ayyy tiempo!

So I really have been trying to keep up with this darned thing... but I just realized I went to Mendoza 3 weeks ago... yikes!

So some highlights in the meantime include

• writing lots of papers.. but finally being done with classes!
• visiting Montevideo, Uruguay...never thought I´d head over there... but it was nice! Definitely a good place to go in the summer... pretty beaches, amusement parks, ferias, a great hostel, good sandwiches called chivitos, visiting the old sites of Montevideo
• visiting Colonia, Uruguay... a quaint little historic town across from Buenos Aires... fun little day trip!
• being sick... not so much fun being sick, alone, and in the city. but alas I´m over it!
• Indian food in Buenos Aires.... ahh the Argentines simply don´t flavor their food. It was such a breath of fresh air to actually TASTE for once!
• the Madres in the Plaza de Mayo. Every Thursday they replicate their original protest. Very cool to witness.
  
• preparation for Patagonia! Once we finished classes on Friday, we headed home then to the bus station for our 20 hour bus ride! More adventures to come!
  

Mendoza

So I’ve made the resolution to make a blog update every week, but my past weekend merits a post just for itself: Mendoza!

After a long night on Thursday, the calming bus ride was extremely welcome—I slept nearly the entire way! We arrived in Mendoza around 10 AM on Saturday and set out to find my friend Aaron’s flat. After getting settled, we explored the town—walked through many plazas, shopped amidst some “fake” vendors, visited the museo de arte moderno, and walked through a beautiful park. We then were treated to a private room and instructor for a wine-tasting, joined many others from Aaron’s study abroad program for a dinner, then head out on the town.

We awoke the next morning an hour after we had gone to bed to take a bus tour through the Andes. Again, one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen! The snow covered every inch and came up to our knees as we played clad in our newly-rented ski suits (or should I say marshmallow suits). We returned to eat at a hotel that Brad Pitt stayed in as he filmed Seven Years in Tibet and were extremely tired after having received such little sleep. As Anna and I walked the streets to find some pizza “para llevar” (take out), we stumbled into a little kiosco (7-11-esque store) filled with stuffed animals- literally. A kiosco dedicated to taxidermy. Interesting. And very Argentina.

The next day we went on a “wine and bike” adventure. One would rarely pictures these things combined- but again, only in Argentina. We visited a wine museum, chocolate & liquor producer, and 2 wineries. Each had a different charm—either antique, new, or just quaint. Needless to say, the wine flowed abundantly, leaving us beyond ability to bike ourselves back home (!!!). We departed from Mendoza not wanting to leave and just wishing for a few more days!