Hikes, Bikes, Wine And Swine

This weekend I took a little trip to Mendoza ... known for the Andes and the wine...both were quite lovely. The trip included 2 fifteen hour red-eye bus rides (which weren't too bad thanks to my great ability to sleep anywhere at anytime), a tour of a normal and organic winery, a tour of an olive oilery, a sampling of liquor and chocolate making place, a hike in the Andes mountains, repelling down a cliff right next to a water fall, my first Argentine asado, my first experience at a hostel, renting bikes and riding through the huge park later visiting most of the plazas in the little city of Mendoza. All is and was well. I came home with a souvenir wooden spoon and spatula...sounds like an impulse buy, but its the softest and most beautiful wood I have ever seen and touched...and I think its a way to start the life goal of perfecting Latin American cooking (i still prefer the Mexican style but I want to start learning from my host mom).

The intensive language course is already half way done, and this weekend in Mendoza, I felt my Spanish improving. And I just got news this weekend that my real semester classes are delayed because of the swine flu (people call it gripe A here) therefore my coming home date is getting pushed back as well (until the week of Thanksgiving). The swine flu still doesn't seem like a huge concern yet its just changing plans and narrowing down fun activities. Some theatres, dance clubs and places of the sort are closed down in BA and some were even closed temporarily in Mendoza. Lame... this graffiti portrays it well.

But ... now that class starts about 3 weeks later I have a month-ish of no classes from late July through mid/late August. Its nice to have that big chunk of time to travel but to travel all at once could be a bit overwhelming and I need plan soon if so. I have ideas about Machu Picchu, Peru now (a 4 day hike to Incan ruins that is one of the new 7 wonders of the world) ... I am looking into it. And of course some closer less big trips.

As for the city life...I think I am pretty used to it. I had to take my clothes to get washed this past week...I don't know how I feel about other people doing my laundry and vacuum packing it. There are strong clean smells and clothes folding like I have never seen before ... its like its manufactured again. I feel like I know the public transportation better now and everything isn't so new or overwhelming anymore, so I can relax and find the little places and things I enjoy here.

As for the meat eating ... my host mom is still rocking it and she told me she is excited to learn and create some vegetarian meals. When eating in restaurants I choose no meat options still. I tried bites of the meat entrees that the others order...its still the texture and the thought. Or maybe just the fact that I prefer the veg. But this experimenting with meat has reaffirmed and made me glad that I had been a vegetarian for quite some time. I am still putting forth a good effort of trying and I want to like that part of their culture, but its not there yet. As of now, once I hit that American soil, meatless it is.

Happy Birthday Daddy. (in a few hours)

Love.