Just when I think the novelty of this country is wearing away, something happens to restore my faith in this fabulous country. Last week was pretty rough and it really seemed like nothing was going my way---I was very unhappy with my host family situation, frustrated with the increasing pressures at school, and then on Wednesday afternoon my wallet and keys were stolen from my backpack as I was walking across the street. The city was finally starting to get to me and I desperately needed to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. Thankfully, I had already planned a trip to Mendoza, a province about 12 hours from Buenos Aires renowned for its amazing wines and beautiful scenery. I could not have picked a better place to unwind after a stressful week!
We left on Friday night and embarked on another very long bus ride--I've already exhausted all of my DVD options and my only source of entertainment on the bus was a spanish horror movie that I was too chicken to watch. The bus ride was a little more painful than last, but certainly worth it. The first day there, we just walked around the city and got aquainted with the area. Mendoza is the third largest city in Argentina, but it was certainly nothing like Buenos Aires--the streets were very quiet, there were no high-rise buildings and everyone dispersed at 1:00 for their daily siestas. That night, we had our first wine tasting at a trendy little spot called "the vines" and "sampled" five glasses of wine and a bunch of cheese--all for about $20 per person! (I'm sorry, the Argentine bargains don't ever cease to amaze me!). One of the girls who I was travelling with has a friend studying in Mendoza so we went to his flat after and went to dinner with a bunch of people from his study abroad program. Surprise, surprise--it was a pasta dinner full of empty carbs, cheese and wine. I swear, it will be a miracle if I'm not 20 pounds heavier when I come back to the States.
We went to a veeeerrry crowded boliche that night and spent most of the night warding off very pushy men and equally agressive girls. The line to get in was an absolute free-for-all and was indicative of the chaos inside the club. It made me appreciate the Buenos Aires night life, but it was still fun to experience.
We got home way too late and woke up way too early the next morning for our bus tour of the Andes mountains. We all slept for the first hour but were all wide awake once we saw how beautiful it was outside our windows. We didn't really know what to expect when we booked the tour, and I was so astounded by the natural beauty of the entire region. The mountains were picturesque snow-covered mountains and we were able to rent clothes and play in the snow for a while. It was undoubtedly one of the top five things I have ever done.
The next day we had a little "wine and bike" tour of the Maipu region of Mendoza wine country. We rode our bikes to several vineyards and tasted delicious Malbecs, Syrahs, Cabernets, and even some Chardonnay. Good thing I didn't have my credit card handy or else I would have bought bottles of every one! Maybe my wallet was stolen for a reason....
We were running out of time and needed to be back to catch our bus back to Buenos Aires, so a few of us decided to forego lunch and squeeze another vineyard in instead because obviously, we have our priorities in order. We sat on a beautiful terrace overlooking the vineyard and the mountains and had a littttttle too much fun. After our 5th or 6th "tasting," we decided it would be far too dangerous to bike back, so we called for "vehicular support"--which, obviously, we thought was hillarious. We told the company that we were just tired, but the driver who picked us up called us out immediately and laughed at us the entire way back.
So, another weekend gone--which leaves only three more weekends in Argentina! Thats pretty unbelievable--the time is flying here and there are still so many things I need to see!
I have uploaded pictures to my facebook page...if you want to see more, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2247969&l=cf34b&id=2733351
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