Caching thru the snow

The past 2 days have been spent geocaching, eating, drinking wine and generally having fun. The weather was great yesterday. No rain or snow but cold. We got up and took a walk along the waterfront. Pat & Hartley found the 2 geocaches along the way. We returned to the campground, got into the truck and headed down to Courtenay. We did some geocaching along the way and then stopped at the pub for some chinese food and some Keno. At about 5pm a brand new geocache popped up on the computer so we drove down to Black Creek, trudged thru the snow and got a First To Find (actually Pat did).

Today we awoke to rain, snow and wind. Yuck. But, undeterred, we jumped into the truck and headed towards Campbell River. We geocached along the way until we were so wet, cold and miserable that we couldn't stand it anymore. We poked around in London Drugs and Staples and then headed home. We stopped in to the Salmon Point Pub for a snack and then went home for a nap. Dinner tonight was a cheese fondue at the Hughson's. Yummy!

We're hoping tomorrow will be better weather. We'll see!

I'm Dreamin of a White............

It just wouldn't be winter camping without........snow! This morning we woke up to a light dusting of the white stuff and I decided that I better get the awning up before it freezes. It looks like we are in for a bit more before it stops. What difference a day will make as here is a photo of the pub yesterday in the sunshine and one I took this morning.

Pat & Hartley arrived yesterday afternoon so Robyn and I cooked up a little surf and turf camping style for dinner. It was great to see them and share tales and stories from the past year of flying and travel. The only thing missing are the Reaville's as Dave is back at work paying off the Christmas credit cards :)

We hope to get some geocaching in today even in the snow. The forecast is for another wind storm to come in this afternoon and I think we will be starting the 2007 Campbell River Invitational Camping Poker Championships tonight.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

At 3pm we finally bundled up and ventured outside. Windy and wet but very exhilerating! Here's a photo of the lighthouse. Now it's time to put the lamb in the oven.

Merry Christmas

At about 4am the wind started. Luckily Mark had the forethought to go out last night and put up the awning. We got up about 8am and opened presents. At 9am the rain started. The wind hasn't let up yet. Huge gusts and we can see enormous waves. We'd like to walk out to the waterfront for a look but it's just too miserable. Nothing is going on in the campground this morning. It's possible everyone else has evacuated. But we're nice and warm and dry. Mark made an awesome breakfast from his new Gordon Ramsay cookbook he got last night. He's supposed to be doing leg of lamb on the BBQ for dinner but if the weather doesn't settle down it'll have to be done in the oven. Life is tough. Stay tuned.

Christmas Eve at Salmon Point

Well, we're back! We're camping in Campbell River for the Christmas holidays. This morning we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. We walked along the 'pub to pub' trail and found a new geocache along the way :-)

There were alot of people out walking today. We purchased some forgotten items for the local store and some vodka from the liquor store. When we got back we strung the Xmas lights from the awning.

Now we're sitting in our warm comfy trailer enjoying a ceasar and some appy's. There's a huge Alaska king crab leg waiting to be put on the BBQ. Yummy!!! Tom is sound asleep on his scratching post.

I've convinced Mark that we should be allowed to open one present tonight. He wants to wait until Christmas morning to open them all but I figure if I get him drunk enough he'll give in. Better go now . . . . his glass is almost empty ;-)

Mark's New Flying Blog

I have decided to start a new blog specifically dedicated to my flying so that Robyn and I can keep the topic of this blog to our Geocaching and camping advantures.

My new blog titled Mark's Flying Blog can be found at http://marksf3a.blogspot.com/

1 Car, 3 Tolls, 3 Countries, 3 Airplanes and God Knows How Many Security Checks

One of the endurance tests of participating in any international event is the travel schedule. Just like what goes up, must come down, there comes a time when we have to return home.

Robyn and I finished packing and had an hour to spare before the 12 o’clock check out time so we decided to take one last walk around the block to spend the time. Rule #1 . . . take a map! Off we went, making a left turn at the first street, another left turn at the next street and once again another left turn at the next street. Now this approach would normally work if the streets ran at proper right angles to each other and a couple of right turns aren’t added in for the hell of it. However many of the streets are at funny angles and in no time one can become completely lost in a city of 11 million people.

