THE GRAND CITY OF MENDOZA

So there´s time for one more stop here in Argentina - the grand city of Mendoza, best-kown as the place where 80% of the country´s wine is produced. Besides the great wine, Mendoza prides itself in the stately appearance of its broad avenues, many of which are shaded by long rows of tall and stately London Plane Trees. The centro is full of fine outdoor cafes and elegant shops catering to the more unique tastes of the tourist crowd. The impressive Plaza Independencia (shown in the above picture) fills up on the weekends with booths run by the local artisans of the region.
It is the comercial and administrative center for this part of Argentina as well, and for many visitors it is the perfect jumping off point for visits to the high Andes and Cerro Aconcagua (6962 meters, or 22,836 ft. elevation), sometimes called the "roof of the Americas" and the highest point in the hemisphere.
Anyway, I got in here yesterday afternoon after spending my previous day at Villa Dolores, where I met the father (Dr. Domingo José Martino) , brother (Sebastiano), and best friend (Hugo Tello) of my old Argentine pal Matías Martino, who unfortunately could not be there since he happens to be going to the United States tomorrow on a work assignment.
A word should be said about the good time I had in my short visit to Villa Dolores and the fine hospitality of Dr. Martino, who fed me and put me up in his home. Also, Hugo took me for a fascinating tour of some of the local outdoor highlights in the region, including a hike in the mountains that separate that valley, known as the "Traslasierra," from the city of Córdoba.

This photo here shows the view from the vista point on the trail that looks down into the Río Mina Clavado, near its source. Its waters flow out from these mountains to invigorate the agrigultural pursuits in the area around the town of Mina Clavado and Villa Dolores. Hugo and I hiked there to see the waterfalls that pour down from the heights and are considered to be the source of the river.





We were planning to go further to check out some more views, but the winds picked up and became something of a force to be reckoned with, as witnessed by this shot of some pampas grass being bent by the force of the wind. I asked Hugo if these winds were a normal occurrence and he said they were very extraordinary, that usually it is calm. It even became a thing of concern for driving on the winding mountain road, so we cut our tour short and returned to Villa Dolores. So it goes.

When I left Villa Dolores yesterday morning I was thinking that I had enough time left before I am scheduled to return the truck that I was going to cross back into Chile and then drive southward as far as Los Angeles, to visit again my German friends Winfried and Elke at the Hosteria "El Rincón," but when I got into Mendoza I decided that I would have to at least spend one day taking in this city, so now I am planning to cross back into Chile tomorrow, and just drive out to the coast, likely near the late, great poet Pablo Neruda´s famous home at Isla Negra, to rent a small cabaña for my last couple of days before my mandatory return to Santiago on March 8th. Then It will be time to bid South America good-bye once again, when my return flight to the USA leaves on the evening of March 10.

But don´t think that this trip is over yet. I still have to cross those Andes. . .