turns out there are only the 3 of us and we are the 1st ones to do this Patagonia Sacred Rides tour…which is kinda cool on both points.  We definitely get special attention.

We made a stop in downtown Bariloche to pick up our bikes.  So we got a chance to walk down the main street & sit outside & have a beer.  The town sits on a big lake and is like a little piece of Switzerland.  There are chocolate shops everywhere, swiss architecture & little shops & restaurants.  Esteban & I had a pilsner called Patagonia which was very refreshing.  We then picked up our bikes which are super-nice & hit the road for the 2-hour drive to our lodge outside El Bolson.  We cruised past numerous lakes, the ski areas & craggy mountains.  Then it was a 15 minute off-road drive including crossing a small stream & then the fairly big Rio Azul.

in Bariloche

The lodge is a beautiful 2-story wood structure with a big kitchen, living room & open dining room downstairs.  Upstairs are 6 guest bedrooms, an open sitting area & a tv/seating area…plus a big deck.  We got in just before dark so we will see more tomorrow.  The bonus of having just the 3 of us is that Esteban & I have our own rooms now.

Who is here:

• Marc Jordan & his wife – own the land, their house & the lodge which they all built
• Shea – Marc’s son – he’s about 24, former pro bike racer, got hit by a car so coming back from a bad foot injury; basically grew up here, moving to San Diego on Monday
• Kelly & his girlfriend – Marc’s other son who lives here…he needs knee surgery so not doing any riding either
• Julian (Hoolie) – our guide..he is local Argentinean about 24, who has done tons of riding around here but his official job is whitewater guide/instructor which he does in Canada, Chile, here, etc.
• Robert – the 3rd guest with us…he is about 58 from Asheville, NC & lives part of the year in Whisler…he rides a lot & knows all the lingo
• our chef…sorry, tough name so I forgot it…local Argentinean lady

Training update:  its been really slack as far as trail rides as we only did those 2 but have still been doing some riding plus soccer.

Today we are headed down to Argentina for the trip. Got my big rolling duffle packed up with just about everything I need…always stressing about little things I might be missing & usually end up overpacking.  I’m hoping its at 50lbs or less so they dont charge me $200 at the airport.  If its over there is room in my backpack or I’ll do the ole “foot lift of the scale” trick.  Results:  Esteban was a little over 50lbs but no problem and mine was around 46lbs.  Most exciting part was our taxi driver flying down PCH in & out of traffic.  Esteban even said to him that we were not in a rush…was a little scary.

4 hour flight to Houston was fine and we had 1 hour layover…so just enough time for a quick slice.

Now its a 10-hour flight to Buenos Aires…see you on the other side of the equator.

We had a girl from Uruguay sitting in between us so we talked to her a little about BA & Montevideo.  Highlight was her asking Esteban if he spoke spanish…his response, “pico”.  To which of course I laughed & added, “pico de gallo?”.  He was thinking poco but of course was going for “poquito”.  Dinner was actually ok but the TV system sucked.  All 3 of our screens had in big writing on them the time remaining of the show…so it was annoying to watch a movie with that blocking part of the screen.  We all watched “The Tourist”…eh.  Then we crashed out or at least tried to…we hit some heavy bumps a few times & it woke me up.  We got into BA about 9am, got our bags, got thru customs and were met by Fernando.  He is the brother of Esteban’s buddy Ale who he worked with at MLS league office and is now an agent down here.  So it was great to not have to worry about taxi & getting to the hotel.  And of course as soon as he starts the car the radio has some 80s cranking, much to my enjoyment.

Our hotel is pretty cool.  Its in the La Canita area of Palermo which is a cute little neighborhood with lots of restaurants & bars.  It has a nice bar & sitting area inside & out and the room is pretty much what we expected…not large.  But comfortable & has AC.

We got a quick power nap, showered & then Fernando met us for lunch at 1pm.  (By the way, BA is 4 hours from LA time, 1 hour ahead of east coast of US).  We hit up a parrilla (steak house) in our neighborhood & gorged on a bunch of meats including chorizo, morella (veal sweetbread), & bife de lomo (t-bone) along with some chimichurri sauce to dip it in.

Post-lunch Fernando dropped us off a couple miles away in the neighborhood of Palermo Soho which is named that as it is just like NYC’s Soho.  Cool little tree-lined streets with nice shops, cafes & restaurants.  We walked around…extra far cuz we needed an ATM…and then found a great intersection to sit & enjoy our 1st cervezas…we went with Quilmes.  It was a gorgeous late afternoon/early evening with the streets & cafes bustling with people.

