After sampling wines in Argentina's Mendoza grape-growing region in February -- and after learning that I could buy a bottle of this wonderful wine for about $6 in the grocery store -- I had to bring some home with me.

I had never brought back food products from foreign travels before, so I wasn't sure what the rules were.

Online research at Argentine Internet cafes didn't help. All I could determine was that I couldn't take it in my carry-on bags. It would have to be checked with my luggage.

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You know how, when you're having a tooth drilled at the dentist or in some other unpleasant situation and they always tell you to "go to your happy place" or imagine you're somewhere nice?

Well, this picture shows one of two places I send my mind in such situations. It's the Andes mountains. Not the highest, but the longest mountain range in the world. The backbone of an entire continent. The range those little mints in the green wrapper were named for.

My happy place.

(The other, in case you're wondering, is Cowans Gap State Park, where my family would go camping each summer growing up. See this entry from last summer.)

Where's your happy place?

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I decided the best way to shake my post-Argentina funk would be to list all the things I'm thankful for about the USA, things that can be irritating about Argentina:

*Here, the toilets have sufficient water pressure that you can toss your toilet paper in the bowl rather than into a trash can.

*Many places in the US are now non-smoking.

*Here, I am allowed to blog at work. In Argentina, I can't access my blog from Internet cafes anywhere.

*Most restaurants here don't have a separate charge for silverware/plates and extras such as butter for your rolls.

*Fitted bed sheets. None of the beds we slept on had fitted bottom sheets. This means when you wake up in the morning, chances are you're lying on the bare mattress because the sheet has shifted or come entirely off the bed during the night.

Unfortunately, that's all I can think of right now.

I'm sure if I lived in Argentina or stayed for longer I'd find many more items for the list, but right now, all I can think about are the $3 bottles of magnificent wine sold in the supermarkets, the friendly people and sense of community, the flan with dulce de leche, and the grand bustle of Buenos Aires life.

So much for that little useful exercise.

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Each of the past three days, I have asked myself this question: "Why am I having such a hard time readjusting?"

I was pretty happy and content with my life before going to Argentina, but since my return, I can't seem to get back into things.

Saturday, I thought: "Where are all the people?"

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The one thing that really left Laura and me steamed about our two-week trip to Argentina is the following assumption:

You live in the U.S. + You're traveling internationally = You're rich

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The guidebooks and tour guides always warn you not to take pictures of soldiers, policemen, government buildings or other such subjects when traveling abroad. They might think you're a spy, or that you're using the images for no good, I guess.

I know this rule. But while flipping through the images in my camera, I noticed I must have violated it without realizing I did. (Doubleclick on the photo to see it larger)

You see, the architecture in Buenos Aires is amazing -- this coming from a girl who knows nothing about architecture and typically has little interest in it -- and so I began snapping pictures of cool buildings and architectural details.

That's what I was doing here. But I guess someone got the wrong idea.

At least I didn't get arrested.

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After more than a week in Argentina, my friend Laura and I were starting to feel a little frumpy compared to the Argentine women (and men, for that matter).

Not to mention sticky, sweaty and downright gross -- thanks to the 98 percent humidity in Buenos Aires that our Northeast-US bodies weren't accustomed to.

Our hair in perpetual ponytails, we passed one hair styling salon after another with prices that would put Cost Cutters to shame.

But we were nervous.

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I know it might sound weird, but one of my favorite things to do when visiting a foreign country is to browse through a grocery store.

I've found that it's one of the best ways to see what the people in a certain place eat and use, what is and isn't available, and how much things cost.

It's also a cheap way to pick up your favorite local items, rather than paying the marked-up tourist prices in souvenir or airport shops.

Here's what I bought yesterday:

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They say travel broadens your horizons and expands your mind. So, in that spirit, I share with you the things I learned today:

*Olives used for olive oil are different than the ones you eat

*It's difficult to find an ugly Argentine man (or woman, for that matter)

*Don´t wear flip-flops when it´s raining in Argentina (this lesson courtesy of my friend Laura) (in case you´re wondering why, the reason is that many sidewalks are made from slippery tile or slate)

*Flan is better when eaten with dulce de leche

*9 p.m. is too early to go to dinner

*It´s easier to speak Spanish when you´ve had some Argentine wine (this lesson also courtesy of Laura -- Me? I find it more difficult to speak English when I´ve had some wine)

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Today was nearly perfect. Here´s why:

*Good coffee when I had to wake up way too early (before sunrise) to go to the mountains

*Good book to read while I waited to get picked up to go to the mountains (things aren´t very punctual here)

*Cool mountain air and refreshing breeze

*Feeling like I was flying through the mountains when we went up on ski chairlifts for a better view

*Eating a dark chocolate Hershey Kiss when you´re climbing thousands of meters above sea level and experiencing altitude fatigue that makes your legs feel like Jello and your lungs like lead

*Scooping pure, refreshing mountain water from a stream into my hand and drinking it when thirsty

*Giving way to mid-afternoon drowsiness as the sun pours in the bus window and waking up 20 minutes later totally refreshed

*Resting my eyes on some of the most magnificent mountains you´ll ever see in your life and feeling completely content and at peace (it puts things in perspective)

*Talking with and becoming friendly with the people who live here

*Eating a dinner of salad, fresh trout, empanadas, rolls & butter, a bottle of wine AND dessert for less than $18 at an outdoor table of a local restaurant

*Walking home at midnight and seeing families still out and about in the main plaza, relaxing and enjoying the perfect weather

Hasta manana.

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Monday evening, while walking back from a late dinner at a street cafe in downtown Buenos Aires, we passed a group of children sitting on the sidewalk in front of McDonald´s (yes, they´re everywhere), digging through black plastic bags.

At first, I didn´t understand what was going on. But as I got closer, I caught a whiff of old hamburgers and trash.

Then, my heart almost broke when I saw a little girl -- she couldn´t have been more than 8 years old -- tucking some of her finds into a tiny pink backpack for later.

I know this happens more than I´d like to think, and in my own country, too. But in all my travels, US and abroad, it was the first time I had seen that with my own eyes.

Needless to say, it made me very sad.

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Sorry about the lapse in posts. I was super-busy getting ready to leave for two weeks in Argentina and putting the finishing touches on a story that runs this coming Sunday (24th - check it out!) while I´m gone, so I apologize.

To make up for it, I am taking a bit of my vacation time to check in and write a few words. I am typing this on a very cruddy keyboard with funky symbols (although I´m sure once I get used to it, it would come in handy when I do Spanish translations and have to type in Spanish).

I don´t think i´ll be adding pictures to these posts until later (too difficult and limited computer time) so you´ll have to be content with words until I return and can spiff up these posts with pictures.

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Two months after we first started talking about taking a mid-winter trip, my college friend Laura and I have decided to head south instead.

It's not that we both don't want to visit Italy (see previous entry here). It's just that we're worried it might be a bit chilly, a bit expensive (what with the Euro kicking the dollar's you-know-what in exchange rates) and a bit, well, typical.

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