We got to our hotel in Mendoza just after 9am. We were greeted efficiently and told our room was not ready (no surprise and also no problem given our very early arrival). I asked about local coffee shops where we could have breakfast and the young lady at reception said that due to it being early on Sunday nothing was really open and the hotel lobby restaurant was our best option.

We were cool with that and had a very good meal from the buffet (eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, waffles, pastries, breads, fruit, nuts) for $75AR per person ($17.50US).

After breakfast we took seats in the lobby to try to decide what we wanted to see. My wife wanted to see the local aquarium and then we decided we'd just relax in the hotel as we are sure my Chilean friends will be keeping us busy once we reach Santiago. While still in the lobby a staffer came up to us and let us know our room was ready if we'd like to check-in before heading out. Sure! We got a platinum upgrade to a very large, modern, true one-bedroom suite with views over the city and to the Andes. Very nice!

We walked to the aquarium, perhaps a ten minute walk down tree-lined streets and paid the 11AR per person entry fee. The aquarium was a touch depressing. Maybe 25 tanks, about 25 gallons each. Each tank had 1 or two fish. We felt most sorry for Jorge, a huge sea turtle whose enclosure gave him barely enough room to turn around in the water. Mrs. dcstudent was very perturbed by the aquarium.

We walked back to the hotel, stopping at a pharmacy as one of my ears had been bothering me and Mrs. dcstudent was having digestive issues with her diet of cheese and bread. Pharmacies in Argentina (and for that matter the rest of the world) make so much more sense than in the US. Let's face it. Sometimes we have small ailments that do require medicine of some sort, but not a doctor's visit (which visit would create large healthcare costs). Here in Argentina pharmacists can prescribe many medications without needing a prescription from a MD. I explained our predicaments and the pharmacist presented ear drops for me, and pills for my wife.

At the hotel Mrs. dcstudent took a shower and decided to read her book and I took some time to swim in the large indoor pool on the 2nd floor. After my swim I showered and we headed to the restaurant on the top floor for lunch. I had lamb medallions with potato and malbec-rice, the Mrs. had cheese ravioli. We both had salads and the Mrs. finished with a rich chocolate desert. With lunch I had two glasses of Malbec, one coke, one coffee and agua mineral. Mrs. Dcstudent had three glasses of Malbec, one glass of sparkling wine and agua mineral. We were then told that because we were Plat our lunches were gratis! The restaurant had a live saxophone player and my wife requested a Sinatra piece which he gladly played (and earned both the adoration and a good-sized tip from Mrs. Dcstudent). We went up to lunch at 2, and did not return to our room until just after 4.

After lunch we returned to our room and took a siesta until 7:30pm.

We awoke and while my wife readied herself for dinner I took to find the Super Bowl on the TV. I found that ESPN Latin America had the bowl on its channel, but Fox Sports Latin America was providing the commentary in Spanish and they were using NBC's TV feed.

At about 9pm Mendoza time (7pm D.C. time) we headed to dinner at Montecino, and italian restaurant recommended to us by our waitress at lunch. We had asked her where she goes with friends when she wants pasta and she immediately mentioned this place. Even arriving at 9:15pm by walking we arrived too early for Argentines and were one of two couples in the entire restaurant. The food lived up to its billing, I had an amazing lasagna con carne and my wife had a pasta tossed in olive oil with grilled fresh vegetables. We had ague mineral and a bottle of malbec (of course!). Total cost $150 AR with tip or $35US. We left the restaurant just after 10 and it was just starting to fill up.

We went back to our hotel, watched the last quarter of the Super Bowl and headed to bed. After all we have an early day today (February 6) as we'll be taking a bus over the Andes to Chile!

-Just a note, my friends in Chile do not have internet in their home in their small town. So I may not be posting again until we reach Iquique on February 10.