Our last minute Mendoza adventure was spurred by the after-affects of the earthquake. Since the city was still getting back on its feet, there was no immediate need for our irreplaceable expertise…what a better way to spend the weekend than a bus ride to Mendoza?

We left Vina del Mar at 10:30pm for the night bus. We got a sandwich, a cookie and some coffee…the comfy seats reclined and Mara kept getting hit on by the bus attendant. We traveled like royalty on our two story bus! I slept most of the way until our bus started rocking back and forth as we rode through the Andes. Although it was still dark outside you could see the towering mountain tops surrounding us as we rode through the winding roads. At one point I looked out the window and stared straight down the side of the mountain cliff. It would have been nice to take a day bus either there or back in order to see Andes in the day light. Still, very impressive. A few hours later we got to the Argentine border and had to pass through customs. After a scare that Mara didn’t have all her paperwork, we passed through successfully and then proceeded to take our luggage out for inspection. As the border control began searching everyone’s luggage, another person came around with a cup for tips. We were a little concerned why we had to tip the border control for doing their job…but as the tips piled up the border control became less and less specific about their inspection- All I got was a quick flashlight and glance in my bags. hmmm, interesting- so as long as I tip them well I can smuggle in my fresh fruit, animal products and bags of drugs? Good to know.  

We finally got back on the bus and on our way to Mendoza.

We pulled into the station around 6am and caught a cab to a hostel that we had pre-researched online. They had 3 spots open for Thursday night but not Friday and because one of the rooms was a suite, the total was a little pricey. Luckily there was a hostel right next door- we stumbled over and asked about rooms. There were actually beds available but since check out wasn’t until 10 am we couldn’t move into a room right away. As the sun slightly began to peak, Hostel Itaka invited us to put down our bags and eat some breakfast/chill until a 6 bed dorm opened up for us at 9 am. We had a selection of fruit, coffee, tea, rolls, these ammmmazing sugared croissants, dulce de leche (milk based caramel- which is famous and all over Argentina) and melons. We chowed down, used the bathroom and played a game of rummy at the hostel until a room opened up. We thankfully threw ourselves and our stuff down for an hour or so until we woke up ready to explore the town. We met in the main square with Nunu and his friend from Korea, Vanessa. After a yummy (and cheap!) lunch we decided to check out the zoo north of town…so strange. After a long cab ride we finally got there and ended up spending 3 exhausting hours walking around at this pitiful and depressing zoo. At the zoo we met Rosa, a female lion entrapped in a cage smaller than my room, monkeys on the loose in the tree swinging above your head and outside of their cage engaging in “monkey business”…let’s just say there seemed to be a lot of love in the air. On top of it there was a section that was more like a petting zoo with oversized hamsters and goats and even Santa’s reindeer! We left depressed, wanting to contact PETA, tired and really wanting some ice cream…we totally deserved it.

Thursday night after my wine infused ice cream (I had peach/syrah sorbet. YUM) we met up with Dan, who was on his way to Iguazu Falls, for a huge pasta dinner, wine and appetizers, all for under $10 dollars each- Just one of the perks of Mendoza…SO cheap (and apparently it’s even cheaper in Buenos Aires)

We ended the night after a few casual bar visits because we were waking up early for Hugo’s bike tours in Maipu Valley.

Friday

Friday started around 9am. After breakfast we met with 4 other people from our hostel and took the 15 peso (about 4 dollars) group transportation to Hugo bike rentals where we dished out $10 bucks for an all day bike rental, map and set out on our way. I rode a 3 speed cruiser that, so conveniently, got stuck on the hardest gear halfway through our 6km trek through wine country. Our first stop was Tempus Alba. A medium sized winery that exports primarily red wines. Pete and I shared a 6 wine flight of a Malbec rose, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah & Malbec.- Nothing to write home about, but a beautiful and modern winery with a nice rooftop tasting area/wine bar. We met one of the family owners, a nice looking younger guy who spoke some English. We chatted with him and spent a good hour enjoying the sunny day on the rooftop. Before we left stop 1, I made sure to bring Grandma Olive’s ashes out and introduce her to their Malbec fields :) I’m trying to take her wherever I go and let the woman do what she loved the most..TRAVEL. We continued biking to other small wineries, a wine museum, and an olive oil/liqueur/jam factory where we tried all kinds of artisanal jams, spreads, oil, balsamic vinegar, chocolate and some different liquors…definitely a needed mid day stop for a day filled with wine. The day of biking was amazing; filled with beautiful scenery, rows of vines and olive trees and a sure-fire work out! We finally called it quits around 6, took a bus back to the hostel and crashed for a well needed nap. That night we were too dead to even think about taking advantage of the Argentine nightlife, so we ended up going to the local mall and watched Alice in Wonderland the movie.

Saturday

Since we had been on the go nonstop the last two days, we spent Saturday just roaming the town and relaxing. Our group of 4 split up for the day- Pete and Nunu went adventuring around a mountain town out west and Mara and I did some shopping and went downtown to watch the Vendimia parade. Every year in the beginning of March, the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (the national grape harvest festival) occurs to mark the start of harvest in Mendoza. It’s a huge deal and is celebrated by a big parade, floats and a beauty competition of the 17 provinces of Mendoza. In lieu of the festivities, EVERYWHERE in Mendoza was marked with photos of all the beauty contestants. Cut outs lined the streets and photos took over the window displays in shops all over town. It was a little extravagant…but I mean, what’s the best way to celebrate the history and culture of Argentine wine?....How about the objectification of the female body? obviously- maybe that’s a signifier of why Argentina has one of the highest rates of eating disorders and plastic surgery. Still, a very busy and entertaining day in streets of Mendoza. After we overdosed on music, gorgeous women and crowds, we went to the main Plada Independencia to relax in the sun by the fountain. Also in the plaza is the MMAMM, el Museo Municipal del Arte Moderna de Mendoza, a small yet spacious modern art museum in the city. At the museum they exhibited an array of pieces that focused on the influence of digital photography and cinema in the arts. Following our dose of culture we decided it was time for lunch. We walked back to our hostel, which has a public restraint attached to it. Mara and I split a big salad and pasta dish and finished it off with some dessert, all for about 6 dollars. We relaxed by the pool at hour hostel, took a nap in the lounge chairs and rendezvoused with the boys around 7:30pm. We met some other American guys that are staying in Buenos Aires; where Nick and Ana, our friends from Chile, just returned to finish their program.  The guys were really chill and further convinced us that a visit to BA is a must! We spent the evening cooking some noodles at the hostel, played cards, ping pong and drank some beer together until 9:30 when we headed back to the bus terminal for our night bus to Vina del Mar. The trip back seemed a lot faster and before we knew it we were walking back to our little house on 2 Poniente. 3 full days and 2 nights was a perfect amount of time for a quick get-away. I would have loved to stay longer and do some more wine tasting and adventure activities like horse back riding, rafting etc. but you can only do so much when trying to stay on a budget.

So overall the trip to Mendoza was one of the 3 B’s : Bonita, Barato, y Bueno (pretty, cheap, and good)