{"id":504,"date":"2020-02-14T14:30:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T20:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elliotactor-author.com\/?p=504"},"modified":"2020-07-12T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-12T20:36:42","slug":"chance-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elliotactor-author.com\/?p=504","title":{"rendered":"CHANCE ENCOUNTER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On December 3rd,<\/sup> 1965, Larry Zelinsky and his best friend Arnold Weismann graduated from The University of California at Berkely. They both received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Political Science and had applied and been accepted to attend law school at Stanford the following fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To celebrate their graduation, acceptance to law school, and their subsequent draft deferments, they planned to take a long bike ride across Patagonia with their girlfriends Lisa and Carmen at the end of January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they had broached their plans to their respective parents, they all grudgingly approved, especially after considering the less acceptable other alternatives the kids could be planning. At that time, regular anti-war demonstrations and rioting were going on throughout the bay area, and they were now amidst the wild hippy free love generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their girlfriends, who also went to Berkely, were both underclassmen. However, their parents had talked it over with Larry and Arnold\u2019s parents, and they had both reluctantly agreed the girls could take off a semester so they could go on the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get into shape for the trip, they had been routinely biking together across the Golden Gate Bridge and up and around Mt. Tamalpais and back. To help them with their Spanish, Arnold bought the Rosetta Stone Spanish language course on tape, which he, along with Lisa and Larry, had been using diligently in the evenings. Their ace in the hole in that respect was that Carmen\u2019s family had immigrated from Cuba only a few years earlier, and Spanish was her native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold and Larry were both twenty-one years old while Lisa was twenty, and Carmen only nineteen. Arnold was lanky with spiky red hair and an inch shy of six feet tall. Larry was about a half a foot shorter but much better built, and had wavy black hair. Carmen was extremely attractive, and only an inch or two above five feet tall with a darker skin befitting her Spanish heritage. She had long, straight black hair and unusually blue eyes. Lisa was a cute slender blond with short-cropped hair, and being two inches taller than Larry, she always wore flats when they were together to avoid embarrassment for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their plan was to fly to Santiago, Chile, and take a bus down to Puerto Montt and start their ride from there. When they finally crossed Patagonia and reached Las Grutas, Argentina, on the East Coast, they would take a bus up to Buenos Aires, spend a few days sightseeing there and then fly back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the months before the trip, the two couples spent a lot of time in research, how far they needed to go each day, where they could stay, and what clothing and gear they needed to bring. The costs were not an issue as both boys had received significant cash gifts for their graduation, and Larry\u2019s parents had agreed to fund the airline tickets for all of them as Larry\u2019s graduation gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry\u2019s father was a prominent surgeon, and his mother was an attorney so they could easily afford to be generous. While Arnold\u2019s parents were not as wealthy, they were also reasonably well off as Arnold\u2019s family owned the largest men\u2019s wallet and belt factory in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both boys had grown up not lacking for anything but had turned out to be good kids and not nearly as wild as many of their friends at Berkely. Yes, both couples had been intimate for some time, but only with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they made their travel arrangement, the best flight they could find had a few hours stopover in Mexico City each way. They booked their airline reservations to leave San Francisco on January 23rd<\/sup> with an open return from Buenos Aires. They also made hotel reservations in Santiago for their first night after arriving, but that was it. They figured they would just work out the rest as they went along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flight from Mexico City to Santiago, Larry and Arnold were sitting across the aisle from each other when Arnold leaned over and worryingly told Larry, \u201cWe have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d answered Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow in the hell are we going to get from the airport to our hotel in Santiago? The bikes won\u2019t fit in a taxi, and I doubt if there are any local buses available that will take the bikes or even go near our hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh shit, I hadn\u2019t thought about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, we damn well need to. Although the bikes are all boxed up, we still might need to have them shipped down to Puerto Montt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll figure something out,\u201d replied Larry reassuringly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen, Arnold\u2019s girlfriend, was sitting next to him, and she was awakened by the interaction and asked Arnold, \u201cWhat was that all about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t mean to wake you. It was just that I realized we had a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am worried about how we will get the bikes from the airport to the hotel, and from there to Puerto Montt. The bikes won\u2019t fit inside a taxi or a bus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After thinking about it for a while, Carmen said, \u201cThat\u2019s not a problem in Latin America, things are different there. At the airport, we will just hire someone there who has a truck to take us to the hotel. On the trip to Puerto Montt, they will load the bikes into the luggage rack on top of the bus. They might charge us extra, but that is all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, that makes me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold leaned back over to Larry and said, \u201cYou are right. Carmen doesn\u2019t think there will be any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they arrived late in the evening at the Santiago airport and cleared immigration and customs, Carmen went over and had a lively discussion in Spanish with a security guard. When they were done, the guard went over to a telephone and called someone. After a few minutes of animated conversation, he hung up and came back over to Carmen and told her something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen then came back and said, \u201cSee, no problem. The guard’s brother will pick us up in his truck and take us to our hotel. It took some bargaining, but for $20 US, he will take us to the hotel tonight and pick us up in the morning and drive us to the bus station.