Palermo Soho...not sure what Esteban saw

Then back for another nap before checking out our little neighborhood.  Dinner was a 10:30 stop at a hip pizza joint around the corner where we could sit outside.  All the restaurants/cafes got more and more crowded the later it got actually.  Then post-dinner we hit a couple of the local spots for a couple brews & then only had to walk across the street back to our hotel.  Solid 1st day, tomorrow is a travel day to Patagonia.

See the Argentina 2011 tab for introduction to my Argentina/Patagonia trip.

So with the trip booked its time to start training and getting ready for what should be a challenging 7 days of mountain biking and kayaking.  Now, living at the beach I have mostly just stuck to my beach cruiser as it provides greater comfort for a quick downhill to the beach and nice cruises down the Strand thru Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches.  I did get one with 7 speeds so that I can make it back up the steep hill to my place.   I did ask if I could ride the cruiser on the trip but Esteban suggested not.  So the mountain bike has been hanging in the garage for a while and its time to break it out.  Its quite a few years old but will do the trick, tho it will be nice to have a nice, new one with shocks while on our tour.

So to get ready for our training and trip I needed to get some supplies for our 1st ride.  So Esteban grabbed his book on trails in SoCal, picked me up and we hit REI on the way to the Santa Monica Mts.  I picked up a pair of mountain bike shorts that have the padded rear built in…very necessary for 7 full days of riding…also a helmet (got the Lance Armstrong/Livestrong so I can ride like him), a pair of gloves, a new front tire and an extra tube.  We had the bikes on the car rack and headed for Westridge-Canyon Wilderness trail just above Sunset Blvd and Bel Air.  Its a 7 mile roundtrip trail that is mostly uphill to the top/turnaround and then gentle rolling downhills on way back…mostly on a dirt fire-road and some single track options just off to the side (single track means just that, a narrow trail burned thru the brush where you ride single file).  I downloaded a SportsTracker on my phone that shows how fast you go, average speed, distance, altitude, etc.

area we were riding

Here where our stats for training ride #1 (Fri March 4):

• Distance = 7.09 miles
• Avg speed = 5.09 mph (some tough uphills)
• Max speed = 25.75 mph
• Altitude gain = 1735 ft
• Time = 1 hr 23 mins
• Calories = 555…not sure how accurate it us but at least an estimate

Esteban

So a good moderate trail to start.  No spills, injuries or complications.  So training ride 2 was on tap the next Monday March 11th.  We went to the same area but a different trail just to the west that is a 1 lane 5-mile fire-road with a gentle, continuous uphill with multiple small stream crossings.  The last bit was a super-tough sharp uphill that kicked our butts.  But we made it and even ventured down the hill a little bit on the otherside before turning around.  So heading back down the steep part was first and we were definitely hitting 25 mph +.  I was riding way back with the back of the seat gripped between by thighs and wary of bumps and rocks.  Now Esteban didnt want me sharing this but of course I am…with him ahead of me just at the end of the steep I saw him go flying forward over his handlebars and crash in a cloud of dust.  I came flying up and he jumped up and was already bleeding & cut.  He has taken plenty of falls and did well to roll a bit to absorb some of the crash but he could definitely feel it.  We got him set and continued down…the rest of the way (prob 4.5 miles) is a really nice cruise and you pretty much do not have to pedal or brake at all.  We got back to the car, tried to clean up his wounds a little, I took a pic of it much to his chagrin and we headed home.  He hit the doctor and ended up getting a couple stitches…not sure if a shot too.

the damage

Ride 2 details:

• Distance = 10.6 miles
• Avg speed = 6.07 mph
• Max speed = 30.3 mph
• Altitude gain = 1791 ft
• Time = 1 hr 44 mins
• Calories = 696

at the top of Trail 2

So with the combination of Esteban’s wreck, our schedules and him going out of town for a week, we havent done training ride #3 yet.  But I have continued to ride my cruiser at least every other day including a few brisk 10+ milers.  Plus my usual soccer on Wednesdays and Sundays and another extra day of playing 1 time per week to keep the cardio up.

Paddling?  Now thats a different story…

I forgot to post this from South Africa…so here it is:

What made the trip great was a great travel group…so I would like to sum up some stories on each…though I’m sure I’ve forget a few.

The best person in the entire group was definitely…..wait for it…..Tom Tom, my GPS.  Not only does he have a great personality but he was key in getting us around in our many travels.  Schif didnt always believe in him but he always came thru…trust in Tom Tom became my slogan.

