The never ending journey to the South!!

Well we made it to Mendoza. Via Buenos Aires y Cordoba by bus! Believe it or not, the bus ride was the best part of the long trip. United Airlines took us from Chicago to Toronto where we then boarded the Air Canada Boeing 757 to Buenos Aires. I stole this video of Air Canada taking off from Toronto (notice the 767). But you get to view the Toronto Skyline....and that is the extent of the Toronto leg of the trip.




After about a 14 hour plane ride, A trip where Ashley and I weren't able to sit together because of a seating chart error (of course), we arrived at Buenos Aires International Airport.

The ride wasn't all that terrible, I got a chance to watch Body of Lies decent but still fell asleep with about 30 minutes left. That was the point though. I woke around 8am and played computer games until the flight attendant made me turn my computer off.


Upon arrival in B.A., Ashley and I knew we were very over-dressed. It was a balmy 82 degrees and rainy (much better than snow).


We only carried on luggage on the logical decision that we would rather have a few clothes than just what was on our back. Not to mention, I apparently am a target for getting my bags lost, sent to the wrong state, etc...(ask me for stories). Only doing the carry on was the way to go...We swooped through customs and were on shuttle to the Buenos Aires Terminal de Omnibus Central.

It was raining hard when we got into the city which wasn't so bad, as we got dropped off at the main door to the Bus station. However...Inside the bus station was a different story. It was bad and there must have been more water coming through the roof than was going off it. No wonder our bus driver said "Es un lugar terrible" Meaning exactly...It is a terrible place.

Now Ashley and I are pretty savy when it comes to public transportation but the B.A. bus station was anything but easy to navigate. Once we figured out where we had to go to get tickets we were rewarded with packs of dogs roaming the second level of the station. No leashes, just dogs running around. Very amusing to me, not so much Ashley. We got our tickets to Mendoza and had about two hours to kill before we were to get on a 14 hour bus ride.

We decided there would be nothing better than to have a nice Argentine wine and beer. We found a small cafe and did just that.


<------Quilmes...The main beer of Argentina..Now owned by beverage giant InBev












Also a bottle of Valmont. This is from the Bodega Chandon. Moet et Chandon, is a super wine house that has been in business since 1743. They have made huge investments in the Argentine wine industry and we have enjoyed some of their bubbly.

The Valmont wasn't my favorite but it is a pretty cheap table wine with a little bit of effervescence. Since the day I drank this I have seen a lot of Argentines drinking this with ice which would probably quite refreshing.










We finally boarded our beautiful bus...Via Bariloche was the company and I highly reccomend them as they are very comfortable busses and right on time. In 1994 Argentina privitized their railroads and when the economic crises ensued in the late nineties and early 2000's they were largely ignored. Buses rule in this land. Check out the Via Bariloche website and see the amazing buses they have for long journeys.










The food on the bus was interesting, a salami and cheese meat and a sweet coleslaw. Needless to say after eating airplane food for two meals I wasn't all that excited about the meals on the bus. They did however give us champagne and that was nice before bed.

We slept well on the bus and awoke in the morning with just about two hours to Mendoza. We saw a lot of farm land in the morning and the Andes Mountains kept getting closer as we neared our destination. Mendoza Province's countryside is littered with vineyards and fruit farms for as far as the eye can see.





Small Wine and fruit shop/farm on side of highway.