Now this normally wouldn’t be a problem at home as anyone speaking the same language could easily get you on the right track. The clock was ticking and it became very clear to Robyn and I that we were . . . LOST in B.A. No problem we thought as on almost every street corner is a gun toting Policia Federale officer so Robyn approached a lucky candidate thinking that he would be able to assist us to the only street (9 De Julio) we knew by heart. Well let me tell you that the “deer in the headlights” look that he gave Robyn when she asked him if he spoke English didn't give us a warm fuzzy feeling nor did his hand gestures that had similarity to an Aresti pattern. So off we went in our quest asking a nice little old lady who spoke only Spanish and further down the road a shop owner who actually told us the street names that we would pass on our way. With little time to spare (5 minutes) we finally managed to locate our hotel where Dave and Kelly were already starting to check out.

Our journey home started at noon on Wednesday Nov 21st from the Hotel Presidente when we loaded the vehicles and got to experience the “No Rules” driving of B.A. during a workday first hand. I had been dreading this experience ever since the day we arrived and my confidence didn’t grow as we toured the city by foot and cab over the couple of days here. Anyway off we headed through the heart of B.A. by car to the airport and I quickly learned not to look in any of the mirrors, disregard the lines on the road and occasionally run a red light. It wasn't too long before we were at the airport but not before passing through our final 3 toll booths on the way.

This is actually where I really started to enjoy myself as Dave and Kelly were ahead of us and we got the chance to get in the fast lane (minimum of 130km/h)to catch up to them as I'm pretty sure there is no Policia speeding enforcement in Argentina.

We arrived at the B.A. airport at around 1pm and had a couple of hours to spare before our 3pm check-in. That gave us a chance to pre-weigh our luggage to see how our shopping adventures affected our weight. Dave got into a discussion with one of the baggage handlers who saw the airplanes and it wasn't long before the boxes and luggage were secured with zap straps and the airplane crates checked over. We noticed a couple of other cardboard airplane type boxes which belonged to the Hong Kong team who were also scheduled on the same flight via Toronto. Processing of the luggage went perfectly as the airplanes were accepted without any oversize fees and our friendly baggage handler made sure they went through the security inspection area without a hitch. We felt sorry for the Austrialian Team as they couldn't take the airplanes with them with the motors in the airplanes and they were scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. Another security check for ourselves and another visit to the customs area to turn in our arrival documents that we completed when we entered the country and then we headed to the gate for the first leg of the flight home.

The Air Canada 767 headed out for the 2 1/2 hour flight to Santiago Chile where we deplaned, went through a security check point, headed back to the same gate via a maze of hallways, picked up a long anticipated Starbucks Latte, another passport check and finally back onto the same airplane at the same gate all within one hour. Couldn't figure this one out when we arrived but I figure it was a way to get the passengers to spend a little money on some last minute souvenirs while the plane was serviced.

The flight to Toronto went smoothly and although I thought I would get some much needed sleep (NOT)it seemed to me like this flight lasted for days. I did manage to watch 3 movies, stare at the funny angle moon out the window and think a bit about the 2009 Canadian Team Trials which will be next September. Once in Toronto we once again got to experience the delay in getting our luggage and most importantly the airplanes. We only had a 1 hour connection and it took that long to get our belongings, clear customs, clear security which for the first time checked our hand luggage, computers and transmitters. A mad "Amazing Race" like dash to the gate at the other end of the airport and we were the last people to board the airplane. That was close, however with the light snow falling the airplane needed to go through the de-iceing area which added another 2 hours before we managed to take off. No complaints from anyone however as the airplane had been sitting at the gate probably all night and had a good inch of ice on the fuse and wings and it was my first time to watch the ballet of machines working to make our flight to Vancouver safe.

