Words can not begin to describe the adventure we just had, but this post will attempt to scratch the surface. The adventure was born somewhere at the end of 2011 on the butcher paper tablecloth of Macaroni Grill in downtown Salt Lake.
Almost every day of 2012, we have planned and schemed and tried to save money for our Argentine adventure. Our original butcher paper trip turned out a little differently than we planned, but it was perfect. We left Christmas day and flew to Santiago, Chile--took a bus over the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina--night bus to Cordoba, Argentina (where Thayner served his mission)--flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina--flight to Bariloche, Argentina (Patagonia)--back to Buenos Aires--home January 11. Let me fill you in on the details!
Top two pictures: we traveled, a LOT. Bus, plane, train, car, walking, hiking with our bags for miles...you name it...we did it.
Bottom left: The highlights of Mendoza were a) the 95 degree weather, b) riding bicycles through endless vineyards, and c) getting asked a million times WHY we wouldn't drink the wine at the wine tastings. Our tour guide informed us that certainly it would be okay if we just swished some wine around in our mouths to really get the full experience and then just spit it out. Surely, that would be fine, wouldn't it? See you later Mendoza!
Bottom right: This is what we discovered to be the "completo effect". In my hand is a Chilean completo--a hot dog covered in avocado, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. DELICIOUS, right? I loved those things on my mission SO much. As we bit into our completos, we couldn't help but have the feeling "hey, this is pretty gross". And thus, the completo effect is born. Sometimes we tend to idealize or romanticize the past and going back to it can be disappointing. I'm pretty sure completos were delicious while I was in Chile, but they are part of my past (a delicious part) and will probably remain in the past the rest of my life. It's always a little interesting and melancholy to experience the "completo effect", but it's a necessary part of life that keeps us progressing and moving forward.
Dean Funes. A pueblo in the middle of absolutely nowhere. As we were driving up to Dean Funes, Thayner described the town as "absolutely worthless, with no reason to even exist". Dean Funes also happens to be the town where Thayner began and ended his mission, where he learned to love and serve, where he became the amazing man he is today, and where his favorite Argentine family lives. Worthless? I don't think so.
Top left: We went to the branch in Dean Funes. Let's be honest, teenage girls cried when they saw him come in. It was like one of the Beatles showing up. The aforementioned Beatle would probably have to show up somewhere in England or the U.S. because I don't know if anyone in Dean Funes would recognize a Beatle. Nonetheless! They really love Thayne there. Thayner and I both spoke in sacrament meeting and Thayne taught sunday school. That sunday school lesson might be my favorite moment on the adventure. He will kill me for writing this but he taught through the Spirit with such clarity, power and love. That lesson really showed me what kind of a missionary he was (and continues to be) and I fell head over heels completely in love and in awe of my handsome husband again.
Top and bottom right: This is a lamb. The Contreras family (Thayne's favorite Argentine convert family) killed the fatted calf for our arrival. For the two days we were with them, we ate an entire lamb, a few chickens, a million empanadas, and eight gallons of ice cream. We are so grateful for their kindness and sacrifice on our behalf.
Bottom left: These little cuties are the familia Cabrera. They have been members of the church for a million years and let us sleep at their house in Dean Funes. They treated us like royalty. As you can tell, they are hilarious and very romantic.
Before we knew it, it was off to Buenos Aires. What a great city. We walked the pick-pocket-ridden streets of La Boca, snuggled in front of the temple, people-watched in the ginormous and gorgeous park, walked a million miles, took in a tango show on the main street, ate the best meal of our lives in Palermo, and pilgrimeged to the grave of Eva Peron (socialist leader who is played by Madonna in one of our favorite movies ever). It was a million degrees every day, and we enjoyed every second of it.
Ah, the Patagonia. It makes me feel so cool to say I lived there for 1.5 years. People think I was wearing spandex and colorful fleece zip-ups while summiting volcanoes and riding penguins in Antarctica...almost, but not quite. The Argentine Patagonia is stunning, but much drier than the Chilean side but thankfully with all the same fleas. Thayner fished and I read marvelous books on the bank. We hardly saw anybody all day out in nature and then we'd come home to our separate bunk beds with six other Latins in a creepy log cabin in a town with 40 residents on a lake (aka setting for a horror movie). We were the first Americans to ever stay there (probably the title of the horror movie).
All in all, I'm going to say this trip was a resounding success. We only got mad at each other one time on the last day about the cleanliness of a certain white shirt of his. Ridiculous argument that was over as fast as it was stupid. What a blessing and opportunity to explore and understand this country and people that means the world to Thayne. I love putting faces and places with the stories I hear and I understand to a greater extent why Thayner is the way he is. His service as a missionary in Argentina changed him and I am forever grateful that I understand his story a little better. We have story after story of animals running wild at the zoo, dead bodies outside our hostels, the worst, cheese-filled dinner of our lives, bank strikes, and diarrhea, but you can ask us about those, this post is meant to give you a taste of the delicious adventure that was Argentina.
