back in the andes

I made it to Mendoza, and am happy to report it´s a lovely city. It is also really, really hot. You´d think the coast would be hotter than the mountains, but that´s not the case. I took an overnight bus across the pampas to get here. It gives you a good sense of how big the Argentine pampas is to do it that way, it´s like looking at the horizon driving across Nebraska. The prarie just goes on and on and on. Besides the sandwich guy giving me change with a counterfeit five peso bill and listening to Shakira´s collected works being played over the intercom, the ride was uneventful.

My last day in Buenos Aires was unforgettable, as I had the singular privilege of visiting Tierra Santa. Wedged between a driving range and a waterpark, it is several acres of christian themepark amazingness. The english language park guide is full of wonderful quotations like: ¨visitors will delight in the 18 meter high jesus, and with especially his 36 mechanical movements.¨ or ¨experience the magic of the Creation through laser lights and state of the art robotic patriarchs.¨ I´m forgetting some, but you get the idea. It was really hard to keep a straight face, which is a problem as about 90 percent of the parkgoers are really serious about it, not a trace of irony. One woman was weeping at the wailing wall, and I started smirking at a funny translation and one of the roman soldiers working there gave me a really dirty look. That would have been a hard black eye to explain, getting thwacked with a plastic sword by an argentine roman soldier at the fake wailing wall. Also, there was a somewhat inexplicable exhibit on Gandhi wedged between a synagogue and the crown of thorns diorama. Maybe they´re trying to be pluralistic. I have some great photos, I will attempt to upload them.

Am off to buy shorts in an attempt to stay cool. Viva Mendoza.