We arrived in Mendoza early in the morning after an overnight bus ride from Salta. The city appeared to be a quiet, subtle city. Our walking tour of the city was in mid morning and the parks and streets were very quiet with few pedestrains and little hustle and bustle. In the evening when we went back out for dinner, it was hard to believe that it was the same city. The quiet city was really a sleeping giant....the streets were lined with merchants stalls and the parks were crowded with vendors, atheletes, children laughing and playing and families sharing the beauty of the evening.
While we were in Mendoza, we visted a winery and learned about the wine making process and the role that the wine industry plays in the Argentinan economy. We also visited an olive oil factory and became acquainted with the process used to extract the different grades of olive oil from the olives. One of the hightlights of our time in Mendoza was our visit to the Brazos Abertos Orphanage. This orphanage is independently run by an 82 year old lady who is blind. At the present time, she is providing a home for 22 children. It was such a reminder of how blessed we are.
The long ride (from Mendoza to Santiago) through the snow capped mountains radiating with vibrant blues, greens, and reds provided a time for much reflection and worship. The vastness of the mountains was a quiet reminder of our insignifiance. The ride down the mountain consisted of 27 hairpinned curves(they had the curves numbered!!!!!!)....Drew almost didn't survive the ride.
Santiago is a huge metropolis teeeming with cars, buses and pedestrains. It is an impressive city with lots of beautiful churches, universities and governmental buildings. Today we explored the city and found some of the largest fish that we have ever seen in the central market. We also took the funicular up to the top of the mountain for a panaromic view of the city. On the top of the mountain there is a beautiful church dedicated to St. Cristobal. It was thought provoking to be so close to the city yet so removed from the noise and hustle and bustle.
Tomorrow we will continue on our exploration of the city of Santiago....more later.
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