Paul Karchut's Adventures in the South--Part 3

Buenos Tardes from Santiago, yes, back in Santiago after an exciting stint of non-skiing through Northern Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.

The night of the day I last wrote, the lot of us who4d been backcountry skiing together at Cajon Grande hit the clubs of San Rafael together. The night was a blast- involved dancing on tables with waitresses & getting back to the hostel at 7:30. Strategically knackered, Alex and I spent 25 hours on buses the next day... our sleep deprivation from the night previous came in very handy.

By the end of the epic bus ride, we were in Salta (Northern Argentina), where we rented a car and were off to explore the following morning. Over a three day period, we drove close to 3,000 kms in that little VW Gol and took it on some roads that perhaps it was not intended to ever see. Namely 4900 meter mountain pass roads that only 4x4 tours use, river crossings which soaked my feet, etc, etc. As always, the Volkswagon brand was very good to me!

We got back to Salta, had a down day... played soccer with some locals on an astroturf pitch (at which point I realized a) that I4m a terrible, terrible soccer player and b) my athletic abilities in the "team sports" realm have decayed dramatically since high school) . I also got a straight razor shave at a barber shop (which some would argue was entirely unnecessary for my baby face, but what the hell!).

We caught a bus into San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) the following morning. From there, we hit the road in a hired Landcruiser into Bolivia for a 4 day/3 night tour of Southern Bolivia. The terrain was amazing. From the Bolivian salt flats, the most inhospitable place on earth. A 2500 km wide stretch of meter deep salt deposits. To a night4s sleep at 16,000 feet, where Alex made a soccer ball with a local boy and we tried to play a game... at which point we nearly died of oxygen deprivation.

Gorgeous country, friendly people, sketchy plumbing!

We got back to San Pedro a few days ago, relaxed for a couple of days, then bused back down to Santiago yesterday on another colossal 24 hour bus ride.

Back to business, tomorrow we get our asses slope side for another round of skiing before our ever approaching departure date... August 21st. Is it two months already??!!

Thinking of you all. Write me.

Much love,
Paul