Brian was my close travel buddy as we were together the whole time, sharing rooms everywhere except when we each had our own in JoBurg.  The laughs were constant & the heckling even more.  His adjusting to driving on the wrong side of the car & road was fun…he almost got me scraped up on a passing tree, missed a mailbox by a millimeter & almost took out approximately 135 South Africans walking on the side of the road.  He then resorted to straddling the center line at most times…with me constantly saying, “pick a side, man”.  Best was my constant ability to scare him…I think the count was 4 good scare moments:  1 – I clicked the car lock/alarm on our tiny Hyundai and its high-pitched “beep” scared him while walking by;  2 – at airport i jumped out behind a corner & yelled “feel it”…big jump from him;  3 – I took a pic of him while touching the back leg of an alligator thru the fence at Croc Center, the click of the camera made him jump like a kangaroo;  4 – taking a pic of him with a lion cub & it moved & he jumped back yet again…tho that lion cub probably should have graduated out of the cub pen due to its size.

Super Scared

Schif, Sherbet, Surebet, Dave, Enzo: did well in helping get the whole plan together & survived bringing a girl along on what many would call risky for a “guy trip”.  best was messing with him while he was following behind in the other car in Cape Town…easy to yank his chain when he didnt trust in Tom Tom.

Ceara:  the girl on the trip, Schif’s girlfriend.  major props to her for putting up with 2 weeks of hanging with guys, guy talk, soccer junkyness, keeping on the move, recognizing Oomshlangas & trying to stay awake during games…she actually struggled with this and the running joke was that if a game was coming on, she was about to go to sleep.

Brody, who we renamed Matt Lauer as he drew a striking resemblance, especially when he rocked the sweater tied around the neck.  Came through large by hooking us up with his buddy in Stellenbosch.

Hopefully we will all do it again for Brazil 2014.

You can see all of my pics of the trip at: https://picasaweb.google.com/115038435497715174781/2010WorldCupSouthAfrica#

South African speak & slang became quite interesting and obvious to us.  It started with the passport control lady stamping Brian’s passport and then saying “feel it” and moving him along…he was quite confused as to what he should “feel” but we soon figured it out.  “Feel it” and “feel it, it is here” where the slogans used by SA ads about the World Cup coming to their country and you would see it and hear it everywhere.  its even in the official World Cup song by Shakira, “This Time for Africa”…a very catchy tune (YouTube link to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0&feature=related).  From there on out and was awesome to just drop “feel it” and any random time, in SA accent of course…as a matter of fact I’m going to use it in response to many things now…starting at work.  Example:  my boss asked what is going on in my department this week and i responded with “feel it” and walked away.

Another is “Ayoba”.  This is a word that loosely means “everything is cool”.  It was on a bunch of ads as well.  When i walked into the office this morning i just yelled out Ayoba!  Awesome to see the confused looks on my co-workers who now realized i was back in town.

Next is “man”.  We realized more South Africans use this to end their sentences than things like “bru” & “china”…tho those were heard as well.  A good one heard was “what are you doing, man”.  But the best came after the USA vs Slovenia game.  We were to meet back up with everyone at the little school that we had beers at pre-game…so Brian and I were first to arrive from our group and of course I was wearing my new Slovenia jersey that I had exchanged my USA jersey for with a rival fan and my USA scarf around my neck.  3 South African guys were standing there and looked at me with my USA scarf & Slovenia jersey & one said, “pick a side, man!”  we had a giant laugh & i told him i exchanged.  that probably became our favorite line and it was used over and over…especially when Brian was driving & hugging lines.

“Howzit?”  that is the greeting that everyone uses, kinda short for “how is it?”

“TIA”.  Stolen from the movie Blood Diamond, short for “This is Africa”.  We would drop it when there was any confusing situations or crazy things going on.  Like when I asked Brian if he was really going to buy that stupid vuvuzela…he responded with “TIA, man”.

Next is “right” (sounds like roight).  This doesnt mean direction but is more the lead for most sentences.  We picked it up first from Mary Ann, our B&B host in Umhlanga.  Then our gracious host in JoBurg, Tony, would drop it a lot.  Brian and I even had a solid laugh when he dropped a couple in a row at breakfast…I couldnt look at Brian for most of breakfast cuz we would both start dying laughing.

Next is “here”…sounds more like “heeya”.  I picked it up quick & pointed out to the rest of the gang who started to notice it from everyone and we would all crack up when a local would say it.

