Today I write to you form the thriving metropolis of Mendoza after spending a wonderful week down south in Bariloche. But tomorrow, tomorrow Keith and I leave argentina in our wake, trading in the wonderful steaks, great wine, attrociously difficult accents, beautiful countryside, and somewhat tidy streets for the TJ Banick or possibly even Evan Piepenbrink proportioned country that is Chile. It is a 7 hour bus ride (a seemingly miniscule pennance after some of our earlier attrocities) across the towering Andes mountains. I greatly look forward to the views, although i can´t say i´ve heard great things about our first destination, Santiago. Even with the tales of smog and my own apprehensions about staying in cities with 6 million plus persons, it will be a welcomed change after being in somewhat more rural areas for the last 3 weeks.
And about those rural areas, I must say my favorites have been San Carlos de Bariloche (kudos to Matt for this pick), and Uspallata. A nice google image search (or going to Keith Bergey´s blog) will provide you with stunning images (if you are on Keith´s blog, i will be clear that the figures in the foreground might not be quite as stunning as those in the background, although feel free to flatter and disagree) of snow capped peaks, rugged terain, and rich blue waters. We were lucky enough to go up to Frey (again thanks matt) where all of these things can be seen within the same 20 kilometer hike. Plus, we most definitely provided the locals with some chuckles as we hiked through snow in our barely midlength shorts only to find that the hike was not a loop but a there and back (boo not knowing that we could have camped at the top)
This being my last full day in Argentina, I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Although, I wish that we could have started perhaps a month later so that I could watch UofO beat USC on the teli, as well as enjoy my favorite month of October and all the fall festivies that come with it. None the less, the trip so far has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to look at the world from a different perspective, and I am stoked to continue doing so for the next few months.
Written with love-Logan
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