This past weekend my friends and I (and yes, this time another male came along) went to Mendoza, Argentina, a city south of BA. Since we went south, the weather was a little cooler but it was nice: about 60s or so each day. We arrived on Thursday morning at 9:30. The bus ride was about 11 hours and wasn't too bad. We didn't decide to spring for the VIP Suite this time...we got a semi-cama (the seat reclined a little further than an airplane seat so that wasn't too bad but the food wasn't nearly as good as it was in the VIP suite. But nevertheless, we made it safe and sound to Mendoza.
On Thursday, the first day we were there, we rented bikes from Mr. Hugo. Before we got to Mr. Hugo's, we found a Subway! It was my first Subway sandwich in a VERY long time and let me tell you, it was very yummy. I got a six inch veggie, a chocolate chip cookie (which wasn't as good as the cookies in the States) and a soda. The drinks were fountain drinks which was very refreshing because it is very difficult to find fountaint drinks in Argentina; pretty much everything is bottled. From there, we bikes to two different bodegas (aka wineries.) In each bodega, we were shown around the winery (how they make the wine, where they store it, which grapes make which types of wine, etc) and then at the end we got to sample different types of wine. I must say, I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. I think I would have liked them better if I had some packets of Splenda to add haha...they were too dry for my liking. After the bodegas, we went to a chocolate and liquor factory. There we were able to sample different chocolate liquor. I don't know if any of you have ever had chocolate liquor but for my sample, I would have loved more chocolate and less liquor. I tried the chocolate con cafe and chocolate con banana. They were both decent but not as good as I would have hoped. No worries....it was only $5 pesos.
After biking around the wineries, we went back to our hostel and cooked dinner. We (I should really say I since I did most of the cooking) made tortellini and veggies...it was pretty good! We made some friends at the hostel and they ate with us: one was from Germany and the other from a different part in Argentina. After dinner, we called it a night and rested up for a full day tomorrow.
On Friday, we went horseback riding next to the Andes Mountains; it was a very, very cool experience. We took off around 9 and didn't get back until about 6. We rode until noon, took a break for lunch, and then rode back to the stable. We had two guides, one who cooked lunch and the other who played the guitar. Lunch was a traditional Argentine asada: steak over an open flame, bread, and no forks. They cut the steak into strips which we then put on our bread and made mini sandwiches. It was delicious (even though the steak was from Walmart haha.) After our lunch, some people took a siesta and others decided not to sleep since we're only in Mendoza once (me being one of those people.) We rode back to the stable and over all had a great time. I got to "run" with my horse; I've never been on a horse that went as fast as my horse and I did in Mendoza. We were going as fast as the horse could go and I was holding on tight...it was amazing. Friday night for dinner, we made a fruit salad for dinner and ordered in empanadas.
On Saturday, we slept in (until 10) and then the group split: some of us went to visit more bodegas while others went to explore the town (I was in the latter group.) Wesaw different plazas, shops, and sites. Mendoza is a very neat town with a lot to offer tourists. I would love to visit again. I am very thankful for the opportunities I'm having here in Argentina.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
My Argentina Home
Yesterday I moved places where I live. I was in the residence hall but decided that it would be better for me to move to a home stay so I could speak more Spanish and truly get a feel for the culture here. In the residence, I felt like I was still in the states: speaking only in Spanish, living with Americans, etc.
My host mom's name is Adriana. She is about 70 years old and has four children. One of her children is currently studying in Philadelphia. She is a fragile woman with a good sense of humor. When I first got there, she said to me, in Spanish, "Are you staying for three months or three years??" (I guess I brought a lot of stuff with me to Argentina...oops.) I have my own room and it is about the size of the room I was sharing with two other guys in the residence hall. It is customary to bring something from the states for your host family when you get to your new country but since I didn't know I was going to be living with a family, I bought her flowers when I moved in. She said she loves flowers and was very happy to have them. She set them on the table when we ate dinner. She made spaghetti (which was very good,) a salad, bread, and then for dessert a dulce de leche pudding. It was all very tasty. We sat around the table and talked for about 45 minutes. We talked about my family, her family, and past students that she has had. She is a very nice woman and I think it is a good fit. She also has a dog named Benjamin who likes to wrap his front two legs around my legs so I'll pet him. He is a lot bigger than Zipper (for those of you who know who Zipper is) but is also very well behaved.
