The neighborhood's streets.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Post 11: Chacras de Coria
This is a suburb of Mendoza about 30 minutes south of downtown.
The neighborhood's streets.
The neighborhood's streets.
Post 10: San Juan back to Mendoza...
Police in AR are very different from the USA.
There are border checkpoints of every departamento. Some were toll collection spots. We'd heard stories of police misconduct (bribes for trumped up traffic stops, etc.) but we encountered only polite and helpful people. Once we had them remind us to turn on our headlights while driving the highway.
They are all very young. Lots of women too. They dress para-military style.
In the cities they walk the streets or bicycle. They seem like deterents to crime more than 'catching the bad guys' like our police do. Hard to explain. Rarely did we see anyone with 'attitude'. Maybe Art can do a better job of describing the difference.
Views of the street from our hotel window in Mendoza.
Mendoza is the capital and largest city in Departamento de Mendoza (province). Beautiful city. On the way into town, I got a cold so we stayed here almost 3 days. I slept solidly through one of them. The hotel was owned by an Italian couple who had been in AR for 51 years (they were in their 70s). The husband ran a Really Good Italian restaurant, Treve, in the hotel. At the end of every meal, he'd come by with two shot glasses and pour an aperitif out of an unmarked bottle. It looked like lemon sherbert and vodka. De-lish and Strong.
Strange hotel keychains...
Beautiful city streets.
As the pictures show, the streets are spotless. They're cared for by an army of street sweepers in orange jumpsuits. They sweep by hand.
It was metered parking only in front of our hotel . But -- the 'meter' was a person who was in charge of the block. We paid them and they gave us a ticket for our car. Also, if your car is in the sun they'll put sun shades over the front window as a courtesy!
Meter person.
Mendoza's largest city park. It's acres and acres.
There are border checkpoints of every departamento. Some were toll collection spots. We'd heard stories of police misconduct (bribes for trumped up traffic stops, etc.) but we encountered only polite and helpful people. Once we had them remind us to turn on our headlights while driving the highway.
They are all very young. Lots of women too. They dress para-military style.
In the cities they walk the streets or bicycle. They seem like deterents to crime more than 'catching the bad guys' like our police do. Hard to explain. Rarely did we see anyone with 'attitude'. Maybe Art can do a better job of describing the difference.
Views of the street from our hotel window in Mendoza.
Mendoza is the capital and largest city in Departamento de Mendoza (province). Beautiful city. On the way into town, I got a cold so we stayed here almost 3 days. I slept solidly through one of them. The hotel was owned by an Italian couple who had been in AR for 51 years (they were in their 70s). The husband ran a Really Good Italian restaurant, Treve, in the hotel. At the end of every meal, he'd come by with two shot glasses and pour an aperitif out of an unmarked bottle. It looked like lemon sherbert and vodka. De-lish and Strong.
Strange hotel keychains...
Beautiful city streets.
As the pictures show, the streets are spotless. They're cared for by an army of street sweepers in orange jumpsuits. They sweep by hand.
It was metered parking only in front of our hotel . But -- the 'meter' was a person who was in charge of the block. We paid them and they gave us a ticket for our car. Also, if your car is in the sun they'll put sun shades over the front window as a courtesy!
Meter person.
Mendoza's largest city park. It's acres and acres.
Post 9: San Rafael to Mendoza to San Juan
Roadside watercourse.
The view looking at the other side of the street.
More feet.
The view from our hotel room in San Juan.
Fresh squeezed orange juice. We only saw this in San Juan. Yum.
The view looking at the other side of the street.
More feet.
The view from our hotel room in San Juan.
Fresh squeezed orange juice. We only saw this in San Juan. Yum.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Post 8: Argentine Transportation!
The transportation system here gives the country a lot of its quirkiness.
Everywhere, big cities and small towns, was a giant hairball of one way streets. Double decker buses, trucks, cars, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians and horses pulling sulkies all vying for limited amounts of space.
Driving in urban areas was hair-raising. Not only do streets change names every few blocks, street signs are occasionally missing. City streets are narrow, one-way affairs, frequently with a cobbled surface. Most secondary intersections have no lights or stop signs. Drivers are extremely aggressive running red, passing on the right on two lane streets, etc. Enforcement is lax to non-existent. Pedestrians jaywalk and it never looks like they're going to stop. Stopping for a pedestrian in the middle of the street is not done.
On top of that circus, trying to navigate is made worse because the sun is in the Northern sky, not the Southern. When you feel intuitively certain that you are traveling West due to the shadows and sun, in fact you are going East. Fortunately we carried a compass.
There are lots of older cars in Argentina. They never throw anything away. Here are some examples.
90% of the cars are small. There are trucks too for the agriculture. We can count on one hand the number of big gas guzzlers we saw the whole time we were there.
With the plethora of moving targets on the streets and highways, there are Lots of shrines along the roadways. This one is particularly ornate.
People leave flowers, candles, food and bottles of water. The bottles of water are still a mystery. Art thinks it's to water the plants around the shrines...
