My summer vacation, part 1-Mendoza, Argentina

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My summer vacation, part 1-Mendoza, Argentina

 South America » Chile » Vina del Mar » Viña del Mar By Bowmen16
April 7th 2007
Tori Lynn ScottThese are photos from my summer vacation. I am going to do a small blog for each location we went to so this will be the first of 4. I went with Carlos for approixmately 2 weeks to Argentina and Chile. We had a blast, rode on a lot of buses, ate a good amount of meat (which rocked!!! sorry vegetarians), chocolate and ice cream in Argentina, saw beautiful landscapes and rivers and mountains. Chile and Argentina have incredible nature here. Hope you enjoy the photos!

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Photos

The bus
This is the bus from Santiago to MEndoza, Argentina. We are at the border crossing. Everyone has to deboard the bus, wait ina line, get your passport stamped andt hen get back on the bus. That process usually takes 1-2 hrs. Good thing it is summer because if was winter, you would freeze your butt off. The trip takes about 6-7 hrs and the route winds through the Andeas mountains. It is an incredible view, lots of switchbacks with big buses and semi-trucks. A bit nerve wracking but we made it.

The Andes Mountains
This picture by no means does it justice. They are very awe-inspiring. I guess this is one situation where you just have to be there. You are at about 4000m which is about 12000 feet altitude. You can definately tell the difference when you breath.

Plaze de Independencia
This is the center place in Mendoza, Argentina. It is a meeting place for the whole town and its people. There is a small artesan market that wraps around the permimeter and there have circus shows in the summer on an outdoor stage. Beautiful town!

The circus
The circus show is complete with fire throwers and trapeez (spelling?) artists. It isn´t just for kids. We stayed and watched it for aobut an hour and they perform for tips so they just pass around a hat and people put in money! It was definately fun!

hmmmm.....?
We met some new friends in the street while walking around. You see pretty much anything here!

The fun street cars/buses
Because the majority of people don´t have cars, public transportation is huge. These are the normal buses here in Mendoza.