Last 2 Weeks

Down to less than two weeks now remaining, and it feels right to be spending them drinking wine in northern Argentina: Mendoza, Cordoba (where I am tonight), then on to Rosario and finally, Buenos Aires!! This leg - and that´s how I´ve been viewing this trip I guess, divided in ¨legs¨ based on activity, mental state, GDP, etc. - so different from everything else so far, Peru being among the most indigenous and least developed of the South American countries, and Patagonia being Patagonia ie. like being on the moon.

Up here in Northern Argentina where I flew straight from Ushuai last Sunday morning, the vibe is more Europe - with a flavor all its own, enhanced by the early summer sun (yes, it´s beautiful summertime here!), and the personality of the people who do seem distinctly South American and yet remind me too of Israelis in nature (appropriately and funnily enough, there are LOADS of them tonight at the hostel where I´m staying ... and about 15 of them in the kitchen
right now cooking up ¨Shabbat¨ dinner... before hitting the Cordobian nightclubs, as one of them informed me).

I already miss Peru and I miss trekking every day with its clearly defined daily goals. (And I know I will miss, when I come home, the planning every day for something new, looking it up in the guidebook, talking to other travelers to glean what I can about where to go, what to see, the not sitting at my desk. I will miss the Spanish and the South American culture - already I regret all the countries I haven´t seen!!).

But for now, there is the wine, and I plan to drink plenty of it, good and amazingly cheap here in Northern Argentina, before I leave. We´ve certainly taken advantage in Mendoza so far, bringing a bottle home (aka to the hostel) with us every night. We´ve been eating steak too, though I am trying to pace myself a bit with that one, knowing Buenos Aires with its highly recommended restaurants is next.

More to come.

Love,
Karen