Because of the delays in Toronto we knew we had missed our final leg to Victoria but this wasn't going to be an issue with the number of Dash 8 flights to the capital city. It wasn't long before we were on the 12pm flight to Victoria and we were amazed that our luggage and airplanes had already made it to the Dash 8 and were waiting for us. Now that's what I call service. Thanks Air Canada!

23 1/2 hours later after leaving the B.A. airport we landed in clear crisp weather conditions in Victoria and here I am in my shorts and T-Shirt but who cares we made it home safe and sound. Funny thing . . . I kinda miss the 11 million people of B.A and the people of Argentina who made our visit so special. Many thanks to Dave and Kelly for asking us to be part of this adventure. Next up . . . the F3A Worlds in Portugal 2009!

Mark & Robyn

P.S. Be sure to check this blog from time to time as we will be adding more RV'ing and geocaching adventures in the near future.

The Price Is Right.....Come On Down!!!

I haven't blogged for a while on this site as Robyn has been entertaining everyone with her adventures and my duties were more focused flying portion of the trip.

Anyway, our last full day in B.A. and we decided to tackle the shopping district early after breakfast. Robyn and I headed out on our own this morning as we only had a couple of things to pick up while Kelly had her shopping list and Dave arranged for a sea container to get her purchases home LOL.

On the way to the B.A. train station we passed by the Falkland Island Memorial honouring the Argentina armed forces who lost their lives during the conflict with Great Britain. Interesting enough it faces the Tower of the Inglis which from a distance is very spectacular but once you get nearer you can see the vandalism that has taken place and the site is now protected by a large gate.

The train station was enormous and we watched a couple of commuter trains unload at the same time. I estimated there were up to 7000 people coming off the trains combined which makes you realize how busy this city is. Outside the station the 16 lanes of traffic is a testament to the scale of the city and the sheer fact that there are very few accidents is amazing.

It seems that traffic lights, speed limits, sidewalks (motor cycles use them) and non existent lane use are only used as a suggestion as the way to get around the city. Try delivering the morning bread in this environment!

The simple rule is to keep moving and this includes the pedestrians who challenge buses and cabs to the right of way. In retrospect the people of this city have figured a way to resolve grid lock on their own with no road rage, very limited honking of the horn that North American drivers couldn't even begin to comprehend. The mobile billboard holders are another neat concept and do it in such a way that the traffic is not hindered was so ever.

We headed into the shopping district and met the French F3A Team as they recognized my Duralite Flight Systems hat and asked if I flew aeromodels. We then exchanged greetings and congratulated them on their World Team Championship.

The shopping area has numerous "hidden" side malls that branch off the main pedestrian area that offer many surprises. This is one of the ones we found with fabulous architecture and Christmas decorations.

A quick siesta then another round of shopping in the afternoon then it was onto our last feast of beef at our favorite paparilla. You want beef? You got beef!!!

A night out in B.A.

After a few drinks in the hotel bar we grabbed a cab and took a thrilling ride down 9 de Julio, around the obelisco and down to the docks. Total cost $10.00 pesos ($3.07 Cdn) including tip for the driver (and he got a pin of course). Dinner at the Italian restaurant was great but very rich. Afterwards we wandered around and took photos of the swing bridge. We even found a soccer game and watched them for awhile. We found another geocache that we’d overlooked earlier in the day. Another quick cab ride back to the hotel and we zonked out. B.A. is such a beautiful city. I wish we had more time to explore.

Day 2 in Buenos Aires

Right now it's about 4pm here in BA. Another beautiful day, about 30 degrees. This is such a big, busy city. Very similar to Vancouver but the architecture is European and there's much more traffic. The downtown core is closed to regular traffic during business hours. Buses and taxi cabs only. All parking is underneath the city as the streets are so narrow. There are subways and trains as well.

This morning we went to the hotel buffet for breakfast and then started our hike around the city. We walked past all sorts of museums, embassies and of course statues. They love their statues down here. And they're always of a guy on a horse. Different people (Pellegrini, San Martin, etc.) but they all look the same to me. Buenos Aires has a much different feel from Santa Fe. Here everything is much faster. We heard they siesta here but we don't see any evidence of it. Business people on cell phones, tourists, a few homeless but not as many as in Vancouver or Victoria. No horses and buggies here. But there's definitely traffic, and lots of it. Mostly taxi cabs. The exhaust fumes are terrible.

