4th and 5th day in Mendoza--Hot Springs and the Park! and the day of rest...

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All right, after a somewhat good night's rest talking to some Brazilians, I headed out to the train station to buy my ticket to Salta. After going through that pain (I should have shopped around, but I trusted Andesmar...) I bought a ticket to head to the Hot Springs in Cacheuta. The bus ride was an hour, and there weren't that many people on it. It was beautiful driving through the Andes. Cacheuta is a very little pueblo in the Andes. The biggest attraction, of course, is the thermal hot springs. The pictures are beautiful, but when I got there, not all of the hot springs were filled with water (because of winter). I keep imagining how amazing this place would be during the summer! I got off of the bus and talked to one of the guys on the bus. He was from Buenos Aires (I don't think I ever got his name). He tried to explain to me what he does, which I think is very similar to mutual funds. We carried on a conversation, in Spanish, because he didn't speak a word of English. I need to get over this fear of speaking Spanish, I really do! I think it's just a part of who I am--I don't really venture into anything unless I am certain it's a sure bet (I have faced very little rejection in my life due to this). And me speaking Spanish... well, it's not that amazing. But luckily, we were both able to understand each other. I went on a hike around the hot springs, and camped out on a bench near the water. In this noisy hot springs, I found a place of solitude. I listened to my ipod and just watched the water trickle on down and read a part of my latin american phrasebook. During the time, it was nice to be by myself. I've spent a few days by myself in Buenos Aires-- although I always seem to find someone to talk to. However, all I could think of was, "Man, how great would this be to share this beauty with someone else." I wish one of you were here with me to marvel in this amazing country. But I'm learning a lot about myself, and I think that I really needed to do this on my own.

Afterwards, I walked around the town, met up with the guy from Buenos Aires, and we went to the little shops and waited for the bus to arrive. We talked about traveling, and things for me to do in Salta. He said Salta was "Muy lindo." I'm not quite sure what that means, BUT I'm sure it's something along the lines of cool. The weather was absolutely beautiful. And the rappels were fun and amazing! I can't wait for Salta and more outdoor adventurism!

On the bus ride back, I ran into the Brazilians I had been hanging out with. They had spent a lot of time at the Hot Springs. We then took a cab down to the Parque San Martin. Parque San Martin is just as big as the city of mendoza. Really really beautiful. They had a lake inside, and huge fields where people were just hanging around. We walked around the park, and then it took forever for us to find a cab back to our Hostel. The Brazilians were leaving on a bus to Bariloche at 8pm, so we need to really head back.

When I got back to the hostel, I hung out with some girls from Holland, and tried to figure out what I wanted to do tomorrow-- Horse Back riding or Paragliding. I hung out with people, made dinner, and then went to bed, to try and catch some rest. I've been moving at the speed of light here! Luckily I have been able to catch up on some rest.

My chest has been hurting recently. I must admit, after everything that has happened to my mom, I have been a little bit more precautious. That's why I took every single medicine and got every single vaccine that I could before I came. I was worried that there was a problem with my heart. I know, I'm young, but you can never be too careful. My mom was young too. So after a few nights of having chest pains, I woke up this morning and decided to go to the doctor (because if I didn't, i probably would continue to think there was a problem with my heart). I woke up in the morning feeling fine, but I know that if I didn't email Stephanie and told her I went to the doctor, she probably would have sent me threatening emails. The guy who owns the hostel actually went with me and wanted to make sure everything was okay. I was describing my pain to him, and he didn't really understand it. The way the hospitals work here is quite interesting. A lot of lines and a lot of waiting around. Going from one place to the next to the next. I waited for a while--most of the morning actually. Then the lady asked about the person who was having chest pains. She patted my head and said, "oh you're young." Then I finally got called in. I told them my symptoms, and the doctor said bronchitis. Nothing wrong with my heart, just my lungs. Which seems to be normal during winter and cold season. A lot of people seemed to have bronchitis. She prescribed me some medicine, but after researching on WebMD, you really don't need any medicine for bronchitis. Just stay warm, she said. Which means paragliding is definitely out of the question until I feel 100% recovered. Oh well. I can paraglide in America. Someone will come with me. If not, I'll go by myself. I've seen the andes, i've seen the town, i've seen the neighboring villages. I'd be okay not paragliding. Although, I just really wanted to.

So what am I doing on my 5th day in Mendoza? Resting. I really want to be well on the second half of my trip.

Now, off to find some food!

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