April 20th
Arrived at Santiago on time and had to go through the entire process of customs, get ticket, customs and security to head to Mendoza, Argentina. I don’t know why they didn’t issue me a ticket in Lima, as they had a line that you could go through that was for connecting flights … anyway, no worries, I had plenty of time.
This was the sixth of the seventh time that I have been in the Santiago airport … feels like home. Hahahaha! I went to my usual restaurant, but forgot that they only take cash. The waiter was kind enough to take all of my Chilean Pesos and a couple US dollars to give me a large beer. While waiting there, I observed the staff of the neighbouring restaurant that was in a shift change. The new staff went around and gave each member of the working staff a kiss on the cheek. The smiles that appeared on the faces were priceless. I think, we should have such a custom in Canada … it would put a smile on everyone’s face … it just makes your day.
After finishing my beer, I went for a short walk and then went to the neighbouring pizza joint who takes Visa. After ordering pizza and a beer, one customer came in that caught my attention; she had arms on her the size of my legs. She was obviously a weight-lifter. She looked over and I smiled and flexed my muscle … it made her laugh. LOL While she was waiting for her order one of the workers asked to have his photo taken with her.
Got into Mendoza, took a taxi to the hotel and got situated. Walked about five blocks and found a restaurant to try some steak, it was pretty good for a cost of 220.00 Argentinian Pesos [$ 13.70CDN] which included a salad and soft drink.
April 21st
I took my time getting up this morning as today was an urban hiking day. After 9am I started to hike through Mendoza and made my way up to Cerro de la Gloria. This was quite a hike and was already getting to be a very warm day. I was appreciative of all the trees to provide some shade along the hike. Good to see the recycling in this part of the country.
Reaching the peak, this was a magnificent monument that was a memorial to the Army of the Andes.
This monument began to be built in 1911 and was a tribute to the Freedom of Argentina, Chile and Peru showing broken chains on upper statue. This memorial tells a great deal about the events that led to the Independence of the countries mentioned. Positioning of the monument and each feature is significant to telling the story. From the direction this monument faces to the Andes and from the sculptures on all sides tell a specific story. Such a beautiful memorial and is a must to visit when in Mendoza.
After relaxing for about a half an hour I started my descent following the road down. I passed by an open-air amphithetre, Menodoza’s Frank Romero Day Greek Theater, that they use for music festivals, but more importantly they hold their major Grape Harvest Festival in this location.
On the way down the hill, I noticed the pine trees were skinny and some had a spiral affect of their branches. Very interesting and I do love the smell of pine.
When I finally reached the bottom of the hill, I had to find the proper road that would take me next to the lake. There is usually something to see by the lake. After finally choosing the correct road in the maze, I followed the music and came up to the lake. There was a huge fitness building beside the lake with music blaring and people working out. Part of the loop around the lake was being repaired so could not do the entire loop. However, what I did see was very nice.
After leaving the lake, I came across a beautiful water fountain that is in the General San Martin Park and is very close to the main park entrance.
This fountain is called the Fountain of the Continents.
After leaving the park, I walked up Sarmiento Street and came across a section of restaurants that had outside tables. I passed by one and observed a nice looking pizza. I decided to eat here. I placed my order including a usual beer. The waiter didn’t blink, but when he brought me my beer, it was 1 litre in size! I think he was being amused when MY eyes got big. Well, it was sooooo good after hiking over 14km up to this point and it was approximately 28 degrees Celsius. And, yes, I did finish it. LOL
I worked my way to Plaza Independencia, the largest green space in the center of the city. There are a variety of fountains in this park, however the main water fountain is under repair. The unique feature I found here was one fountain had purple water which certainly caught my eye. I could not find out if there was a particular reason why they use purple water or if this is what they do year round in this specific fountain.
After here, I decided I would go back and take a little nap, perhaps the beer was kicking in more then I expected. HaHaHa