Vacations! (Again?)

Our daily work schedule has changed for the new year.  Last year we worked a rotating shift that some days started at 6:00, some at 6:30, or 7:30, or 9:00 or various different times.  It was almost impossible to know from one day to the next when we would be working.  We now have a schedule that is either morning or afternoon.  We are on the morning shift for three weeks and then the afternoon shift for three weeks.  This schedule is much easier to keep track of, and now matches the shifts the regular temple workers have.  That means that the missionaries schedules are understandable for the shift coordinators too.  This is a nice improvement.

We started out in the morning bracket with Elder and Sister May for the first two weeks.  The morning shift goes until 1:30 in the afternoon.  As a result, we decided to rent a car and see more of the sights around Cordoba after our shift was over.  Since this is the middle of the summertime in the southern hemisphere, there is a lot to see and do.

I am going to jump ahead just a little bit here.  One of the last places we visited was the Eden Hotel in La Falda.  This hotel was built by two German brothers - the Eichorn brothers, both friends of Adolph Hitler.  In its day it was the most posh hotel in Argentina.  People from all over the world stayed there, including our first photo - Albert Einstein.  Now you all know that Claudia likes to have her picture taken with statues and mannequins here in Argentina.  This is a mannequin of Al showing his most famous equation.


People would come and stay from four to six months.  The nightly fee was around $3,000 pesos per person, and children were charged half that price.  That is a VERY expensive price.  Other famous people to visit this hotel are Juan Peron, Adolph Hitler, and many other famous folks.  It is rumored that Hitler stayed in that hotel as a guest of the Eichorn brothers after the end of WWII while his compound in Bariloche was being built.  Today the hotel has fallen into disrepair, and is in the process of being restored.  Tours are given about every 20 minutes for the sum of about $6.00 US per person.

Many small towns have festivals centered around Folk Music, and other activities.  Our first destination was such a place.  The city of Jesus Maria is about 30 minutes north of the temple.  During the first part of January the National Rodeo Championships are held there.  There is a different event each night and the festivities go for about 10 days.  Held simultaneously with this competition is a Folk Music festival.  Both are in the same arena, and alternate between a rider and a singer.  Some sources state that more than 300,000 people attend this party.

We went to Jesus Maria on two different afternoons, but didn't stay for the festivities for two reasons.  The first is that they don't really get going until 6 PM, with the rodeo and the best singers beginning at 10 PM.  The evening's festivities end at around 4:00 AM.  The second reason is that the road into Jesus Maria is only a two lane road.  All of those folks trying to get out of town at that hour, possibly having had a bit of additional spirit (the event is sponsored by a winery), didn't sound like a good time to us.

One of the more fun things we did was a visit to Capilla del Monte.  This is another small town about an hour and a half drive from the temple.  When we received our mission call, I looked for a webcam that would show us what it is like in Argentina.  The webcam in Capilla del Monte was the only current webcam I could find.  It is actually a video cam, and you can watch people wandering around town.  In case you are interested, here is the URL to visit that webcam site.

http://webcamuritorco.com.ar/

We decided to have a bit of fun with this.  All four of us notified our children that we would be on the webcam at 5:30 pm.  On the way out the door of our apartment I grabbed a walking stick and decided to fake a limp and the need for a cane while we were being broadcast on the internet.  The ruse worked!  Our kids were talking back and forth about why dad was limping.  After it was all done we had a good laugh.

Capilla del Monte is the UFO capital of Argentina.  There are a bunch of mannequins, and Claudia needed her photo taken with each of them. - more than I can post here.  I'll get them up on Facebook.

Another of the favorite places we visited was Cruz del Eje, another small town northwest of Cordoba.  This stop was fun because we came across three old, rusting hulks of steam engines.  The newest one, in front of this photo, was built in 1853.  The date was cast into the frame of the engine.  The engine in back is considerably older as can be seen by the design.  We played around on these engines for about an hour before we continued on down the road.  Interestingly, when I was here in the late 60s I took a train ride on a P-day to Cruz del Eje.  The engine was a steam engine.  I wonder if it may have been one of these three?





Other places we visited were Villa General Belgrano, Alta Gracia, Rio Segundo, Mina Clavero, and many other small towns.  Argentina is a beautiful country with very abundant natural resources.












Before the Second World War it was one of the richest countries in the world.  Talking to the people here there is a general consensus that the country declined to what it is today because of socialism and unstable government.  Taxes are high, shady dealings are the norm in government, and many people are being supported by the government.  The photo at right is a metaphor of Argentina.  This once great locomotive boiler is now left to the ravages of entropy by disuse and inattention.

Hmmmmm.






Now for a Primary story.  While we were in Rio Segundo, the missionaries gave me the keyboard from the chapel to repair.  It needed a new power supply, and is pretty flaky.  I took it apart to see if there was anything I could do.  It turns out there wasn't much I could do, but at least I got it working well enough to use - if you play with it enough.  After assembling all of the printed circuit boards I noticed a blue wire that was sticking up in the air.  I looked all over to try to find where it should go but could not find its home.  I resorted to the internet to see if I could find the repair manual for the keyboard.  I did find a copy, but they wanted $25.00 US and three days to make it available for download.

After a two hour search on the internet I resorted to a different approach.  I prayed that I would be able to find where the wire needed to be connected.  Immediately my eye was led to the place where it should be soldered. Silly me!  Why don't I pay attention to Proverbs 3:5?  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

Until next time.