Day 1 recap

This trip started out eerily similar to the SE Asia motorcycle trip with Danny and Charlie.  Davis and I ran about 6.5 miles to the motorcycle rental place (1.5 miles extra because I apparently read maps upside down in the Southern Hemisphere). The rental place turned out to a little two-man shop run by one Danish guy and one Chilean guy. They were more pumped about our trip than we were and their basic message was don't trust Chileans, especially Chilean women; be safe; have fun. The 5-mile ride back took me almost an hour - again the map thing and crazy traffic. It took Davis 2.5 hours because I'm the worst lead driver ever and I ran a yellow light and lost him in rush hour traffic. That's not a cool thing to do when you've got the only map.  Davis eventually found his way back.  Many cervezas were consumed in the evening.

Things I learned about Davis today: like our mutual friend Steven, Davis is incapable of dealing with hunger. Unlike Steven, he is able to give me advanced warning and estimate of magnitude of hunger crankiness onset. Davis is truly the happiest and most forgiving man in the world. He should have been pissed at me for losing him and having the only map. Instead he said he was happy to have the opportunity to practice his Spanish and motorcycle riding. Things I learned about Chile today: pisco looks like a girly cocktail. FALSE. Chileans (at least one) don't particularly like the US, but are still kind to Americans. Things I learned about my Spanish speaking skills: watching a Wesley Snipes movie on the Spanish channel while I packed was not adequate language preparation. My Spanish improves as I consume more beer. I have not found an ending point to this axiom.

On to the Andes...