I haven´t had a chance to write the past few days as I have had the worst cold in 10 years. We took a bus 2 days ago from Santiago to where we are now in Mendoza, Argentina. The bus ride was certainly an adventure in itself. The bus station was immense with thousands of people and hundreds of busses going in every direction. It is vacation time here and the busses are the primary mode of transportation. We saw very few English or foreign travellers- I guess they fly. Noone on the bus spoke a word of English and I could not get any of the announcements. Consequently, when we got to the border between Chile and Argentina, we were confused. The crossing of the border took 2 hours. They pulled one of our passengers off and made him get his luggage and that was the last we saw of him. The border itself is at the highest part of the Andes probably over 12000 ft. Within a half mile we saw snow covered Aconcagua which is the highest peak in the western hemisphere. It was magnificent but it did not look that much higher than where we were. The road through the mts was incredible. For the 20 dollar bus fare for the 7 hours it was a bargain. They even played a movie. Can you believe it was a kung fu movie with lots of screeching and heads being cut off in Thai with Spanish subtitles. Out the window was the real show. On the Chilean side you climb a very, very sharp series of 24 switchbacks and at times I had to close my eyes we were so close to the edge with the oncoming traffic. Once we passed the border, the Argentinian side was basically rolling down but much more colorful rocks. They were green and red and brown and white depending on mineral content. They rose up on both sides of the road and there were frequent tunnels which seemed very narrow to us on a double decked bus.
The bus station in Mendoza was similar in size to Santiago. We bought our ongoing tickets to Buenos Aires and hit the bathrooms. Unfortunately I kept getting aced out by a number of nuns in full habit. After 3 of them cut in front of me I took a deep breath and did not give up my position. I think they cursed me with this cold. We found a taxi to get to the B and B. When I asked the price it sounded like 40 pesos- about 12 dollars but when we got here he was mystified when we went to pay him. He only wanted a dollar. We gave him 2 and he was thrilled. This B and B named Plaza Italia is owned by a couple in their 60s, Mercedes and Tito, but run by her son Javier. Yesterday Javier took us on a tour of the wineries. We did 4 with a 5 course meal at lunch with a wine for each course. With my cold I was unable to fully appreciate them but suffice it to say this is wine country with over 125 wineries. I now know more that I ever thought I needed to know about Mendoza wine. This is a lovely city and we are staying in the heart of it on a secondary plaza. We cannot eat until at least 8 each night as there are no restaurants open. Most eat at 10. We stroll the city squares until 12 or so and they are crowded . I do not think the children ever go to bed. We actually watched a puppet show at 11 last night with lots of kids. As I write this at the B an B, there is someone´s pet duck quacking at me. I don´t know what that´s about but he hangs around with a large brown puppy. Every street is lined with dozens of trees usually sycamores. I have never seen such a leafy city. The temp is a bit warm in the 80s and 90 and it remains very warm well into the night. The few breezes are welcome.
The people here are eminently friendly and considerate except when it come to traffic. This is a city of nearly 500,000 and there are extremely few traffic lights. There are also few stop signs and they seem to serve merely as a suggestion rather than anything else. Honestly these cars fly up to each intersection and then it becomes a game of chicken. I am getting used to it but I would never drive here. Also Mendoza contains nearly every type of old car you may have owned in your life. This is an extremely dry climate- rain 5 days a year- water comes from the mountains- and apparently they never rust. We have seen probaly 20 Deux Chevaux, those old French cars that look like VW beetles, 50 years old and still going strong as well as hundreds of Ford Falcons from the 60s. It is really weird because it feels like you have gone back in time.
We had a minor incident this afternoon when one of the young kids, about 7, came up to us in the park and asked for a match. He caught us offguard as it feels so safe here and he was adorable but in a flash he grabbed for the backpack. Fortunately Bert was just as quick and saved it as the kid disappeared. Bert was feeling disturbed and unsettled and we walked to the main park. An elderly man in a suit approached us with a briefcase. He introduced himself. I am embarrassed to say I held my pocketbook close. He is Carlos Lopez, a local poet, and he wanted us to know that we are welcome in his home city. He asked about our lives at home and gave us a typed beautiful poem. He was just so nice. He wasn't looking for anything- just told us to enjoy ourselves. Such a counterpoint to what had happened a half hour before. To me this is what travel is all about. I would do better though if I could breathe. Javier just came by on his way home for dinner- it is 11 PM and I got the kiss-kiss, so my day is complete. Happy Valentine´s Day!