Visiting the End of the World, Hitchhiking across Borders, Swimming through Volcanic Ash, and Eating Meat with the Locals.

My, oh my, where to begin?!? I swear I wake up every day wondering to myself - what wonderful, amazing, completely unexpected adventure will I have today?!? For sanity - and logistical - reasons, I make rough plans, but often they get thrown out the window and something completely different, but far more wonderful happens. So now that I have more than 5 minutes to use a computer, I will attempt to catch you up on the events of my life over the last week - and what a week it has been!

First of all - to put my dad at ease - I made it safely hitchhiking from Esquel, Argentina across the Chilean border into Futaleufu - an incredibly beautiful and remote pueblito deep in the Andean Cordillera. After busing it 20 kms to Trevelin, I was dropped off at the end of the town and planted myself on the road to Chile. And waited and waited as nearly no cars passed by. Two cars stopped, but were not going far enough, and I did not want to get dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I am in a really really rural place, after all. But after about an hour a truck stopped, and I climbed aboard to cram myself in the cab with 3 smelly, burly Chilean men transporting beer to Futaleufu, and I could not have been happier. Hitchhiking is a completely different experience here. In the States, I would rather walk 100 miles before climbing aboard an 18-wheeler with a strange man, but here it is commonplace to hitchhike as few people have cars and buses so rarely pass to this relatively isolated part of Chile (the only way to arrive is to pass through Argentina from the North or take a ferry and the buses only go about once or twice a week) and those most likely to pick you up are truckers. So off we went the final 50 kms crossing the border into Chile to make it to Futaleufu. And to add excitement to the whole adventure, Chaiten, a volcano 100 km to the north, erupted last Thursday sending large amounts of ash into the air and blanketing the entire town of Futa so much so that for about an hour in the middle of the day the town was completely dark until the ash began to settle. The town of Chaiten had to be evacuated and many people made their way to Futa to stay with friends and family. But upon arriving, other than a thick dusty layer of ash on everything in town, the town of Futa looked to me to be continuing with life as usual. So here I am and now back to how I have found myself in this incredible place!

When I last wrote, I was in Puerto Natales, Chile. A town one goes to for the sole purpose of reaching Torres del Paine National Park. There's not much to see unless the clouds decide to lift and then you have an incredible view of the Andes, but from what I gather, the clouds do not do much lifting. They mainly sit and then occasionally they dump large amounts of water and then sit some more. As I was leaving, I finally got a glimpse of the fabled mountains, and they were breathtaking, but in the blink of an eye los nubes came back and did some more sitting obscuring any sort of view. Yet, I fell in love with the town - with its ragtag appearance, fishy smell, and the lovely Chilean woman in whose hostel I stayed. But other towns and more long long bus rides were calling my name.

So last Tuesday (oh man, all this has happened in only 7 days!), I boarded a bus headed South to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. The 12 hour journey involved a border crossing (back into Argentina again) and a ferry ride to the island of Tierra del Fuego to reach this city at the end of the world. And what a sight! After hours upon hours of nothing but flat, dry desert, these gigantic mountains shoot out of seemingly nowhere and the sight of lush green forests, snow-capped mountains, and glacial lakes is almost overwhelming. The city itself is located at the base of the Andes mountains and dives straight - and steeply - into the Beagle Channel with views of mountains everywhere you look and only a small island (and many many miles of ocean) separating you from Antarctica. On Day One at the end of the world, I meandered along the steep streets, ate some yummy vegetarian food, and went for a great hike (with the hostel owners dog) to the top of a mountain that rises up right behind the hostel and offered amazing - although cloudy (cloudy and cold was essentially the theme of my trip to Patagonia)- views of the city and the surrounding mountains. On Day Two at The End of the World, I coughed up the ridiculously inflated foreign rates to enter Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and went for a beautiful hike along the coastline of the Beagle Channel, visited the southernmost post office in the world (and, yes, got a stamp to prove it!), and walked to the end of Ruta 3 so I could be a total tourist and take a photo of myself at the end of the road at The End of the World. Woohoo!

