Adventures in Argentina

We just got back from our 12 day adventure in Argentina. Wow it was a lot of traveling and if we calculated it correctly, we spent 64 hours on buses and planes. We flew to Buenos Aires then took a bus across the country to Mendoza where Sean served his mission. At the end of the week we traveled to San Juan (2 hours away from Mendoza).

We decided to pack really lightly and literally went "backpacking" in argentina. Each of us had 1 backpack (the regular school size) and we filled it full. This was not a trip of beauty--no blow dryers, no hair spray, no makeup. It worked out perfectly though because we walked so much and on dirt roads and broken stone sidewalks--that's no place for a big, fancy, rolling suitcase.

It was a wonderful adventure to see the wonderful people in Argentina. They were so kind and loving towards us. They had next to nothing but wanted to give us food and drink and housing. I am so grateful for their kindness. We'll miss them. Here's a look at some of our adventures.

Here we are in Buenos Aires after traveling 7,000 miles. It was a long night on the plane (as you can see) but we were glad to arrive.

Here we are with Juan, Maricella, Cynthia, and Nacho. Sean baptized Juan and they are great friends. There was no way of contacting them prior to our arrival so it was neat to just knock on their door and have them be so excited. Juan had a framed picture of him and Sean in their baptismal clothes on his kitchen counter. They also have pictures of Christ and the temple all over their tiny, humble home. They are great examples for us of living the gospel everyday of their lives.

We went to a beutiful war monument on the top of a hill called "Cerro de la Gloria". It was a beautiful set of statues celebrating the liberation of Argentina from Spainish rule. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We went to the Zoo while we were in Mendoza. Neither of us have been to a zoo for over ten years and it was a beautiful day so we decided to go. It was a pretty nice zoo but I was a little worried about the quality of the cages and fences. This was the very first thing we saw when we entered, Monkeys outside of their cages. Not a good sign. It was a lot of fun but by the end we saw dogs, cats, monkeys, a big bull with horns, and a llama all outside of their cages. Yikes, I'm glad we didn't get eaten. =)

I had to take a picture next to these huge aloe vera plants. They must have been 7-8 feet tall. I guess some things are just bigger in Argentina. =)

We also visited the tallest mountain peak in all of the Americas. It's called "Aconcagua". There was lots of snow so we had to borrow coats before we went on this adventure up the mountains.

We got on a rickety old bus for 4 hours to come see the "Puenta Del Inca". It is an ancient bridge made by the Incans to cross the large river below. They also have ancient dwellings and an old chapel. It's amazing to think how long these structures have lasted.

Here we are in front of the ancient Incan bridge and ruins. It was a neat sight to see.

Here we are with Daniel and Lydia. They are a stalwart couple, both members of the Bermejo branch. Sean taught and baptized Lydia but Daniel wasn't interested at all. A while after Sean left, something changed Daniel's mind and he took the lessons and was baptized. We were excited to visit them on this trip and when we saw them they told us the good news. Last December the two of them traveled to Santiago, Chile (the closest temple) and received their endowments and were sealed in the temple. Wow, what a wonderful step for them. We were so happy for them --they are wonderful.

Argentines love meat and here is the evidence of it. In that way I wonder if Sean is secretly Argentine because he loves meat as much as they do. It looks kind of gross but actually it's pretty tasty. The chicken was my favorite, very flavorful.

Here is Cynthia and me in the back yard. She is such a cute little girl but don't let her fool you, she's a tough cookie. No dog or older brother (Nacho) can scare her. I think all Argentine children are adorable with their dark hair and dark eyes and light skin. Her mom (Maricella) asked if we wanted to take her home for a while since she's a lot of work (jokingly of course). We should have said yes. =)

Here is the whole group together. We had an asado (a big barbeque) in the back yard and all ate too much but it was great to see everyone and catch up on life. Back row: Daniel, Nicholaus, Alexander, Juan, Sean, & Juan. Front row: Maricella, baby Cynthia, Nacho, Paublo, Lydia, and Sister Caullo.

We went to a random museum inside a cave of a mountain and found lots of old bones. It's kind of funny because everything was written with marker and paper and it was a little....um what's the word..unprofessional. We still enoyed it though.

While in San Juan we went for a drive up to the mountains. Argentina has very beutiful country with mountains and lakes and everything. This is some pretty lake that I don't know the name of.

In San Juan we stayed with the most wonderful family with whom Sean had been close to while he was serving. This is us with the Nunez family. (Sean, me, Marcella, baby Bautista, Louise (the 2nd counselor in the stake presidency), Augustine, Julietta, and Samuel) They were such a kind, loving family and they would do anything for anybody. It was great to stay 2 nights with them.