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Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

Written by Christina Smith

Thursday, 27 September 2012 08:04

LinkedIn
------------

Push,

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Christina

Christina Smith
President at Olympians Canada Alberta Chapter
Calgary, Canada Area

Confirm that you know Christina Smith:
https://www.linkedin.com/e/j1zgms-h7lkutro-k/isd/8834018553/vTOsFCu8/?hs=false&tok=3-hs_1-dsA05s1

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So true! What u find in a Starbuck's washroom!

Written by Christina Smith

Tuesday, 01 May 2012 15:24

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Easter - Wasootch Hike in Kananaskis Country on a very sunny blue sky day with

Written by Christina Smith

Sunday, 08 April 2012 19:34

Sent from my iPhone

Mar 18'12 - Off on my own adventure...

Written by Christina Smith

Thursday, 22 March 2012 23:49

After spending almost a complete day sleeping at our 'Two Wheel View Argentina Connection' & guardian angel (Santiago Aragon's) house in order to recuperate from my first 3 weeks of travel; I find myself now waiting tonight at midnight for a 2am bus leaving from Tucuman to Salta, Argentina. The plan is to catch the 6am bus to San Paidro de Atacama...a highly recommended place to explore; then to Calama, by Viña del Mar (Casa de Neruda - Pablo) & Val Pardiso; then venture into Santiago de Chile.
The next suggested route would then be to Puerto Montt (Cruce de los Lagos a Bariloche), however; just met a guy who adventure races around the world who suggested that Valdivia & Pucon (vulcano) in Chile is better. Then I could transfer back to Argentina via San Martin de los Andes; Villa La Angostura; then Bariloche; and may check out a place called El Frutillar (Baho) and Osono (Puerto Varas); then onto El Bolsón. (I'm providing these details in case anyone may want to check my proposed journey out on a map to see where I maybe headed).
New friends of mine from Tucuman, want me also to meet their friends and family in Esquel...then off to Puerto Madryn where there may be penguins, seals, dolphins & whales to see in the wild and to scuba dive.
Then a long bus back to Buenos Aires where I must go to fly back home.

I wanted and still may venture down to one of the furthest tips of world...Rio Grande (prior to the Antarctica).
All this is just a plan which is more than I usually go by...which my normal style is to go with the wind and flow of the place & time. I'll be mighty surprised if I follow the plan to any extent, as you just never know who you might meet or what you may encounter that will forever change the course of your life.

I'm extremely tired from the two weeks of biking due to the hot weather; sun exposure; mental & physical strains of travel; irregular types of eating & drinking; irregular hours of sleeping & eating (no earlier than 9/10pm which is customary to the Argentinian culture); camping on the ground in a tent & sleeping either with warm or cool weather conditions; to extremes of a rain, thunder & lightening storm; mosquito & insect bites; swollen lower limbs from travel, bug bite reactions & wear and tear from the breaking in of my body on the 'Specialized' mountain bike I chose to ride (however, not being privy to a 3D (dimensional) fit which could have solved and prevented the aches & pains of adapting to a new bike set up); soar & tired joints, muscles & skeletal system from the inability to recuperate at night 100% due to sleeping conditions preventing undisturbed sleep due to bugs in the tent, to dogs barking and/or loud music most of the night, not to mention the inconsistent sleeping surfaces ranging from tent to hostel to hotel.
Oh...did I mention that the experience was UNIMAGINABLE, UNFORGETTABLE and I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A SECOND!

A highly recommended trip for youth or young at heart. Fitness level required is negotiable as we had 8 people all at various levels from couch potato, Olympian & seasoned veterans, but at the end of the day it was all up to your mental commitment to keep peddling one revolution at a time. The team work and comradery was what pulled everyone along the various eps and flow of the trip. Everyone grew from the experience and gained lasting memories and friendships for years to come! My blog on the Two Wheel View journey will be released...stay tuned!

