Israel would seem to make less sense, being entirely half a world away and having a completely different language, yet they are everywhere you go around here. Why? In Israel, military service is mandatory for everyone, even women. After a couple of really tough years, it’s customary to take 6 months off and travel the world. The government even pays them during the military years specifically for that purpose. How different would the US be if everyone took 6 months to travel after finishing school? Think about it for a minute.
Back in Mendoza, I signed up for a combination trekking-rappelling-relaxing in a pool complete tour. I was surprised that the group was at least three quarters girls. Most were Brazilian, which made meeting people a little difficult (which, all things considered, was a real shame) but I was able to talk to a couple from Santiago for a while. The Chilean accent really isn’t as difficult as advertised.
Later on, I followed the rotating barbecue night to a hostel across town and had some delicious empanadas with a pair of Dutchmen and a couple Porteña girls. I’m compiling a list of everyone I’ve talked to and where they’re from, and it’s getting to be pretty extensive already. This whole traveling by yourself business really isn’t that difficult.
I’m still pretty wiped out from yesterday, so I’m taking it easy for a while today. I’ll post pictures from around Mendoza later on. For now, here’s a few pictures from earlier.
Quote of the day: ‘Maybe people think Chilean Spanish is difficult because we have a much more descriptive set of swears.’
The first two are from yesterday's hike, the third is from Bs As, the last two are back in Tigre
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