And while The End of the World was great and all, I was itching to get back on the road after two full days and hoping to maybe get to Futaleufu to meet back up with Joe before Sunday to make it to Futa in time for a big kayak festival Jon was helping to put on. So Friday morning, I hopped back on a bus at 5 am for a 36 hour journey back to the north of Patagonia to the small town of Esquel. And in the first 12 hours of the journey, I had to go through 4 border crossings and take a ferry once again to cross the canal back to the mainland. I highly recommend you look at a map to understand this, but Southern Patagonia is very undeveloped and consists of a lot of islands divided between Argentina and Chile - there is clearly some serious tension between the two countries down there. So in order to go from Ushuaia, ARGENTINA to Esquel, ARGENTINA, I had to pass through Chile. And even though I was in the country for approximately 4 hours and the bus never once stopped en route, we all had to get off the bus four times to go through the various customs offices as we left and entered the countries - talk about some good times! And on Saturday evening, 36 hours after leaving the end of the world, I was back in the thick of the Patagonian wilderness with my eye on crossing once again back into Chile (I may have to get a new passport for the sole purpose of the many many stamps I am having to get for all the Arg-Chile border crossings I am doing) to visit Joe and Jon Clark in Futaleufu, Chile. And this is where the real fun began!

Futaleufu, Chile is a town of about 2500 people that as I have already mentioned can only be reached by boat or by passing through Argentina. It is more or less isolated, but has some of the most gorgeous whitewater I have ever seen and, as a result, is a destination for some of the best kayakers in the world as well as tourists in search of an amazing rafting experience. The water glows with a turquoise tint and the mountains climb steeply covered green. So while at first I was not sure if it was safe to head there or not, people in Esquel assured me life was going on as usual - meaning that the kayak festival was still in full swing. So with an open mind and some extra food and water, I hitchhiked the 70 km from Esquel to Futa. And once in Futa, I still had another 25 kms of dirt road to travel to get to the festival, so I hiked a bit further down the road to wait for a car to pass by. It was Sunday, I was in the middle of nowhere - I assumed it would be hours. But as luck would have it, one Javier Alejandro drove by within 5 minutes and picked me up as he was headed to the festival with two friends. His son Marcos was competing and he himself is a somewhat important character in this tiny town. And over the course of the next 12 hours, I more or less became part of this family. They carted me to the festival, introduced me to a monton de gente, invited me back to their cabin outside of town for an authentic Chilean asado - we bought a living lamb on the way back to Javier´s cabin where he proceeded to kill it on his back porch, skin it, and remove its innards in preparation for the grill - as awful as the whole process may sound, I no longer flinch at it and actually find it somewhat captivating if you can try to understand that! So I sat around the fire with Javier, his son, about 10 friends and family chatting until the lamb was ready at around 1 am. We ate, drank, and then they took me back to their other cabin in town where I spent the night. I love this country - such things would NEVER happen in the States. A complete stranger picks me up on the road and within minutes - literally - they are treating me like family. What beautiful people! And then the next day (Monday), I hooked up with Jon and Joe and wandered around town meeting more people and ended the day with another asado with another family that invited me to join them!

So for a quick summary, in the last 7 days, I have traveled nearly 2000 kms, visited the southernmost city in the world, crossed the border 4 times, spent 55 hours traveling on bus and trucks, met some of the friendliest people, and have now found myself in a remote and beautiful Chilean town with two former co-workers from the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Im not sure what will happen from here, but the "plan" is to head to the island of Chiloe by ferry. However, I have to pass through the town of Chaiten where the volcano is located, and I am not sure what the deal is with buses and ferries since the eruption. But the theme of life and travel here is go with the flow...!VIVA!

Rapid Report

I have 5 mins to write this so I dont miss my bus, but I wanted to update. In the last week, I went from Puerto Natales in Chile, to Ushuaia,Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, then 36 hours back North to Esquel passing from Argentina into Chile back into Argentina again. Long long long journey, but totally cool. Now I am rushing off to catch a bus to the border town of Trevellin and hopefully hitch'hiking to Futaleufu in Chile where with luck I will hitchhike to Futa fest where Joe adn Jon are hanging out for teh weekend. They have no idea Im coming adn I didnt know I was going until the super helpful people here at the hostel told me how I get get there without waiting until tomorrow as buses only go on Mon and Fri. Ok, better explanation later. Gotta run!

VIVA!

Guilty as Charged

I have a confession to make. Ok, two really.

Number 1. This one has been weighing on my mind. So I will share it with you now. Please dont judge.