Everywhere, big cities and small towns, was a giant hairball of one way streets. Double decker buses, trucks, cars, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians and horses pulling sulkies all vying for limited amounts of space.
Driving in urban areas was hair-raising. Not only do streets change names every few blocks, street signs are occasionally missing. City streets are narrow, one-way affairs, frequently with a cobbled surface. Most secondary intersections have no lights or stop signs. Drivers are extremely aggressive running red, passing on the right on two lane streets, etc. Enforcement is lax to non-existent. Pedestrians jaywalk and it never looks like they're going to stop. Stopping for a pedestrian in the middle of the street is not done.
On top of that circus, trying to navigate is made worse because the sun is in the Northern sky, not the Southern. When you feel intuitively certain that you are traveling West due to the shadows and sun, in fact you are going East. Fortunately we carried a compass.
There are lots of older cars in Argentina. They never throw anything away. Here are some examples.
90% of the cars are small. There are trucks too for the agriculture. We can count on one hand the number of big gas guzzlers we saw the whole time we were there.
With the plethora of moving targets on the streets and highways, there are Lots of shrines along the roadways. This one is particularly ornate.
People leave flowers, candles, food and bottles of water. The bottles of water are still a mystery. Art thinks it's to water the plants around the shrines...
Post 7: Views of San Rafael
Smallish town probably under 5,000. Quiet. All streets -- all -- are shaded with old trees. In fact, I think Argentina is a country of trees. They've been planted everywhere.
This is one of the streets just off the main street in town. Three guys riding bikes down the middle of the street. Very Quiet.
The main drag.
Our corner street sign. All of Argentina's street signs are the same (if they exist or if you can spot them!). 90% of the streets everywhere are one way and can change names every few blocks. However, every city and town uses exactly the same names for their streets. No variation: 9 de Julio, 25 de Septiembre, Gen. Alvear...
The gutters here are open with bridges at driveways. Sidewalks are good to nonexistent. I really had to keep my eyes open.
Quirky Argentina Quiz: What is the thing below?
It's the Argentine version of a trash can. All sorts of styles, shapes and colors but all are a basket on top of a pole. We didn't see much trash here. People conserve everything. These baskets are usually empty or have one or two full plastic grocery bags. I think the trash collectors pick up overnight.
This is one of the streets just off the main street in town. Three guys riding bikes down the middle of the street. Very Quiet.
The main drag.
Our corner street sign. All of Argentina's street signs are the same (if they exist or if you can spot them!). 90% of the streets everywhere are one way and can change names every few blocks. However, every city and town uses exactly the same names for their streets. No variation: 9 de Julio, 25 de Septiembre, Gen. Alvear...
The gutters here are open with bridges at driveways. Sidewalks are good to nonexistent. I really had to keep my eyes open.
Quirky Argentina Quiz: What is the thing below?
It's the Argentine version of a trash can. All sorts of styles, shapes and colors but all are a basket on top of a pole. We didn't see much trash here. People conserve everything. These baskets are usually empty or have one or two full plastic grocery bags. I think the trash collectors pick up overnight.
Post 6: In and around San Rafael
San Rafael. Beautiful small town in the country's wine growing region.
Our bed and breakfast, the Red Wine Club, in San Rafael.
Old and new...
The neighborhoods in most of AR are a mixed of new and old, residential and commercial. Lots of small corner markets.
Notice the sidewalks in these pictures.
It appears that everyone is responsible for their sidewalk. Hence, the condition varies widely. Sometimes it was easier to walk in the street...
Out trip west to the town, General Alvear, an agricultural town, and on toward the Andes.
Pear orchards. We stopped for cafe chico in Gen Alvear and bought dried pears and local walnuts from a street vendor. They were Really Good.
A small part of an active winery complex and the unused horse barn from earlier days.
General Alvear. The town stream ran down the center of the main street in cement channel with fancy wrought iron fencing. Life blood of the community.
And then, our first peek at the Andes.
They are unbelievably big. All the mountain ranges in Argentina seemed to push themselves up out of the earth in great ridges.
Our bed and breakfast, the Red Wine Club, in San Rafael.
Old and new...
The neighborhoods in most of AR are a mixed of new and old, residential and commercial. Lots of small corner markets.
Notice the sidewalks in these pictures.
It appears that everyone is responsible for their sidewalk. Hence, the condition varies widely. Sometimes it was easier to walk in the street...
Out trip west to the town, General Alvear, an agricultural town, and on toward the Andes.
Pear orchards. We stopped for cafe chico in Gen Alvear and bought dried pears and local walnuts from a street vendor. They were Really Good.
A small part of an active winery complex and the unused horse barn from earlier days.
General Alvear. The town stream ran down the center of the main street in cement channel with fancy wrought iron fencing. Life blood of the community.
And then, our first peek at the Andes.
They are unbelievably big. All the mountain ranges in Argentina seemed to push themselves up out of the earth in great ridges.
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