Looking Back

Well buckle up readers, it's going to be a long one. I should have posted a few times the last few weeks with all of the activities I have been doing, but I was lazy. Don't worry (I'm sure you are), I will make up for it in this post I hope.

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of going to Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is a province on the far western edge of the state, almost directly West of Buenos Aires and bordering Chile along the Andes mountain range. If any of you are fans of Malbec wine, there is a very good chance it came from Mendoza. This province is famous for its natural beauty and wine production.

Naturally, after a 14 hour bus ride the first thing me and my travel buddy, Samara, did was take a wine tasting tour on bikes. The weather was sunny and hot (perfect for me) and the scenery from the bike ride was gorgeous, with snow-covered mountains in the background and vineyards as far as the eye could see. We visited a more tradition vineyard (Bodega in Spanish) first which definitely had the highest quality of wine; it didn't hurt that they also gave us more wine than any of the other vineyards. After visiting two more vineyards, our tour guides led us to a local beer garden to enjoy some empanadas and a pint of ice cold beer. Altogether it was a wonderful day, and an excellent way to escape the craziness of Buenos Aires. We also met some very interesting people from all over the world, including some really cool Canadians and Israelis. We finished off the day with frozen margaritas at a Mexican restaurant. And if you are wondering, no I did not stumble home, I walked just fine lol.

On Sunday, we had to get up bright and early for a tour of the Andes mountains. We were more or less awake (In the case of Samara less) for the ride to the mountains. We drove over 250 miles that day, and saw some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my life, including the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Mt. Aconcagua (pronounced aconcowa). I could talk forever about how gorgeous the area was, but I will let the pictures talk for me. Strangely, our bus driver had a very big obsession with Lynyrd Skynyrd and other Southern Rock so while driving through all of this we listened to Free Bird, Sweet Home Alabama, and Fortunate Son several times (his playlist was on repeat). Not exactly awe inspiring music, but I enjoyed it. 

The picture of the sediment structure/building and bridge is called Puente del Inca and used to have a hotel/ ski resort built next to and on it, but a rock slide destroyed most of the structures. The colors are formed by sediments rising up, a lot like stalagmites in a cave. Only locals now are allowed to go near the area now to prevent any more damage. Many locals will place rocks in the water for a few days and then once they become multi colored they take them out and sell them to tourist. Pretty sweet deal. 

The highest altitude that we reached was about 10,000 feet, and it was pretty cold. We ate lunch at a very cozy restaurant built in a valley really close to the border with Chile. Crossing the border is a long process, but thanks to a relatively new process it is much easier than before. Around 100 years ago, a railroad was constructed through the mountains, but was very expensive to upkeep due to constant rock slides, so it was abandoned in 1990. You can still see the old tracks running near the highway, but large segments have been destroyed by landslides. 

On Monday, we went river rafting in the Mendoza River. Not thinking ahead, we did not bring a change of clothes or a towel. It was hot in town, and we didn't really connect the dots that we would be going back up into the mountains again where it was colder. We did, and the river was snow fed. The rafting experience was amazing, and definitely at the top of the list in terms of most fun activities I've done here, but we were freezing cold. I was literally shaking when I got off the raft, but without a doubt it was worth it.

On our final day we just wandered the city looking to entertain ourselves before the bus picked us up. Without a doubt, it was an amazing weekend, and Mendoza may be my favorite place in Argentina just in terms of the beauty of the city and the vast amounts of activities you can do there outside. This was also my first time staying in a hostel, and I definitely think it is the way to go to travel cheaply. We paid under $10 a night and the place was not too shabby.

This was part 1 of my November experiences, look for part 2 sometime in the next few days. I actually have to go back to reality a little this weekend and study for a final that will be on Monday. Thanks for reading!


Scott

Schools Out For Summer!

So far I've been enjoying my new found freedom from classes. This Friday, I'm changing host family's as my amazing host mom here is heading to the US this weekend. I'm a little bummed that I have to leave this apartment early, but it will be really interesting to live with another family for a few weeks to compare and contrast.

The final countdown has begun. After some very hard goodbyes this weekend, it finally hit me that the semester is coming to an end. The city feels a little empty without most of our group back in the US, but there are so many things to do I am keeping myself occupied. This week one of our group members has her family in town, so we went back to el Tigre to go kayaking. The weather was absolutely perfect, and I actually managed to go swimming! Being in the middle of such a huge city, it is easy to forget how tropical this area can be. Palm trees, colorful birds, and beautiful scenery filled out excursion, and I think we all enjoyed Tigre more this time around than the last. It was a much smaller group and it felt like a much more intimate experience. Plus, the train to get there only took about 50 minutes and cost only 1.50 Pesos (about 20 cents in US dollars) each way. We will definitely be coming back.

