Mendoza and Tucuman

Mendoza, Argentina’s wine capital is a lot of fun. The city is very green with lots of trees, plazas, and parks. There is also an Inca created network of canals that runs throughout the city, which is also lovely.

The feel of the city, although hot, is lively and fun to walk around in. There are plenty of outdoor cafes, restaurants, and bars.

There were plenty of good times had with my hosts Cinthya and Gabriel including dinners, kitchen karaoke and tango, walks in the plazas, and a night view of the city from a nearby hill.

While in Mendoza, I took a day trip to visit the Anconcagua, the second highest mountain in the world after Mt. Everest. The energy there is powerful, I felt as though someone had placed a black tourmaline on my third eye.

After Mendoza, I hitchhiked to Tucuman. I was pleasantly surprised by the city. For some deluded reason I was expecting a dry, hot, desert city, but instead found it to be green and humid. It was still hot. Walking to my host’s house, I was bathing in my own sweat. That night it rained. The following days it was much cooler.

This is the poorest province of Argentina. Seeing poor and homeless people was something not really seen in the south. The reminder of that reality was grounding and heart wrenching. The center is full of commerce. There are plazas scattered about.

The day after arriving, another surfer (Santiago) arrived. We put a mattress in the living room, set up the projector and watched Pink Floyd’s  The dark side of the rainbow, while it was raining outside. I was sewing up a tear on my backpack, Santiago crashed out on the mattress, after his plane ride, when  Marina’s (host) brother and nieces had an unannounced visit. A strange afternoon.

I headed to my new host’s (Ann) apartment that night. The next day, we all headed to San Javier, a nearby mountain. We had lunch there and enjoyed a nice view of Tucuman. We got to see horses and a hang glider take off.

Later we headed to Ann’s parents’ house in the forest. This place was incredible, large stretches of grass, a creek, lavender, and roses. Another surprise to be had while at her house, some local dishes. Goat cheese, that resembled mozzarella, and these sweet marinated vegetables, sweet potato and green pumpkin, eaten on bread, incredible! I can’t say I’ve had anything like it before.

The next day, Ann took me to a plaza to have a look at the locals who brought their stuff out to sell, see some performers, and play a bit. That evening she showed me how to make empanadas.