Mendoza

Hola from Mendoza, Argentina.

The bus ride from Santiago to Mendoza is something to be done during daylight hours, as the views are spectacular. You can see the road we came up on the Chilean side:



Our last days in Santiago were nice - it is always nice to have a local show you around, as our new friend Vinka did. She was born and raised in Santiago, and she went overboard in helping us out and showing us her city. It was interesting to hear from her about the repressive Pinnochet regime and how it affected her life and how it has left an impression on the Chilean people.

Some of my friends have told me that they didn´t care for Santiago too much, which, I must admit, I wasn´t diggin´on it too much at the beginning. But, with someone to show you around, things are different and we had an excellent time.

Dave at the top of the Cerro in downtown Santiago:



Here´s a random arty photo because I was feeling like a photographer:



On to Mendoza - we are struggling to understand the Argentinian Spanish, but when the locals realize we are staring at them blankly, they speak slower and we can understand most things. Mendoza is a nice place - the Argentenians enjoy the sidewalk cafe culture and hanging out with friends and family. This is a nice change after the ´work,work,work´ culture back in the states. And the wine . . . it is nice to go to a place and spend six bucks for a great bottle of wine. Not that I could tell you what great wine is, but it tastes good to me.

Tonight we take the overnight bus to Neuquen - one step closer to the national parks in the south of Chile and Argentina. I am looking forward to being outdoors outside of a city.