Day of Adventure

The lonely road to Villavicencio, we are headed to the hills in the background. This was the old entrance to the road leading to the hotel. The name Villavicencio is a word famous here in Mendoza. It is the name of the brand of water bottles we buy here of the missionaries. The water bottling plant is right before this entrance. Villavicencio has natural sources of mineral water.

The ladies. Sister Jarvis (finances) Me and Sister Brown (nurse). We were celebrating Sister Brown's birthday.

The men. Elder Brown (All around fix it man, runs the bookstore) Elder Jarvis (personal secretary), and President.

Llamas and Alpacas of Argentina can be seen wild in the dessert and mountain areas. This pet was trying to get a kiss, that is until the camera flashed.

Just checking out the Asado (BBQ). You will not find a gas BBQ anywhere in Mendoza. Most homes have these type of barbeque's in their yard.

President standing on the entrance road to the Villavicencio Hotel.

In 1940 the Hotel de Villavicencio was built and was a spa center for visitors around the country. The hotel was closed in 1978. There has been talk that the hotel will be restored and double in size by 2012, but with the recession that may not happen.

Remember Jurassic Park, well this bridge is just as scary to cross, but you had to use it to get to the lovely gardens on the other side of the creek.

These are some of the garden areas that the hotel guests would stroll through. There were numerous stone ponds (dry now), but you could tell that in its day the grounds must have been lovely.

There were numerous areas for wonderful photos. We kept thinking what a lovely place it would be for a wedding.

You can't see it, but the hotel is framed in the arch. I would love to have some gardens like these in the states. The stone work is fabulous and in great shape. They spent a lot of money on this place, it is sad to see it not being used for something. But believe me it is way out in the boonies and I am sure it is too far for the locals. The only ones to visit are tourists. The hotel sits in the mountains and so the air is wonderfully clear and fresh and I am sure is cool in the summer.

A beautiful chapel on the hotel grounds.

The detail on the painting is wonderful. You can see on the left where some of the paint has chipped off. It is sad to see the deterioration.

Coming back from Villavicencio. A beautiful day for a ride.

Next we visited the Las Heras Cemetery. The place was quite large. I have never seen anything like it at all. There were huge buildings that were 4 stories high that all contained these slots where the coffins are placed.

These areas were quite well cared for, and definitely the area where the rich families buried their dead. Below is a picture I took through one of the windows in the mausoleums.

This area went on forever. Many of the crosses are only marked with a number.

Sister Brown reading about a child buried there.

Inside the family mausoleum. There are usually shelves on both sides to hold the caskets. The photos make it very personal. I would love to hear the stories of the lives of these people. A very Italian family, probably came across from Italy and became involved in the vineyards.

Some of the areas were not in very good repair. It looks like many of the coffins have been vandalized. I thought the wagon to carry the coffins was quite unique.