We walked past the waterfront and found a geocache (Mark's 400th find). Back to the hotel for a quick change and then walked the other direction to a Recoleta (shopping mall) and went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Walked back to the hotel and now everyone's upstairs having a siesta while I'm in the hotel lobby blogging :-).

Tonight we're taking a cab to an Italian restaurant on the water and hope to get some photos of Buenos Aires all lit up for the evening.

Onwards to Buenos Aires

We said our goodbyes in Santa Fe and headed down the Autopista to Buenos Aires. The countryside is very flat like the prairies. The only animals we’ve seen in the fields are cows, horses and sheep. We passed thru miles of orchards and the fruit stands were lined with hanging sacks of oranges. Lots of strawberries too. Getting closer to BA the highway widened and the buildings started popping up so we knew we were close. The main drag in BA, (9 de Julio) is 8 lanes in each direction plus an access road running down each side. There are 4 separate walk signals to cross the road. You can make it in 2 walk signals if you run :-) We stopped in the middle of the road to take photos of the obelisco. Right across from our hotel (Hotel Presidente) is an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall that leads to the famous Florida Street pedestrian mall. All the big name stores are here (Kelly is in her element). The streets are very narrow and packed with shoppers, street vendors and entertainers.

We found a steak house and enjoyed a great meal. We returned to the hotel around 11pm and crashed.

The weather here is very hot (about 30 degrees) but is still cooler than when we left Santa Fe (39 degrees).

Shopping in Santa Fe

We’ve finally figured out the shopping procedures in the stores here. Everything in the store is in the front window with the price attached. When you go into the actual store it’s pretty well empty. So when you walk into the store they expect that you’re there to purchase something from the window. You have to take the clerk outside and point out what you want thru the window. You then follow the clerk back inside, they disappear somewhere and return with your item. If they happen to bring the item you pointed at you’re in luck (read on).

The clothing stores appear to only have 1 of every item. If you see a shirt in the window and then ask for it in your size, you can’t get it ‘cause they only have that one particular shirt in that style or color. Instead, the clerk will start showing you every other item in the store that’s in your size. All the clothes are in big folded stacked arranged by size. So if you were only interested in that one shirt you have to stand there for 15 minutes while they show you every other shirt in the store. The same goes for shoe stores. If your size is sold out the clerk will show you every other shoe in the store in your size.

It’s very rare to find someone who speaks any English. When you enter a store and tell them ‘No Espanol, English’ they will sometimes run out the door and down the street to another store and tow back some poor soul they know of that knows how to say ‘hello’ in English. They may also get on the telephone and phone someone who speaks a bit of English. So you have to wait patiently for this person to arrive ‘cause you’re just too embarrassed to tell them that you were just browsing and now want to leave.

The people of Santa Fe are extremely friendly and try to be helpful as best they can considering they have no idea what we’re talking about. They don’t want you to leave their store unless they’re sure you’ve been looked after. If you buy something you get a big hug and a kiss when you leave. We give them all a Canadian lapel pin and they’re very happy.

McDonald's and Wal-Mart

Just a couple of photos of a McDonald's menu and inside Wal-Mart, the only 2 stores we have recognized so far in Argentina.

Wal-Mart is exactly the same as ours except you can also buy a car there :-)

McDonald's looks identical from the outside (no, we didn't eat here).

Big Mac McCombo $14.25 pesos ($4.38 Cdn).

A Day in Parana

Today was practice day for Chad (as Des and Dave didn’t make it to the semi-finals) so the guys headed out early to the practice field. They took their new kites with them so I’m sure they’ll have a good time.

