Call me when you are done doing.... whatever.

Adventure, adventure, adventure.  Kelsey, Ally, Karina, Brice, Patrick and I spent our long weekend in Mendoza, Argentina.  Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina and has the largest peak in the Andes and lots of vineyards.  It has a lot more to offer as well.  We left Cordoba at 9 pm and arrived in Mendoza a little after 7 am.  The buses are not your typical school bus.  They have plush seats that recline to a near laying position, I'd guestimate about a 60 degree angle.  There is plenty of legroom and a footrest as well.  It was funny, as we pulled into the bus station, I kept expecting to hear the flight attendant talk about remaining in your seats until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and that the use of electronic devices is prohibited until the seat belt sign is turned off.  However, I have never been on an airplane as comfortable as that bus!  After we arrived, we dropped our stuff at the Itaka Hostel.  This hostel was really incredible.  Tons of their services were free, including internet.  Their staff was friendly and approachable.  By the end, we knew the receptionists by name as they did us.  But I know what you are thinking.  Becky, hush about the hostel... tell us about the earthquake!  Sorry to disappoint, but I was sound asleep on the bus during the quake.  Rumor has it that it was felt all the way to Cordoba, but in the huge coach bus, I didn't feel anything but the bliss of slumber.  Apparently, there was an after-shock in Mendoza on Saturday night as well... but once again, I was sound asleep.  The earthquake is another tragedy but, luckily, Chile was far more prepared than Haiti.  The infrastructure, for the majority, stood up to the quake.  I think the best thing to do is pray for the families that have lost a loved one, and pray for those left.
Well, we arrived on Saturday morning and got right to the fun and games.  We went to Maipu, which is a small town fifteen minutes outside of the center of Mendoza where there are many vineyards.  We rode bicycles along the roads lined by tall trees, bordering views of the extensive vineyards and the towering majestic mountains in the background.  It is absolutely one of the most beautiful places on earth.  While some of my compatriots enjoyed the wine more than others, we all enjoyed the tours and we definitely all loved the olive oil tasting and the chocolate tastings.  I bought a lot of treasures for myself, including marmalades and olives, some balsamic vinegar and the best extra virgin olive oil you've ever tasted in your life!  It is so fresh and light and flavorful without being rich.... fantastic.  Did you know... the best way to see if you have a good olive oil is to put it in the refrigerator?  If it is a quality oil, it will uniformly turn white and harden, whereas if it is of a lesser quality, you will see separation and disunity.  Doing this doesn't hard the oil at all.  There was over 12 kilometers of the route of the vineyards (called bodegas in Spanish) so we biked over 24 miles that day.  We had a nice quiet night at the hostel.
The next day we spent sightseeing in the city, just walking around.  The highlight of my day was Parque General San Martin.  This is a park of over 420 hectares.  It is on the western side of the city, so the Andes are clearly visible from the park.  It is huge--very extensive.  As it headed towards twilight, the sky turned the most glorious shades of blue and purple.  I loved being surrounded by the greenery; there were all sorts of trees of every shape and kind stretching towards the sky.  So beautiful.
Monday--one of the best days of my life.  Ally, Kelsey, Brice and I spent the day rafting in the Andes.  I love mountains.  I love them so much.  We rafted down 26 kilometers of a glacial fed river.  This activity was a little too adventurous for Patrick and Karina, but he was more than happy to tell us to call when we were done doing.... whatever the next nuts thing we dreamed up happened to be.  The guides at our rafting service were knowledgeable, professional and so much fun!  They were from distinct countries--from Peru to Canada.  The four of us had a boat to ourselves and our guide, Oscar, took us to the best places in the river.  We rafted for over three hours.  I loved being in the front of the boat, feeling the powerful, freezing cold water splash into my face.  Oscar permitted us to leave the raft and swim around in the river when it wasn't too strong.  Even so, I have never been swimming in such a strong current.  I know I am a great swimmer but there is no way I would ever go into a river without a life jacket.  I know it would be nearly impossible to stay afloat without a preserver.  We never fell out, although we did crash into each other in the boat multiple times (I have the bruises to prove it).  Brice insists he has forgotten the commands in English as Oscar "Adelante! Adelante! Alto! Alto!" into us the whole time.  I personally think he was a little too busy screaming obscenities into the waves to pay much attention to anything.  Nevertheless, it did prove to be quite an amusing experience.  It was a great day to spend on the river and I now have a new goal in life--raft down a class 5 river.  A guide who hails from Chicago explained to me that the best way to describe class 5 is to say that if there were a class 6, it would be physically impossible to raft down because of the rapids.  What can I say?  I like to keep things interesting.  

Safe and sound, we left Mendoza on Monday night.  Today was a great day and I have really enjoyed meeting the new exchange students.  I would love to go back to Mendoza, given the opportunity.  Want to come along?

(pictures coming soon!)