Today's post is brought to you by the letter M - M is for Mendoza

Whoever said that Mendoza was a skippable destination may have been delirious at the time of that statement.

I love that city. Albeit, it was freezing and I think I wore everything that I packed all at once. But it was worth it. And if I think that after being really sick and really cold, you know it must be good.

After sleeping in an unheated room and taking a cold shower my first night, Mauricio (also with an M) from Hostel Lao saved the day. Hostelworld bookings wasn't working, but Mauricio helped me book his hostel over the phone and the next day I was at Hostel Lao - friendlier, cozier and more helpful than the last.

Soon I left for my first excursion: La Cabalgata (which means horseback riding). We took a looooonnng bus ride to the moutnaints. It was pretty sweet the way the mountains just kept getting closer and closer and closer, until we were driving in them. After signing my life away - you know how these things are - I mounted my horse and joined the line of 27 in riding through the Andes. So the thing about horseback riding through places is that I'd say it is 50% cool because of where you are riding and 50% cool because of the view you see. Maybe also a little cool because of who you go with.

Well, riding through the Andes is sweet. REALLY COLD, but pretty cool. The horse is just bounding up these mini, snow-covered hills and teetering down on the other side. But, the view down was not so hot. Mendoza is the desert. So when you look down, there isn't a whole lot to see. Needless to say I was slightly bummed. But at the same time, I went horseback riding in the Andes. After our little 2 hours stroll, I dismounted and climbed in the bus. My toes were pretty much frozen and the cold was radiating up my body so I couldn't wait to get in the heat.

Unfortunately, our bus was not heated at all. I woke up in the center of town barely able to move. I think my body just began to shut down in that cold. It's the kind of cold that you think you will never be warm again. Inside out. Bones to skin.

But I arrived at Hostel Lao where there was a fire blazing in our common room fireplace. I planted myself there to thaw out.

M is also for 'mid-trip crisis.' At this point, I was frozen and sick and in another new city where I hadn't been particularly overwhelmed by my outing. Not going to lie, I wanted to come home where there is heat and hot water and waffles. (Ok the waffles are a side note because I can't eat another sugar-coated pastry and call it breakfast - but moving on). The halfway mark was about to hit and I was ready to be done.

But then, there was Friday. Honestly, one of the best days of my life. I woke up at 8am for my day of trekking, repelling and hot springs. Generally, I do not consider myself an outdoorsy kind of girl. But based on the fact that this is my favorite thing I have done here (and that I consistently enjoy these activities in many countries) maybe I do like the outdoors; I just don't like bugs. Thankfully, that is the one benefit of the cold.

Anywho, we trekked up to the peak of this mountain in the Andes. Unbelievable. I know that it was like 1300 meters. Whether I hiked 1300 meters or whether the peak was 1300 meters above sea level, I can't tell you. But the view was ridiculous. A second benefit of the cold: the mountains are prettier when covered with snow.

After trekking to the highest point we could, we began our descent. Now mind you, there is no path. At all. We were just kind of finding our footing where we could at a decent 45 degree angle. People were slipping and sliding everywhere. The surface was snow on ice on gravel (aka slippery). But as we were going down I thought to myself, ''If I got hurt, which might suck, at least I would have a pretty sick scar. And when people see it, they'll say 'OMG what happened to your leg?' And I'd be able to say, 'well...this one time when I was trekking in the Andes....'' But alas, I am safe. (This is a good thing even though I said it with general morose).

We finally reached the first repelling point. My guide Marcel (see! the letter M!) was awesome. We first repelled about 45-60 feet, so 15-20 meters. Did I mention I love repelling? By now I had made friends with 6 Canadians (2 couples in their 30s from Montreal and a young couple my age from Toronto). We were all cheering each other on and making jokes and taking pictures for each other. We hit the second repel, no bid deal. It felt like maybe 15 feet.

Then we hit the third repel. OMG. My dad would have pooped his pants if he had seen it. Forty-five meters, 130 feet. And this time, you didn't just hook up to the repel rope and climb down. You had to transfer from stable ground to a little 2x1 square of rock (basically freestanding) one step down from stable ground before repelling. I turned to Marcel, ''Not gonna lie, Im actually a little scared.'' But with my cheering section and Marcel, I repelled like a total champ. Once you lean back and feel the rope has you...everything is perfect. Especially the view.

Time for lunch and a dip in the thermal hot springs. I hadn't brought a bathing suit to Mendoza, but my friend lent me her bottoms so I could at least put my legs in. Ok, THIS WAS HOT. Extreme temperatures: Mendoza Edition. But as I looked around, I wondered how hot was hot enough to kill all the bacteria that must be in the water. I decided no heat could kill that much bacteria, and besides being half in a hot spring and half not is no way to do it. I put all my layers back on (which took longer than sitting in the hot spring) and headed back outside.

Honestly, I can sit in a hot tub any day. But this view. Sigh. I was sitting on a mountain ledge, overlooking the steaming hot springs as the sun set over the Andes. Perfection. Absolute natural brilliance.

Eventually we boarded the bus and headed home after my favorite day in Argentina. I even ate a delicious sushi dinner so that I could have a break from all that darn pizza and cake. My friend Nacho (Ignacio) who had arranged all of my tours took me to dinner and taught me about wine tasting so I would be prepared for my wine tours the next day. He also ordered a bottle of Late Harvest just to prove to me I could like wine if chosen correctly for me. I like wine when chosen correctly for me. Really sweet, but really tasty.

And so, I awoke in my WARM BED on my final morning in Mendoza to learn the sophistication of making and drinking wine. You see, I had been debating whether to do the Premium wine tour for 150 USD or the one step down for 100 pesos (25 USD). Thank GOD I did the cheap one. To me, wine is wine. Vineyards are where you make wine. An oak barrel is an oak barrel and a tank mixes wine that I can't see. You have to do the wineries when you come here because it's wine country. But I still don't understand all the fuss.

I did have a gourmet meal out of it for 25 extra USD. Six little courses, four glasses of wine, lots of delicious homemade bread and a really good looking waiter. I got my money's worth.

And then I returned to Hostel Lao to say goodbye to my favorite staff to date before heading back on the overnight bus to Buenos Aires. The US could learn a thing or two about these overnight buses. They're nicer than airplanes!

M is also for Musical Theater. If you were keeping track, it is now Sunday. I had tickets to Bella y la Bestia. Excited is an understatement. I got to the theater, paid for my program (programs don't grow on trees you know) and waited for the show to begin. The audience was packed with little kids, but I LOVED IT. We should consider importing talent from here. Every voice was better than the next. The costumes were unbelievable. The sets were just perfection: grand enough for a French Disney castle, but not overdone to the point of gaudiness. The orchestra started to play and my heart fluttered. I cried after ''Gaston.'' GASTON! The song. The choreography was just ridiculous. They had this whole routine where they use their metal beer mugs as instruments. Genius.

I nearly bawled when La Bestia sang ''Si no puedo amarla.'' His voice was just flawless. I cried again in Act Two when Señora Potts sang ''Bella y Bestia Son'' because its's just so classic, and then shed my final tears during the curtain call. Magnificent. (Get it?) I was a bit emotional.

I finished my day off with salad for dinner. YAY REAL FOOD! A REAL SALAD WITH VEGETABLES. I swear, I thought they only grew meat here. What a relief.

Needless to say, my Mid-trip crisis has subsided. I am planning travels to other cities that are supposed to trump Mendoza. We'll see about that.

I will post pictures ASAP (since this is not worth reading without them).

BESOS!!