Bees? Bees!? Bees!!

The previous day had been such a whirlwind that we just needed to relax a bit the next day.  We actually woke up fairly early, considering how tired we were the night before.  At breakfast, we discussed our options for the day.  We decided not to try to venture anywhere too exotic, and stick mostly to the shopping area downtown.  Mendoza is know for it's wine and leather.  We'd already had some wine the night before to celebrate, so we headed out to check out all the hype about the leather.  If it was anywhere as good as the wine, we were in for a treat!

We walked through Plaza Independencia to get to Calle Sarmiento, the main pedestrian street in Mendoza.  It is full of all sorts of great shops and restaurants.  We were going to try just window-shopping at first, but that really only worked at the first store (and only because it wasn't open yet).  There were so many unique things to see that we couldn't help going inside!  We had some requests for souvenirs from family and friends, so we were also trying to keep our eyes open for the perfect gifts.  Jaimee had asked for a mate, which you'd think would be an easy task in Argentina.  What we didn't realize is that there are about twenty million (give or take) different types, sizes, and designs, and then once you figure that out, you have to decide on the bombilla (straw) to go with it!  She'd also requested one that was already cured (most are made from wood or gourds, so you have to seal them so they don't leak), so we asked everyone about that.  I think that might be the only phrase in Spanish that Mom knows, we asked so much!  Apparently, pre-cured mates are not very common.  We eventually found a really great one from an artisan in Plaza Independencia, but she'll still have to cure it.  Sorry, Jaimee!

Hannah had asked for a mask (since Mom had brought her some from Costa Rica, she'd kind of started a collection), but of course once we started looking for those, they also became quite elusive.  Masks are typically an indigenous art, but nearly all of the natives of Argentina were wiped out when the Spaniards began to settle in the sixteenth century, so not much of their cultural heritage is left.  Eventually we found a great hanging with a Mapuche mask on it.  The artisan told us that it represented the sun, and it was supposed to help the owner find peace and harmony.  Hopefully it'll work out for Hannah!  We had some trouble getting it through customs on the way back into Chile, because it also has a wind-chime component that is made out of large seeds!

We also found a really neat chocolate shop, with the factory right in the same building!  Sometimes, they give tours of the factory, but it was closed at the moment.  We had to be satisfied with a peek through the glass windows.  We also got to sample some freshly-made alfajores, so it was definitely worth the visit.  The store was filled with every type of chocolate you can imagine, and we were very proud to be able to muster the self-restraint to only buy three packages of it.  We bought a box of typical chocolates from around Argentina, along with some "ramitas," which are very fine pieces of chocolate curled on top of each other to create a delicious, flaky treat!  They're popular in other parts of the world, as well, but Mom had never had one so I convinced her to give it a try.  We also got a super-secret gift for Dad that I cannot disclose but can assure you is awesome, and delicious.

www.buenosaires-argentina.com

Our shopping had tired us out, so we decided to take a coffee break.  We stopped at a cafe called Havana, which is a popular chain in Argentina (it exists in Chile, too, but Chileans aren't as into coffee as Argentinians).  Mom ordered her daily Diet Coke and I ordered my cappuccino.  This one was beautiful as well, but I was too caffeine-deprived at this point to take out my camera and snap a picture.  Even the pastries were more complete--we got two little chocolate-covered cookies (as opposed to just one sugar cookie the day before).  While the presentation was a bit fancier, I'm still sticking by my declaration that my first cappuccino was better.  The service at this place was the best, though!  The waitress was very attentive and even helped us out with suggestions.  She came to check on us and cleaned off the table before we sat down.  I know it might seem I'm getting overly excited about little things, but those gestures are extremely rare among waitstaff in Chile (at least in my experience)!

We sat at the coffeeshop for a while, just enjoying the cool breeze and watching people walk by.  Afterwards, we checked out some more leather shops.  I am notorious for hating shoes, and the ones I'd brought on this trip were about to fall about (that's what happens when you buy them for $6 at Lider/Walmart). I'd been keeping my eyes out for new ones, but I'm extremely picky and hadn't seen anything that I liked.  Then, we came upon a very small store that we nearly missed altogether.  In the window, they had some beautiful leather shoes that looked similar in style to Toms.  I know leather is pretty expensive, so I didn't seriously consider them, but we stopped inside the store anyway.  Turns out they were 150 Argentine pesos, which comes out to less than $35USD.  I tried some on that had a painted floral pattern, and surprisingly enough, they fit well and were actually comfortable.   I was really excited (I don't think anyone can truly appreciate how much until they've tried shoe-shopping with me.  It's usually quite an ordeal).  Now I've got my casual shoes, so hopefully I won't have to shop for them again for a while!  Mom also tried on a pair and ended up liking them so much that she bought two pairs!  She even bought a matching belt to go with.

All the excitement from the shoes made us hungry again, so we headed over to the Mercado Central to see what we could find for lunch.  Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, the meat and vegetable vendors closed up early and we didn't get to explore that part of the market.  But the prepared food stands were still open, so we went in to check it out anyway.  We ended up deciding on pizza, but didn't know what size to get.  I asked the waiter to just bring the best one for two people, but I should have learned on the first day that what Argentinians consider food for two would be considered enough for four elsewhere!  We ended up getting a delicious, yet very large pizza.  The fresh-made pizza and two bottled drinks came out to around $12USD, so the price was very good.  We filled up after the second slice each, but forced ourselves to eat a bit more.  That way, we wouldn't have to waste much (and maybe wouldn't have to eat dinner, either)!

Satisfied from our late lunch, we decided we'd had enough shopping for the day and headed back towards the hotel for an afternoon nap.  We were almost back to the hotel when we noticed a couple girls staring up into a tree.  We were a bit confused at first, but as we neared the tree, we saw what they were looking at--a huge nest of bees!  I'd forgotten my camera that morning, but Mom pulled hers out and snapped some photos.  The tree was really tall, so the nest was fairly high up, but even still it looked huge!  It's good to see that the bee population is thriving somewhere, at least!  We watched the bees for a while, mesmerized by the intricacy of their nest and the coordination of the hive.  Then we went back to the hotel to enjoy a nice, quiet evening with a nap and some reruns of CSI on TV.   I will leave you with a commercial that we saw.  This commercial actually plays everywhere in Latin America, so I'd seen it before in Chile.  What I didn't realize until now was that they use the same actors for each country, but change up the accent to fit the target region!  It was a bit shocking to see the same actors I'd been watching for the past few months with completely different voices.  I'm now left wondering what accent they actually have, and which ones were dubbed!  Or maybe they're just such good actors that they can do any accent.  Hmm... the mystery...

Here's the commercial they show in Chile:

And the one they show in Argentina: