Where I rest my head: Mendoza and Buenos Aires

Upon departing from Chile, I needed to make my way to Buenos Aires where I would be starting additional Spanish classes on March 5, so I opted to take a bus from Santiago to Mendoza, which I heard was worth the 6 hours as you literally drive through the Andes nearly the entire time. The view didn´t disappoint! Although the trip took place along quite a winding road, it was breathtakingly beautiful and well worth spending the morning on a bus.

a view from the bus window

When I arrived in Mendoza, I set out for my hostal, a recommendation from the blog of my friend and former colleague, DeLisa , who had stayed at this hostal a few years prior. The Hostal, Hostal Lagares, was perfect for my overnight stay in Mendoza.

my dorm room

Location: Hostal Lagares, Mendoza, Argentina
Accomodation: Mendoza is a small city, easy to navigate on foot for the most part. The hostal was located not far from the bus station and within walking distance to many of the main plazas and attractions within the city. I found myself taking a taxi only to and from the bus station/airport and once when coming home at night alone. I stayed in a 6-person dorm, but only actually met 2 of the other travellers during my 24 hours time in and out of the hostal, they were a couple from Vancouver traveling around South America, both very nice. Javier, the manager of the hostal, was extremely helpful and friendly and the entire staff was more than happy to answer questions, book excursions, etc... I wish I had more time to explore Mendoza, so I will probably have to take another weekend while I am in Argentina to do so.
Length of Stay: 1 night

The highlight of my Mendoza trip, since I unfortunately didn´t have enough time to take a vineyard tour, was skydiving...yep, I chose on my own free will to jump out of a plane. It was thrilling, scary and all together awesome. I would honestly recommend it to anyone seeking any kind of adrenaline rush. It was like nothing I have ever experienced and I´m still having a hard time putting the experience into words. The man who runs the company has been juimping for years all around the world. His home/landing is about 45 minutes outside of Mendoza among farmland. There is nothing quite like an experience at 10,000 feet in the air with the Andes in the distance and nothing but vineyards below. A few images he took during our jump:

The jump

I screamed the entire free fall

 Following sky diving, I headed back to Mendoza to catch a plane to Buenos Aires that afternoon. Although an overnight bus was an option I decided to splurge on the 1.5 hour plane in order to get settled the night before I had to start classes on Monday.

So.....I've now made it to BA, I´ve truly been looking forward to this since I started my adventure in South America. However I have to admit, I was almost overwhelmed, a little anxious, when I first arrived here. I left a huge, bustling city in the U.S to take a break from busy, hectic life and yet, here I found myself in a similar place as New York. Don´t get me wrong, I am so happy to be here and I know I´m going to love my time here once I get adjusted, it was just more of a shock than I anticipated. I started my trip in Nicaragua, super tranquilo on the beach, and even Santiago, though a big city, is much more closely like Chicago vs. New York in that it is a bit less hectic, cleaner, calmer. Buenos Aires feels more like New York or Paris which is awesome for the cultural experience, but I definitely need to readjust myself to bustling city life. Luckily, my living situation here is awesome. I´m located in Recoleta, about 3 blocks from the school and the apartment is something out of a movie. Super classic and totally eclectic with high ceilings, intricate details, stained glass, an old-school style elevator. The owner of the apartment, Carolina, is a 30-year old teacher from Argentina. She lives with her boyfriend (originally from Switzerland) in the place and there is space for 3 other roomates, although currently it is just me and another girl student who is also great, Clare, from the UK, who now lives in Germany and of all places works for P&G, such a small world! It´s nice to have someone who speaks English, but also someone from Buenos Aires with whom I can practice my Spanish.

view from my room

my room

entrance to apartment

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Accomodation: 4 bedroom apartment with shared bathroom and kitchen in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Literally steps from Avenida Santa Fe (prime shopping!) and tons of restaurants, bars, etc...in Recoletta and nearby Palermo.
Length of Stay: 3 weeks

Classes have started this week and I have to say, I´m still enjoying learning more Spanish, but it is quite different to learn in another dialect. Argentine´s speak very different from Chilenos and I frequently have to ask the teacher to repeat or slow down so I can understand what she is saying. Once I get used to the differences in dialect I should be better, but it is really challenging right now. The school itself is nice and I´ve met some nice people so far, again from all over the world! I was also excited that another new friend I had been put in touch with before I left for this adventure, Melanie, was going to be overlapping with me in BA and signed up for the same school...and we are in the same class!! It´s been great to have an automatic friend right away. Unfortunately they don´t seem to have as many social opportunities or excursions planned like the school did in Buenos Aires, but we have met some cool girls who are up for exploring the city, meeting new people, going out, etc.. so I´m sure we´ll create plenty of our own fun. I´m looking forward to the rain stopping and exploring the city this week and weekend!

Besos!!!