Life on the Lam...

...might be cool, but we were actually cleared to go to Mendoza yesterday and I write this post, in fact, from our hostel in Mendoza. Dylan and I have a feeling we're going to like this town a lot. Our bus got in just past 8 am. The sun had just risen and illuminated the mountains that separate the city of Mendoza from all of its famed wine-producing valleys with an awesome array of colors, all through a light morning mist. The air here smells clean, which is a welcome change from both Córdoba and Buenos Aires before that.

We were able to book a twin-private room at this hostel for pretty cheap, meaning we have our own bedroom with two twins and then our own private bathroom. I actually haven't minded being in the dorms, but this is a welcome reprieve from having to walk through the entire hostels to get to the bathroom in the morning. They even have shower curtains.

We've been advised by Gaspar, our host here, that the pass through the Andes that connects Mendoza and Santiago/Valparaiso, Chile - our next destinations - is closed today and tomorrow, and probably Sunday, due to snow. He expects a mad rush for the bus station on Monday, when the weather is expected to allow travel along the pass again. I have a feeling that being stuck in Mendoza drinking fine wine is among the fates I am best equipped to handle.

As a final sidenote, I have to admit that my Spanish is not progressing at quite the pace I had hoped for. I think you need to reach a certain threshold in the classroom before you can significantly improve your language skills simply by following along in conversation. Being that I don't even know how to speak in past tense yet, it's quite possible that I haven't reached that threshold.