We arrived in Mendoza about 6:30 am. by the time we managed to get off the bus and down to the luggage, there were three of our bags on the ground minus the forth large pack. You would have to have been through this to understand what goes on. All the bags are tagged before they are loaded onto the bus and you are given the matching end of the ticket. Then when you get off the bus there are men who unload the luggage and it is thier job to be sure you have the matching ticket before you get the bag. Sounds like a good system, right. Well this is South America and people here can be pushy. So the tidy theory goes thrown out the window when everyone starts shoving tickets at the and grabbing bags. We had never experienced this and have now developed a plan for it in the future. Back to the missing bag. We look and it is gone. The company says wait till 8:00, which actually means close to 9. Then I am told to get copies of my ticket, take that to the police station, and get a police report. So before we set off I check Theodore's feet, which he has been complaining of a lot. Appearantly his feet got wet and he had been in the same socks for two straight days. I found lots of blisters and some other concerning looking places. Nothing we can do for him except take his pack. We manage to find the police station, file a report, and get back to the bus station. While waiting my turn in line I spot what appear to be some English speakers outside, so i go get them to interpret. They end up being a couple of very nice German men studying abroad for a semester. They spoke German, English, and Spanish fluently, yeah! Bus company says wait two days. It is now after 10:00.
We speak with the local tourist office to get a map and brochures. Grab a taxi to the hostel, Sosa Haus. What can I say about Sosa Haus? It has comfy beds, but you still will not sleep. If you are looking for a party this is the place! The people are very nice, but cleanliness and quiet are not something they are familiar with. Adrian, lives and works there and is a great person. We settle into our room, 1 double bed and 1 twin. Now it is time to go in search of some nescessities, underwear and socks. Return to the hostel after stopping at the grocery store 1 block away. Yeah, showers and clean unders. We clean Theodore's feet and sit him outside in the sun. This foot thing does not go away with out a fight, we will come to find. Supper and colapse into bed.
I awake the next morning a complete snotty, sneezy mess. Guess who is highly allergic to the beautiful trees which line every street in Mendoza. The next few days are a blurr. AT some point we bought a few clothing items, found meds for me, which helped, and made multiple calls to the bus company.
By the following Monday we went to the tourist police who called the bus company for us. They were told if we went to the bus station we could speak with the director. This is a complete fabrication. After a week of waiting then at the bus station lots of argueing, we are told to wait there 10 minutes and he will be over to pay us the small amount to cover our pack, NO contents. We wait 20 minutes call back and are told to go to another town at 6 in the evening. That is it for me. I start screaming in both Spanish and English. The police soon arrive. I explain my problem and they completely understand. This is apparantly a normal tactic. The bus company knows you are traveling and will have to leave at some point and then they do not have to pay you at all. The police have no real authority to help me, but they call anyways. I tell them, "now you know they have said they will pay me tonight, so if I am back here screaming tomorrow you will know why." I have to say the police and tourist office we very nice and helpful, they just have no power in this situation. We did manage to get paid that night and move on to other things.
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