Argentina TipOff

On Tuesday I got my second South American passport stamp, this one of Argentina, I will say I had to wait a bit longer than I had hoped. We -- Janelle, Jenny, and I, were stranded at the Lima airport for nearly 12hrs as we missed our flight due to weather; this actually was on an appetizer to my lengthy travel times, as 10hrs will be the shortest bus ride I take in Argentina, 22 being the longest. Nonetheless, we didn’t let the late arrival water down our excitement any & with an abbreviated day in Buenos Aires, we made the most of it by heading to Hollywood (naturally a hip part of town), eating veal for lunch, riding the metro & soaking up some sun at a plaza near midtown. In the few hours I was left to explore, it was apparent to me, that I was in love with BA; and not just the gaggle of jaw-dropping woman that roamed the streets.

BA, is nothing like its western sister of Peru. Peru is beautiful for its simplicity, poverty, and diverse landscapes that is was blessed with; almost like a gorgeous woman that was born into a can’t win life situation. You stare at her in awe, but much of you feels extreme sympathy towards her. Argentina has a much more developed feel; not that there isn’t poverty & struggle here, but the sense I get from BA to Mendoza to Cordoba, is confidence, progress and a lack of contempt for where they stand today. Each of the cities I have visited so far have a striking beauty of an old world still respected, gorgeous trees and parks, but a refreshing gasp of contemporary air. The contrast between Peru & Argentina is remarkable, nonetheless, I am happy for the reason I came to each - one needing more hands in the dirt to help and the other to participate in the development of a strong country.

Thus far the bulk of our time has been in Mendoza; the town reminds me of The M Streets in Dallas, or the Fab 40s in Sacramento or Westchester in Bakersfield; each house had a distinctive personality, and it has been flaunting that personality for decades. As much as I would care to rattle on about the incredible trees and the beauty they offer the city, we were there for one reason; wine. Mendoza is the wine capital of South America (not sure if Chile would agree) and there are many ways to choose to explore. We decided on saddling up to a couple street cruisers and ride a 30k loop and experience the best Argentina has to offer.

The day was grand - you’ve been wine tasting (if not, what are you waiting for?) - so you know how this went. We visited five wineries and after the first two tastings we abandoned the ~$15 pesos fee & just started splitting bottles. I’m not sure what we’ve done in this world to deserve this, but we found ourselves sitting in a century old winery, the vines a few meters away, tree lined streets that seemed to touch the clouds and the Andes cropping the picture for us as we shared a bottle of sparkling wine. As much as I like traveling alone, I was filled with delight to toast away with J&J and share stories all afternoon. For an encore, we took our three person show to the fabulous park in Mendoza on our second day where we had a picnic, played black jack, rode the carousel & swings. side note: I was on the carousel & the conductor kicked me off the horse that goes up & down and stuck me on a stationary donkey; I suppose all of South America isn’t for grande sized mean. Those two days of soaking up the rich and relaxing culture of Mendoza is worth any length bus ride, without question.

Things I like about Argentina so far:
-Beer is about $1.50USD per liter
-Although I am only doing it b/c of the girls; the hostels have treated me well (so far)
-If there is a stereotype that Argentinean woman are gorgeous it is justified & probably has been too humbled worldwide
-When we’ve eaten, I’ve eaten meat; today had a meal with beef, lamb & veal

More later as the trip heads to the Brazilian border to see the Iguaza Falls; 22hr bus ride is already having my restless-leg-syndrome flare up. Early Mother’s Day wishes to my fabulous & supportive mom, the other moms who all helped raise my unique ass, my friends who have become mom’s of late & a special shout to Amy Tackett who will soon be a fantastic mom!