I Love You B.K.! XXOO Toni

Yesterday we celebrated our 8th anniversary by choosing to do what we both love best, hiking in the mountains.  This time however, we are in the Andes and have the opportunity to take a good look at Aconcagua at some 22,000 feet.  It begins by spending the day before, organizing, getting conflicting information from each official with whom we confer, but finally getting a pretty clear picture of where and when to catch the bus, how to meet our guide, where to pay for the permit (for which we MUST have our passports) how far to walk back to catch the return bus and so we forge ahead.  We take the attitude that even though we are not completely certain what to expect the day will be what it will be and we know it will be an adventure.  That much is sure.  The four hour bus ride starts early with an exhilarating ride along a precipitous road with mostly no shoulder, steep drop-offs.  How do they teach these guys to drive, Nascar?  As we hurdle along one might be gripped by fear but more compelling than the expertise of the driver is the amazing scenery as mountains shoot up all around us, towering up higher than we can see out the window with every kind of awe inspiring beauty any mountain range can possibly offer. Fortunately we meet our guide, David, as planned in Uspallata, (I still can't pronounce it) and find to our liking that he speaks some English.

The approach to Aconcagua begins at some 9,000 feet.  From there the path to the Confluencia rises gently to 11,000'.  This is the spot where many stop at a base camp.  Two rivers which surround the peak converge here, hence the name. From the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of a rock wall emerging from your right, multicolored layers of rock so stunning that it temporarily steals your gaze from the massive mound which looms in front of you.  You can't help but continue on so that this monolith comes into full view and suddenly you realize that all the peaks surrounding you are gargantuan.  We smile at each other, congratulate ourselves on not only making the destination in two hours ( we were told we wouldn't make it that far in four hours), and also on still being in love after eight years.  

Eighth Anniversary in the Andes

Pictures of Mendoza

Mendoza

First of all we want to tell everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.   We miss you all and hope your holidays are filled with the spirit of the season.  

We will be spending Christmas, our 8th anniversary and New Years Eve in Mendoza, a large city with about one million living in or near the city. Actually our 8th will be spent hiking in the Andes in hopes of spotting Aconcoqua should the Gods be so good to us.  Mendoza  is located at the foothills of the Andes and appears, to new arrivals like us, to be a veritable garden of eden with everything imaginable growing in abundance.  But the fact is that the inhabitants have transformed what was once desert into an agricultural giant with the help of the constant flow of Andes glacial waters.  

The city itself is shaded from the desert heat by thousands of giant sycamore trees that line the streets and  are watered via canals  built of concrete and river stone.   To cross the street nearly anywhere within the large metropolitan sprawl one must step over these canals either literally or by using the concrete paths provided at the street corners.   The water rushes down one canal or another watering the trees like crops throughout each day.  

The combination of the arid climate and abundant water made the desert prime for vineyards and Mendoza is becoming a wine mecca.  Tours of the wineries are a big business.  When one drives in any direction in the surrounding countryside the vineyards spread along the highways and dirt roads everywhere. Olives, garlic, lemons, etc., are cash crop of the area too.  So as you look out over what was once an inhospitable and harsh land it becomes apparent that a great deal of effort has been put forth to alter the landscape so completely.   Agriculture brought prosperity to this region and now with the recognition of its wines it is poised to boom.  

We visited a number of the wineries from small family operated businesses producing four to five thousand liters a year to large wineries producing up to three million liters a year.  In spite of their size they are all fascinating to visit.  The small, family vineyards produce wines the old fashioned way and sell exceptional wines. The large wineries employ scientific methods including laboratories on site and satellite imaging of their vineyards and sell mega quantities of exceptional wines.  But of course if you look closely you can see where this is all going because the small wineries can't compete against the giants.   

Buenos Aires to Tokyo

During our tour of the city today we met a small fellow with  a top hat who kept saying " I'm late, I'm late for a very important date."  He was quite worried and then suddenly he disappeared down a large hole.  We were standing too close to where we last saw him and a wind so powerful we couldn't resist it suddenly pulled us into the hole.  Around and around we spun not knowing where we would stop only hoping we would be okay.  The fear of our tenuous circumstances  left us unconscious and when we awoke we found ourselves standing in a Japanese Garden. I looked at Toni and saw she was dressed in a  beautiful traditional Kimono and to my surprise I was wearing a Samuri battle uniform.   After a short while of this confusion a small girl named Alice happened by and asked, " are you lost?" 

 "Well, yes of course."   We responded.  

To which she chirped "I thought so, you don't belong in this story so be gone."   Off we spun through the hole again and soon we were walking through the parks of Buenos Aires near where our adventure had begun.  Neither of us acknowledged what had just happened as we were unsure that anything at all had happened.  Then  tonight as I downloaded the pictures from the day this photo of us appeared.   Sure we have questions but Buenos Aires is indeed a magical place.

Hola de Buenos Aires

 

 

 

 

It may  not  be  accurate  to  the  moment  but  this  is my story and you're reading it so here goes.  I turned 56 while flying over the equator. The night of the 9th, on our flight to Argentina, at somewhere around 12:oo a. m. we crossed the equator.  My birthday is the 10th sooo!  

Currently we are in Buenos Aires  and I have to say  it seems strange that in December there isn't any snow, it is 75 degrees and people are playing American Christmas songs like Jingle Bells.  A winter away from winter is part of the reason we came south but I have never experienced this before and it has confused my "delicate balance."  This is compounded by the sun crossing the sky to the north.  

BA  is quite easy to navigate even without a firm grip on directions (reality) and on day two we took the subway downtown where we spent time wandering among the old and the new.

Everywhere one goes there are parks and memorials and museums dedicated to various dictators, presidents and activists and actors who played a role in shaping this country.  Some of these events are quite recent and seem unsettled.  Think Falkland Islands.  Political unrest seems to cover the globe and Argentina has its share.  

At one point we found ourselves walking down a pedestrian way known as Florida Street which has to be one of the world's largest malls.   One end this retail gargantuan originates at the financial district of Argentina and the opposite end spills into the Plaza San Martin  which offers a tranquil escape from the bustle of the people seeking retail therapy.  The Plaza is actually a park filled with old growth trees and statues of the above mentioned history, large cobblestone patios and grassy areas covered with young people and the homeless.   The parks or Plazas throughout the city were well conceived and enjoyed by many.  

Next week we leave for Mendoza which is the wine capital of the southern hemisphere.  Toni will be enjoying the product and I will enjoy the scenery.  Adios