As I roll on dow the road on more than a 'Two Wheel View' from a bus's perspective, the experience just wizes by and I sit here feeling like a coach potato eating and drinking barely burning any calories or working up a sweat as the air conditioning blows cool accommodating air over head and the scenery goes by my window. I can hardly keep up with the ever changing scenery or the photo opportunities as the pace is way faster than I have become accustomed to. Do I have a preference? As Rick McFerrin, CEO from Two Wheel View would say, "It's Different". I definitely feel I'm cheating myself out of a hands on experience, but this country is way too grand and I have so little time to experience all I'm craving to see.

Chat once i get internet again,
Christina

Sent from my iPhone

Blog Update from Argentina Feb 29-Mar 1

Written by Christina Smith

Thursday, 22 March 2012 23:38

The adventure continues...
Last night´s outing turned into meeting some locals, and getting a brief tango lesson, then listening to some local live music outside until the wee hours of the morning (still jetlagged and wide awake, resisting bed)

There´s something intriguing about walking home late at night in an area not yet familiar. It´s also freakishly exciting to know that there are bad parts in Buenos Aires that I am to beware of... like every city I guess. To need a map to navigate, makes me laugh, because then I look like a real tourist no matter how hard I try to fit in... but it sure doesn´t help when I´m pulling the paparazzi every other minute! Also, the moment I open my mouth, it blows my cover, because my Spanish is so very rusty, that I´m even frustrated that the locals can´t save me when I´m drowning and unable to find the proper word(s) to spit out! FYI: Got home safe last night and eventually got to sleep and relived my childhood by being on the top bunk of a bunkbed of a hostel.

Mental note to self: Argentinians lock their front doors of their houses, hotels as well as their giftshops during work hours... Any indication of the area I´m in? Hmmmmmmm?

Day 2 started off on the right foot with a great shower, continental breakfast and organized myself for the day at a gradual snail´s pace. But on a mission to head where Valerie (our night receptionist) suggested me to go. Well, day shift front desk didn´t have the same suggestions... It was broad daylight and she strongly urged me not to walk and to take the bus instead; to keep my napsack in front of my chest versus on my back, and to remove all items from my pockets (namely my camera). She said to use common sense... which I have found to be not so common unless you have been traveling and/or have learned the hard way by having been robbed.

The bus rides to and from were somewhat eventful. I was told once by an older man going and once by a young lady returning, to hide my camera as someone would grab it even from my hands...oh boy...gives one a sense of reassurance doesn't it?
The day of window shopping and browsing was fun & entertaining, as many restaurants had live music, tango dancers and the streets were very colorful in the district of Boca with several painted murals.
I made it back with food to prepare consisting of things I had never tried or brought back childhood memories...such as the blood sausage which I had no idea how to prepare, but thought...how hard could it be? The other items were: a blue kind of cheese, local fresh vegetables and fruits (like real fresh figs not dried :) and actually got my own first bottle of local (San Telmo) red wine, which I hope I could share with some new found friends vs by myself. People in Argentina are so friendly, as they are first to help you if you look lost or need help...picking out a bottle of wine for example (haha)!
Dinner was eventful learning how to know when that blood sausage was ready to eat, but the wine went very well with it and the cheese :)
I thought, since it was my last night in Buenos Aires, I would try to go find a place to tango...Arrrriba! I went back to the heart of San Telmo and was lured into TodoMundo (the restaurant from the eve before) to hear a touring Cuban/Argentinian/Columbian live band. They were Amazing!!! The group approached me following one of their sets to introduce themselves. Next thing I knew, I was up dancing with their friends. The first music gig turned into a second one at another spot around the corner which turned into another 5am bed time!...This trip is getting off to quite a start I must say! I doubt the bike trip will be the same once I meet Rick from Two Wheel View tomorrow at the airport for my 2pm flight to Tucuman. Good Luck getting to the airport on time!