Number 1. I. Steal. Toilet. Paper. Im not proud of it. And I dont do it because I get some sort of thrill from stashing a sheet or two here and there into my backpack. I do it out of NECESSITY. Nada más. And I dont steal much - no more than 3-4 sheets each time. But as it is rare to come across a public restroom or bus bathroom that provides TP, in addition to the recent addition of hostels down here in Patagonia charging for TP, I have found this new vice to be necessary for suvival. If Im lucky enough to come upon a toilet that actually provides papel higenico, I stash a few extra sheets in my bag before exiting the toilet. I also have been known to steal an extra napkin from cafes and ice cream shops. Call it a survival technique of the frugal and TP-challenged! Im sure if anyone ever finds my bag and ruffels through it, they will think I have some psychological hoarding problem.

Number 2. The principal reason I am able to write this entry right now. I came back early from Torres del Paine. I went Thursday morning and immediatly began to feel oddly trapped. I cant really explain it. The weather was not as bad as we expected. In fact, we actually had blue sky and sun at intervals - and I as downright joyful at this as the whole morning was cold, wet, and dreary. We didnt see the amazing fabled views of Los Torres (although Joe is still in the park and Im waiting to hear his report as to whether the weather ever cleared up), but after battling the wind to set up camp, we did go for a nice hike to see Glaciar Grey - another of the many many hulking glaciers in this area. The lighting was fantastic and Joe got some awesome shots which I will post once he gets out of the wild and loads them. The wind was incredible. I have NEVER experienced wind quite like it. Upwards of 60-70 mph that several times nearly knocked me over and had me crouching in the fetal position on the ground to keep from flying away. If it sounds like Im exxagerating, Im not. At one point, it was so strong that you could literally sit down into the wind and it would hold you up. And it kept changing directions, so there was no way to know from which direction it would strike you next. Im not much of a backpacker. Give me a good, long, challenging day hike and Im game, add in backpacks, setting up camp, preparing your food while huddled in a corner trying to stay warm and dry, and Im looking for option Number 2. I think (ok, I know) I knew this about myself, but I decided to give the hike a try. So with the elements totally NOT in our favor - the weather was so bad that part of the trail was closed down due to flooding and high winds - I only found myself less inclined to be there and thinking more of the end than the journey in and of itself. So I decided to come on back to Puerto Natales. Part of me felt ridiculous returning so soon (oh how I wanted to return with that feeling of having conquered 75 kms of hard trekking with mystical images of las montñas and glaciars in my head), the other part of me knew - and knows - it was totally and completely the right decision for myself. All I can say is taht Im happy I gave it a chance, but Im equally happy I listened to myself and came back early.

And since coming back I been lucky enough to locate the absolutely cutest family house where I spent the first night drinking pisco sours and chatting it up with the owner - Chila - about life and travel in Chile. I am sharing a room with a guy from Los Angeles who is currently biking from Santiago to Ushuaia. He has already completed 4000km and has only about 800 km left to go. His trip stories have left me paralyzed in awe at the idea of hopping aboard a bike and covering so much ground alone in a place so wild and uninhabited. What an inspiration! There were also 3 Frenchmen doing a similar trip aboard bike - two in their mid-60s who started in Bolivia (that´s really really far North for those of you who havent checked out a map!).

I was supposed to head to Ushuaia - the end of the world - today, but changed my ticket for Tuesday morning as I am rather enjoying this down-to-earth, rough around the edges, port town. And want another day to reorganize my things and hang out with my Chilean host.

Next stop: El FIN DEL MUNDO! VIVA!

Praying for sunny skies in Torres del Paine

Buenas Noches desde Puerto Natales, Chile! Ive done it again - hopped the border and crossed once more into Chilean soil. This time the border crossing went much more smoothly, although Joe did have to throw out two logs of salami while the border guard lectured him on the dangers of bringing such products across the border. Turns out it was actually CHILEAN salami, but we know the rules...