Kelly, Rosemary, Brian and I jumped into my little car and headed to the nearby city of Parana. There’s a long tunnel under the river (probably 2km) from the city of Santa Fe to Parana. And of course there’s a tollbooth. I think the majority of our money is being spent on tolls. They’re everywhere. Once in Parana we located the shopping district which is an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall just like the one in Santa Fe only bigger. We parked in a car park and wandered thru the stores. There was a city park in the center with a cathedral and a local public market. The only thing we purchased was some sugared almonds that a local vendor was making in a big boiling pot (1 peso) and they were delicious.
From downtown we drove to a hilltop overlooking the river. There was a big statue of a guy on a horse (forgive me for not remembering all these Spanish names, there are statues everywhere and we can’t read the plaques). We had lunch on the balcony of a nearby hotel and then wandered thru the park and took pictures. On the way home we drove down by the river and beaches. A quick stop at Wal-Mart for supplies (water, cheap beer and wine, etc.) and now it’s 4pm and we’re back at the hotel waiting for the guys to come back. We’re planning to take Mark and Dave for their 1st shopping experience tonight (don’t forget the stores don’t reopen from siesta until 4:30 and we can’t eat until 8:30).

Poolside

Another beautiful day in Santa Fe. It's a very relaxed, stress-free environment. Everyone moves at a very slow pace here (other than the driving speed). Sometimes the phones work, sometimes not. Sometimes the elevator works, sometimes not. Stores may be open, maybe not. Mark and I are having a heck of a time with wake-up calls. You can do it by punching numbers in on the phone in your room but it may or may not work. One day I got my call but it was 24 hours late. We've totally given up on the alarm on the little clock radio in the room. I can't turn on my cell phone 'cause the radio in the room buzzes continuously. I phoned the hotel desk for a wake-up call. The first day they called. The 2nd day they never called. So last night we asked Dave to phone us at 6am. He forgot. Luckily Mark woke up at 6:15am threw on his clothes and he was out the door to be a the airport by 7am. Kelly and I went to the buffet breakfast, filled a bag full of pastries (they're big on pastries here and they're delicious) and jumped in the Peugeot. We were feeling really confident today and decided we didn't need a map to drive the 20 minutes to the airport. Over 1 hour later we finally arrived after getting lost twice :-)

After flying was over we took the car back to the hotel and walked down the road to an unexplored shopping area. After a few purchases (by Kelly) we found a restaurant and had lunch ($41.00 pesos or $12.60 inc wine & beer). What we thought we ordered wasn't what we got but it was delicious all the same. I don't know if it's because they don't speak English or our Spanish is really bad, but like the telephones, ordering a meal is hit and miss. We strolled back thru the town to our hotel and went up to the pool. We enjoyed yet another bottle of wine and the guys showed up about an hour later. Much shenagans went on in the pool with 'Marko Mechanico' attempting the F3A pattern in the water (check Dave's blog for more photos).

At 8pm we're walking to a steak house for dinner as the team flys in the afternoon tomorrow so we can all have a sleep in (good thing as I can't get a wake-up call).

Monday - A Zoo, A Garden and more flying

Today we didn’t have to be at the airport until noon so Kelly and I in one car and Brian and Rosemary in another headed out to the Santa Fe Zoo. It was very small but had a good selection of animals (birds, monkey’s, crocodiles, etc.). The interior roads and paths were all dirt and the grass wasn’t cut but still nice all the same. From there we drove a few blocks to the Botanical Gardens. There were no gardens that we could see, just trees and grass. Our route to the airport took us all along the river, past some beautiful homes and beaches. Very pretty.

When we arrived at the airport Kelly & I drove Mark and Dave over to the hangar for lunch (pizza, steak). On the way there was a 2-foot lizard crossing the road so I stopped, Mark got out to take a photo but it ran away. Mark was a little slow getting back into the car and I started to drive off with only half of him in the vehicle. Much laughter. I didn’t do it on purpose . . . . . really! We spent the afternoon watching the team fly and then we returned to the hotel and waited until we could have dinner.

