Another Sunday Morning in Mendoza

Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times no matter where I am and they haven't disappointed me at all here in Mendoza. This Sunday is Father's Day and Jeff and I called Jay, Jeff's dad to see what he was up to. He said, it's been an exciting kitty day with B&J. Yesterday was nap day. Jay and June have been "baby sitting" the kitties since we left for our trip. We thank them!

The sun is out and the weather is supposed to hit the low 50's today so we are headed for the big park at the University of Mendoza. Jeff and I get our exercise and practice our Spanish while we walk. Without a Spanish book with us, we sometimes have to improvise with what we are trying to say. We decided that was probably okay... at least we understand each other. Hmmm.... well, that's one strategy to learn a new language, it working out so far. Our profesora has her work cut out for her.

Last night we ate at a restaurant called Azafran's and had a great dinner. The restaurant is either a working store during the day where they sell cheese's, deli meats and bulk spices or perhaps that is all for show. On their menu they have numerous starter plates which take advantage of their deli products. The atmosphere was very quaint and comfortable, food exceptional and service excellent.

My waistline is unfortunately responding to all of the great food experiences we have had over the last few weeks. Smaller portions and more exercise. Although we walk almost everywhere we go, we still have this problem...Eating seems to be our favorite entertainment.

Missing our high speed internet, but we are thankful to have a computer and any Internet. Our apartment doesn't have cable connected, so we read, watch movies or blog in the evening. I'm out of reading/ books in English and we've watched out last movie, so we bought a movie on-line and downloaded it overnight. It worked! For a stereo, we also use the computer, although streaming music doesn't work, we have a lot of music available on the harddisk. Watching youTube video's also don't work at this speed. The Internet connection issue looks like it will cause us to go back to Buenos Aires (BA) for our last month here. The issue can eventually be resolved, but apparently not quickly... That's okay.

Viento sorta - strange wind

There is a strange wind that hits Mendoza this time of year it is called viento sorta. The temp went up to 84F and the hot wind was blowing hard. The old timers in town are afraid of the wind, so I've heard. Our landlord told us that we should not go out in it. It was nice and warm and we were not going to miss this. Well it is over and now it is raining and snowing in the Andes which we can not see now. We have been trying to get back to the taco stand that we found a week ago and finally made it today. We got the "Full meal Deal" for 59 pesos ($15.86 USD) 1/2 kilo of beef, to home made sauces, an herb quesasilla, beans, Guacamole, totillas, and liter of beer. We have leftovers.

The picture is of us in the Winery resturant
We also went shopping at the market today, half of beefs hanging fresh everywhere. The food is yummy.

I have gained a bit of weight but someone told me it is the Argentina way.

We are off to one of the best resturants in town aZufran (saffron)

adios

Mexico in Argentina

Today by chance we stumbled across a Taqueria a few block from our house. The place is just like a taqueria in Mexico. Most of the food is take out with only 4 seats inside and 4 outside. The food was very good because the lady that runs it is from Mexico. Homemade everything and fresh herbs that were growing in the pots. the address is Paso De Los Andes 1284 y cross street is Avellanado.

Eating through Argentina.

Steak and Calamari portions bigger than your head

It is a bit cooler today in Mendoza, but the sun finally came out. We had a huge steak and fried calamari for lunch. It was a .5 kg steak and platter of calamari. Great, the restaurant is Carmelo's on Villa Neavo st. Yesterday we went on a wine tour for a project we are working on and we drop in to Acheval Ferrer winery and the ask if we wanted to join a tasting. Well I thought to myself this is the best wine in Argentina, hands down, Ha, clairo (of course). We tasted 5 of their best wines. The Altimira their best sells for $135.00 USD down here. We were added to a group of Brasilians but the tasting was in english because the Brasilian told us that they speak spanish but they cannot understand the Argentines. So I do not feel as bad. I don't think that most of the Argentines can understand each other. I meet a woman from Columbia the other evening and she told us she could not understand them either. A lot of the letters in Argentine spanish are spooken so soft that it is hard to hear them. They sort of mumble. Oh we we are still trying and we get by fine.
Today the landlord came by to fix both sinks that were leaking. This is a new high end place. The workmanship, not so good. It is a shame. They just need a little leadership to guide the way to building guality products. GM and Fiat have a plant here and you see a lot of them on the road. We saw to Harley's today. You have to be very rich to own one of them because of the import tax. Shopping is also very interesting here. The shops are open from 8:00 - 2:00 than closed for siesta and they reopen at 5 till whenever. We have bread shops and butchers shop near by. It is fun to go get your food everyday from the different little shops. America has lost that pleaure. We have vegitable stands everywhere and their food is very good. You can buy a single egg in the street. We found so great little take out places also. It seems that not very many people cook around here. The ranges are very small and the kitchens smaller. All apartments and houses have wood grills. You can buy small bags of wood everywhere but there is no charcoal. The local tell us the the Chilians use charcoal and it is not as good. Argentina does not like Chile.

