Gringo catchers and parks

Mendoza is famous for it's trees, which line virtually every street and create a canopy - a ferngully of sorts in the middle of a dry and arid region. The photo below was taken from a high point in Parque de San Martin, a huge park that is located on the city's west end.


The trees and the hundreds of tiny canals or acequias that provide water for them define the city. The acequias are essentially open ditches made of stone or concrete located between the road and the sidewalk. Hence the name gringo catchers, where many a drunken gringo has ended up. The acequias are great except when they are filled with trash, then it rains and the streets are inevitably flooded. The photo below shows the entrance to Parque de San Martin.