MENDOZA - ARGENTINA

After almost 3 days of solid travel I finally arrived in Mendoza, surprisingly in quite good spirits considering the fact that I had slept only about 12 hours and eaten once in that time. Even more surprising was the fact that I was relatively unafected by the dissapearance of my jacket on the bus from Cordoba to Mendoza (thanks to some `kind` Argentine nonse!) but I guess my rather `deteriorated` mental state certainly helped in that regard.

It`s amazing to think that a good Argentine steak was able to cure such problems and after cleaning myself up and grabbing a bite to eat, in a moment of `madness` I decided to go out with a group from the hostel, figuring that it was the last time I was going to be in this part of the world for some time so that I may as well make the most of it. I certainly wasn`t dissapointed as all of us enjoyed a great night, firstly with some live music (U2, Coldplay, Radiohead etc) which unfortunately the singer managed to butcher up quite well and then after that a more traditional Argentine club scene.

During the night I met some more great people and even managed to bump into a friend of mine (Anabel) whom I had met during my first visit to Mendoza, almost 1 year previously. After a night of festivities, fernet, beer and the usual Argentine shenanigans, I finally managed a few hours of decent sleep before transferring myself and my belongings from the hostel to my friend Gisela`s house.

I won`t say that I achieve a a lot in Mendoza, but this was not the purpose of my visit. I did however manage to go out `clubbing` once more during my stay (my first attempt on the Friday night was rather feeble, as after having been woken up from my `quick nap` by Gisela around 1am I proceeded to mutter something rather uninteligible and then pass out again!!) Three of us went to a club some way out of the city and I really enjoyed my last night out in Mendoza with some great music and once again some great people. During the rest of my time in the city I enjoyed a few days of rest before my flight to Mexico and it was great being able to stay with Gisela and spend my time cooking, organising my stuff and catching up with various people. Also, over the course of my stay I made a number of new friends (mostly friends of Gisela`s) and in only a few days I fell in love with the city and its people again.

My final day in Mendoza was busy as usual as I tried to say goodbye to as many people as I could and organise a barbeque for a few friends. After a very quick dinner and goodbyes I took a taxi to Anabel`s place to wish her a happy birthday (I had promised to visit given that I had left a few days before her birthday in the previous year) and after a really nice time spent with her eventually made it back to Gisela`s house to pack my stuff ready for my early morning trip to Santiago the next day.

My third visit to Santiago was much more enjoyable than the previous two and I must admit that the city really grew on me in a short period of time. I managed to catch up with a friend of mine (Claudia) whom I had met in Buenos Aires and we spent most of the day just hanging out, having a look around her University and parts of the city and then enjoying a nice dinner with some friends and then a movie. My final few days of my trip in South America were amongst the most enjoyable of my entire visit and they really emphasised to me just how much I enjoyed this part of the world. The people, the food and most of all the amazing Andean landscapes combined to create a perfect little world and it was very difficult (once again) to leave. I think it is almost certainly however that I will be back in this part of the globe in the not too distant future.

Photos 1-7: Thursday night with the crew from the hostel and some new Argentine amigos.
Photos 8- : Saturday night clubbing at Alquemia.
Photo: Some things you can only get away with in South America !
Photo: Final night in Mendoza - BBQ with friends.
Photo: Anabel with her birthday present.