Hard to imagine that a week ago I was in Antarctica. Today, I am in Sayulita, Mexico relaxing in warm sun and humidity. I'd fill you in on some of the more gory details of my rest and relaxation, but for some reason sitting on a beach doesn't make as engaging of a story as battling the polar elements.

My transition back to normal life has been relatively easy. After all, being in civilization is what most of us are used to. I do feel a bit down unfortunately. Life, in normalcy, is definitely easier than a polar expedition but it's not as intense either. I miss that. I like the directness and struggle that permeates nearly every second. Traveling home the past few days, I have felt an over arching sadness creeping in.

The experience of skiing to the South Pole day after day after day is so all encompassing that to not be in Antarctica is anti climactic. Being at the grocery store, driving a car, taking a shower... These simple movements of daily life seem mundane and irrelevant now.

For the past two nights I have been having dreams about skiing to the South Pole. I wake up disoriented and stressed. I am still surprised at how worn out I am. I do finally feel like I'm ready to start exercising but I might wait one more day.

My eating habits have not escaped careful study either. After nearly two months of freeze-dried food, vegetables have been a high priority. I thought I might get a bit of a fix in Chile. Unfortunately, Chilean cuisine (from what I have seen) has eschewed the four food groups for a smaller number: two - meat and potatoes. I'm not complaining and I while I was in Punta Arenas, I had no problem knocking back several meals 'a lo pobre' - usually meat served with onions and fried eggs.

Pulling into Boulder, my first stop was a favorite restaurant, Mad Greens. Serving mostly salads. I promptly ordered two larges salads hoping to eat one for dinner and the other for lunch the next day. I stopped to rent a mindless movie, Transformers, then finished both salads before the Autobots final victory.

Later, I collapsed into bed and fell immediately to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later trying to figure out where I was, why it was dark, and where my skis were. My body has left Antarctica, but my mind seems hesitant to.

Image: Chris's Lomo a lo pobre.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

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