Two weekends ago some friends and I took a 15 hour bus ride to Mendoza, the capital of the province Mendoza. Mendoza is located in the foothill of the Andes, meaning there are some great views from town. The first day we went horseback riding in the Andes. We were definitely not very skilled with the horses but our gaucho leader, Diego, helped us make it through the almost 3 hour ride. When we got back to the camp we had an asado, or giant bbq, while Diego sang traditional songs. The van coming to pick us up and take us back to town broke down so we ended up staying in the mountains until 1 am, but with all the delicious food we weren't too upset to be stranded, or "Strandes in the Andes" as my friend liked to say.
A view from the top:
Diego making sure we are headed in the right direction:
Taking pictures while riding is very difficult.
A pretty cool background.
Diego serenading us:
The next day we headed the opposite direction out of town, towards the extensive wineries. We rented bikes and were off on a biking tour of wine and chocolate making places. Our first stop was the wine museum where they tried to teach us all the fine details of wine making and sophisticated things to say while tasting wine, I don't think it stuck though. Next, we headed to a chocolate making boutique, which was more on my level. After tasting what seemed like a million types of chocolates we continued on to a few more bodegas before returning, exhausted to town. We had a near crisis when my friend Kelsey's bike broke down on the side of the road. She was near the back of the group so two of us stayed with her while the others continued on unknowingly. Thankfully, a big group of locals assembled, including a police officer on a bike who helped us call the bike company and get Kelsey a new bike.
This was a lot more boring than...
This:
The final day we went for a walk/hike in the giant park in town. It ended with a hike up a very steep hill to a monument to the Army of the Andes. The views were spectacular from the top! After a very active weekend, with our leg muscles aching, we headed back to Buenos Aires for class.
Taking a break on the hill to admire the views:
This weekend was less eventful but also fun! I went to MALBA, the biggest art museum, and explored a new neighborhood with my friend Hannah. On Saturday we went out into the province of Buenos Aires to watch a rugby game, man is that a confusing sport! In typical Argentine style the grilling of meat next to the rugby field was a big attraction, probably more so than the actual game for my friends.
This week is art week so I am hoping to go to some of the exhibitions before I have to crack down and study for another midterm this weekend!
Hasta Luego,
Miriam
I went backpacking in the Andes near Mendoza. It is beautiful country!
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