Mendoza Monkey Hostel

Mendoza is not like Montana, but is more like far southwestern Texas (Big Bend National Park), Arizona or New Mexico combined with California´s lushness.  It is very dry here here and desert-like with lots of palm trees, monkey puzzle trees (aruacarias) and Sycamore trees.  Many flowers abound in the city parks.  I went walking for several hours throughout parque de San Martin, which is Argentina´s largest city park.  It resides on the western side of Menodoza´s outskirts and looks into the face of the cordillera (or foothills) of the Andes. I climbed up to a high spot trying to get a look at some snow capped peaks,  but they were too deep in there and I could not see past the foothills.  The citizens of Argentina take much  pride in their city parks as you could tell in  number of  people out hiking, walking, jogging, rollerblading, biking,  motorcycling through the roads that run through the heart of the park. I am sure it is comparable in size to Central  Park in New York City.  Pigeons, parakeets abound in the treetops with geckos (lizards) scurrying across the ground in front of you.  Century Plants (which are Agave plants that tequila is made from) are giant cactus plants that shoot a stalk up the middle of them like 20 ft tall and bloom a flower every couple of decades to a century hence the name also abound throughout the park.  Prickly Pears also abound near the century plants in the drier sections.  There is a giant concrete-lined lake in the middle of the park along with giant fountains and statues every so many blocks.

Mendoza is the fourth biggest city in the country of Argentina (which is little over 130,000).  I signed up for espanol classes today and will be taking classes for 2-3 hours a day for the next week.  The price of this was 810 Argentine pesos equaling 200.25 American dollars roughly.  I don´t think I can take classes the week after that with Holiday or Christmas and everything.  So I will probably head down into Patagonia and go hotspringing in San Martin De Los Andes (which is suppose to be like Chamonix of France or Jackson Hole, WY) then head to El Bolson (the hippie headquarters of Argentina), which falls along an energy line or meridian hotspot where being in that area causes one to feel groovy because of the power of the mountains and the different energy meridian lines that transect there.  Then I will be heading deep into the mountains to get  a dose of nature and the Andes and then head to El Chalten which is like OZ (if you think Glacier National Park is surreal then google this).  You just walk out of town and start hiking in the face of giant granite spires towering to the sky.  It is where many of the pictures are taken for the Patagonia clothes catalog of people flocking to this climbing mecca.  I am going to try to get in touch with the head wildlife biologist of all of Argentina, which I have his info and we have been in correspondance to see if he could line me up volunteering with wildlife somewhere for a month or so before I volunteer on an organic farm/estancia.  We shall see.  The trickster of the  universe likes to monkey wrench with  people´s plans and my original plans of studying giant anteaters fell through in parque de Ibera.  Everything works out for the better if one believes it.

I am staying at a hostel in downtown Mendoza called ¨Mendoza Monkey Hostel¨.  There is  a picture of three chimpanzees driving a truck with one monkey covering his ears (monkey see), the other one covering his eyes (monkey hear) and the other one covering his mouth  (monkey do, just like the movie in the eighties).  It is total different vibe then the last hostel I stayed in called The Art Factory.  It is very nice but unfortunately it is filled with nothing but couples who seem to be uptight and not to outgoing.  I did meet a few single people.  One girl named Brita from MN, (who left today), A guy named Julien from Quebec and then two beautiful girls from Britain or Australia, but unfortunately did not get to hangout with them because they were too tired and then left this morning.

I guess the couple thing has to do with the time of the year and is not always like this.  GOOD!  The place does have a pool and a bar with free breakfasts of bread, cereal, juice and coffee or tea in the mornings like most hostels.  It is 60 ARG pesos or 15 American dollars a night with a bed and shower, bar, kitchen, pool.  Also went to do my laundry today but had to take it to a walmart like grocery store and  they do it for you for about five dollars.  Soccor is huge here.  Tango is not as big as in B.A  but did learn of a place with free tango lessons which I will totally hit up since living on a budget and trying to be smart with my money, but it still vanishes rapidly.  I went grocery shopping yesterday so I don´t eat out once a day.  One can  use the kitchen for free in a hostel with almost everything one needs.