Winter 2013
The last couple of days have been incredibly cold. Many people have complained that it wasn`t really winter but then it hit us full in the face. Not surprising because we are in the middle of winter and 21 July marked the middle of winter in Argentina.
Last night it was so cold and water that was standing in a bucket outside froze solid. I think it was -4 or -5 last night. This morning when I woke up I could see a thin layer of snow on the big mountains or “Sierras Grandes”. I am sure people climbing up to Champaqui will find snow there.
We were very lucky last year because we missed most of the winter in Argentina. We were in Russia during that time. This winter I definitely feel the cold. Winter months are problematic because pipes froze and burst. Two years a go we had to insulate some of the pipes because they split open. That is one of the reasons why I don`t like plastic pipes. They are a lot cheaper but not durable like galvanized pipes for example. Guess who worked in the steel industry for a long time!
The Winter School holidays in Argentina will end soon and we had people from Buenos Aires at the Hostel. Today we are expecting a family, also from Buenos Aires. We are looking forward to be meeting new people and to see the winter through. In South Africa we always say that when you have a very cold winter, then you can expect to have a very good summer. I suppose we will have to wait and see.