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that all he wants?\u201d asked Arnold incredulously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told you things are different in Latin America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure enough, the brother, whose name was Renaldo, showed up at the airport and drove them to their hotel and in the morning to the central bus station. The only negative was although there was room in the cab with Renaldo for the girls, Larry and Arnold had to ride in back with the bikes. They also learned from Renaldo they did not need to change money as everyone in Chile and Argentina liked American dollars more than the local pesos. Fortunately, they had been pre-warned by Carmen\u2019s father about that and had bought $300 in new US dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen was right again about taking the bikes on the bus. After a little confusion, they located a bus that would be leaving in a little over an hour and stopping in Puerto Montt on its way further south. The bus driver was leaning against the door of the bus and smoking a cigarette while engaged in lively conversation with a young woman. Carmen approached the driver, and after apologizing for interrupting them, asked the driver about taking them and the four bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The driver looked over where they were standing with the large cardboard bike boxes. After a bit of haggling, Carmen reluctantly agreed to pay the seemingly outrageous sum of ten dollars US for each of them, which included taking their bikes in the luggage rack on top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen came back over and told them her agreement and that they would have to help the driver load and tie down the bikes. Arnold told her, \u201cYou are absolutely amazing, Carmen. Without you, we would be totally lost in trying to bargain and arrange everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to admit bargaining is second nature for me,\u201d said Carmen. \u201cIn Cuba, you never paid the initial price. You were expected to bargain. It really upsets people when I do it in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes it work?\u201d asked Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSurprisingly, much of the time, it does. American\u2019s just don\u2019t seem to know how to bargain, or are too embarrassed to try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen hours later, it was dark when they arrived at the small bus terminal in Puerto Montt. After unloading their bikes from the bus, they stood around, not sure what to do next. Finally, they decided the best thing to do was to unpack, assemble the bikes, and ride around looking for a place to stay for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two local men who had been sitting in front of the terminal smoking cigarettes while intently watching them as they worked, got up, and approached them. One of the men asked them in Spanish if he could have the bike boxes. He said he had a good use for the cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen told him they would be happy to give him the boxes as they had no idea what to do with them and did not want to just discard them there. Carmen also asked if he knew somewhere, they could stay for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man pointed to a brightly lit building less than one hundred yards away he said was a hotel that took in transient bus passengers. He told Carmen they should take their bikes into their rooms overnight as it might not be safe to leave them locked outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen thanked him profusely, and the man admitted cardboard was of value, and he could sell the boxes for over a dozen pesos each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They had no problem getting two rooms for the night. The only problem was the rooms were on the third floor and lugging the bikes and all their gear up and then down in the morning was a bit of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before going to bed that night, they studied their maps and agreed they would not try and push it on the first day and only ride to Frutillar, which was a distance of 32 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, they began their ride up Hwy 5 toward Frutillar. As they rode, they were all fascinated watching the smoke rising steadily from the large snow-capped Mt. Calbuco volcano that was about 10 miles away on their right. During breakfast at the hotel, the owner told them it was one of the more active of the numerous volcanos in Chile and had erupted only three years before, and when it did, the road they were now riding on was covered with over four inches of ash.  As they rode further, they also had a clear view of Mt. Orsono, another towering snow-capped volcano that was now dormant and, from what they were told, had a ski resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After leaving the city, the countryside was mostly rolling green hills with farms scattered about that could have been any place in the world. The only noticeable difference was that the farmhouses were almost all German-style wooden buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they arrived in Frutillar, they noticed that once again, almost all the buildings were of German-style wooden architecture. The town was absolutely charming and was located on the western side of a large lake with black sandy beaches. Within only a few minutes of riding into the town, they found a picturesque inn with a restaurant that was facing the glassy lake and had vacancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not surprising, the restaurant specialized in German cuisine, and they all enjoyed delicious pork schnitzel dinners and strudel before turning in for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day their destination was Entre Lagos, which from their maps was 47 miles away. An easily doable distance for them. Except for fewer trees, the terrain and buildings were similar to the day before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entre Lagos also bordered on a lake but didn\u2019t have near the charm of Frutillar. They decided to once again have dinner at a local restaurant, but to camp out that night in a little grassy park, they spotted at the edge of the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day they would start their climb into the Andes and