Right now I'm torn between thinking I have no time left in the city and thinking I have a ton of time left. December 7th seems really far away, but 3 weeks and a few days seems really close. I think part of it is the fact that it is so warm here. It does not feel like November in any way, shape, or form. We now constantly talk about what our first meal in the US will be, and most if not all of us are getting antsy to go home. I have definitely been playing Christmas music in my room, and may or may not be listening to it while writing this post.

Recently I have been feeling a lot of writer's block for these blogs. I feel like I have a ton of things to say but at the same time nothing comes to me when I go to write a blog post. I will probably have one more post describing my various adventures, and then start talking about the culture in general plus reflections. So, if you have any questions about Argentina please leave them below or message me on Facebook, I would love to answer them. I feel like after 4 months, I have a pretty good grasp of the culture and the people or Argentina, or at least Buenos Aires.

Before I finish this post, there is one observation that I would like to write about, the contrast you see in this country. I'm certainly familiar with contrasts in neighborhoods; you can see that in just about any major city in the US. There are rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods, good parts of town and parts where you lock the car doors as you drive through. In Buenos Aires, the contrast between the rich parts and the poor parts are huge, but they are also pushed right up next to each other. Some of the worst parts of town are literally across the railroad tracks from the nicest part of town. Here are both neighborhoods below, sorry the quality is not great but for obvious reasons I did not go walking through the bad neighborhood, namely for my mother's heart not to explode.

Some of the other contrasts were also incredible. In a matter of less than an few hours, I can go from the heart of one of the largest cities in the world, to a quiet beach town, or a tropical river delta, or rolling hills and great plains similar to the ones I'm used to seeing in KC. Living in Buenos Aires, it is easy to think that this is how the rest of the country lives, but it is far from it. Of course, you can see the changes in geography in the US as well ranging from Hawaii to Alaska, but it feels much more condensed here. This country can offer almost anything you can imagine for fun, whether you liking dancing at a club until the sun rises or exploring glaciers, you will find some of the most beautiful places you could ever imagine.

Speaking of beautiful places, this weekend I will be going to the Andes Mountains to see the tallest mountain in the Americas. Look for lots of pictures and another post next week!

Thanks for reading

Scott

Weekend Update

Well the past couple of weeks have not been full of adventures like the ones I had earlier, but they have been fun nevertheless. This past Sunday we went to a river community north of Buenos Aires called El Tigre. Before we got there, our director gave us a very quick tour of a beautiful Gothic cathedral built near the city. Once we arrived, we took a boat tour to see the whole area. Most of the people living in the area are not connected to the city by roads. They live in raised houses on the various islands created by the huge river delta that spans throughout the area. The area was beautiful, with lots of palm trees, and even some beaches on the river shore. During the boat tour we could not stop cracking up over the voice they used to give the tour in English. The tour had a prerecorded message explaining the trip in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The other two languages we fine as far as we could tell, but the English voice was some weird combination of an Asian man and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Once we finally stopped laughing, we did learn a few interesting things about the area. Since most people are not connected by roads, they have to use boats for everything. A boat comes every school day to pick up kids to take them to school. Even more odd, they have big boats loaded with groceries that are basically floating supermarkets that go from house to house selling everything that people need. After the tour we had more Carne Asado, then went to a gigantic street market, and then went home.

The semester itself is winding down, and I only have a week left of classes. The last week was kind of crazy with finals and projects, but this week looks to be much easier. I have one final and then I am essentially done. After this week the only thing I will have left is my final for my class with local students. For local students you have a short break for a few weeks after classes are done to take your final. I would personally rather just get it over with, but at least it gives me an excuse to enjoy the city without having any classes. The final itself looks to be a little intimidating. The final is oral and given to three professors who can ask you about any reading or theme from the semester, in Spanish of course.

Before I take the final, I will be going on one final big trip in two weeks; Mendoza. It is a beautiful province very close to the Andes mountains and known to be the wine country of Argentina. We will be going river rafting, wine tasting, and also going on a day trip to the Andes mountains. I am so excited!

That is it for now. Thanks for reading!

Scott