We have short-changed Ushuaia in time, but it will stay with us. It has a magnetic effect, as remote and environmentally unfriendly as it is. Did I say that it was settled, like Australia, with convicts, who provided labor for logging and other enterprises in the last century? It has rained all night, then as we rise the sun comes out, and finally as we board ur plane it begins to snow, briefly. Overnight, it has snowed in the mountains and clouds have set in, as has cold weather. On the waynto the airport we see wild rheas, or Patagonians ostriches, in the distance. These were food staples once, hunted by the gauchos with their bolladeras.
To get to Mendoza, the wine country, due west of Buenos Aires, we have to fly to BA and change planes, so it takes us 6 hours. When we land in Mendoza it is hot, and I realize once again that I packed for fall weather. We are north of Patagonia now, back in the present, concerned about what's happening here and now-- but it's hard to shake the silent voices of Patagonia. The empty spaces, the bones of animals we found on the steppes, the memory of native peoples, the fossils of prehistory, the timelessness of mountains and ice--it is eery how these make such a deep impression.
We are staying in a small posada or inn which Richard found, about 20 mins from Mendoza town. It has an open courtyard with a small pool and very peaceful. The drive from the airport reminds us a lot of San Francisco. We settle in--Richard is nursing a cold. Over dinner we share a lovely cab. Wine has been a great part of this whole trip--we've tried a lot of different wines that will never be imported into the U.S. Wine-making has spread to the south and north, but Argentinians are still consuming more than they're exporting, unlike Chile!
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