officially enter the Patagonia Fjord region. The only town along the way before they reached Puyehue Chilian National Park was Anticura, which was 24 miles away with a gentle climb up to it of about 600 feet. From Anticura, they would steadily climb an additional 1300 feet as they rode through the national park. On the far side, they would cross the border into Argentina and then continue on to the resort city of Villa La Angostura, which was 500 feet lower in elevation and about 48 miles from Anticura. As there was a lot to do in Villa La Angostura, they planned to stop and relax there for a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they left Este Lagos, they stopped in Anticura for lunch. From there, they continued on into the national park where they planned to camp out for a day or two along the way as, from the information they had, there would be several campsites along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their trip from Anticura to Villa La Angostura, with their stopovers, took them three days. While the ride was strenuous, it was also amazingly beautiful and enjoyable, except for their having to stop twice to fix flat tires. The mountains in the park were as majestic as the foothills of the Rockies but dry and treeless. Until they finally crossed the border and dropped down into Villa La Angostura, the terrain, while picturesque, and amazingly surreal, was almost entirely barren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Villa La Angostura, they located a campground\/hostel near the center of the town that was incredibly cheap. When they told the camp host that they would be paying in US dollars, they were told they could stay in a shelter there for one dollar US each per night, which even included a hot breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day, in Villa La Angostura, after they each had finished calling their parents to let them know they were okay, Arnold said, \u201cI want to ride tomorrow up to Puerto Arauca. It\u2019s about five miles north of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy do you want to do that?\u201d asked Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a favor for Professor Dalton, who was my advisor. He and his wife stayed at a fancy resort there for their honeymoon eight years ago, and his camera was on the fritz. Except for a few pictures taken of them indoors and out on the terrace, he found all the rest of his pictures were out of focus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe wants you to take some scenery photos there for him?\u201d asked Lisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, and some of the resort, although it probably has changed. When I told Professor Dalton where we were going, he asked if I might do it for him, of course, I said I would try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with you,\u201d said Carmen. \u201cIt sounds like fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow about you guys?\u201d Arnold asked of Larry and Lisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I think we\u2019ll stay here tomorrow. I promised Lisa we would visit the Artisan Fair and go to the Spa afterward. She wants to get pampered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cDo we have time to go with them to the Artisan Fair for a while before going to the resort?\u201d asked Carmen. \u201cI would like to get a little something for my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo problem. The light for photographs would probably be better around noon anyways. We\u2019ll just meet back here afterward for dinner,\u201d said Arnold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next morning, the two couples spent almost three hours wandering around the Artisan Fair, which was within easy walking distance of the campground. They ended up buying only a few small trinkets for gifts as they realized they would have to carry whatever they bought for almost another 500 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At about 11:00 AM, they returned back to the campground, and Arnold and Carmen started on their ride up to the Cabanas Puerto Arauca Resort. They had just reached the outskirts of Puerto Arauca and were about two miles from the resort when Arnold\u2019s front tire went flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            When they pulled over to fix the tire, Arnold got off his bike and exclaimed, \u201cCrap, I didn\u2019t bring a tire repair kit. It\u2019s in Larry\u2019s pack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what are we going to do?\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess you need to ride into town and see if you can find a tire repair kit to buy. Surely someplace will have one. I\u2019ll wait here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen was about to leave when a weather-beaten stake body truck pulled up alongside them. The old man who was driving, asked, \u201cCan I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, but that is not necessary. I\u2019m just going to ride into town and get a tire repair kit. We forgot to bring one,\u201d replied Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere were you going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re heading up to the Cabanas Resort to take some pictures for a friend,\u201d answered Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen let me help you. Put your bikes in the back of the truck and come with me. I have tire repair tools at my house, and it is just three kilometers (2 miles) north of the resort.\u201d He glanced at his wristwatch, \u201cSince it\u2019s getting close to lunchtime, why don\u2019t you join my wife and me for lunch. She\u2019s a wonderful cook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold, who had been understanding the gist of the conversation, said quietly in English to Carmen, \u201cSounds like a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old man overheard him and asked, \u201cYou are Americans?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d replied Arnold in Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven better then,\u201d said the old man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t put you out like that,\u201d replied Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNonsense, Eva will be thrilled to have some young people join us for a change, and I know she would be delighted to have some Americans to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen looked over at Arnold, who apparently understood and nodded back to her in the affirmative. She then replied, \u201cOkay, if you insist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood, put your bikes in the back of the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After they had loaded their bikes, gotten into the cab of the truck and started driving, the old man looked over and said, \u201cPlease excuse me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Martin. Martin Berne.