www.arareko.net

Had a super fun weekend with Armando while guiding a couple of friends at Pico de Orizaba. We spent 2 days in the mountain, the first one for acclimatizing and hiking a little, the second one for the summit push.

For Sofía it was her first mountaineering adventure, whereas Jaime had some decent experience from wandering around our volcanoes and the Andes some years ago. We had great weather overall, with moderate winds and occasional spindrift while at the Jamapa glacier.

Since I wasn’t roped with my friends, I was able to climb up, down and sideways around the glacier, shooting pictures and easily reaching the summit about 1 hour before them. After a short nap, I downclimbed to the crater’s lower rim, met them and then, all together, made a final walk to the summit. A good amount of clouds set in at that very moment, but we certainly enjoyed our brief time there.

The rest of the day was spent coming down the giant ice field, eating delicious sandwiches and making fun of everything. It’s always great how something so apparently “simple” as a mountain trip can create such special bonds with people. I can easily say I’ve got 2 new friends

Rest of the photos are here or in the slideshow below:

It’s not the first time that Pearl Jam plays a gig in Mexico City, but this was my first time seeing them and, according to many people, last night’s concert was the best they have given here. Their current tour celebrates the first 20 years of the band’s career.

Even though we bought the cheapest tickets for the farthest side of Foro Sol, the sound quality was great, the band performed amazingly and the crowd got so excited that the resulting setlist was really big:

20 years might be easy to say but, to many of us who grew up listening to the tunes of Pearl Jam and other grunge bands from the early 90′s, it evoked some of the greatest memories of our lives

pearl jam – given to fly

he could’ve tuned in, tuned in
but he tuned out
a bad time, nothing could save him
alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
he got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
he made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
the wind rose up, set him down on his knee

a wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
delivered him wings, “hey, look at me now”
arms wide open with the sea as his floor
oh, power, oh

he’s… flying
whole
high… wide, oh

he floated back down ’cause he wanted to share
his key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
but first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
by faceless men, well, fuckers
he still stands

and he still gives his love, he just gives it away
the love he receives is the love that is saved
and sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
a human being that was given to fly

high… flying
oh, oh
high… flying
oh, oh
he’s flying
oh, oh…

Tough days lately, lifewise. Strange things going on. Lots of revelations. Difficult decisions. Forced detachment. Depression. Only hoping to reach the real bottom of this and get out of it soon… Clarity is coming along in a really unexpected and painful way. Better things are looming ahead as long as I can make peace with all of this…