Zippity Do Da

Whilst I clearly love food, drink and culture, I have come to realise that I much prefer to spend my holidays doing more physically active things. Hiking, kayaking and riding have all been high points of the trip so far. I was therefore really looking forward to my day with Argentina Adventures, the company recommended by my lovely guide, Juan.

The AA (in this case neither the Automobile Association nor Alcoholics Anonymous, although some might think that the latter might be more appropriate given recent consumption levels) had been easy to book with the previous day, and they agreed to pick me up at my hotel between 9:15 and 9:30.  I have learned that Argentina Standard Time works on a slightly different system from Greenwich Mean Time, and that I should probably expect them around 9:45.  I wasn’t wrong.

I joined the minivan full of about 10 other enthusiastic adventurers, ranging in age from teenagers to, well, me. They were all Argentinians.  During the drive, I was asked to complete the information form and liability waiver, and the questions included both Blood type and Next of Kin. I’ve done white water rating in many places, including Class 5’s (the most difficult) in Zimbabwe and in Sri Lanka where the safety equipment was minimal but the leaches were plentiful.  I’ve never been asked to provide my blood type. I won’t lie - it was a bit worrying. I shouldn’t have worried, though; AA were totally professional and I felt as safe on the day as one can possibly feel when being churned through a  washing machine or being suspended 50 metres above a raging river. 

AA’s setting is unexpectedly pretty, with the zip lining office on one side and the rafting office, changing rooms and bathrooms on the other, with a full restaurant in the middle. The whole thing sits aside the Mendoza River which flows through the stunning Potrerillos Valley.  I had time for a quick coffee whilst waiting to be called for my first adventure. After a few minutes spent enjoying the coffee and fabulous setting, I heard my name called, and I went to join Walter, the zip line guide.  Unlike most people who work as adventure guides, Walter was older (54 to be precise), yet he still had that typical mix of confidence, roguishness  and rugged good looks that these folks always seem to possess. They immediately give off the impression that you are in safe hands, despite all of that. After kitting out the 10 of us in our group with harnesses, gloves and helmets, we had an extensive briefing. The Spanish version took about 10 minutes. My English version was completed in under 2 minutes.  I have absolutely no idea what they failed to mention, but I’m still here so I guess it must not have been critical. I won’t lie; I was pretty nervous.  There are a series of six increasingly high and fast zip lines, and I had never before done anything remotely this dangerous challenging interesting. Walter and the other guides were super reassuring though as we climbed up to the first platform and I tried not to hyperventilate.  As an aside, I continue to be delighted and more than a little amazed with the ease that I now find walking up and down steep paths.  Despite the fact that I was a good 25 years older than the next oldest person in my group, others struggled far more than I did, and I was more than a little smug. Walter double hooked me onto the first wire, reinforced the instructions and sent me on my way.  I loved it! I whooped the whole way down and practically ran to the next platform. After each zip, we hiked up to the next level, providing just enough exercise and delay to heighten anticipation. We did five more wires, the last two of which were over the river.  By the third, my pulse wasn’t even remotely speeding, and I was able to relax and enjoy the rides. It’s definitely some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a harness. 

After we finished, I had two hours to let the adrenaline subside before my white water rafting. My package included lunch, but my expectations were pretty low for lunch in a “tourist park”. Boy, was I wrong. It was amazing! Tomato and cheese salad, followed by a delicious steak served with a huge helping of steamed vegetables and fries.  As always, the portions were huge, and I didn’t make a dent in it. I declined the ice cream for dessert, but I did treat myself to a refreshing Patagonia Cerveza. These Argentinians take their food very seriously, and I am very appreciative for that.

After lunch and a little chill time (ok, I might have done a mini sitting siesta), I heard my name called for the rafting. Ricky was a younger version of Walter with all the same characteristics. I wonder if there is a factory somewhere that churns out adventure guides for global distribution. I was kitted out with a wet suit, shoes, helmet and life jacket and herded onto a bus that took us to our start point. Ricky asked about my rafting experience and was mightily impressed that I had rafted the Zambeze, but I did have to remind him that was 35 years ago. This time the Spanish instructions lasted about 15 minutes during the bus ride. Ricky didn’t instruct so much as quiz me on what to do in different situations. I must have passed as he let me raft and I didn’t die. I did, however have to learn the various rafting commands of “adelante” (forward), “atrás” (backward), “alto” (stop) and the most important, “agáchate”(get down!).  The rafting itself was great fun with a good mix of Class 2 and 3 rapids, and a particular gnarly one bordering on a short class 4. There were 8 of us on the raft, including Ricky and his girlfriend (also a guide), and we only lost one person overboard. He was a very lightweight teen who was tossed out like a ragdoll  in one of the rapids, but we managed quickly to pull him back in.  The actual time on the river was probably only about an hour, but it was a good time nonetheless. It definitely reignited my love of rafting, and made me think about how I would incorporate that into my next holiday. 

After changing back into dry clothes, it was time for another cerveza to keep me company on the trip back to the hotel where I arrived at about 7:00. What a great day it was. An early start today as I have a flight to Montevideo , Uruguay for the next stage on this amazing trip. My hotel kindly provided me with coffee and fruit even though the restaurant wasn’t open yet. Even better, they provided me with a final cuddle from the hotel dog who adopted me during my stay (please don’t tell Lola).