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen then introduced herself and Arnold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom your last name Arnold, I take it you are Jewish?\u201d Martin asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen had to help translate for Arnold, who afterward replied in broken Spanish, \u201cMy parents are, but I am not sure what I believe now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin did not respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In less than ten minutes, they pulled up in front of an attractive, very large stone and log house. When Martin stopped the truck, he said, \u201cWelcome to Casa Inalco, that is what I named it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis place is huge,\u201d exclaimed Carmen. \u201cYou must be quite wealthy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not,\u201d replied Martin. \u201cIt was given to me by a rich Argentinian friend after the war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMust have been a damn good friend,\u201d Arnold blurted out in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, he was,\u201d replied Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou understand English?\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly a little,\u201d answered Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they got out of the truck and took their first good look at Martin, they noticed he was a few inches shorter than Arnold and had only a wisp of black hair remaining. He also had an upright military bearing, which they thought was unusual for a man who must have been well into his seventies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome, let\u2019s go inside. I want you to meet Eva, and then we will repair your bike while she makes us lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you think I can help her while you men fix the bike?\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to ask her yourself, but I am sure she would like that.\u201d They followed Martin to the front door, which he opened and then invited them inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eva must have seen them drive up as she was waiting just inside the doorway, and warmly greeted them when they entered. From what little they could see, the house appeared to be immaculate and was furnished in an attractive Alpine style, like a fancy ski lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eva was a good looking middle-aged lady, probably in her fifties, and at least twenty years younger than Martin. She was about four inches shorter than Martin and had medium length wavy blonde hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEva, these are two young Americans, Arnold and Carmen. They had a flat tire back down the road. I offered to help them fix it, and I hope you don\u2019t mind, I also invited them to stay for lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, I don\u2019t mind,\u201d replied Eva. \u201cI am delighted to finally have some company that isn\u2019t old and decrepit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, that is very kind of you,\u201d said Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you both speak Spanish?\u201d asked Eva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI speak a little,\u201d answered Arnold in his best Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow about German?\u201d asked Eva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid we don\u2019t,\u201d replied Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince I don\u2019t speak any English,\u201d said Eva, \u201c – Spanish it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to go out and fix the bike tire,\u201d stated Martin. \u201cCarmen said she would like to help you prepare lunch while we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is wonderful,\u201d replied Eva. \u201cI would love the company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the men had left, Carmen asked Eva, \u201cWhat are you going to make for lunch, and how can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was going to only put on some soup, but now that I have company and –  your help, I think I will make a more wholesome meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 After thinking about it for a few seconds,  Eva said, \u201cI\u2019m going to start off with Koenigsberger Klopse<\/em><\/a>. That is meatballs in a white sauce flavored with lemon juice<\/a> and capers. We\u2019ll serve that with Gurkensalat, which is a fresh cucumber salad. I grow those here in my garden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfterward, for dessert, we\u2019ll have Quarkspeise, which is a <\/em>simple fresh-cheese dish, that is slightly sweetened and served with fresh fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds delicious, please show me how I can help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About twenty minutes later, Martin and Arnold came back in and went to the kitchen sink and washed up for lunch. By the time they were finished, Eva had announced the food was ready to be served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During lunch, Martin asked a lot of questions about US politics and, in particular, how the people of the United States had dealt with the aftermath of JFK\u2019s and his brother\u2019s death. Eva seemed to be much more interested in learning all about hippies and the concept of free love. She seemed disappointed to learn Carmen, and Arnold didn\u2019t practice it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen asked, \u201cFrom your accents, and the food, I take it you both came here from Austria or Germany?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, we did,\u201d answered Martin. \u201cDuring the latter part of the war, things were so depressing that afterward, we jumped at the chance to leave and settle somewhere quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you do over there if you don\u2019t mind me asking,\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a brief moment of hesitation, Martin replied, \u201cI was a businessman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen was about to ask what kind of business he was in but figured he would have told them if he thought it was appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWas your friend who gave you this beautiful house, the one that helped you come here?\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, he and several other good friends I had here in Argentina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were very lucky to have such good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, we were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArnold, are you understanding most of this?