La Ventana - Feb 1st & 2nd - Day 1 & 2

Ok.... so I have found time today (which since it is slightly rainy, although warm, the wind isn't blowing) since we can't kiteboard, to update my blog.  Unlucky for us...maybe lucky for you if you read this.

Casa Verde is amazing!  A little oasis in the middle of the desert.  Pictures will be posted as I take them, so stay tuned for that over the next few days.

Driving in from La Paz was quite fun, and Becky and I really liked our extremely friendly and portly driver Manny.

He stopped at Walmart for us so that we could pick up food, alcohol, and other supplies for our stay in La Ventana.  There are not many options in La Ventana, so it is good to get this stuff out of the way before we get there!

After the 1 hour Walmart stop we head on our way.

It is amazing to see others enjoying the deserted roadside on the way in.  Whole families are parked on the side of the road, having a picnic in the middle of the desert.  There would be 2-3 cars in the middle of nowhere, with kids running around and adults in lawn chairs and on blankets.   Ahh..the simple life.

As you get close to La Ventana you have to be careful not to hit a cow...you break it, you buy it.  And they rule the roads so be careful driving here...especially at night.  The nights get cold, the roads are warm...so guess where they like to sleep.

After checking in to Casa Verde and getting settled, a group of us headed to Pablo's for dinner.  I had carne asada...excellent I must say. I even ate the veggies as everyone attests to the safety of the food.  I feel fine today so they must be right. Also, everyone enjoyed what has to be the biggest margarita in La Ventana.

Then back to Casa Verde.  Here is a picture of the bay and beach from our roof top.  Beautiful!

They say that no one ever makes it to midnight in La Ventana.  Either you are tired from kiteboarding all day, or there is no wind so everyone is partying it up.  That was true of yesterday.  Party raged until 11pm....then everyone carashed early. 

Communal dinner was amazing too thanks to the fish others Seattlites had caught.  Wally brought in a 12lb pargo yesterday, so we ate it last night too.  The pargo lives by eating lobster and shrimp, so that is what their meat tastes like....lobster. mmmmm mmmm good.

Anyways, the night closed after much partying.  A higlight was when Wally and I talked Steve Anderson into eating one of the pargo eyes Andrew Zimmerman style. 

I took a bunch of video, but the internet is not so fast here.  You will have to wait for the blog to be updated with video after I return.

Until then, I bid you farewell....its margarita time!

OK.  I am back and here are a few additions and videos.

First here is Steve Anderson after eating the above mentioned Pargo eye in true Andrew Zimmerman style:

This video is of the common method of communicating back to Seattle....aka SKYPE.  Everyone i have met in foriegn countries have started to rely on it for a cheap way to stay in touch.  I used it when I needed to contact my bank after not informing them I would be out of the county and having my ATM card blocked.  SKYPE was easy and simple to use, and it had crystal clear sound. My bank fixed my card issue as well.

It never ceases to amaze me by how far technology has come and how it continues to make our world a bit smaller. When you are not as lucky and me to have your wife be a kiteboarder, SKYPE is a life saver on international kiteboarding trips with the guys.  

Here is Vinny talking to his wife and kids back home during the dinner party, as well as a scan of everyone winding down after a good dinner and some frosty beverages. At this point I am fairly loud and obnoxious with the camera,but hey, at least we have some video of kicking it on the first night.

The final video is a common sight on a night after kiting...or even on nights with no wind...that is a gang of people huddled around a laptop playing the Go Pro videos filmed earlier that day or day before.