{"id":2264,"date":"2014-12-07T23:35:13","date_gmt":"2014-12-07T23:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cragkungfu.com\/cragginwagon\/?p=2264"},"modified":"2016-02-02T19:51:05","modified_gmt":"2016-02-02T19:51:05","slug":"all-things-fixable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cragkungfu.com\/cragginwagon\/all-things-fixable\/","title":{"rendered":"All Things Fixable"},"content":{"rendered":"

The meat sweats. A joyous, sometimes unintentional consequence of awesomeness? A higher state of protein infused enlightenment? A rare and prestigious achievement of compulsive hyper consumption? In my eyes the meat sweats encompass all of that\u00a0and more. One thing is for certain, the meat sweats have been a plentiful occurrence in Mendoza. But first, just how did we get to Argentina – this wine soaked mystical steak heaven? Well, it’s an oil burning, wallet busting story, but it’s a story worth telling nonetheless. I mean, how often does one get to drive a campfire<\/del> van named Bertha over the Chilean Andes?!<\/p>\n

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It was along the coast of Chile that the Craggin’ Wagon first hinted at heart disease, and it was in Valparaiso that the first open heart surgery was recommended. The problem, of course, is that like the countries prior to Chile, no one has parts for ginormous, old, Ford engines just laying around. And so it went that we would rely on the safety net of American excess to limp on a mere 7 cylinders over the Andes and into Argentina – a virtual South American cache of well maintained antique cars from around the world.<\/p>\n

When a piston doesn’t form a perfect seal within the cylinder a couple of “interesting” things happen. First, you lose some power. When the explosion that occurs within the cylinder has more than one avenue in which it can escape, the laws of classic physics become obvious as well as annoying. Secondly, that same newly formed path not only allows for an impromptu exit of things within, but also provides a handy entrance for things on the outs to enter – namely, oil. Oh sweet, sweet dino residue; the protein shake of modern civilization… how you burn when you stomp on someone else’s turf.<\/p>\n

And it was those “interesting” things that make metaphors like “driving a campfire” come to life. See, in a van as old as ours, you don’t really have what you could call an isolated interior environment. Normally this isn’t an issue whatsoever, but once you light a campfire de oil outside of the normal paths to the exhaust (or in espanol: tubo de escapo<\/em>), well, you might as well have Cheech and Chong riding shotgun minus the happy ending.<\/p>\n

To avoid stress and any unnecessary further damage to the engine, we drove the remaining 200km over<\/em>\u00a0the Andes to Mendoza in slow, shorts legs. With the exception of the smoke and looming repair bill, it was a very beautiful, pleasant 5 day drive.<\/p>\n

\"Highest<\/a>
Highest mountain in the southern hemisphere!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A natural bridge named the Inca Bridge after the ruins built underneath it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Camp\"<\/a>
Camp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A muddy red river runs into the gorgeous blue waters of Embalse Potrerillos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And wouldn’t you know it, we rolled into the vino<\/em>-flooded steakosphere that is Mendoza exactly one year to the day since departing from our beloved, distant Denver. A rendezvous with our excellent globe trotting amigos Clayton & Jenny promptly ensued, as did our introduction to incredible cheap vino, the infamous meat sweats, and a wildly entertaining culture… oh Argentina, your gesturing is top notch.<\/p>\n

So\u00a0you think you can fudge your way around with Spanish? Then let me introduce you to Argentinian Spanish. Good luck! It is very different than what we’re used to. Tons of slang, different sounds for certain letters, and gestures… oh the gestures. I can speak better Argentinian Spanish with my hands than I can my mouth. This video will be a lot funnier if you’ve ever been here or speak Spanish – it’s really not too far off the mark and this Dustin guy is a riot.<\/p>\n