Farewell to Benjamin

The three of us at our hostel!

The three of us in the wine cellar at the restaurant

Benjamin decided to go on a six day trek in the mountains.. I already miss him but I’m so glad he’s doing it, its going to be UNBELIEVABLE. He’s trekking every day for five hours with a guide on a mountain.. They cannot trek more than that each day because if you get too high too quickly you get altitude sickness and a horrible headache. He’s camping out in a tent and each day for water must find snow, put it in a bag, and leave it between him and the sleeping bag of the guide at night to melt.. Have to admire that. Last night we went out for the most delicious dinner he could have since the rest of the week will be mostly pasta and rice. The owner of the hostel called his friend who owns a restaurant called El Palenque on Avenue Villanueva, the best street in Mendoza for restaurants and dancing.. When we got there it was packed and the owner brought us down to his wine cellar and told us about his collection and about Argentine wines and food and then picked out an Andeluna Cabernet to go with our dinner, que riquísimo.. He also ordered our plates, entraña empanadas followed by carne matambre, hecho a la pizza. It came out on top of potatoes and when I picked up the meat with my fork to put on the side, it fell into two pieces, that tender. Is your mouth melting? Mine was.. could not have done better for Benjamin’s last night in Mendoza.

Benjamin leaving at 7:30 in the morning!