thisisclaire

Well, I’m sitting here in the airport in Santiago, Chile. But - by the time this gets online, I will be in Panama. Today I will set my own personal record for the earliest I’ve ever been for a flight: 12 hours. I’m about half way through and doing well (thanks to the few hours Dave was still here, the NY Times Magazine, and Scrabble for the iPhone).

This day started in Mendoza, Argentina. Dave and I parted ways with Drew at about 8:30am to catch our bus to Santiago. The ride lasted about six hours, taking us over the Andes with some magnificent views (and questionable roads). Fortunately, the seats on our El Rapido double decker bus were cushy and reclined, the border crossing was painless (despite Dave having to surrender the honey he was carrying), and the transfer from the bus station to the airport was easy. Just that minor layover to worry about I guess.

Mendoza was … Interesting. To start things off, we arrived the night before May Day - which is basically like Labor Day. The streets were packed with locals and street vendors - but not necessarily the good kind. After Buenos Aires and Bariloche, it was a bit of a culture shock to come to a desert town of 110k people. Regardless, we were excited to check out some wineries the next day - seeing as that’s what the region is known for and what brought us there. Not so fast though - nearly all the wineries were closed for the holiday weekend!

The alternative then? Hot springs of course! The small nearby town of Cachueta provided an excellent day of soaking, sun bathing, and gorgeous views of the mountains it was nestled against. To top that - the locals set up a mechanical bull every weekend and Drew took a ride that entertained everyone.

Despite May Day, it was still our goal to see some wineries. With odd luck upon arriving in Maipu after a long and lost cab ride, a bike rental opened to us because the manager was out watering his yard (random!). Mario hooked us up and 12km later - we were at a small family owned organic winery called Cecchin. From there we went to Zuccardi - a winery at the opposite end of the scale in terms of production levels, quality, and varieties. I have never seen grapes so big on the vine. We had an amazing south American style (read: long) lunch with really excellent wines, particularly some Malbec and Cabernet Savignon hybrids. By the time we made it back to Mendoza we were pooped and just relaxed for the final evening together. All the photos from Mendoza are on Flickr

These past two weeks in Argentina have been incredible. As each day passes I am more and more pleased with this trip and introduction to South America (love the passport stamps I’m collecting!). I am also SO grateful for the opportunity to share these experiences with friends and especially those who know Spanish (thanks Drew!)

Okay, just six hours to go! Guess it’s time for more Scrabble!

Since we’ve been back in Buenos Aires, we’ve done a lot. Really, I should have been blogging every day but that’s just not very likely to happen (obviously).

Anyways, when we got back from Buenos Aires, Dave was here - yay for more friends! That evening we went out for churrascaria (aka loads of meat served off swords at your table plus a giant buffet of veggies, fish, and seafood). I was full after one plate of the salad bar and didn’t have any of the meat - but from what I witnessed from the guys, it was amazing. We were at dinner until 1:30am (granted, our reservation wasn’t until 10pm - that’s just how it is here). After dinner we went to a club and stayed up way past my bedtime. 

Needless to say, we had a slow start the next day. After lunch we headed down to Rosedal (Rose Garden) in the Parque Tres de Febrero and wandered through it, exploring a few small ponds and walking bridges.

After some ice cream, we headed back to the apartment. That evening we had a relaxed grilling dinner in the parilla (grill/party room) on the 19th floor. Several other ex-pats came over and it was really pleasant!

The next day, we went to La Recoleta and explored the Cemetary/Mausoluem Park where Eva Peron is buried (plus several other notable Argentinians). It was pretty incredible. There are 4,800 mini-mausoleums in a three-to-four block area. It’s been open since the 1820s and some of the structures were amazing - each ornate or kitschy in it’s own way. Check out the photos on Flickr.

From there we headed to the Plaza of the United Nations to see the Floralis Generico sculpture. Since Whit had to catch his flight home, we didn’t get to spend much time there and caught a cab back to the apartment. Once he was on his way, Drew, Dave and I went to dinner at an amazing vegetarian restaurant.

In the next hour - Drew, Dave, and I will head to the airport to fly to Mendoza, which is basically Argentina’s Napa Valley, situated right by the Andes. I’ll be there for three days - and will hopefully get to update again before I head to Panama on Monday.

Until then…