I am having a good time here and I can see how God is working everything out. He is truly in everything that I do here. Before dinner last night, she asked me if I pray before I eat. I said yes and she said, "Ok, you start praying and then once you're done, I'll pray." I started praying in Spanish (which was a little hard) and then she prayed. It was very nice to praying with someone, for the first time, since I left. I am very thankful God placed me in her home and I pray that everything will continue to work out.
My host mom's name is Adriana. She is about 70 years old and has four children. One of her children is currently studying in Philadelphia. She is a fragile woman with a good sense of humor. When I first got there, she said to me, in Spanish, "Are you staying for three months or three years??" (I guess I brought a lot of stuff with me to Argentina...oops.) I have my own room and it is about the size of the room I was sharing with two other guys in the residence hall. It is customary to bring something from the states for your host family when you get to your new country but since I didn't know I was going to be living with a family, I bought her flowers when I moved in. She said she loves flowers and was very happy to have them. She set them on the table when we ate dinner. She made spaghetti (which was very good,) a salad, bread, and then for dessert a dulce de leche pudding. It was all very tasty. We sat around the table and talked for about 45 minutes. We talked about my family, her family, and past students that she has had. She is a very nice woman and I think it is a good fit. She also has a dog named Benjamin who likes to wrap his front two legs around my legs so I'll pet him. He is a lot bigger than Zipper (for those of you who know who Zipper is) but is also very well behaved.
I am having a good time here and I can see how God is working everything out. He is truly in everything that I do here. Before dinner last night, she asked me if I pray before I eat. I said yes and she said, "Ok, you start praying and then once you're done, I'll pray." I started praying in Spanish (which was a little hard) and then she prayed. It was very nice to praying with someone, for the first time, since I left. I am very thankful God placed me in her home and I pray that everything will continue to work out.
Iguazu Falls = Amazingness
This past weekend my friends and I went to Iguazu (E-Gwa-Sue) Falls and it was amazing; I have never seen anything like it before in my life. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and clearly shows how amazing God's creation is.
We left on Thursday night, around 7:00pm. In Argentina, the bus system is the way to travel (it compares to the train system in Europe.) There are many different options for seats on these buses: semi-cama (the seat lays back a little more than an airplane seat,) full-cama (the seat lays back a little further,) executive-cama (the seat goes back a little further, but still not all the way flat,) and VIP Suite (the seat lays back 180 degrees and there is a foot rest that comes up for your feet/legs.) Nevertheless, we chose the VIP suite...it wasn't that much more than the others and for a 18 hour bus ride, we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and that we could fall asleep. We get on the bus about 20 minutes before we're supposed to depart and I could not believe how nice this bus was: our seats were on the second floor and they were as big as first class seats on an airplane. They were extremely comfortable and there was a TV in front of every seat. We take off and embark on our long bus ride. At about 9:00 or so, they serve dinner which consisted of milanesa (chicken-fried steak,) bread, quiche, beverage, and dessert. Movies were playing until 11:00 when they shut off the lights and closed all the curtains on the windows so we could go to sleep. They provided us with pillows and blankets (both which were much nicer than those on airplanes.)
We arrive at Iguazu Falls at 11:45AM and go right to our hostel. It was a nice, humble place. They had two computers with internet access and also a large TV and couch in the common area. We met some English guys who were staying there and hung out with them the rest of the day. They were traveling around the world and Argentina was on their list of stops.