Finally was the song used in the coke ads…not sure if they are playing it here as i havent seen it yet…it was played all the time there and very catchy.  the song is by K’naan and called “Waving Flag”…the coke ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M3Q54rPjQw

I will have 1 more post with a bunch of pics…

Sat morning came quickly as my internal clock was whacked & sleep had been sporadic for a couple days.  But the plan was to get to the Underground in Hermosa Beach early for the USA-Ghana game with a bunch of friends.  So I jumped on the bike just after dawn at about 6:30 and had a nice morning ride down the Strand.  The place was already busy but the only person I knew was Brian’s sister.  So we saved some prime spots as more people came.  The 1st game came and went and it began to fill.  Finally about 15 of my friends were in the packed house as everyone got ready for the USA game.  The USA chants & songs started and there was a line to get in by 10am.  It was cool to see the enthusiasm by all kinds of soccer fans (rabid & new) and to celebrate all together after our goal.  Disappointingly we lost, especially as it was felt it was a good chance to move on & keep the bandwagon rolling.  But we look forward to hopefully being announced as hosts of World Cup 2022 (or even 2018) later this year and then qualifying for Brazil 2014…which of course I will be attending!

My last day in South Africa…sad as I’m not quite ready to leave, but it will be nice to get home.  Its been a great 2 weeks and we have been on the go.  This day was no different.  Brian had to wake up at 5am to catch his flight & get back to the US.  My top priority was Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town to see the penguins…ideally getting in a full drive around Table Mountain.  But with not quite enough time before my 2:30pm flight to JoBurg we went straight to the penguins.  Another gorgeous drive taking us around the east side of the mountain.  Once there its a cool little area with the penguins all over the place.  I quickly did a walk to see them & grab some pics and then had to say goodbye to Schif, Ceara & Brody to make my way to Cape Town International.  Then it was a 4-hr layover in JoBurg for my near 11-hour flight to London.  Then a 5-hour layover plus a delay and a 10-hour flight to LA.  Finally got in and was obviously exhausted plus feeling a sore throat.  But I have survived and am back.

Tomorrow is a big day…USA in the morning & then Chivas USA gets the MLS season back under way with a home game at 7:30pm.

The plan of attack for the day was get up early, hit Table Mountain, drive around the Cape/Table Mountain, hit Boulders Beach for the penguins & then get somewhere for the huge US game vs Algeria.  We jumped in the car but not too early & parked by the cable-car station with the aim being a hike up & then taking the cable-car down.  Mistake 1: no breakfast.  Mistake 2: not enough water.  Mistake 3: maybe hiking.  It was an easy start about 20 mins up…then we started traversing just below the sheer cliffs, wondering where the final ascent would be amongst the cliffs.  Finally after another 20 minutes we came to and and saw a bunch of people coming up another trail…we had taken the slightly longer way with the traverse.  Then the work set in for a final push up a very steep trail.  Legs started getting wobbly, water ran out & questions arose if we had made the right decision.  Finally after a good 40 minutes or so we thankfully reached the top.  Of course the views from the get-go were amazing, but only got better from the top as we could see in all directions.  We got in a few good views & pics, bought our cable-car tickets, grabbed some water, chips & couple small pizzas to regain our energy & rode the car down.

A rest and shower were in order & we didnt have time to continue to the penguins so we went back to the apartment.  A few minutes to relax, showers and a change and it was time to get a spot for the game.  We grabbed a cab to the V&A Waterfront & found a great spot that our receptionist recommended.  It was already pretty full & they had plenty of tv’s set up and marked for which game they would show (England vs Slovenia being at the same time).  We were graciously offered room right at the front of a tv by a South African man and his family.  We posted up & grabbed small keg of Castle & some food.  The place really began to fill in and was probably two-thirds USA fans.

The game of course was high drama & some early heartbreak with the goal called back and plenty of missed chances.  During 2nd half I commented that Donovan had become invisible…it continued but I had a feeling he would have 1 big moment…and what a moment!  We screamed and jumped up and down in a big group going crazy.  Almost heartbreak turned euphoria!

The USA fans then took over the bar with plenty more USA chants & plenty of shots (heard at the bar:  “tequila.  shot?  entire bottle”).  We kept our prime spot & mingled with the rest of the fans & waited for Germany vs Ghana.  A couple Swedish guys joined our table & we had a great time.  Ceara & Schif could only make it til halftime and were done & dusted (we had gone thru quite a few of those kegger things (probably 20 beers to each one).  Brody (now being called Matt Lauer by us), Brian and I hung out thru the end of the Germany win & finally headed home.

