Hello Bruin Fans,
Here is my third blog entry of our 14-day trip to Argentina.
Sept. 11: We went to this very big dam called the Dikes. It was about a 20-minute bus ride from the town of San Juan. It was very big and they had some mountains that some of the guys on our team climbed up to get a better view of the scenery. At the top of the biggest mountain there was a white cross overlooking the damn. After we spent time at the dam we had a game later that night against the same team we played yesterday and we lost in 4 (3-1) to the best club team in Argentina. After the game we took pictures with the team as well as many Argentinean kids who were obsessed with many of the taller guys on our team. They were very fond of Jack Polales, Phil Darin, and Ted Slaughter asking them for their T-shirts, shorts, anything that they would give them. It was almost as if we were rock stars getting back on the bus with all the fans at the game waving good-bye to us and blowing us kisses. We had dinner at the same restaurant and then left San Juan for an eight-hour overnight bus ride to Villa Maria. Many of these bus rides are a lot easier to handle because we watch many movies on them.
Sept. 13: It is now our second day in Villa Maria and this town is nothing like the towns we have previously visited. There is very little to do here (the only thing that is somewhat touristy is a very large river and a beautiful cathedral) and during the day it's like a ghost town. There is nobody on the streets just lot of stray dogs. The restaurant we ate at probably had some of the best food we've eaten on this trip. For me at least, it was one of the best meats we've had. When we were done with lunch, many of the guys went back to the hotel to take "siestas" which is an everyday thing in most countries around the world. Because they are taking their siesta, many of the stores are not open so it leaves us nothing to do but nap. Later that night, we played another team in this very small gym with very low ceilings which made it a little more difficult to play in. We ended up losing a very close match in five. It's amazing how good the level of volleyball is down here because these kids have been playing volleyball when most of us would start playing sports like basketball or baseball. Our game started at 9:30 and didn't end till about 12 and we had to go eat after that so we did not even make it back to the hotel until two in the morning and the worst part was that we have a 7 a.m. wake up call.
Sept. 14: After our very early wake up call, we got on the bus and traveled three hours to the city of Rosaria for an exhibition match. Most of the guys slept for the three hours but the lack of sleep from the night before still made most of the team very groggy when we woke from the bus ride. The town we stopped in was very pretty and looked more modern than many of the cities we had visited. We ate at a very Americanized restaurant that had hamburgers and pizza and was playing many popular songs that are on American radios. After we played our game, we drove into the main part of the city which was very cool. They had this very big tower with a large fountain and big sculptures surrounding the base of it. We took an elevator ride up to the top of the tower and at the top you could see everywhere. We were probably close to 300 feet high. After we came down, there was a group of elementary school kids going on a field trip to this monument. As soon as they saw us, they sprinted up to us asking questions in Spanish. Many of us were very overwhelmed by all the kids, but it was quite funny. We got on the bus and took a two hour ride to this truck stop to eat at this all you can eat Argentinean BBQ. It had all sorts of meats like chicken, steak, pork, and sausages. It was awesome! After dinner we hopped back on the bus to drive to our hotel in Bolivar which was another two-hour bus ride.
Until next time, Go Bruins!
Kevin
Here is my third blog entry of our 14-day trip to Argentina.
Sept. 11: We went to this very big dam called the Dikes. It was about a 20-minute bus ride from the town of San Juan. It was very big and they had some mountains that some of the guys on our team climbed up to get a better view of the scenery. At the top of the biggest mountain there was a white cross overlooking the damn. After we spent time at the dam we had a game later that night against the same team we played yesterday and we lost in 4 (3-1) to the best club team in Argentina. After the game we took pictures with the team as well as many Argentinean kids who were obsessed with many of the taller guys on our team. They were very fond of Jack Polales, Phil Darin, and Ted Slaughter asking them for their T-shirts, shorts, anything that they would give them. It was almost as if we were rock stars getting back on the bus with all the fans at the game waving good-bye to us and blowing us kisses. We had dinner at the same restaurant and then left San Juan for an eight-hour overnight bus ride to Villa Maria. Many of these bus rides are a lot easier to handle because we watch many movies on them.
Sept. 13: It is now our second day in Villa Maria and this town is nothing like the towns we have previously visited. There is very little to do here (the only thing that is somewhat touristy is a very large river and a beautiful cathedral) and during the day it's like a ghost town. There is nobody on the streets just lot of stray dogs. The restaurant we ate at probably had some of the best food we've eaten on this trip. For me at least, it was one of the best meats we've had. When we were done with lunch, many of the guys went back to the hotel to take "siestas" which is an everyday thing in most countries around the world. Because they are taking their siesta, many of the stores are not open so it leaves us nothing to do but nap. Later that night, we played another team in this very small gym with very low ceilings which made it a little more difficult to play in. We ended up losing a very close match in five. It's amazing how good the level of volleyball is down here because these kids have been playing volleyball when most of us would start playing sports like basketball or baseball. Our game started at 9:30 and didn't end till about 12 and we had to go eat after that so we did not even make it back to the hotel until two in the morning and the worst part was that we have a 7 a.m. wake up call.
Sept. 14: After our very early wake up call, we got on the bus and traveled three hours to the city of Rosaria for an exhibition match. Most of the guys slept for the three hours but the lack of sleep from the night before still made most of the team very groggy when we woke from the bus ride. The town we stopped in was very pretty and looked more modern than many of the cities we had visited. We ate at a very Americanized restaurant that had hamburgers and pizza and was playing many popular songs that are on American radios. After we played our game, we drove into the main part of the city which was very cool. They had this very big tower with a large fountain and big sculptures surrounding the base of it. We took an elevator ride up to the top of the tower and at the top you could see everywhere. We were probably close to 300 feet high. After we came down, there was a group of elementary school kids going on a field trip to this monument. As soon as they saw us, they sprinted up to us asking questions in Spanish. Many of us were very overwhelmed by all the kids, but it was quite funny. We got on the bus and took a two hour ride to this truck stop to eat at this all you can eat Argentinean BBQ. It had all sorts of meats like chicken, steak, pork, and sausages. It was awesome! After dinner we hopped back on the bus to drive to our hotel in Bolivar which was another two-hour bus ride.
Until next time, Go Bruins!
Kevin
