Mendoza

HOLA AMIGOS! Sorry, it has been so long since I last entry. As I said before, midterms have started and are still taking over my life. Despite my busy schedule during the week, two weekends ago I was able to travel to Mendoza, Argentina aka wine country!

I traveled in an overnight bus with a group of my girlfriends west to the Andes to see the mountains, hot springs, and vineyards that beautiful Mendoza has to offer. For housing that weekend, three friends and I stayed in a classically grungy, yet charming hostel in which we made our daily peanut butter and jelly lunches and shared a bathroom with all of the women staying in the hostel. Oh, you just have to love South America. At night we enjoyed dinner while a group of actors staying in the hostel with us filled the downstairs with songs and laughter. It was a pretty cool experience. As we cooked dinner, the group of Chilean actors hung out in the next room, singing and sharing stories. Chileans are so friendly. I'm hoping to travel to Chile one day :)

The hot springs!

Me and Amy

On our first full day in Mendoza we took a 40 minute bus ride into the mountains to the hot springs called "Las termas de Cachueta." Our day basically consisted of soaking the hot pools for hours and trying to blend in with the Argentinians, which was surprisingly tough because all of the women were wearing very tiny swimsuits!! :[ Haha! Cultural clash!
Then on Sunday, we went on an all day bus tour into the Andes! On our "Alta montaña" tour we saw a number of historical sites and beautiful mountain ranges. Although I live in the lovely mountains of Colorado, I was still amazed by the beauty of the mountains down here in Argentina. Something very unique about the ranges we saw that day was the variation in rock formations. When looking in one direction, you could see three different types and colors of rocks on every side. The mountains to my left were layered with red, pink, yellow, and tan stripes while the view directly in front of me was very similar to the mountains I see in Colorado, gray rock sprinkled with powdery snow caps. Then to my right, the mountains were a deep chocolate brown with contrasting stripes  of white snow, making it look like an Oreo ice cream cake! We saw various historical locations in which the Argentine army travel through and hid out in during the early exploration of the west. One location we saw was the "Puente de Picheuta" (Bridge of Picheuta) which was used by the Argentine army. Picheuta is a quechua term meaning "sweet water."

My favorite site we went to was el puente del Inca (the bridge of the Inca), a bridge that was formed naturally by the strong winds in that area.We also saw the highest peak in South America, mount Aconcagua! The tour was an amazing experience and then we finished off the night with a wonderful dinner at a family owned Italian restaurant in Mendoza. We sampled some of the local wine and I had some delicious dairy-free homemade gnocchi! My favorite :) The dinner was a wonderful bonding time for me and my friends down here in Argentina. I learned so much about them and we had such a fun filled evening!

Me and the girls with Mr. Hugo :D

The aging process

The view during our bike ride!

By the vineyards!

Me and my bike

Then on our last day in Mendoza, we did what all travelers to Mendoza must do; we visited the vine country on bikes! We rented bikes from an awesome little company called "Mr. Hugo's" and cruised down a small country road lined with vineyards and olive groves on both sides. The scenery was breath taking with the endless rows of grape vines in the forefront and the snow dusted mountains framing the background! At one of the wineries (or bodegas in Spanish) that we visited they explained to us the wine making process. We saw all of the different processes that the wine goes through in various rooms and then ended our tour with a wine tasting. The tour guide explained to us (all in Spanish of course) the tasting procedures such as smelling the wine, swirling it, and smelling it again and how that simple process can truly change the taste of the wine. She also explained to us how and why certain wines have hints of various flavors in them like cherry or cinnamon. It was a perfect day filled with fresh air, sunshine, a little bit of exercise, a little bit of wine, and a lot of charm!

If you can't tell by my entry so far, I was completely smitten with Mendoza. I must say that if I ever move down to Argentina, living in Mendoza would be my first choice. I loved the feel of the town and how close it was to the mountains. When walking through the streets and the main plaza, we saw young families playing with their kids and there was an overwhelming feeling of community and calmness that I don't always feel in the big city of Buenos Aires. It was eye opening because although I love Buenos Aires and I was completely content in Jujuy, I could actually see myself living in and raising a family in Mendoza. It was the perfect mixture of city and small town that I love! But... don't worry American friends, I am coming home! I am and will always be a firecracker baby! But who knows...maybe one day, only God knows what He has planned for me :)

Hablamos pronto,

 Abbey