We arrived early and had to wait to check into our hostel, so we roamed the pleasantly uncrowded streets, and I appreciated not having to dodge people every two steps. The main streets were lined with stores that sold leather and alfajores (Argentina’s famous pastries). We saw the beginning of a parade on the street, which started with women in beautifully embroidered red and white dresses dancing with men with hats. We heard from someone than Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina, was in Mendoza at the same time as we were! The hostel was small but cozy. There were 7 of us in the group and we stayed in one room both nights. Without wasting any time, we took cabs to Maipú Bikes. Here we rented bikes for only 25 pesos (about 6 US dollars) and biked around to the different bodegas (vineyards). It was such an enjoyable experience. I felt free and happy riding my bike across the rocky streets lined with a variety of beautiful green trees in this amazing city. We spent the rest of the afternoon biking to different vineyards, listening to guides discuss certain wines while we tasted them, and relaxing under the sun while gazing at the rows and rows of fresh grapes. We went to two vineyards, one hippie beer garden, and one liquor shop where we sampled chocolates, dessert liquors, and fig and pear marmalades.
It rained while we were biking, but rather than dampen our spirits, it had a refreshing and liberating effect. The weather channel warned us of thunderstorms, but a thunderstorm for Mendoza is a sprinkle in the US since they only get 8 inches of rain a year. There are aqueducts along the streets so they can preserve the rain water. After our tour, we walked down a street, thinking it was going to lead back to our hostel. However, we ended up in a different district more than 20 blocks from our intended destination. When we finally made it back to the hostel, we found out that we did an entire circle around the center of Mendoza and ended up walking for an hour and a half unnecessarily. However, all of the people we encountered were extremely friendly and at no point did I ever feel unsafe, contrary to my feelings in Buenos Aires at night. Upon returning to the hostel, I got to know some of the other residents. Two were from Canada, one was from France, and a bunch were from various parts of Argentina (Tigre, Rosario, barrios in Buenos Aires, etc). We hung out for a while and found a guitar that belonged to the hostel. They asked me if I played and I told them that I hadn’t in a few years.. But they didn’t care. So I played the songs that I could remember including Blackbird, Stairway to Heaven, etc. that most guitar players start out with, but they were excited by them anyway. My new friend Agustín sold me on the Indpendiente fútbol (soccer) team; soccer is a universal passion in Argentina.
After a late night hanging out with everyone, waking up at 7:30 to start our next day of adventures was not easy. After consuming some medialunas (croissants), my friends and I packed ourselves into a bus and took an hour ride to a horse stable. We rode horses along the rocky and grassy paths between the Andes mountains for an hour and a half, and it took my breath away. I have never been so close to mountains, and I couldn’t even wrap my mind around their dream-like beauty. Getting lost in the smokey layers of red, brown, and gray, I could not comprehend their immensity or powerful presence. They were so amazing that I wanted to eat them just so they would fill my entire existence and never leave me. I couldn’t have been happier or more content, trotting along on my faithful white steed, Sambo. I felt at peace with everything that I always and never understood. I trailed behind on Sambo and started up a conversation with Augusto, a man from Buenos Aires. After a few minutes of mediocre conversation, we discovered our shared passion for almost all of the same bands. We discussed our favorite Beatles songs and albums, and then spent 15 minutes quoting the movie “A Hard Day’s Night.” We also discussed our shared interest in Cortázar, an Argentine author, and Aldous Huxley who wrote Brave New World. Everyone that I have become friends with here wants to exchange contact information and spend time together in the future. What a friendly country.
After lunch, we went white-water rafting! While the peacefulness of the horseback riding was much appreciated, this was a truly exhilarating experience. The river switched off between calm water and rapids. I enjoyed my team’s energy and the chorus of “uno! dos!” that we yelled while we were rowing, causing all the other teams to look at us. The rapids all had names, such as Rock’n’Roll, Trouble, and Island. It felt incredible being doused by the chilly waves of the Mendoza River and being embraced by the wind that passed through the waterfall after the rapid ‘Trouble.’ We worked really well together and did not fall out, even when we accidentally hit a large rock. However, at our guide Ángel’s suggestion, we all jumped off the raft and then were immediately submerged by a large wave. Ángel is from Cuzco, Perú, and he told us that he would be happy to be our guide if we ever traveled there. I would love to take him up on his offer. The part of the river that we experienced was only a level 3 out of 5 for difficulty, and I would like to try a harder one next time.
Exhausted, sore, and mildly sun-burned, I had the most amazing two days that I have had in a long time. You really get to know people when you are traveling everywhere together and you are sleeping a few inches away from their feet or faces. We laughed so much this week-end that I lost my voice (or as I learned in Spanish, estaba afonica). We hung out more at the hostel, had some drinks and taught each other card games. It was awesome being in a room with people from so many different places and backgrounds. There was jovial yelling in all sorts of languages, along with hand motions and uproarious laughter. Not every word was understood by everyone, but it was clear that we all appreciated one another’s existence. My new friend Agustín taught me some basic steps in the tango, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. He told me that I danced beautifully, but I know from taking a few salsa lessons at Madison that if you have a skilled enough lead, it is easy to be a good dancer.
My friend Sarah and I went with our Argentine friends from the hostel to a karaoke bar/dance club that played lively Latin music, which made me very happy after all of the music from the States that I had been hearing in stores and bars. For the next 5 hours, we danced a mixture of salsa, merengue, the tango, and the waltz. It was gracefully chaotic and everyone was full of energy. Agustín and I had a wonderful time improvising our dance moves and enjoying one another’s company. There were disco lights and numerous people with big smiles. I love dancing amongst this culture that is so full of life. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to experience all of it, because I know that most people don’t come across this kind of opportunity. Agustín lives near Rosario 3 or 4 hours away from Buenos Aires, so sadly I don’t think I will be able to see him with much frequency while I'm here. But I had an excellent time getting to know him and his friends, even if it was for such a short time. On the bus home, I was again lucky with my seat partner. This time I sat next to someone from Mendoza named Federico who had just finished a year living in Australia and New Zealand. He taught me Argentine expressions and we laughed the whole way home. He also happened to know all of the words to Backstreet Boys’ song “I Want it That Way” which caused us to receive a few stares as we sang it on the bus. I am excited about the friends that I met who I will be able to spend time with again in Buenos Aires. Tomorrow classes at Universidad Católica start and it’s back to reality. I will miss Mendoza and the simple tranquility of the mountains. I hope that I will return one day.
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