No restaurants open for dinner until 8:30pm at the earliest. This makes it hard when you have to get up at 5:30am. Plus we’re all starving by 9pm. Dinner tonight was at a restaurant recommended to us as ‘where the locals eat’. It was fantastic. Dinner for 8 people including wine and beer was $103.00 pesos ($31.64 Cdn or $3.95 each) Wow!

Footnote

I understand that Chad exceeded the allowable snoring decible level last night and that Chad will be disqualified from future sleeps if Brian has anything to say about it.

Here's the view from our hotel room.

Saturday and Sunday - Opening Ceremonies

Firstly I have to update you on my driving skills in Santa Fe. I’m so good now that the tourismo’s follow me ‘cause they think I know what I’m doing. Kelly and I have it down to a science. I keep the gas pedal on the floor, she looks right, I look left and we just go. There’s no speed limit and no lines on the road. We understand that street signs and the occasional traffic light are only a suggestion. Quite often the traffic light doesn't work anyhow. If you're on a red light and no one is coming the other way it's OK to go thru. And the roads have huge holes in them, everywhere, so you have to dodge them. Sometime’s we’re 2 cars across and sometimes 3, sometimes there’s horses, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians but you just have to ignore all of the above. If there’s any hesitation at an intersection then it automatically becomes your turn to go. We call it the '4-way go’ procedure. At one point a scooter was approaching from the left and I decided I was there first so I floored it thru the intersection and launched the poor little Peugeot into a 2 foot 'dip' in the road. The scooter guy just stared at us while we flew thru the air and it took about 10 blocks for Kelly to compose herself and stop laughing :-) So our day involves me white-knuckling the steering wheel and Kelly hanging on tight to the HSH (holy-shit handle). It’s very exhilarating :-)

Saturday morning was the first official day of practice at the Sauce Viejo Airport. Kelly and I got up with the guys at 6:00am (OMG) had breakfast and headed out to the airport. Well, actually Kelly and I sort of doddled behind and got there just when Chad took off. After numerous reports of the tight security (you’ll need your passport, parking pass, pitt passes, etc.) we just gave the Policia with the guns a big smile and a finger wave and we sailed right in ;-) It was windy and cold! So we drove the 20 minutes back to the hotel and picked up long pants, socks, shoes and jackets for the boys. Back to the airport, another wink and we were in again. Each team only has 45 minutes of practice time and that’s it. Then it was time for the ‘official check-in’ which consisted of labeling the planes, weighing the planes, measuring the planes, etc., etc. (Snore) From there Kelly and I made a quick stop off at the servicimo for junk food. We sat in the car and ate our lunch and then we decided to go back to the hotel for a siesta. On the way we drove up the road and visited the nearby town of Gelvez. Apparently nothing much happens in Argentina on a Saturday. The only thing on the streets were kids and dogs so we were able to explore without any traffic. Halfway back to Santa Fe we realized we weren’t going to be able to make it back to the hotel and then back to the airport for the opening ceremonies so we drove around the town of Sauce Veijo. When we arrived back at the airport all the teams were ushered into a holding area. It was just like the Olympics. The weather was now sunny and warm. We had a cute little model in tight clothes and high heels (I’m sure the photos will be blogged by the men) who carried a sign that read ‘Canada’ and we were all paraded in before a huge crowd of locals that had been standing out in the heat for hours waiting for this big event. Bands played, speeches were made by politicians and local dignitaries, there were excellent kite flying exhibitions, fly-overs by the Argentina AirForce, parachuters, a 3D R/C display and much fuss. It was really fun and we took lots of pictures. At the end we headed back to the hotel where we all met up, had a drink and ate dinner at the hotel.

Today (Sunday) was the first official day of competition. We were all up at 5:45am (yikes) as Chad was first Canadian to fly about 7:30am. They each fly once per day during the contest. They all did very well. Tomorrow they fly in the afternoon (yeah)!

Kelly and I drove back with a stop at a local indoor shopping mall. We found a McCafe (yes, McDonalds) that knew what a latte was so we sat and had one. Yummy. Now we're back at the hotel, sitting around the pool, and the guys are starting to drift in.