Day 1 - Mendoza

Day 1 & 2 in Mendoza

Yesterday we had a half day in Mendoza, Argentina and we have a lot of errands to run. Peter and I went to a local outdoor sports outfitter to buy some last supplies for our expedition such as camping gas for our JetBoil / some extra bottles and insulation / and Peter rented a sleeping bag. After that we exchanged US Dollars for the Argentinian Peso (a whole episode in itself…) and then we went to CLARO (a local telco service provider) to get sim cards for our phones so we get internet around here. Finally Peter got a haircut and it was time to enjoy some local wine and steaks! YUM! And the cost for steaks and wine was definitely more than friendly 😊. We also got to meet 5 other members of our team: Tim from Austin, Mike from the UK, Jennet from Peru and the local guides from our company: Joaquín and Judith. We had a good chat and then Peter and I went to rest to the hotel. Around 8:30PM one of Peter’s YouTube followers: Pablo was very kind and offered to pick us up and drive us to a local neighborhood for a local traditional meal. We drank Fernet and ate good foot late until 11pm. During dinner a tropical storm came to Mendoza and it was fun to see the amount of lighting and rain + the electricity went out several times during our meal and it made the whole experience that much more special!

Today is Friday the 13th! HAH! We are not superstitious but a day to remember for sure 😉 as it has been very eventful 😊. Its our full day in Mendoza and also our last before we head out to the mountain tomorrow.

We woke up, had breakfast, then our guide Andres arrived to do a gear check. He checked all of our gear (we passed with an A+ :P ) and now we just relocated from our hotel to a hotel called Diplomatico where all our teammates and guides are staying. Its time to re-pack, refuel and rest up before our team meet and briefing. I am still working today so I will be working most of the day. The team check in in the evening was great! We met all 20+ people in the group (including the guides) and we all received an Elite Exped hat!, scarf, and wine! So that was a pleasant surprise. After this Peter and I went to do some final shopping and then we all had traditional Argentinian dinner (think: steak and wine!).

The group is full of rad and experienced people and I feel this will be a strong group! OK! Its time for bed! We wake up in 5 hours or so! Lets see what tomorrow will bring.