Bloody Mendoza
Apologies in advance if this entry is a bit more scattered than usual, I might have a mild concussion. I'm ok though, nothing to worry about.
Last night I went to meet Molly, who I met in Santiago, at her hostel for dinner. Molly's had a string of bad luck, and had barely finished warning me about hanging out with her for fear that something awful would happen to me in her presence, when I hit my head very hard on an open steel window corner. (Though this sounds like something I would do when drunk, ironically I was totally sober.) I fell to the ground for a second, a bit stunned. When I touched my head I was surprised to see a little blood on my hand. So I touched it again to apply a little pressure, and when I pulled it away my entire palm was bright red. That's about when the blood started cascading down my face.
Fortunately, there was a Brazilian doctor and an American nurse staying at the hostel (both women), and they attended to me quickly. Though it hurt really badly, I didn't cry, just felt stunned. Everyone else around me seemed to be panicking a bit, which made me think I should be worried, but more than anything I just felt like a clumsy idiot, and started laughing at myself. After about five minutes the bleeding stopped, so I had the hostel owner cancel the taxi he'd called to take me to the hospital. The nurse assured me that head wounds bleed a lot more than normal ones, and helped me clean the gash and wash the blood from my hair.
I asked her if there was anything I could do if it turned out I had a concussion and she said no, not really, just wait it out. So I went to dinner with Molly anyway, and after about an hour the swelling went down, and the feeling that something was growing out of the side of my head subsided. So I had a nice dinner (though I was glad I wore black so the bloodstains on my shirt weren't as visible), and decided to have a drink with Molly afterwards.
I'd asked the nurse about it, and she said if I wasn't feeling dizzy a glass of wine would be ok, so I had a caipirinha. Hanging out with Molly was a lot of fun; she's lived an interesting life and we got along really well. It can be difficult to meet really cool girls (though I've had a lot of luck with that on this trip), and neither of us wanted to return to our separate hostels because the conversation was so nice.
The people at my hostel were really understanding; checkout time was 10am, but they told me to sleep as late as I felt like I needed to. This morning I definitely feel a little out of it, a little slow, like moving underwater a bit. My head is sore but not painful, and I am slightly dizzy if I walk too much. I'm ok though, there is absolutely no reason to worry, I am taking it easy this afternoon. I plan on having a mild late lunch, and sitting in the 400 acre park in town, and reading a book.
I am glad that I took a wine tour yesterday instead of waiting for today. Mendoza is known for its wines, particularly Malbecs, which I learned when touring a winery, a vineyard, and a boutique olive oil producer. I have been holding off on buying souvenirs because I didn't want to carry them this whole time, but I bought a bottle of Malbec at the vineyard since I am nearing the end of my travels. I have an overnight bus back to Buenos Aires tonight, and look forward to returning to one of my favorite cities tomorrow.