Mendoza is where they should have had my program: its gorgeous, not crampted, filled with dirt and exhuast, and not to mention those mountains again with a beautiful desert. Mendoza is almost exactly level with Santiago Chile but on the Argentine side of the range. This was also the furthest point that i am told that the Inca Empire reached. They went thru Chile and then over the mountains and into Mendoza. The natives there had already developed a centralized irrigation/canal system to use the desery area. The Incas arrived and enslaved the population also before building a bigger and more extensive canal system. Then, of course, came the Spanish who killed and enslaved everyone and then extended the canal system more. As a result very little native planets grow in the city. Its all transplanted olive trees and a white barked like elm. Every street has mini canals paralell to them that feed each tree on every street. Its kind of a cool place.
In Mendoza i relaxed, breathed fresh air, had another long tour (so over them!!), ate so much food, relaxed more, ate more food, went to a vineyard for another tour (but this time a wine tasting tour) and then spent saturday 3.5 hours into the heart of the Andes.
The Andes are actually made up of three chains: the Chilean side, the middle snowy monsters, and the red with iron Argentine side. Needless to say i took roughly 80 pictures of them. Oh! And in our mountain trip went to the viewpoint for the highest mountain in south america. Then to a icy over priced resort where we had a blast. My friends and i here had rented 7 sleds and had races down icy slopes. I screamed myself hoarse and fell so many times that i am proud to say that i even have a bruise the size of a dime on the top of my left hand. Yes, the Andes were freezing. I know people say "coldest experience of my life" that then gets replaced with more and more experiences, but i think i really can honestly say that this experience was the coldest of my life with sincerity. I wore everything i owned and then rented snow gear and i still froze. But it was worth it.
Mendoza is a 13 hour bus ride from Rosario. Our group of 27 was cooped into the top level of a double decker bus. The return trip was a sauna and everyone was coughing and hacking and moaning drunk off all the free wine or with bruises from the mountains. It was a sespool of germs and i am sad to say that i am sick again. But never fear mom, i am in Argentina where you can buy medicine drugs on every corner for a peso. Even prescription drugs in the united states are here sold over the counter. I count myself lucky: one of the girls here has confirmed broncidius (sp?), pink eye and a swollen throat.
