We are here!!!

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So, after 2 days of tiring travel, we finally made it to Mendoza, Argentina, which is in the desert foothills of the Andean mountains.

As we flew in the clouds covered most of the mountain range, but between them, we could see the snowcovered 3,000m (9,000ft) peaks looming above the town.

Our first day was spent with our Argentinian guide, Juilio, practicing our Spanish and enjoying a genuine Argentine Asado (bbq) consisting of ribs and chorizos, prepared my "el maestro", Julio! Not only did we get to enjoy the carne but we were also able to learn a few secrets on how to keep the meat juicy and to keep the coals going consistently. Our next Asado will be prepared by Noah!!!

The second day Julio took us on a guided walk through Mendoza. He then took us up to Parque San Martin which is an immense park and then onward and up a hill to an Argentinian monument representing the Argentine liberation from Spanish rule. From here, we could also see the city of Mendoza on one side and on the other, the Andes invited us for further exploring!

Today, we are going to a soccer game with Julio at a stadium where some of the games of the '78 World Cup was played!

Well, we are all safe and are amazed by the Argentinian culture and hospitality! In the last 3 days, we have made significant steps forward in our Spanish abilities and look forward to getting to know the area of Mendoza and its people in greater detail!

If you wonder where Daniel and Rich are, we're taking the pictures and having a great time doing it!

This Monday we will be starting our lessons with our private Spanish tutor. This will hopefully enable us to accomplish more the following week at the Language Institute.

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Photos

The hostel
The front of our first home in Argentina, Hostel Quinta Rufino!!!

Mendoza
This is one of the views from the monument of liberty we hiked up to!

The Andes
The western view from the hill where you can clearly see the peaks in the West!

Asado!!!
Playing games while enjoying the smell of a true Argentine bbq!!!

Chores
Yeah, it´s not all vacation... We all need to help out cleaning up after dinner, including Alex here

The Stadium
From left to right, Ryan/"Rizz", Alex/Alejandro", Noah, Julio, Louis, and Mike/Miguel at the main soccer stadium in the Mendoza region.

Monument of Liberty
If you look closely you can see the lady in the middle at the top breaking the chains escaping into freedom!

Playing pool
Mike is challenging Julio at a game of pool at the hostel and gets a Spanish lesson in the meantime!

Comments

[Sherril (Noah's Mom)]

Sharing the work
Hey Alex/Alejandro, I see Noah standing in line to eat, but I don't see him doing the dishes. Make sure you leave some for him. He needs the practice for when he comes to India. Have a great time, and keep the pictures coming.

[Karin]

great update
Enjoyed all the pictures. Everybody seemsa to be enjoying them selves. Good luck with the language i institute.

[Janice & David]

Enjoyed the Pics
Thank for making these photographs(and the text) available. We enjoyed them!