Bienos Notches
Jeff

market

We finally found the market where you can buy all kinds of fresh food. Marie and I decided to have dinner there instead of making it. 12 empanadas (8 to go), three slices (small) of pizza two beers, cost $7.00 USD. It was good. we also got to practice Spanish. ha! We bought fresh cheese and smoked meats prosciutto and marmalade. None of the eggs anywhere are stored in cooler. Eggs don't meet to be refrigerated if they never have been. We waste a lot of energy in the US. The eggs are huge and very good, free range for sure. That was the excitement for the day.

Our new appartment is very nice. We are the first to live in it. It has a doorman and gates the wall between the next apartment has an electric fence. Everything has bars on it with lots of locks. We haven't seen any other signs of trouble. I am guessing it was from the last crash of their money around 2000 (i think).

adios

Jeff

50 things to do before you die from Matadortravel

Marie and I have done many of these. It was fun to list them.

1. Set foot on each of the seven continents. Antarctica might be a tough one, but once you’ve reached all seven you can truly call yourself a world traveler.

I think I am up to 5.

2. Cross a country on a bicycle. A bicycle tour takes some planning, but it beats being separated from a country though a passenger-side window.

Not yet

Not the country but went camping for a week on the tandem pulling a bob.

3. Ride something bigger than a horse. Trekking through the jungle on the back of a two story tall elephant will surely be something you remember forever.

was on a elephant once

Photo by Ben Ditto

4. Live like a local for a month. The experience of visiting native peoples will give you way more insight into another way of life than two years hopping from one backpacker ghetto to the next.

Doing that now

5. Visit a “real” blues bar in Chicago. What better way to leave music’s commercialism behind and find the soul of the blues?

Did that and attended the Chicago blues festival

6. Learn another language. This is definitely a weighty and time-consuming proposition, but there are plenty of resources out there to ease the process.

7. Go heli-skiing. The access to snow and terrain via heli is different (read: better) that anything else you’ll ever experience.

Lots of sking 70+ days one year not heli yet

8. Travel India by train. With its extensive rail network, this mode of transport is the best way to see one of the world’s most colorful and diverse countries.

Nope, but crossed Viet Nam on reunification train. On of the best things that I have ever done

9. Climb one of the world’s Seven Summits. Climbing mountains is not for the faint-hearted, but everyone has had a dream of standing atop one.

Nope

10. Dive with a whale shark. Swimming with these gentle giants is among the most powerful wilderness experiences in the world.

How about bull sharks in Bahamas Nurse sharks, tiger sharks

11. Participate in a Carnival parade in Brazil. You haven’t had a good night out until you’ve been to the biggest party in a nation of big parties.

Fantasy fest in Key West, Halloween in the Castro, Columbus day regatta Biscayne bay

12. Dance Tango in Argentina.

We have done that, stayed in a tango hotel in Argentina

13. Surf. It’s not about being a ripper but just catching waves.

Butt surfs on kayaks many times

14. SCUBA in the Great Barrier Reef. The largest coral reef in the world is a must for dive enthusiasts. It is the world’s most unique aquatic environment.

We Scuba in Cozumel Mex, Bahamas, FL Keys, Caves in N FL

15. Publish an article about your travels. Part of traveling is sharing your experiences with others. Plus, getting published might be easier than you think.

Photo by Creative Corners

16. Volunteer abroad for a month.

not yet,

17. Follow in the footsteps of your favorite travel book. What better guide than a book that inspired you to travel in the first place?

France on foot, and Rick Steve's Paris

18. Take a bush plane ride into Africa’s interior. These lightly visited regions are filled with unique cultures and diverse wildlife.

Not yet

19. Cross a glacier on foot. Traversing these fast-disappearing natural wonders is an adventure that future generations might not be able to experience.

We Hiked across Morrano Glacier in Patagonia

20. Visit the source of one of the world’s great rivers. Great rivers, like the Nile, have humble beginnings.

21. Climb an active volcano.

Just inactive ones

22. Buy a boat and learn to sail. Before the Brothers Wright, everyone traveled by wind power. It’s still the most sustainable way to travel there is.

