Nov 20 Friday (viernes)

Uli got up a bit early to go secure his permit (it might have been yesterday but i dont remember).  apparently it only took 5 min!  anyway, still with no moto, we had to catch the bus to Capilla del Monte again to meet Ariel.  today was the day we were going to climb la Montana Uritorco (mountain).  it's almost 2000 feet up; a four hour climb with a 3 hour descent.  i didn't think i was going to make it - especially because my stomach hurt.  we started climbing around 10am - very hard on the calf muscles.  everything was so dry.  there were a lot of giant bees - many times i almost jumped off the mountain because of a big giant bee.  Uli walked behind me, thank goodness, because im clumsy and didn't want to fall without protection - and i definitely fell a few time, but nothing life-shattering.  every half hour or so of climbing, we'd come to a rest point where a sign would tell you the name of the stop, how far up you were and how far from the bottom you were and roughly how much time you had left until the top.  the views were incredible.  we took lots of pictures - even Ariel took lots of photos because he said when he takes groups up ther he never has the time.  the environment changes as you go up:  different grasses, different rocks, lack of trees, thorny and prickly shrubs.  apparently mountain horses climb the mountain.  we saw one coming up on our way down.  there are so many rocks...i dont know how thy do it.  i  was almostready to give up.  my legs were killing me after Uli told me to re-tie my shoes.  but they pushed me and we did it.  we got to the top and you could see for km. and km - even an inactive volcano that was bordering Cordoba and one of its next provinces.  i sat there and freehand drew the lake down there.  Uli was smart to bring cans of tuna ad his swiss knife so it was the perfect lunch: tuna and crackers.  we were at the top for abut an hour enjoying the view, reflecting, thinking...and then we started the descent.  you'd think it would be easier, but it wasn't.  i felt like my legs were going to give out.  Uli and i searched for rocks as were were climbing down ; some for me, and some for my students.  i forgot to mention we ran into a group of young people camping on the mountain - they were filming a movie.  i bet it would be amazing up there at night, but i imagine the wind would be a bit much at times.  it was crazy windy when we were ging down the mountain - i almost losst my hat that Uli bought me.  the view were just as impressive, but the light was htting things differently, so it was almost as if you wer eseeing all new things.  we finally got off the mountain and i bought a necklace at the bottom to commemorate - its pretty - colours of fire - i think its an agate stone - but from Argentina anyway.  we were exhausted and got into an argument on the bus.  i really like him though.  we had dinner at La Entrada, a few blocks over in the Villa.  a lot of food for very cheap.  but these kids kept running around and stry dogs kept begging for food - just gets tiresome.

Cordoba Nov 19 thurs (jueves)

Our motto with Ariel became "un parte de yo"...a part of me....for everytime one of us stumbled or something.  the reason for us making an eerror or a screw up was "oh, it's just a part of me".  we got up early again and had breakfast - lo mismo (the same).  then we had to take the local bus in to Capilla del Monte and meet Ariel for 12:30.  after he picked us up, we drove up the same road we were on yesterday to where the porter of the park lives,but we didn't see him.  there were 4 horses and Ariel got them ready.  i got to ride a black one named Picasso...Uli's horse was a chestnut named Colorado and the 3rd has a Spanish name i couldn't remember.  the fourth got to miss out on all the fun.  so it was the same with polo; reins left for left, right fo right and thhen pull back gently to stop.  Uli had great difficulty with his horse at first.  he couldn't get her to go the right way.  up the roa, she freaked out and urned back.  an our horses were followers, so naturally, Picasso had to turn around and go see what was up.  Ariel had to leave his horse and continue on foot with us.  i cant remember exactly when this happened but his horse tried to kick in the fence to get back onto the property and he fell off!  I missed it!  i knew one of us was going to fall off...poor guy wasn't happy.  but what can i say, very different from a motorcycle.  this was where i dominated.  with Ariel on foot, we followed a road and then veered off into grass, bushes, rocks, trees and mierda de vacas (cow poop) (still haven't seen any for all the shit they leave behind).  thiw as tougher than jsut strolling down the road.  Picasso was good at following Ariel because he knows him, so it wasn't hard navigating except when Ariel had to go a different way than the horses and they wanted to follow him.  Uli's horse kept taking him into the bushes and he wasn't as good at navigating because of all the scratches he had on his legs and arms.  we gave the horses a break and chatted near a really old, abandoned house in the bush.  we got a picture of me in a tree.  after, we rode back to the barn and had something to drink.  then with Ariel using a horse this time, we got back on our horses.   Uli had problems again and Ariel had to pull Uli's horse behind his because she just would not follow.  i thin kit's because at first, she knew he had fear, so she acted up and still kept acting up.  he was also pulling too hard ont he reins and that would aggrvate a horse.  we went a different route ad rode the horses up a road where we stopped at a little rest stop in the hills - like a house with parking for horses outside.  we had sem drinks and homemade cheese and break and talked.  by this point i was frustrated that because Uli's spanish was better than mine, Ariel would talk to him more and I needed to practice my castellano.  also it was hard for me to understand everything, so he had to tlk slower or not talk just about guy things.  it really upset me.  everyone says that for 2.5 months, my spanish is really good - but a veces, no de acuerdo.  after, we got back on our creatures and headed back.  Picasso kept trotting when i didn't tell him to - he was rushing - but all that cheese was bouncing around in my stomach.  we got back to the barn and Ariel put the horses away.  it cost us 40p/hour - pretty good price considering.  he drove us back into town and we caught the bus (apparently, still no moto because it was in another town fo whatever reason and actually had no plates..Uli hadn't secured his permit yet anyway).  that night we had a luxurious dinner at a restaurant in Villa Giardino - we both had lomo with these rich sauces and some wine for me, beer for him.  we had a very interesting conversation and i had a lot to drink by the end of it.  off we went to bed.