We get to Argentina and the first thing we do is see a beauty pageant
So, we made it to Mendoza alive and well. The bus left Valparaiso at 9:30, and for the first time ever, we were the only two passengers on the bus….honest. We then went to Viña del Mar and picked up 9 more passengers, but still….11 passengers on a big bus was so nice and spacious! Anyway, we made it through immigrations and arrived in Mendoza at like 5 in the morning. Unfortunately, we hadn`t quite thought that part ahead, so we had to sleep on the couch in our hostel`s TV room until the check-in time at noon….could`ve been worse, but wow, I was tired!
We spent yesterday walking around Mendoza and figuring out the city, and if first impressions mean anything, Argentina is my new favorite country! Prices are cheap, unlike Chile, but they have the more modern infrastructure of Chile or even back home. Wide sidewalks lined with trees and outdoor cafes just add to the charm, and both Steve and I really like it. We are also enjoying the steak down here–for those of you who don`t know, Argentinian beef is the best thing ever, and we enjoyed a nice steak and wine lunch yesterday for like $15 american. Lovely.
Argentinian women, I also have to add, are beautiful. We had 8 girls in our hostel yesterday–who we later found out are really models–but they were perhaps the most beautiful women I have ever seen–I even told Steve it was definitely okay to drool, cause they were definitely drool-worthy!!
Anyway, next week starts Mendoza`s annual wine festival, so last night was a kickoff in the main Plaza. Steve and I ate an early dinner (for Argentina standards, at 11pm) and then went to the plaza to check it out. We found a beauty pageant. Apparently, they have a “Queen Mendoza” and this pageant was to elect the new one for 2006. It was the weirdest thing. They had 19 candidates lined up on stage, and they probably had about 500 different votes on pieces of paper in this box. ..and they literally read each vote aloud. You would hear “Un vota por numero seis!” and then candidate six would step forward and wave for a little bit, and then step back. At first, we kinda thought it was a joke, especially when we heard numerous votes for ALL of the candidates, but after 15 minutes, we realized that it was serious, and that they were going to announce each vote that had been received. It was actually kinda sad. It was clear after a few minutes that the contest was between number 13 and 16, and so I kinda felt bad for number four, cause I don`t think I heard her get a single vote for the first half hour….poor thing never got to step forward and wave her arms! Anyway, long story short, they did this arm waving/vote announcing thing for about 45 minutes before announcing that 13 was the runner up, and 16 was the new queen…..I was just excited because I got to see big old firework display at the end, so that made the whole pageant worth it!
Anyway, think we`re off to go buy me some new shoes. After two and half months, I think I am due! Ciao!
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