Colin Blog: Hostels, Steak, and Cowboys

It's official! The travel blog has begun, and what an explosive start we're off to! Too much has happened in the last week and a half to all fit here, but here's the gist

Buenos Aires

As planned, the trip started out in Argentina's capital being a tourist. Buenos Aires in the winter can be best described as …. well, just a city. It became clear pretty quickly that BA only has so many tourist attractions in the off season. I had plenty to do and see for the first 3 or 4 days, some highlights being bustling indoor markets, an abundance of beautiful parks, and great cheap food. I should mention that this food is only cheap for travelers, as the country's hyperinflation is definitely real. By the time I had enough of doing tourist things, I was fortunate enough to had met some great people in my hostel, most of whom were Brazilians (that's not important, just interesting).

And this is where the planned part of my first week came to an end. A couple of these Brazilians told me that they were headed to the smaller, mountain-adjacent city of Mendoza for the next week and invited me to come along, and what kind of world traveler would I be if I said no!? So I unregretfully loaded my backpack and left Buenos Aires.

Mendoza

Mendoza is a bizarre juxtaposition. It is a young and hip city that is somehow still deeply rooted in its rugged Gaucho history. I think this is in large part because of its geography, being one of the only large Argentinian cities at the base of the Andes. It has attracted Argentina's youth because of its growing size but has yet to chase away its old-school ranchers and cowboys. This makes it an incredible place to visit. I was able to explore the Gaucho life of mountains, hot springs, and horses, while also getting to experience its lively party culture. Super neat!