This Christmas and New Years I headed down to Argentina with another volunteer to check out Mendoza (the outdoorsy wine growing region of the country) and Buenos Aires. Some kind of stomach bug crept up on me that apparently didn't want me to enjoy the vineyards and olive groves of Mendoza and instead took a liking to my hotel bed and back-to-back episodes of The Hard Times of RJ Berger and Teen Mom on MTV for 3 days straight. Other than that though, the trip was a blast. Enjoy the photos below! (Sorry there are 175 photos.. it was hard enough cutting it down to that from over 400!)
The journey to Argentina first involved a 9 hour overnight bus from Loja to Piura, Peru. From there we flew to Lima, then to Santiago, and then finally to Mendoza!
So, night 1 we slept on a bus and night 2 we slept in the Santiago airport. Not fun!
Flying from Santiago to Mendoza over the Andes. This region is home to the highest peak in the western hemisphere - Aconcagua, 22,841 feet
Park in Mendoza
In both Mendoza and Buenos Aires, the number of really old cars in very reasonable (and not so great) shape was astounding! Due to some recent economic downturns, lots of folks tend to maintain old cards as long as possible.
This one has some kind of fluid running from a bottle on the roof directly into the engine compartment, and we actually saw it driving by later that day.
Plaza de Espana in Mendoza
Common Jail - Perpetual and Effective!
I didn't get to go to any vineyards, (boo) but I stumbled upon a wine museum in the city with some grape varieties growing.
"The Falklands are part of Argentina"
Bitterness over the war with Britain in 1982 over possession of the Falkland Islands
Suckling pig is the big Christmas Eve and New Years Eve food
Best Friends
Argentina has the largest Jewish population in South America, and the 6th largest in the world.
Buenos Aires....
Care to tango?
La Recoleta Cemetary, where the richest and most influential Argentines are buried.
Funeral at the cemetery complete with brand new Mercedes hearse
Janet with ubiquitous Diet Coke laying on a coffin transporter... eww
I was literally chased by one of these psycho cemetery cats
Where Evita is buried
Amazing filet mignon atop potatos au gratin with dijon mustard sauce - $10
Touristy Avenida Florida
In front of the Casa Rosada, the Executive Branch of the Argentine Government
The entrance to the B&B we stayed in for part of the time
Supposedly dog walkers in Buenos Aires make more than teachers. This guy only has 5 dogs, but it's common for them to have 10 - 20 dogs!
Outdoor Cafes are everywhere
Lots of new construction near the river
Tigre, about 45 minutes north of the city center is on the delta of the Rio de la Plata and has tons of water activities including lots of old school rowing clubs.
Gigantic!
Pizza is everywhere, in addition to amazing empanadas made with beef, onions, spices and olives. A large percentage of the population is Italian so Italian food in BA is pretty good.
All coffee and espresso is served with a shot glass of water to cleanse the palate
La Boca, one of the poorer areas of BA, has brightly colored building made out of corrugated metal
Meat!
Lots of tourists
Old school restaurant with amazing food and wine. BA has an insane soccer rivalry between two teams, Boca Juniors and River Plate. Note the two banners on the wall describing the opponents - One has a bleeding chicken and says "the biggest crybaby chickens" and the other actually has a player with a paper bag and noose around his neck!
Waiters that can't take photos
Reflection with Janet and all-too-common penguin/snoopy looking wine pitchers
Frozen in time
The newest area of BA - Puerto Madero
Subway
Subway art
"Filete porteño" is the type of artistic drawing, with stylised lines and flowered, climbing plants typically used in Buenos Aires for everything from store windows to buses. Everything is done by hand.
