Mendoza

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We now speak fluent Spanish...or maybe not. We did take three days of intensive lessons, our brains now hurt. Valparaiso is a very beautiful city, especially when it is sunny instead of rainy. It is right on the ocean and is very hilly (muchas cerros), a bit reminiscient of the bay area in California. We stayed at a great little bed and breakfast - La Nona, very friendly, very helpful. Jasmine took some great photos just after sunset one night that we will post as soon as we get back to the states. We also tried a pisco sour, the very famous Chilean drink - very sour, one was plenty. Also, just in case you enjoy beer, Chile is not the region for you. Stick to the wine. We almost missed our bus this morning that was to take us to Mendoza, Argentine, but we made it and then were informed at Vina Del Mar (about 20 minutes from Valparaiso) that the mountain passses were closed due to snow. So we ended up taking a bus back to Santiago and then taking a flight to Mendoza. A very short flight, 30 minutes versus an 8 hour bus ride, but very bumpy. Jasmine had some very worried expressions on her face and my hand is still a bit sore. Our hotel is very nice and we look forward to sleeping in a bit tomorrow (and at least Justin) looks forward to watching the US national soccer team play Brazil.

Adios for now.

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