Mendoza, Argentina 10/10/14

I'm just going to start with that picture, because look how nice it is, great weather, shaded walkways, cafes and more cafes. To put it simply, I loved my 3 short days in Argentina. It was such a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Santiago (breathing smog-free area) and it made me really wish I had months and months to explore the different parts of Argentina. Granted, I am a little biased living with 4 Argentinians and pretty much only hearing wonderful things about the food and the people of the country on the other side of the Andes.

Thursday night we set off on a 7 hour night bus to arrive at Mendoza, which to our pleasure (sarcasm) placed us at crossing the border and going through customs at 2 AM. Despite the cold frontera, we arrived safely Friday morning to our hostel and after taking a few hours to recuperate, set off to do a bit of wine tasting, as Mendoza is well known for having Argentina's best wine. It was a lot of fun and I remain neutral to admitting which country has better wine between Chile and Argentina so as to not cause any more tension.

only 3 are mine i swear

impressively enough took this while bike riding

That night in proper Argentinian fashion, we sat down for dinner at 10:30 PM sharp and indulged in some of the best barbecue (so much meat). It was definitely worth the wait.

Saturday morning 2 of my friends and I embarked on a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to say we went skydiving in Argentina (sorry Grandma and Grandpa), it was pretty awesome and although I don't think I'll be signing up to be licensed any time soon, I can now say that I've done it! It was a great time and I have to say a lot less scary than I always thought! 

before: getting suited up

during: floating

during: falling

after: nervous laugh 

That night after spending the day in the sun, we indulged in some Argentinian cuisine, starting with milanesa (delicious bread coated/ fried steak basically) making our way to ice cream and ending with a coffee and medialunas (croissants) I probably gained about 5 pounds in 3 days but it was totally worth it.

With Sunday, came our last adventure, 4 of us headed out to the hills to take on some cabalgata (horseback riding). Honestly, I think I was more scared of riding for 3 hours on large quadrupeds than  I was jumping out of a plane the day before. It was a beautiful day and a fun time making our way through the hills. My friend and I had horses that were boyfriend and girlfriend so we spent a large majority of the trip lagging at the rear of the group as they just took their sweet time enjoying the romance.

We ended the day with yet another asado and let me tell you the genuine gaucho who cooked this feast did not disappoint. We left the mountains, with great views fresh in our minds and filled tummies.

We were all pretty sad to have to leave our mini vacation and return to school the next day, but if anything I can say that Mendoza lit a small flame of love for Argentina in my heart and I can't wait to get back there someday (I have a visa for 10 years so I better). It was so nice to experience a little bit of a different country and now I can officially say that I have been to two countries outside of the US. 

Anyways, back to the grind of school, I've got an essay due next week, a proposal of my final project for another class, and a quiz in a different class all on the same day!! Wish me luck as I only have 5 more weeks of my semester left! Then I'll be off traveling for a few weeks and in two months and two days I'll be back to see all my favorite people (and eat all my favorite food). I miss all of you dearly and never feel shy to set up a Skype date or just chat for a bit via Facebook! Hope all is well on the other side of the screen!

Les quiero!! -Faith