Across the Andes

Hello All,

Spring has arrived in earnest here, and the temperature is a delightful 28C (83F). I dont envy those of you who are donning sweaters and jackets. I have an interview at the National Congress in Valparaiso on Wednesday, and I'm going to see if I can manage a trip to the beach while I'm there. The Pacific is calling me.

The past weekend was a long one because my dad's birthday is already a national holiday here. They call it Dia de los Muertos, but I know whats really being celebrated with all the references to supreme Evil. A couple friends and I took the opportunity to head over the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina. The ride through the mountains was really amazing, and I got some great views of Aconcagua, South America's tallest mountain.

Mendoza itself was also a lot of fun. It is a very pretty city with lots of trees lining the streets and quaint little cafés (a very Argentine thing) everywhere. Argentina is also a fairly inexpensive country because their economy crashed about seven years ago when they stopped pegging their currency to the dollar. Mendoza in particular is popular with Chilean tourists because of the low prices and proximity.

The Argentine pampas are some of the best cattle-grazing country in the world, which translates into delicious, cheap steaks and lots of leather products. I had steak whenever possible, and it was fantastic. It also helps that Mendoza is right in the middle of Argentine wine country, and the local cabernet sauvignon complemented the beef perfectly. (Actually I know very little about wine, but always wanted to say something like that.)

Our main activity, other than eating well and walking around the city, was a bike tour of the wine country. We went from vineyard to vineyard touring and tasting. We happened on this little restaurant on our way and ended up eating amazing spinach stuffed pasta and sampling gourmet spreads, the restaurant's specialty. Afterwards, we walked through their gardens whilst sipping a splendid malbec. The bike ride back was a bit of an adventure after the days activities, but it only added to the experience.

Our bus ride back was also an event. Remember how Mendoza is popular with Chilean tourists? Well over 100 buses made the trip back on Sunday, which translated to a 6 hour wait at the overwhelmed customs point. The silver lining was that customs is in the middle of a high Andean valley, and we got to walk around outside for awhile and managed to climb up to a waterfall. In the end, our bus left at 1:30 in the afternoon and pulled into the Santiago terminal at 1:45 in the morning. Long day.

Unfortunately, I also forgot my camera in Santiago. I'm going to get pictures from a friend, but I probably won't post them for another few days, maybe not until the end of the week. I miss all of you tremendously and while I am excited for my remaining month here, I also can't wait to be home.