Tupungato, Lovely Argentine Town

I am in the town of Tupungato, in Mendoza Province, in western Argentina for my second visit in three years. My purpose was to visit the Sánchez family, whose criollo horsemanship was evident in the prior blog. I also wanted to enjoy small-town life in my usual fashion of walking around, meeting people and talking, and of course studying.

During my stay, I also visited the city of Mendoza, the capital of the province. The city center has such densely-shaded streets that I thought I was in another small town. Bad luck for all of you that I’m not a wine connoisseur, as this province is the Wine Capital of Argentina, and many of the best Argentine wines are produced from grapes grown in the region.

As a matter of fact, the two sons of Carlos Sánchez live on the grounds of a medium-size vineyard/vacation home/criollo horse-training center, where all three of them work full-time. Taking care of seventy horses is heavy work, and they are currently looking for another helper. But the aspect is stunning, with the Andes in the west—a splendid backdrop for the vineyards, and indeed for Tupungato itself.

Joining an extended family is usually not an easy task for me, or for many travelers, for that matter. As this was my second visit, I was warmly welcomed, treated to many maté-drinking sessions, and invited to a few large family gatherings. Indeed, the contrast between the ease of making friends with families here in Argentina and the challenges I face in doing the same in Thailand are the topic of my Week 10 video for my Add1Challenge. And yes—I am still studying Thai with enthusiastic energy! Here is the link to the “family video,” under three minutes, and with subtitles:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjg_HYcFH5E

And here are some photos and one video, which I hope you enjoy. Please sign your first name if you leave a comment.Read more