¡ a otras partes!

My post is long overdue! The last two weekends have been really nice--I'll back track to two weeks ago, when Rachael came and visited! So nice to get another night oh-so-close in the same wee bed and remember our rooming days last year. Luckily it was a beautiful weekened, so Rachael got to see Viña in its finest, and Valparaiso the following day in pleasant weather. We met up with Amanda who took us to las dunas--dunes!--in a town nearby called Con Cón! ¡Qué hermosa! The dunes really were incredible. My photos don't quite capture how vast it all was. Or the great feeling of the sand on our feet. But it was a vista of all of Viña and Valparaiso from afar, and it felt great to be exploring the area. Plus, my worlds all collided what with having Amanda and Rachael together with me in Chile!

hey friends!


Maybe you can get an idea of the straight climb up...mm that sand felt good!


You can see the coast line, the new kind of buildings
going up in this area (that white one is not yet open), and me!

This past weekend, I head out of the country to Mendoza! It was fantastic! The total bus ride is about 8 hours, including customs, and it's great because the buses leave right from Viña and come right back. So convenient. And really comfortable! The chairs recline and there's a way to put your legs up--they're called "semi-cama (bed)" buses-- so the ride was really easy. Plus, we pass right through the Andes. Wow, what a site.

This photo doesn't show it, but to get up to this point the bus slowly winds
around switchback after switchback (is that a real car/road term? i wouldn't know).
So it's an incredible ascent. So beautiful!

I travelled to Mendoza with Eli, someone from the Butler group, and we met with others from the group the following day. Once we arrived and settled down we decided to splurge a bit on a parilla--a tasting of all kinds of meat, including intestines and blood sausage and other parts of cow or pig I can't say I know the name of in English let alone Spanish! Mmmm it was all really good. Even the weird stuff. I can honestly say that I have never tasted better meat. Plus, all goes well with some Mendoza Malbec!

Which was a good introduction to the following day where we rented some bikes and toured the bodegas of the mendoza area! So much wine, so delicious! The tours were cool, we learned some interesting things about making wine and all that and had a nice lunch with fresh arugula and local olives/olive oil. Heaven! Aside from an aching toush it was awesome and the weather was just perfect. (They call it winter! It was high 70s, 80s!)

From a more traditional winery


From a more modern winery!


Not harvest season, so not particurlarly lush. I gotta come back in March!
No problem there. :-D

The next day we explored the city. It's such a pretty city, and more recognizable to cities I know as well. Really nice residential areas, shopping areas, a gorgeous plaza. I even encountered political activism by students! And later came across this sign which i thought i'd post. When I first got to Mendoza it was all such bliss--a whole feeling of why aren't i here?! And then I saw that I probably wouldn't prefer Mendoza to Viña/Valpo, but it is definitely a fine vacation spot. Next time I have to hit las termas--the hot springs!!