We sold our house and quit our jobs moved on a boat in FL and went sailing

23. Follow your food from field to table. Most people in the world still eat what they have picked with their own hands. Why not get back to these basics?

Did this many times. It is great to hunt for your own food then cook it and eat it

24. Bathe in the Ganges. What better way to experience the spiritual heart of India?

Nope

25. Travel around the world. Sure, you could do this without ever setting foot outside of planes and airports, but few people ever truly traverse the entire globe. Round the world tickets are great for budget-minded wanderers.

One of our thing that we want to do.

Photo by James Dorsey

26. Photograph an endangered species. Aside from an image you can keep for a lifetime, it will remind you, and others, how fragile life can be.

Yep Whales off the coast of CA. all types of animals in the Galapagos.

27. Participate in Burning Man . As they say: “Trying to explain Burning Man to someone who has never been is like trying to explain color to a blind person.”

Want to do it!

28. Spend 24 hours alone in the jungle.

Nope don't want to

29. Learn how to make a national dish. What is the one and only thing that everyone has in common? Eating.

We have done that Blood sausage is goooood

30. Teach English in a foreign country. Sure, it’s a way to fund your travels, but also the experience of a lifetime.

Trying to learn english

31. Attend a music festival in another country.

Sort of

32. Cross a country using only public transportation. See a country the way most of its people do: from the window of a bus, train, or ferry.

Yep several times. Viet Nam Hanoi to Danag , Argentina Mendoza to Salta, Chile to Argentina bus.

33. Spend the night in a storied/historic hotel. You might not even have to leave town to experience a night of classic atmosphere.

Many times

34. Attend the Olympics. Whatever you say about the commercialism of the Olympic Games, they are one of the biggest events on the planet.

Not Yet

35. Meet your favorite (living) travel writer. They’ve inspired you; now thank them for it.

Meet one

36. Travel to Germany to experience Love Parade. It’s one of the biggest festivals, attendance-wise, on the planet.

Nope

Photo by astropixie

37. Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony. This timeless tradition is at the heart of Japanese culture.

Nope

38. Join a caravan in the Sahara. See how people can thrive in one of the world’s harshest environments.

Huh?

39. Go to Oktoberfest. The meeting of over 6 million beer afficionados and drinking song singers is one of the biggest parties in Europe.

Our German friend say to skip it, for tourist

40. Stand at the North or South Pole.

I don't know about this one

41. Be in the stands when two rival South American club teams play each other in soccer. Soccer (sorry, football) is a passion for most of the world’s population.

Done that Boca Juniors

42. Visit the birthplace or gravesite of a cultural icon. Could be Che Guevara or Picasso or Levi Strauss or the guy who invented widgets; anyone you think is important.

Who cares, but been to Neapolitan Bonaparte, Jefferson, Lincoln, Evita's grave

43. Find your version of “The Beach.” One of the best travel books ever inspired a generation of backpackers. Why not find your own version of untouched paradise?

Call so place paradise any you can kiss it goodbye

44. Enjoy a freshly rolled cigar in Cuba. Taste a hand rolled specialty close to its source.

How about a fresh roll cigar by a cuban in Key West

45. Visit every capital city in Europe. The crowded continent is full of beautiful architecture and diverse cultures.

Been to several, Paris, Munich, Naples, London, Milan

46. Watch an orchestral performance in Vienna.

not yet

Photo by Nickmunstr

47. Skydive. It is the ultimate thrill, unless you add a wingsuit, and actually fly.

not yet

48. Bike the Pacific Coast Highway.

Did part of it

49. Shake hands with someone who has truly changed a country.

OK

50. Participate in the world’s biggest water fight during Thailand’s New Year’s festivities (Songkran).

Wine and Baci Ball

Another great day in Mendoza. we started Spanish lessons with a young girl that is about to finish her bachelors in english. She is very good and it has been a lot of fun. we are taking lessons 3 times a week for 1.5 hours a time. Marie an I worked this morning and took off at 2:00 to enjoy the sun. We went to the Winery and had a snack and Torrontes wine. We played a few games of Baci Ball on their court. Marie is on the phone once again to our banks in US. Since the meltdown they have been so unhelpful and a pain in the butt to deal with. Don't they remember who bailed they sorry ass out of the mess they made. I am about sick of it. Let them fail until they remember who is the boss and customers. It has been a great experience to learn what it takes to live in two countries.

Jeff