THE BIG APPLE

They say New York City is the city that never sleeps, but you can throw that apple out with the bath water.  I have never been to NYC, but just being here I bet this apple has more flavor, character, spice and a sweeter crunch.  I am sad to leave Buenos Aires, but I will be back in about two months and then again in three, hopefully speaking spanish more like a local. It will be nice to have a rest.

Today I hop an omnibus and ride to Mendoza, Argentina.  It is the home of the famous Malbec wines.  I hear it is in the rain shadow of the Andes and is actually a sort of desert and they irrigated the vineyards to grow their famous grapes.  I am going there to escape the humidity, but probably not the heat.  It should be a dry heat and not moist, which will be more like Montana.  It is in the west of the country.  I leave at around 5:45 p.m. and arrive there in the morning around 7:55.  Their bus systems are suppose to be luxurious.

I am going there to take spanish lessons at an institute, stay in a hostel, unless arrange to stay with a host family.  Also I keep hearing you can rent a bike and do a wine tour via bicycle.  Can´t wait.

Last night met up with Daniel again and we went out on the town at like ten p.m and we went and heard live music.  It was a jazz, folk fusion with a woman singer.  They were great.  While there met a man and his wife, she was Argentinian and he was from Eugene, OR.   They have been married for three years living both in the states and here.  They avoid the rainy season of Eugene in the winter months, which I completely understand.  He moved there in 1997, the year before I lived there.

After that we went to another bar and heard other musicians playing accousic guitars and playing a kind of flamenco music. They were older gentlemen and were awesome.  It was an extremely old bar that was small and crowded.  Supposedly at one point we were standing next to a movie star without realizing it.  Also met a gorgeous actress from Barcelona, who spoke a different variety of espanol called castellano.  Also met some local girls and one girl´s name was Daniela and we might meet again down in Patagonia and she invited me to a New Years Party in Bariloche.  I will keep my options open, but nice to have contacts.  Also rode the oldest subway line (the blue line) in all of South America.  It was all wooden on the inside with wooden seats and wooden framed windows that slide down inside the wall and have completely open air.