The vacation continues

Sara and Kathy knew exactly what the energy saving device was: put the door key into a slot to turn on power to the suite...lights, air conditioning, the whole shebang. Interesting concept that I'm not wholly in favor of, since it means we always return to a hot, stuffy suite. I made sure we found a place with air conditioning (not necessarily a given here) only to find out we can only run it when we're in the room. Live and learn.

We've enjoyed an even more laid-back vacation, due to car troubles keeping us in the northwest quadrant of the city. Thought we were going to have to have the alternator rebuilt but after a day in the shop, they discovered it was merely a faulty relay/switch (an expensive relay/switch, or maybe it was just the labor that was expensive). While the car was in the shop we walked or took public transportation; fortunately we're really close to downtown so we enjoyed window shopping and people watching.

Tina is on a quest to find boots but this is the wrong time of year for that so we've learned to go in and ask if they have boots stored in the back. Selections are limited and she hasn't found a pair she 'loves' yet so the quest continues.

The car was done by noon today and we took a drive south of the city. Once again people lined the streets to wave and shout at us

...along with the vehicles participating in the Dakar race. When we stopped for lunch there were some trucks there, including this support vehicle ready with extra tires.

We tried to take photos of the Andes but it's so dry that swirling dust obscures views of the higher, snow-capped mountains in the distance. Did get some good photos of the farming area just south of here though. 

I have to admit, though, that mostly I've been taking photos of doors. I have a thing for doors and they have some really beautiful and unusual ones here. I've also been on the lookout for ugly dresses but haven't had much success with that. Most clothing stores have casual summer clothes on display. Good thing Tina grabs the camera occasionally or I'd have a very boring Project 365 post come Sunday!

We've discovered I have a very special talent -- for sniffing out the best desserts in town! We learned today that our favorite bakery is considered the best in Mendoza. It's a gift, I tell you, a gift. Ivan says the cake is the best he's ever had in Argentina. It was pretty amazing: dense chocolate cake on the bottom, a fluffy and fruity filling, a thin layer of chocolate mousse and chocolate shavings on top.

I rate vacations by the quality of desserts. Mendoza is my favorite vacation so far.