My time in Argentina has been, so far, amazing – something completely new and different from my experience in Chile. I left out on a bus at ten in the night from Santiago to Mendoza with my travel partner, Eric. The bus ride lasts no longer than a trip out of state, but when you arrive across the Andes Mountains it is like you just got to a whole new world. Suddenly, people are speaking with an entirely different accent, they are using completely different words for common things, they look different, and have completely different attitudes.
In Mendoza, we stayed at a very nice little hostel just off the main drag, where they serve free wine to the guests each night. The couple that owned the place were amazing. As we didn’t have any Argentinean money when we arrived, they lent us money for two days and let us pay when we checked out. The first day, we spent walking around the city. The streets of Mendoza are lined with trees which shade the sidewalks and outdoor patios. While most modern cities have hidden gutters, in Mendoza the gutters that line the streets are open, and you have to walk over small streams on concrete bridges to cross each road. We walked up the beautiful streets to the huge park with a lake in the middle. People were paddling rowboats around the lake. Other people were jogging, bicycling and playing soccer in the park, amongst the usual Argentine picnickers who sat drinking Mate. It always strikes me as a funny thing that they all drink hot tea in the middle of summer. Later that night we walked over a bridge to an island in the middle of the lake, where we watched a jazz concert with some new friends from the hostel.
On the second day we took a bicycle tour the vineyards and their bodegas, since Mendoza is a famous area for wine. This was a special experience. It was also a very South American experience. They gave us a map and two bicycles and sent us off on our way. We rode down city streets to dirt roads to the vineyards and their bodegas. Some of the city roads were a bit busy around siesta time, and the going became even more difficult after visiting several wine tastings. But, at the end of the day, we arrived safely to our last stop at a little bodega that sold hand-made jams, spreads, and liquors that the owner made from locally-grown ingredients. We tasted each of their other products, before building up the courage to drink their home-made absinthe. It was some strong stuff. Personally, I really like the flavor. But Eric struggled with his a bit. I didn’t see any fairies, but it did turn me upside-down a little. The bus ride home was hectic, since the bus was packed and we had to stand the whole time. I was pressed against this old woman who was astoundingly fast asleep. I wished I could have been pressed against the stunning girl two seats down, but that is just never how it happens.
The Second place we visited was Mina Clavero. A beautiful little town in central Argentina where three rivers meet. It’s an area where locals often vacation, but not very many gringos visit. We visited one of the rivers, in an area where it had carved out deep canyons. The water was deep enough to jump into from surrounding cliffs. There were cliffs of about 50 to 90 feet, with people jumping from each. We chose one of the smaller cliffs and plopped in the water a couple times. Later, we swam further up the canyon to a spot with very few people and hiked around.
The next day we left our hostel in Mina Clavero for camping in Nono.We found a campground next to a river, and set up camp. The river by our campground was shallow and wide, with little pebbles lining the bottom. I suppose because it was so shallow, it was very warm. We sunbathed and relaxed in the river for a few hours before renting bikes again and heading off towards another river. We returned to Mina Clavero to continue camping the following night and see some other new spots. Our bike ride, this time, took us about 10k into the mountains where we got to another river which ran down huge slabs of smooth granite. Men, women, and children were all sliding down the rocks as if at a water park. Down below, the water deepened into large pools, and we swam for a while before laying out in the sun on the rocks.
We left all this nature for Cordova Capital, the capital of the Region of Cordova. When we arrived at the bus station, however, we saw some guys we had met at the hostel a few nights before. They were heading a little north to Santa Rosa, and invited us to go along. So, in a traveling spirit we went too. The only problem was that when we arrived to Santa Rosa (a very popular vacationing spot for its natural beauty), there wasn’t a single hotel/hostel/cabin or any other type of accommodation available. So, we were forced to pitch tents in the rain. I soon figured out why my tent only cost about 15 dollars US. We got out of our wet clothes and went to a club in town which was absolutely crazy. Many of the differences between Argentineans and Chileans really showed themselves at the disco (these I’ll go into more at the end of my trip). But the club was fun, and the city was beautiful.
The next night, we found a room to rent and got out of the rain. We went to a disco again, and all was going great until suddenly Seba, one of the Argentinean guys pulled me out of the club and said, “Sam, tenemos que salir a buscar Eric. Esta en el carcel.” Which, for the non-Spanish speakers means, “Sam, we have to go and look for Eric. He is in Jail.” What?!?! I couldn’t believe it. Eric, who I have personally dubbed “Eric man-of-the-people Shimono” was in jail! Seba explained to me that he banged on a car (or maybe punched it). When the owner saw, he wanted to beat Eric up. Seba, who is a giant, intervened. Although there was no damage on the car, the guy was throwing a fit, and soon an officer heard. When he demanded Eric come talk to him, Eric stumbled his way over to the officer, who decided to put him in jail (no talk needed). So we went to go get him, but they wouldn’t release him until the morning. So, we went back to the house. When I woke up, Eric was on the bed beside me. “Eric! You’re not in jail!” I yelled. They had let him out just a few hours before, after making him scrub down all the jail cells. He said he refused at first, crossing his arms. Then the guard threw a mop at him and told him to start cleaning. They were nice enough to let him go before all the really criminal looking types, who had been taunting and threatening him most of the night were released.
All in all, he came back in one piece, although a little bumped and bruised up. We decided today, to get out of that town and start anew elsewhere. So, right now, we are on our way to La Cumbrecita, where there is supposedly beautiful hiking and nature. Looking forward to this place, and even more to Carnival in Gualeguachu (you should definitely check out pictures of this place).
Big things to come.