So how did I get here? First, I had a delightful (I kid you not) 28 hour bus ride - no fancy meals or drinks or even toilet paper in the bathroom, but I did get a second story seat, and evidentally it doesnt take much to make me happy on these bus rides! Joe joined me after 4 hours and was not nearly as keen on the 24 hours he spent aboard, but bussing it forever and ever clearly isnt for everyone! Saturday, we arrived in El Calafate, an incredibly touristy town near the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. The town was full of people stocking up on groceries, money (a few banks even ran out and since I arrived with just under $100 pesos I had a brief panic attack while waiting in line and praying that there was still money once it was my turn), t-shirts, and the amazingly delicious calafate ice cream which is made from a berry of the same name. So we did the dance and waited in line at the bank, then waited in line at the grocery store, and then waited in line at the ice cream shop. Joe bought a shirt. Im cheap and dont believe in buying clothes until they are tattered and torn and resemble something you use to wash your dirty car, so I wandered around in search of the cheapest tickets and lodging I could find for us over the next few days. Life here is expensive. I accepted that before I got here. WE are in PATAGONIA after all. It´s far away from everything, and many places draw tourists from all over the world in search of great hiking and incredible scenery, so they certainly take advantage of our wallets. But by cooking all our own meals and staying in the absolute cheapest places I can find, we´ve done alright!

And after figuring out the logistics, we headed aboard a bus to the incredible, jaw-dropping Glaciar Perito Moreno where we first took a boat to see the glaciar up close from Lago Argentino and then headed up the road to look at it from above. The glaciar is amazing. Joe took some photos - ok, a million photos - and Ill post the link for you to see it once he sends it to me. And every few minutes we heard these loud, thunderous crashes as chunks of ice fell 150 feet into the waters below. INCREÏBLE!

Then we were off the next day to the teeny tiny town of El Chalten 3 hours north in the Fitz Roy Mt. Range. We hiked 25 km deep into the valley and up up up to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fitz Roy in all her majesty, but true to form, she stayed hidden behind the clouds. It was a gorgeous, albeit rather windy, hike, nonetheless. As we headed down at the end of the day, we stopped to rest for a bit at a spot where you could view the valley below and it hoenestly looked more like a watercolor landscape painting. It looked unreal. I felt like I was loking at a backdrop that someone painted as opposed to an actual valley in an actual place. And the adorable town of El Chalten (pop. 600) was as cute as a button. If it weren´t for the incessant winds that had me putting rocks in my shoes to keep me grounded, I might move there.

And now we are in Puerto Natales where we just spent the last 8 hours trying to gather everything we need for our 5 day hike in Torres del Paine. And I must admit, Im feeling a little less prepared than I wish - and a little more overwhelmed than I wish to admit. Rain is forecasted for the next three days, and as I came here without hiking boots, I scrambled to find some to rent. They were all too big or too small, so Im sticking with a pair that is a bit too big and a little uncomfortable, but hoping all works out. It´s all an experience, I tell myself. So I best be off to finish packing, eat some dinner, and try to get some sleep before tomorrow´s 6:30 am wake up call. Wish me luck and send sunny thoughts our way - I want to see those amazing towers after all! VIVA!

Updates, Another Photo Link, Travel Plans, Random Thoughts from Paraíso!

This photo should be in the previous post, but it shows the refugio where I stayed on my hike last week - gorgeous, no?!

Buenas Noches! I finally took the time to upload the rest of my photos from my time in Junin. Check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058313&l=53c0c&id=5901703

It´s a stormy night here in Bariloche, and I have just spent the last hour sipping tea and learning about the when, where, and why of Spanish accent marks. For some strange reason, I genuinely LOVE (and I am in NO way being sarcastic) Spanish grammar. It just so happens that German´s 10 year old son is learning the same thing in his Spanish classes, so we sat at the table together at 11 pm reading about Don Alphabet and his Word Planet until I realized that perhaps it wasnt the best hour to be practicing such things with a 10 year old - i.e. Teo began to fall asleep. So the lesson has been put on hold until tomorrow. But, man, oh man, let me tell you what - learning the rules just makes things so much easier! For the past few weeks I have not only been speaking only in Spanish, but written daily in my diary only in Spanish. Of course, there is no one to correct the private thoughts I note in there, so whose to say if it´s even inteligible, pero bueno... My next goal is to work on my pronunciation. It´s killing me that I still sound so very much like a freakin´ North Americano trying so hard to speak this here lenguaje. What does one have to do to sound at least a teensy weensy bit less foreign...grrr! But enough of that babble!

