Creating our own good luck

Bienvenidos de Mendoza! The last few days have involved more effort on our part to find the positive in our situation. I like to believe that we never fail to see how blessed we are, but we have felt ripped off more than a few times, as well as uncomfortable, and downright disgusted at times. But we´ve learned that if we take the time to take a deep breath, get a snack or something to drink, and reassess the situation, we can find more good than bad, and - in quite a few situations - have had amazing luck.

So here I am again after a brief jaunt back West into the Andes to get another taste of those gorgeous montañas - amazing! We were not really sure where we were going as the book has little information on the town of Potrerillos. All we knew was it was a small town and in the mountains. So we boarded the bus, asked the driver to please tell us when to get off, and settled in for a slow, bumpy ride. When the bus driver did finally tell us it was time for us to get off, we left the bus and watched the tail lights fade into the distance as we looked to around to see nothing. And I do mean NOTHING. It was pitch black dark and there were no street lamps around to light the way. We had no idea where we were and could not even see a single sign noting where this hostel might be. All I knew was that we were on a dark, dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Finally, after digging for my headlamp in my bag and flashing it here, there and everywhere to find some sort of sign, we saw a glimmer of light in the distance - our hostel! Victory achieved:)! Once again, we found ourselves at a gorgeous hostel at the end of the road in the middle of nowhere (this time at the base of the Andes) and basically had the place to ourselves. And, once again, Jenny used her super awesome social skills to make friends with the owners and their friends - all of whom were lawyers from Mendoza - who were staying for the weekend. We were invited to join them at a barbecue and later to play poker and drink copious amounts of their favorite alcoholic drink (whose name currently escapes me). The night ended with Nina taking over the kitchen to cook dinner for everyone with Nico, her new Argentinian lawyer friend, and watching an Argentinian soccer game. We are loving traveling in the off season to far away hostels where the only other occupants seem to be locals!

Yesterday, we laid around for awhile until we could work up the motivation to take a jaunt out into the cold and rain to explore the surrounding hills. We bushwhacked our way up the thorny hillside to be greeted with an incredible view of the surrounding mountains. Then it was back on the bumpy bus and back to Mendoza where my cheap self lead us to the roach motel/soviet prison camp to sleep for the night. Jenny and Nina were troopers and assured me that while they were not "thrilled," they were willing to find humor in the situation. We decided that this experience has been all about living, learning, and hoping that we dont make the same mistakes twice. And I, personally, have decided that while I may be cheap, from now on, I will have to draw the line when it comes to my sleeping arrangements. Ive also learned the hard way what many people warned me beforehand (so here´s the lesson for future traveleres out there ) - ASK to see the room BEFORE paying. But alas, we made it through the night and, really, it wasnt all that bad. We had a great dinner, yummy pie for dessert, and all woke up laughing at 5 am when a fellow boarder started snoring so loudly that I swear the beds began to shake. Jenny gave him a nice thwack to the head which shut him up, and I rolled back over with a smile on my face thinking, "What else is there to do but smile and laugh at our situation?!" Nina and I enjoyed a beautiful run through the park and now the blonde-oh-sans are off exploring the nearby vineyards while I make preparations for our next adventure. Tonight we bus it to a small town north of Cordoba and then Jenny and I head on to Iguazu Falls after bidding adieu to Nina who must head back to Buenos Aires to catch her flight on Saturday night. It´s quite sad to think our time together is coming to an end, but for now, we focus on the here and now! Viva!