Long time no write, I know. Im really getting bad at updating this thing but have been pretty busy lately.
Lets see-
Mendoza, Argentina.
It was awesome.
To me, the 7 hour bus ride there wasn't bad and the views were incredible. We drove through the Andes (literally, we went in several mountain tunnels) and rivers, caves, snow, etc. Believe it or not- customs was even on top of a mountain! We all made it through safely...even Nicole's tazer gun passed without problem.
We arrived in Argentina and before we knew it we were trekking to our hostel which was about 30 minutes walking from the bus terminal. After finding and ATM and mentally converting American money to Argentenian money we made it to the hostel which turned out to be THE BEST. Prime location (right next to McDonalds), just like a hotel (nice lobby, lots of people, etc.), good computers with internet, and a huge tv to watch the Rangers on !!!
The first night we strolled around the centro and found a neat restaurant with an outdoor patio. We enjoyed "normal" food and had fun just hanging out and talking for a few hours. The weather was perfect- not too cold. That night we watched the Rangers make it to the World Series. What a game....
I can't believe I'm 5000 away from the Rangers while they're playing in the World Series.
I was just as happy sitting in the hostel watching the game- but I can't even imagine how awesome it must have been to be in the stadium at the end of that game. I cant wait to get to the ballpark next season! Is that crazy? Probably....
Saturday morning we woke up early and sat around for a while to be picked up by the rafting people. After waiting for about an hour and a half extra- the dude finally showed up with a van-full of other foreigners and we were off to the river! Rafting was great- cold and super soaking wet but awesome.
We were totally exhausted after rafting and after resting for a while at the hostel we walked to the central market for some pizza. It was SO good...and the icy cold coke made it even better. I never realized how much difference a few cubes of ice can make...again that's something that sounds really silly and weird to even think about but IT MATTERS! Cant wait to come home and drive through the McDonalds on Randol Mill and get a huge icy Diet Coke.
Sunday was the day that we've been trying to have for the past month. San Alfonso was a total flop- we didn't get to bask in the sun AT ALL but I think el Parque San Martin in Mendoza, Argentina trumped that silly resort. We stopped at McDonalds for a delicious picnic lunch and walked to the famous GIGANTIC park........
I was NOT expecting such a perfect place...it was like heaven on Earth! Roses, fountains, people walking, joggers, rowing, trees everywhere, ice cream, and soooo much more that we didn't get to see. We laid in the sun for a good 5 hours and did absolutely nothing- how perfect.
Completely sunburned, the three of us walked back to the hostel later that evening, took a little nap, and got ready for dinner at a BUFFET! It was awesome, we all ate way more than we should have, AND a bunch of French guys thought we were so cute that they almost chased us out the restaurant. Luckily- the didnt. Good thing though...lets get real- the French are just so...French.
As always, it felt nice to be back in Vina the next day and much to my surprise, class has been exceptionally interesting all week. I am understanding EVERYTHING that our professor says. YES! This is a definite sign of Spanish progress.
Tomorrow we leave for PERU!
Its time to get organized and start packing. Packing is truly an art when you need a week's worth of stuff in a day's space. It can be done, though.
Itinerary coming soon...
Until tonight,
Lesley
