When we started our traveling adventure 18 months ago, we thought about all the countries we hoped to visit. We were eager to learn about the language, people and cultures of these countries. We did think about our physical safety in these countries, but never did we envision that a pandemic might endanger us.

Since our arrival in Mendoza, Argentina, two weeks ago the Coronavirus has been on our minds constantly. We cannot avoid it. After much deliberation, we decided to stick with our original plan to leave Chile and go to Mendoza, Argentina. We barely made it here before the doors to Argentina slammed shut.

We are fine. All the friends we are in touch with are fine. Mendoza, a city of one million, only has 5 confirmed Coronavirus cases and 29 pending cases. But we don’t feel completely safe because there may be many, many unconfirmed and asymptomatic cases. And, actually, our worst fear is that one of our family members becomes seriously ill and we won’t be able to fly to Iowa, Illinois or Florida to see them.

Initially, the lockdown was from March 10^th until March 31^st, but the government extended the lockdown for an additional 15 days until April 12^th.

Lockdown means we are confined to our apartment. We are allowed out only to go to the grocery store, bank or pharmacy (and only one family member at a time). No walks, no sitting in a park or even riding a bike. There are other exceptions, but they do not apply to us. The businesses that remain open limit the number of people in their stores at one time and lines of people waiting to enter form outside. If the police who are patrolling the streets question us and we don’t have a good reason for being outside, they will fine us. We now carry our passports in case we are stopped and need to prove that we entered the country before the date that foreigners became subject to 14-days of total self-isolation.

When one of us does walk to the market, we feel like we are in a science fiction movie. The streets are deserted. The bars and nightclubs are silent. Restaurants are dark, although some will send take out by delivery services. It’s as if a bomb went off that destroyed human life but left the buildings standing.

All flights into the country are banned, flights within the country and intercity bus routes are also canceled. There are checkpoints at province borders stopping all travel in the country without government permission.  The U.S. Embassy has assisted with a few flights to the U.S. from Buenos Aires but we are told they will end very soon.

Everyone who can is working from home. Those who can’t (like market and pharmacy workers) are allowed to go to and from work. Public transportation is running on reduced schedules, but residents may use buses to get to work, the grocery store or the doctor.

The markets are well-stocked, even with toilet paper (maybe because many apartments have bidets). Food is still plentiful. Stickers on the floor mark the two-meter space we are to maintain between people as we wait in line to checkout. Schools, universities, gyms, public events, movie theaters, sporting events, concert halls, bars, and cafés are closed.

Our new routine

Before the pandemic, we would catch up on the news in the morning, have a leisurely breakfast and head out to a coffee shop for a latte or cappuccino. Later we would explore the city, take a tour, and discover new neighborhoods or parks. Finally, in the evening we would either go to a restaurant to try the local cuisine or cook dinner in our apartment. Each day we looked forward to a new experience or adventure. Well, that has certainly changed.

Since last week, we still catch up on the news every morning. We spend several hours reading the local news, updates on the coronavirus, and follow the news in the United States and Minnesota. Daily news of the coronavirus is so overwhelming. News is changing rapidly, almost hourly, both the local news here in Argentina and in the world. We never really “catch up” although we are constantly on our laptops reading everything we can about this epidemic’s effect on the world.

The main things we miss are fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. We are fortunate that here in Mendoza the weather is sunny and warm every day. Since we are isolated in our apartment, the highlights of our days are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We stocked up on groceries and cook three meals a day. We had to dust off our old favorite recipes to provide some variety in our meals.

Lindsey, our favorites personal trainer in Minneapolis, has started virtual training sessions using ZOOM. So, every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday we dial her up and begin one-hour workouts. Not only has it provided us physical activity but also a social connection with the other workout participants. It gives us a chance to see and talk with some of our friends back home.

We also continue to take Spanish classes with our teacher, Carmen, who lives in Ecuador. Each week we read a couple of chapters of a Spanish novel and discuss it with her in our Skype classes.

There are times during the day when we stand on the balcony of our 7th-floor apartment and look down at the tree-lined streets and wonder, what is it like out there? It feels like we’re in one of those zombie movies where people are trapped in their homes and dare not to go out for fear of what might happen. We occasionally see a person walking down the street. Such a beautiful city that we can’t explore.

Every evening at 9 p.m., we stand on our balcony and applaud with the other residents to show our gratitude for the valiant, dedicated healthcare workers. Yesterday, the grocery store cashier asked me simply, “Todo bien?” (“All good?”) I replied, “Si. Todo bien. Y para ti?” (“Yes. All good. And for you?”) She smiled, “Todo bien.”

We have taken a “this too shall pass” philosophy and are focusing on what staying calm and feeling at peace with our difficult decision to stay here. This pandemic will end and, hopefully, on the other side, all of us can craft a better world.

A little bit about Mendoza, Argentina

When we arrived in Mendoza, life seemed pretty normal. People were starting to practice social distancing and the government was considering closing its borders, which it did two days later. The total lockdown went into effect on March 20^th. So, for a few days, we were able to walk around and explore the city.

Mendoza is in western Argentina (across the country from Buenos Aires) just east of the foothills of the Andes mountains. The two main industries of this area are olive oil and wine. It is considered the wine capital of South America and one of the top wine-producing regions in the world. As we entered the city, we saw miles and miles of vineyards. One vineyard after another. Just like the large cornfields of Iowa and Minnesota, the vineyards are huge, spreading out over hundreds of acres.

Our apartment is located close to the central historical district where the restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and some lovely parks are located. Argentina is known for its grilled meats and empanadas. But there is also a lot of Italian influence in the Argentinian cuisine. We ate at two restaurants serving Italian-Argentinian fusion dishes. They were very fresh and tasty.

As you would expect, the wine here is good and inexpensive. Locals eat dinner late (by our standards). People start trickling into the restaurants around 8:30-9:00 pm. In some bars and restaurants, happy hour runs until 9 or 10 pm. We ate two wonderful entrees and dessert, along with four glasses of wine for less than $25 dollars. A glass of wine in a restaurant costs as little as $1.50. A nice bottle of wine in the grocery store can cost under $3.00. Of course, we have taken advantage of that.

Trees lining the streets and sidewalks provide shade from the hot sun. In our short stay here, temperatures have been as high as 91 degrees. Life here seems to move at a nice, moderate pace. Most businesses don’t open until 9 a.m. or later.

We will be in our apartment here in Mendoza at least until April 12^th. We may not stick around after the lockdown is over, so we won’t know much more about lovely Mendoza other than what we can see from our balcony.

However, we must give thanks to the people we crossed paths with who were polite and cordial although they may have been afraid of the Americans who might pass the virus to them. Also, thanks to our Airbnb host, Valeria, who did not close her apartment to us and allowed us to stay longer. We read stories of Americans in other places who were treated poorly or with nowhere else to go and were kicked out of hotels, hostel and apartments due to locals’ fear of them. During our travels, 99% of the people we have met have been kind and helpful and the same is true during this pandemic.

We hope everyone who reads this is also safe.  We are thankful to the people in the U.S. and all around the world who work in the medical field, grocery stores, food delivery, bus drivers and many more who continue to work and care for the rest of us during this difficult period.