The Weather Against Us

Today, we were supposed to go horseback riding in the mountains, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans. When we woke up, it was pouring rain again, and there was thunder too, so it would have been way too dangerous to ride out. Instead, we took a taxi to some gigantic shopping centers. There are several big chains here like Makro and Disco, with up to 50 checkout lanes, so you know they’re selling a lot! :o) We also stopped by a mall, Falabella, which was really decked out for Christmas. Santa and all his reindeer were hanging from the ceiling, and there were garlands and ornaments everywhere. Other than that, we haven’t seen many signs that December is approaching. But we definitely got into the holiday spirit and bought two big Christmas stockings that can hold loads of gifts! ;o) It was still raining outside, so we decided to catch a movie and watched "In Good Company." We've discovered that Argentinians love bowling, so in the evening, we headed to a bowling alley to challenge some locals! :o) It cost 4 pesos per person per game, plus shoe rental. We still hadn’t been to a proper Argentine parilla restaurant, so we took a taxi to a well-recommended place from Lonely Planet. Parilla means grilled food. It turned out the restaurant didn’t have a menu but instead offered just two dishes they specialized in. We chose the one that came with seven different types of meat, salad, and bread. We started with the meats we recognized, but then it got a bit questionable as to what we were actually eating. Yup, we ended up trying some pretty unusual things, including a piece of beef nipple, intestines with questionable contents, and a cut of meat that comes from the rear end. Thanks for the meal! :o) The parilla for two, along with wine, water, and one cola, cost 24 pesos. After that feast, we felt the need to hit a bar for a nightcap. As mentioned before, drinks are super cheap here, so we’ve been frequenting the bars quite a bit! ;o)