Blogs from Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina, South America - page 2

There was a sad farewell to Denmark (despite almost falling out the previous night over a game of the 500 cardgame) prior to hopping in a taxi to the huge bus station Terminal Santiago. I’d booked a ticket online a few days before with Andesmar and after validating my online ticket and checking in it was a short wait for the right bus to turn up before boarding it and settling in for the day (South American buses really did have the most comfy seats some of them were like 1st class plane seats). I‘d heard that the views across the Andes during the journey were spectacular so I made sure I booked a window seat and had my little music MP3 player fully charged. It was also going to be a border crossing (my last ... read more

The journey to Mendoza It was always going to be a long day, starting in Pisco Elqui at the top of the Elqui Valley in Chile and (hopefully) finishing in Mendoza in Argentina sometime the next morning. We struck camp, heaved on our rucksacks and set about climbing the hill out of our riverside campsite to the bus stop in the centre of the village which was at the top of the hill. We had climbed this hill any number of times since we arrived in Pisco Elqui and each time I (guess who) was quick to point out to anyone who would listen (guess who wouldn’t) that there was no way that we would be able to get up that hill carrying all our worldly goods. Well who would have thought it, we made it ... read more

With Bill Elasky I made it to Mendoza, Argentina after some 30 hours of travel...weather in Texas nearly grounded our plane but we made it out between thunderstorms. You know you are in a cool place when you get through customs and are met by a group of handsome young people handing you boxes of grapes! Once settled in to our hostel in the center of town we set off to find Paola Diaz. Paola is an English teacher in one of the national high schools. We met this past fall when she and a couple dozen Argentine educators came to Ohio University on a Fulbright program and Paola was assigned to Federal Hocking high school. She fit right in like one of the faculty and we agreed to stay in touch. On Friday Bill and ... read more

Steak, Malbec, Dulce de leche - we were always going to love Argentina! Our first stop was the Iguazu Falls from the Argentine side. There is a lot of debate over which side of the Iguazu Falls is more impressive. For us, Argentina stole the show. Whilst the Brazil side enables you to appreciate the falls from a distance, the Argentina side has a number of walking trails that bring you right up to the drops, including the aptly named Devil's Throat. Witnessing the power and strength of the falls from up close is just incredible. It makes you forget everything else - including the fact that you are getting absolutely soaked!! Argentina is a country that we underestimated in terms of size. To put it in perspective it's about 40 times the size of Ireland! ... read more

Went hiking this morning. Having some lunch and heading out rafting this afternoon. Pedro likes his new friend. DOG with a blog says: "I like my new friend Pedro. Can you believe he shared some steak with me? The kids were feeding me right from their forks! Back from a wonderful rafting trip. Cerveza with our hiking guide. Waiting for our van back to town. Added the pictures from our rafting. A definite highlight of the trip!... read more