What a result…now USA gets to enact some revenge on Ghana in the sweet 16…I was there that day in Germany 2006 when they knocked us out…sorry Africa, your team has gotta go.

After a fun night in Hermanus where we invented the Hermanus Hammer & stayed all together in 1 room in a hostel, the 5 of us headed for Gaansbaai for our shark dive.  Bummer we didnt see any whales but we hoped to see some on the boat ride out to Dyer Island.  Our ride was with the legendary Brian McFarlane…a pioneer there & on a lot of Discovery programs.

We got to the check in, had some breakfast & got excited for our trip…a couple other charters were canceled due to bad weather which was shocking to us, as it was a 66 degree & sunny day.  Our group of 7 (CW, Schif, Ceara, Brody, Brian, Keith & Cory) got on our boat, the Apex Predator, with the other 29 passengers.  15 mins out we arrived at Dyer Island & Shark Alley.  We approached our spot & started to anchor and we quickly saw a dark form cruise by the boat…a 12 foot White Shark!

The bait & chum hit the water as the 1st 8 divers got ready…a few sharks came up & cruised by to hit the big piece of tuna in the water.  Schif, Ceara, Brody, Keith & his wife Cory got in the 1st group in the cage.  Brian and I took their pics and watched from the surface.  Some amazing attacks came & Brian got some great pics…they are coming below.  Brian and I jumped into the next group in the cage…we were in with 6 Brits and 1 minute in a large shark swam by within 5 feet of us…Brian & I oomshlangad in our wetsuits!  More and more came by & one bit the corner of the cage inches from Brian and I.  Schif captured underwater pics & video so we’ll get those up later.  But these large animals are more than impressive…they cruise by and sometimes you cant see them coming.  We were lucky as we got one of the clearest days of the year & could see more than 20 feet away.  The bait guy lured them close & we had one jump up slightly out of the water attacking the tuna as he headed right at us.  I saw it from above & then below the surface as the approached the cage and then turned by 1 foot away.

Our groups were in the water approximately 15 minutes & then got out to let the next ones in…the water was actually not bad as we had booties & thick wetsuits…it was approximately 62 degrees.  We stayed in our suits and watched from the surface & then took a 2nd turn in the cage.  It was a little colder this time but Brian & I had some great views as theygot real close…especially one aggressive big one that would swim in fast and attack the bait…he was recognizable because of a hole in his dorsal fin.

We pulled up anchor and did a quick cruise by the island with the 1000′s of seals that stay very close to the rocks…they have to venture out to feed & thats when the sharks attack…rocketing up from the bottom of the deep channel on ambush runs.  We headed back in reveling in our amazing shark adventure.

We hit the road for the 2 hour drive to Cape Town & enjoyed Bafana Bafana (South Africa) beating France 2-1.  Our 2 bedroom apartment is phat & on the 9th floor right in town with an amazing view of Table Mountain.  The South Africans are partying below us on the streets, the vuvuzelas blowing as we enjoy some nice local wine.

Tonite its the Group B games at 8:30 and we will check out the town.  Tomorrow, Table Mountain, the penquins and the USA vs Algeria game.

Crocs at St Lucia:

Great White Shark:

View from Cape Town apartment:

Before USA vs Slovenia at the school…raising money for kids:

we got a nice night of sleep..woke up & had some breakfast.  then we hit the road and hit a few wineries in Franschoek…more beautiful terrain & wineries.  We got a personal tour at one and took some great pics.  Then it was an hour and a half drive through mountains, undulating grass hills & onward to the coast.

Once in Hermanus we checked in and walked along the cliffs looking for Southern Right Whales…unfortunately its very early in the season & there are not many yet.  We hit a nice tapas bar for dinner & drinks and watched Chile beat Switzerland.  Right at the end Brody decided to invent a new shot:  jagr, vodka, Red Bull & Fanta (grape)…we were very skeptical but it turned out nice…we named it the Hermanus Hammer.  Then a nice 10-minute walk back to our place & we are playing pool & getting ready to watch Spain vs Honduras.

Again, its been an amazing trip and the only challenges are charging our computers (cant run and charge at same time, sometimes dont charge fully), getting internet connection & Mackerer blowing his vuvuzela.

Tomorrow we have 7 of us hitting the boat for the Great White Shark dive…probably the moment we have been looking forward to the most…almost sad its almost over but we cant wait.  Stay tuned for pics.

Happy Fathers Day to my Dad and my stepdad.