In the last few days, I had the opportunity to go on two spectacular bike rides in las montañas nearby. Once on a 25 km ride that involved a killer climb on a dirt road, followed by perhaps the fastest descent of my life as I flew down 10 km of windy pavement trying to keep up with some women who had done the ride more than a few times. Then yesterday, German´s wife Carolina and I did a 45 km loop skirting three gorgeous crystalline lakes. We passed through a Swiss colony (yes, I am still in Argentina), visited the famous Llao Llao hotel, and went up and down and up and down hill after hill with some of the most amazing scenery imaginable in front, behind, and all around me the entire way! This place will never cease to amaze me with it´s breathtaking views of the mountains and lakes in every direction!

Biking the "Circuito Chico" around Bariloche with Caro!


And tomorrow I will begin planning a trip for Joe - a co-worker from NOC who is down here visiting another co-worker who currently lives in Chile - and myself to visit a few super important and amazing places in Southern Argentina - i.e. PATAGONIA!!!! I have been waiting for the right moment to make my way South and am excited to have a travel companion - so much for thinking I would be going at it solo the whole time, eh?! Anyway, I have much to do to get everything in order, but wanted to share some random thoughts that have been passing through my head in the last few weeks...

Believe what you will about what happens to our loved ones after they die, but Im telling you, I wholeheartedly believe that my paternal grandmother - good ole Big Mama - is rocking and rolling and having the time of her life (or afterlife, if you will) here in Argentina. In many ways, she is the reason I am here right now. After living in Ecuador 4 years ago, I had always talked about coming back to South America to do some traveling "someday." But we all know how "someday" goes. Schedules, work, money, family, obligations, fear - you name it - the reasons and
excuses not to do something we have always dreamed of can become endless when the possibility of actually getting what we want comes into sight. In fact, even after I bought the ticket and made the plans to come here, I found myself so overwhelmed by the journey on which I was about to embark that I really almost hoped something would happen that would keep me from going. I promise you that if someone had told me, "Cameron, you cannot go," I would have stayed home without asking why. In fact, I had numerous conversations with friends and family in which I nearly begged them to tell me not to go, but the responses were always the same - wholehearted support and encouragement - "You can do this, Cameron. YOU!" Really?!? They ALL
thought this? Why was I the one with so little faith? And the person who truly got the ball rolling was Big Mama.

My grandmother loved to travel. As the first 70+ years of her life were spent studying, working hard, raising 5 children and taking care of my grandfather once he could no longer get around on his own, she took full advantage of the last 10 years of her life during which she traveled numerous times a year all over the globe with different family members. As long as you were a Taylor, you were fair game for
an invite - I tried so hard one time to convince her that Molly, my college roommate, might as well be a Taylor, but to no avail. While she hit many countries on many continents, she never made it to South America. A trip here for the two of us was always in the works, but due to school, timing, work, and other such obligations, it never came to pass. And when Big Mama realized she would be too sick to ever make the trip herself, she insisted I go for two weeks - her treat.
Really?!? What an amazing gift! But again, as easy as it should be to take a gift like this and use it right away, somehow life, work, and - for me - fear, get in the way. Yet everytime I talked to her, she kept saying, "When are you going?" And to make me mad (and set a fire to make me actually plan the trip), she would say (to be read with a VERY strong Southern accent) "I just dont believe you are going
to go. You dont have it in you, do you?" She had a way of egging me on by acting like she doubted my ability to do something. So, just one week before she died, I had convinced dad (ok, so there wasn´t exactly THAT much convincing that took place) to be my travel companion and decided where and when to go. And it just so happened
that dad and I would be here on what would have been her 87th birthday. And from there, I got to thinking - "Well, if this trip I have always talked about taking "someday" is going to happen, now is as good a time as ever!" I already had an initial reason (and means) to get to Argentina, so why not just stick around for a few months - or 8! - and see what there is to see! And, you know what, I think (or
I know) Big Mama has stuck around too. She´s having fun, but mainly I
think she´s watching over me to make sure I am doing alright. Things are just falling into place too beautifully to not have someone watching over me. And I feel that this is evident each time I meet someone or some family that invites me to travel with them. So here´s to keeping the good times rolling as I travel down down to the end of the world with Joe! VIVA!

"Hey! Where are you? What´s going on?"

