Life has been a fast-pasted and a wonderful collection of all things new and all things beautiful. Time has been scarce…hens my less-than-punctual posts, but I promise to fill you in with all of the adventure that these past couple weeks have held. First and foremost: Mendoza.
Mendoza, Argentina is located about 7 hours East of Viña/Valpo right on the other side of the Andes. That being said, it’s one of the easier destinations by bus especially when you’re talking about reaching a whole other country! So we set out with our packs on a Thursday night, scrambling to exchange our Chilean pesos to dollars (better exchange rate) and pay our reciprocity fees right before our 8pm bus to our then 10pm bus from Santiago. Being that this was not my first overnight bus, it almost felt nice to get back into the thrill of travel and the makeshift homes that come out of it. With me on this adventure was again, Christina, and our newest travel partner Brittany.
By the time we got to Mendoza, after crossing the boarder at about 2am that morning, it was early early morning. Nonetheless, the dark air was warm and dry. Being that nothing was open we decided to just head to our hostel. A taxi ride later, where we got a glimpse of Argentine’s melodic accent and their distinct “ll” sound, we snoozed for a few hours outside of the hostel waiting for them and the sun to wake up. After check-in, introductions, and a few more hours of shut-eye (in an actual bed) we started our trip.
Highlights:
Day 1
– Wine Tour throughout the countryside
(Side note: Mendoza is known for, esteemed, and confirmed as the corner of world with the best Malbec…aka my favorite wine, and thus, a complete and absolute gift to taste it in all of its glory).
– Artisan olive oil factory
Day 2
– Touring around the beautiful and picturesque city
– PARAGLIDING
– Bife de Chorizo
(Along with their wine, Mendoza is known to have some of the best meat out there…being in Argentina and all. That being said, this boarder-line vegetarian indulged (with difficulty) in this huge and delicious delicacy).
Day 3
– Tour through the Andes
– Fairs in the plaza
All and all, three days were not sufficient for this beautiful city. It was while paragliding, looking over the country and the buildings and what where probably the hundreds of thousands of people going along with their lives that I realized, “I’m really here. Country number two and completely in love with this life.” All I wanted to do was keep going, seeing, and feeling these moments over and over again.