OK, for the record I have partaken in a rather unceremonious uncorking some Argentinean malbec (a VERY drinkable red) with colleagues over the course of the past two hours. The following, therefore, is a rather unreliable recap of the past four days, under the influence of three very reliable bottles...
This weekend was spent at the foot of the Andes in the desert city of Mendoza. It's hot there in the summer, but since it's winter there now, we spent most of our time wrapped in scarves and jackets. The city was leveled in 1861 by an earthquake, and another one shook the place in 1985, so now there are no buildings over 170m in height. it's a short but beautiful city with plenty of outdoor cafes on pedestrian malls, and an abundance of avenues framed under trees too thick to hug. The feeling one gets when walking the streets here in July is the same somber shudder of a Minnesota autumn- orange leaves, a cold breeze that finds its way underneath your sweater.
We took a tour of the vineyards and winery of Nieto Senetiner, in the shadow of the lower cordillera of the Andes, which was a blast. A video of the vineyard is below. In the province of Mendoza there reside 1,000 vineyards, of the nation's 1,400 in total. 70% of the country's wine production comes from this province.
Our trip into the Andes brought us 50km from the Chilean border, through a curving pass in the mountains that, five two hundred years ago brutalized the armies of Jose de San Martin as he marched west to Santiago, and ultimately into Peru, collecting each nation's independence as he marched. in the first two decades of the 1800s. Our trip took us three hours west of Mendoza, to ear-popping altitudes where we were fortunate to peer through iced-over bus windows at Incan ruins and soaring Andean condors. Because of the cold front that dropped three or four inches on the mountain pass, we weren't able to make it to the peak of Aconcagua, the tallest of the South American Andes. I promised myself then that I'll summit the mountain before my 35th birthday. (which, i realized in the same breath, is six years and one day away. ouch.)
The coolest part of the trip into the mountain range was that every so often our private tour bus would get passed (in near-blizzard conditions, mind you) by really old European cars (like 1973 FIATs and 1976 Peugouts) daring to go 120 kph. I have the pictures to prove it- totally anachronistic, and quite a trip to see at 4,000 meters above sea level. (that might be an exaggeration.) It was up in these mountains that scenes from The Motorcycle Diaries and Seven Years in Tibet were filmed, and where there exists a pretty strict code that everyone stops for every shouldered vehicle, no exceptions. (we stopped for two cars and one semi.)
Because of the snowstorm that ultimately pounded the entire midsection of the country (as far east as BsAs), our overnight bus on Sunday was canceled, and we spent the day Monday in the shopping mall in Mendoza. We caught an overpacked bus last night, but the weather was so cold that the heating unit for the upper deck of the vehicle malfunctioned. We could see our breath. For ten hours. Those crappy, cotton, complimentary travel blankets don't amount to much when the bus cabin temp fluctuates between 48 and 55-degrees.
Coming back into Cordoba this morning, there were cars pulled over on THE HIGHWAY. Turns out, people don't see snow here much (like, since 1928), so it was worth the risk for a morning snowball fight. Today we were back in the groove with classes, running once again on segments of cold, diesel sleep. Now, off to bed.
a plaza in Mendoza with a statue of...San Martin!
...at the vineyard. with all the grapes stomped, and the trees in hibernation, it's a rather lonely place.
a snowy morning heading into the mountains...
the snow is worth the temporary closure of the passage, and the mandated tire chains. 
the stop gave us a good chance to share some mate. it was cold out. 
South America is home to the longest continuous mountain range in the world- from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego. Here i am at perhaps the halfway point. they make you feel REALLY small...