\u201d asked Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,surprisingly, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, after finishing their lunch, Arnold and Carmin thanked Martin and Eva profusely and left on their bikes for the Cabanas Resort, which they had passed along the way driving up to Casa Inalco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After almost an hour at the resort, taking pictures and wandering around, they got on their bikes and rode back to the campground to join Larry and Lisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time they arrived at the campground, Larry and Lisa had already returned from the spa and couldn\u2019t wait to tell them how wonderful it had been. After Lisa waxed eloquently about all the amazing things she had done to her, Larry admitted he not only had a massage and a manicure but also even had a pedicure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they both finally finished rambling along about how great the spa was and what Arnold and Carmin had missed, Lisa asked them, \u201cHow was your trip to the resort?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold replied, \u201cIt went well. The only problem we had was I had a flat tire on our way up, and I stupidly realized the repair kit was in Larry\u2019s gear. Fortunately, a nice old man picked us up in his truck and took us back to his house to help me fix the tire. His wife even made us a delicious German-style lunch while we were there. Afterward, we went to the resort, and I took a whole roll of pictures for Professor Dalton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t sound too exciting,\u201d said Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was actually quite enjoyable,\u201d stated Carmen. \u201cThe man and his wife were charming, and their home was unexpectantly large and attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, so what\u2019s on our agenda for tomorrow?\u201d asked Lisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold got out his notes and replied, \u201cWe have an easy downhill ride from here to Dina Huapi, which is 42 miles from here, and about a thousand-foot drop in elevation. It is also on a lake and will probably be our last stop near any large bodies of water. From what I have read, the only thing memorable to do in Dina Huapi is to fly kites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold was right. There were no more large bodies of water after Dina Huapi; in fact, there was almost no water. Just finding a place to fill up their canteens and water bottles each of the eight days riding from there to Las Grutas became a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After leaving Dina Huapi, the landscape became progressively dryer. Initially, they traversed about one hundred miles through increasingly barren foothills, which then became a roiling hilly wasteland. Although the latter part was picturesque, it was absolutely barren except for the occasional irrigated farm or vineyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than the three small vineyards they visited and the two homes where the people insisted they spend the night, the rest of their trip was uneventful, except for having to stop and fix a few flat tires. However, because of the steadily rising temperature, the trip became increasingly less enjoyable. By the time they reached the beach resort of Las Grutas, the daytime temperature had risen to the high nineties, and they all were thinking about maybe stopping riding forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they arrived in Las Grutas, they luckily found a nice beachfront hotel to stay, where they rested for three days enjoying the cooling, refreshing water, and numerous bottles of the local beer. While they were there, Larry was approached by someone who wanted to buy their bikes and offered, after a little haggling, what Larry thought was a reasonable price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After checking with the others, the deal was made as they all agreed it would be much easier, and maybe even cheaper, to sell their bikes now rather than going through the hassle of bringing them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the three days, they packed up and took the morning fifteen-hour bus ride up to Buenos Aires. When they arrived in Buenos Aires that night, they hired a taxi to take them to the Recoleta district, where Carman\u2019s father had recommended they stay. On their second try, they found a charming boutique hotel that had two rooms available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning after the included breakfast, they made airline reservations to return home three days later. They then called their parents to let them know they were okay and their return plans. Over the next few days, they went shopping, sightseeing and even went to two tango shows the desk clerk had recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their last day they were not flying out until late in the afternoon, and at breakfast, Arnold said, \u201cMy father told me he and many other members of our synagogue have been contributing toward the building of a Holocaust museum here in Buenos Aires, and he strongly suggested we go see it. So, how about we do that this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They all agreed, and Arnold found the address of the museum with the help of the friendly hotel desk clerk. They took a taxi to the Museum, which they could clearly see when the arrived, was still partially under construction. Fortunately, several portions of the museum were open, and there was no charge to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After wandering through the museum for a while, Carmen stopped and was staring intently at some of the photos of people. When Arnold came over and asked Carmen, \u201cWhat\u2019s so fascinating?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen responded by asking, \u201cDid you, by chance, take any pictures of Martin and Eva Berne?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to wish you had. Take a good look at these pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After studying the old photos for several seconds, \u201cOh, my God!\u201d Arnold loudly exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Larry and Lisa came over to see what had disturbed Arnold, Arnold said, \u201cRemember in Villa La Angostura when you kept going on and on about how wonderful your trip was to the spa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, of course,\u201d answered Larry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, we got you beat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow is that?\u201d inquired Lisa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had lunch with Hitler!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

END<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 3rd, 1965, Larry Zelinsky and his best friend Arnold Weismann graduated from The University of California at Berkely. 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