Welcome to Argentina, Enjoy the Beef

Last week, I left Chile for Argentina. (And in case you´re wondering, yes, the soundtrack from Evita has been running on continuous loop in my head.) On Wednesday, I took a bus from Santiago to Mendoza. In order to do this, I had to cross a serious mountain range. The border itself was high up in the mountains. There was several feet of snow, and it was freezing. We had to wait for a few buses to go through in front of us, and all I had to eat all morning was a dry cheese sandwich they gave us on the bus. I went into a sandwich shop and ordered a burger. Eating burgers in Peru was like a Where´s the Beef? commercial. All bread with a thin, tiny beef patty. That´s why I was so shocked when they handed me my burger here. It was easily as big as my head, with at least 3 huge beef patties. There may have been more, but I lost count. It was as if they were saying, "Welcome to Argentina, here´s all the beef you´ve been missing in the last 8 months."

In Mendoza, I didn´t do much, but I took the time to get a few things organized, like when and how I´m coming home. (September 18th) I went to the bus station to figure out how to get to Puerto Iguazu, which is where I sit right now. The bus trip was 36 hours and cost well over $100. Instead of doing it all in one shot, I made a brilliant move. I took an overnight bus halfway, to a town called Santa Fe. In Santa Fe, I got off the bus, bought my bus ticket for another overnight trip to Iguazu, stored my bags, ate lunch, and walked around town. It was a nice town to walk around in, lots of shops, and a path along the river. At 5:30, I got back on the bus. Only this was a nice bus, like traveling first class. I might never go back. Why was splitting it up so brilliant? Obviously I didn´t have to spend 36 straight hours on a bus. However, it was also much cheaper. I managed to save about $40. And somehow, even with the 6 hour break, I only arrived an hour after the 36 hour marathon would have. Sometimes, it´s like I actually know what I´m doing.

But after 2 straight nights on a bus, I´m ready for a bed.