Mendoza: Wandering, Wine, and Politics

With the sun recently risen, two sleepy backpackers walk down the clean sidewalks where the air smells of sugar, butter, and flour. The city of Mendoza has charms in spades, but “little” it is not. 

En Route to Mendoza: Midnight Border Crossing

What do you do when you’ve got to cross the border to refresh your 90 day Tourist Visa in Chile?  Why, you plan a magical trip to Mendoza, Argentina of course!  I foresaw wine tasting, mountain views galore, and the best Italian food found on this side of the Atlantic.

En Route to Mendoza

Today we’re trading Chile’s little known Colchagua Valley Carmeneres for Argentina’s famed Mendoza Malbecs.  

PART TWO: Sandy Summits Cerro La Campana

5:00am came far too early for all that evening commotion, so we rolled over and hit snooze.  It was closer to 7:30am when I stuck my head out of our tent to take in the view.  Mostly I was checking to see if Sandy was anywhere in sight. She wasn’t.

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, you may want to do that first!

PART 1: Backpacking Cerro La Campana

The Llama and I just returned from Parque Nacional Cerro La Campana.  A healthy dose of endorphins from climbing this 1,800 meter mountain was just what we needed to recharge from city noises, city air, and the pressures of looking for more work.

Farmers Market to Feria in Chile

 

As good farmer-worshiping transplant Oregonians, the Llama and I understood our adopted state’s message loud and clear: go to your local Farmers Market.  Expect to spend more than you expect to spend, and feel great about it.

The Tourists Left Town

The Lady and I have experienced the beaches of Viña del Mar as they exist during peak tourist season: packed with scantily-clad bronzed bodies and a sea of neon-colored umbrellas.

Borrowing Bravery: Making Paella in Chile

A picture I took in 2008.  The pueblo is Pego, Spain.  The flat area in the upper left show the rice fields where  bomba rice is cultivated.  Finally, the Mediterranean looms in the distance.

Perhaps the souls of my other ancestors are floating around somewhere, disappointed that once again I’m going to write about Yaya.  I’ve been writing about Yaya since I knew how to write, and while it’s thanks to all of those who came before me that I was born in a wonderful country to wonderful parents, she gets 95% of the credit.  For having lived so long and loved so well, she lives large in my memory.

An Alien in this Land

Moving to a new country feels like a really stupid thing to do, sometimes.  I have felt incompetent, useless, and foolish.  I have felt out of my element, over my head, confused, frustrated, and irrationally upset about little things.  I complain more than I should, and sometimes it feels lonely.  My pessimistic moments have the power to turn into days, sometimes.