This is the typical email I receive from my dad every once in a while when I have gone for more than a few days without writing him. And I always know that it is his way of attampting to say as calmly as possible - "Where the hell are you? Please write me to let me know you have not been eaten by pumas, kidnapped by guerilleros (of which there are none here, thankfully), or found, moved in with, and married an Argentinian with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life and never come home." And it is when I receive these emails that I realize how much time has passed since I have contacted the outside world.

So here I am, 8 days after last writing, sitting in the guest room in my friend German´s house in Bariloche, Argentina - perhaps the most beautiful city I can imagine one could have the opportunity in which to live, work, play, exist in general. I was here nearly 3 months ago - I cant believe that much time has already passed! - with Poppa T and I have posted photos and it is just as stunning and breathtaking and glorious as before. And it´s an even richer experience passing these days in German´s home with his wife and three kids and meeting the forever extending family (i.e. more and more family come by to chat, drink maté, eat each day). And tomorrow is his middle child´s 8th birthday, so I will be meeting even more people tomorrow - I LOVE the big Argentinian families!

When I last wrote, I was planning to leave Junin last Saturday to head to Bariloche with German. Well, in true Argentinian fashion, things did not happen the way one may have planned, and I was quite happy to spend another four days in Junin. I had an entire house to myself for the weekend - que rica vida, no?! - and then spent three activity filled days with Tay, Noelia, and their three young daughters playing in the pool, drinking maté, visiting Tay´s school in the mountains, going for gloriously beautiful walks with Noelia in the mountains behind their house and along the river - Beautiful, and LONG (I LOVE to walk forever and ever and, yet, Noelia had me gasping for breath and wanting to beg for to take a break for "un rato"!), doing my best to be helpful around the house, and dormiendo la siesta to escape from the fierce heat of the midday Andean sun. On Wednesday, I decided I better make a plan to leave; otherwise, I feared I would take up permanent residence in their casa. So I bought my ticket, packed my bags, and off I went to return to life as a mochilera after 6 amazing and fan-freakin-tasticweeks to the day of living with Vanina´s family. I was terribly sad to say goodbye, but left behind some things with the plan of passing back by once again before heading back to the states. And then there is this idea in my head of moving there at some point to teach English or work in a hostel. We shall see what comes of that...

So after a 3 hour bus ride that turned into a 4 hour bus ride due to an old man passing out from heat exhaustion and having to be taken to the hospital- for some reason the bus driver refused to turn on the air... - I made it to the Bariloche bus station where German picked me off and whisked me off to his beautiful home just outside of town. So I guess I wasnt actually a backpacker for that long seeing as how I cant say that staying in someone´s home, eating meals with their fam, and having my own room is exactly "roughing it." And having Argentinian families to stay with has been such an incredibly rich experience. I continue to love how everything has come together and feel forver grateful and thankful to the families I have met along the way who have opened their homes to me - how does one EVER thank someone for such hospitality?!

Friday, the day after I got here, I got up early and headed off to meet up with one of German´s friends who is a trekking guide and helps deliver food and supplies to a refugio in the mountains near here. We set off on a four hour hike high up into the mountains where after a mildly grueling ascent, I arrived to find a gorgeous cabin on a lakefront with a kitchen and a dorm upstairs to sleep. It turned out that this particular spot is very well-known for great climbing and there were a ton of people staying up there for the entire summer just to spend their vacation climbing. So I spent the afternoon chatting it up with a Chilean who took me on a hike to see a nearby valley, many people from Buenos Aires who were here to escape the insanity of the big city, an Italian, a Spaniard, and a few people from los estados unidos. In the evening, we ate dinner by candlelight, told funny stories, and listened while some people played guitar. It felt very cozy and camp-like and I was drinking it all in in big gulps - I LOVE this kind of stuff! Saturday, I had a very lazy day lying out on the rocks soaking in the sun and talking to random people who passed through until late afternoon when I headed back down with a girl from Bariloche. And since returning to German´s house, I have been playing board games with his kids, making enough fruit salad to feed a small country, and in the afternoon I took the kids to a nearby beach where we played hide and seek among the rocks. I love climbing up and over and around the rocks - it´s like a playground for big kids! Now I am tired and very much in need of a bath (I can currently smell my feet and it´s making me mildly nauseous), so I best be off. Hasta la proxima! VIVA!