The next morning (Saturday,) we got up, ate breakfast at the hostel (coffee, tea, bread, apples, and jelly) and then made our way to the falls. The weather was great: shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. It’s funny to think we drove north for 18 hours and the weather got warmer. It was only about a 20 minute bus ride ($5 pesos.) We arrived at the park where the falls are and took a train through the park to go to a place called "The Devil's Throat." Here, there are giant waterfalls that pour mist onto the observation deck. Also from The Devil's Throat, you can look across the falls and see Brazil. There is a boat that will take you to Brazil but since we're Americans, it would cost us $100USD because we are required to get a visa before we can go to Brazil. From The Devil's Throat, we went exploring through the other rims: there is an upper-rim trail and a lower-rim trail. There are several waterfalls throughout the whole park. It isn't like Niagara where there is only one big waterfall.
After walking around the rims, we went on a boat ride into the falls. The driver was turning quickly and making water splash all over us. It felt good because it was about 80 degrees outside. Once we got to the falls, he drove us right under one of them and we all got soaked. It was so neat to see the falls from right in front of them instead of only looking down upon them. After the boat ride, we walked around some more to see some of the falls that we missed. I have never seen rainbows like I saw here: full, complete, from end-to-end rainbows. It was so amazing. The pictures I took look like I placed the rainbow in the picture using my computer but they were really that spectacular.
My trip to Iguazu Falls was wonderful and I would love to go back. The immensity of the falls and the thousands of gallons of water pouring down from the falls truly shows how no man could have created that; only God could have formed something that marvelous.
We left on Thursday night, around 7:00pm. In Argentina, the bus system is the way to travel (it compares to the train system in Europe.) There are many different options for seats on these buses: semi-cama (the seat lays back a little more than an airplane seat,) full-cama (the seat lays back a little further,) executive-cama (the seat goes back a little further, but still not all the way flat,) and VIP Suite (the seat lays back 180 degrees and there is a foot rest that comes up for your feet/legs.) Nevertheless, we chose the VIP suite...it wasn't that much more than the others and for a 18 hour bus ride, we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and that we could fall asleep. We get on the bus about 20 minutes before we're supposed to depart and I could not believe how nice this bus was: our seats were on the second floor and they were as big as first class seats on an airplane. They were extremely comfortable and there was a TV in front of every seat. We take off and embark on our long bus ride. At about 9:00 or so, they serve dinner which consisted of milanesa (chicken-fried steak,) bread, quiche, beverage, and dessert. Movies were playing until 11:00 when they shut off the lights and closed all the curtains on the windows so we could go to sleep. They provided us with pillows and blankets (both which were much nicer than those on airplanes.)
We arrive at Iguazu Falls at 11:45AM and go right to our hostel. It was a nice, humble place. They had two computers with internet access and also a large TV and couch in the common area. We met some English guys who were staying there and hung out with them the rest of the day. They were traveling around the world and Argentina was on their list of stops.
The next morning (Saturday,) we got up, ate breakfast at the hostel (coffee, tea, bread, apples, and jelly) and then made our way to the falls. The weather was great: shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. It’s funny to think we drove north for 18 hours and the weather got warmer. It was only about a 20 minute bus ride ($5 pesos.) We arrived at the park where the falls are and took a train through the park to go to a place called "The Devil's Throat." Here, there are giant waterfalls that pour mist onto the observation deck. Also from The Devil's Throat, you can look across the falls and see Brazil. There is a boat that will take you to Brazil but since we're Americans, it would cost us $100USD because we are required to get a visa before we can go to Brazil. From The Devil's Throat, we went exploring through the other rims: there is an upper-rim trail and a lower-rim trail. There are several waterfalls throughout the whole park. It isn't like Niagara where there is only one big waterfall.
After walking around the rims, we went on a boat ride into the falls. The driver was turning quickly and making water splash all over us. It felt good because it was about 80 degrees outside. Once we got to the falls, he drove us right under one of them and we all got soaked. It was so neat to see the falls from right in front of them instead of only looking down upon them. After the boat ride, we walked around some more to see some of the falls that we missed. I have never seen rainbows like I saw here: full, complete, from end-to-end rainbows. It was so amazing. The pictures I took look like I placed the rainbow in the picture using my computer but they were really that spectacular.
My trip to Iguazu Falls was wonderful and I would love to go back. The immensity of the falls and the thousands of gallons of water pouring down from the falls truly shows how no man could have created that; only God could have formed something that marvelous.
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