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Hola all!
I know it has been a little while, but I now have more experiences and stories to tell. On Friday, March 30 my friends Alex and Duncan and myself hopped on a bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. For those that don't know, Mendoza is on the western border of the country, just a little bit more north than Buenos Aires, and is very close to Chile. It is known mainly as being Argentina's wine ecountry, with a number of vineyards (one dating back to the late 1870s or so), but it also has a number of other outdoor activities like rafting, biking, and hiking to offer.
That said... after the thirteen hour bus ride there (trust me, if you do it overnight, it isn't nearly as bad) we arrived at about mid-day on Saturday. We headed to our hostel which was named La Cava, which doubled as a hostel and a bar (very convenient, I know). After checking in and getting somewhat settled we wandered toward the heart of downtown Mendoza to check it out. Mendoza definitely feels very different than BsAs. It felt as though it moved a little slower (even though people still
drive like maniacs), the sidewalks were wider and better kept (less dog crap too), and the tree lined streets were much more significant. We wandered around, got some lunch, headed to Plaza Independencia, wandered some more, and then headed back to the hostel to unwind from the strenuous activity and also to plan out our coming days (maybe we found out about that hostel bar...). That evening we went to a different area of Mendoza on calle Villanueva and actually decided to give this fancy looking Mexican restaurant a try because none of us had consumed any since our arrival over two months ago. Dinner was fun... different.. but fun. We enjoyed some margaritas and the quasi-Italian, Mexican food. I say Italian because my burrito (and Alex's enchilada) were both topped with some pasta sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. The food was good, just not quite Mexican, that's all. After, we went to a nearby pool hall, played a quick game and then just headed back to the hostel to call it a night because we had an "early" morning the following day.
The next day we were all up at 8:30 for breakfast and we were waiting for
our "9:00" shuttle pick up to head up into the Andes a bit and go on our 25km rafting adventure for the day. As we waited around playing cards the 9:00 turned into 10:00 and eventually into 11:00 and the wonderful lady at our hostel kept trying to call the company for us and help us out before they finally arrived at 11:30 when we were just about ready to give up on the whole thing. I guess it pays to have patience? Finally we were on our way. We saw some wonderful views of the Andes on our way up to the base area for the rafting company. We arrived, changed into our wetsuits complete with watershoes and some sort of jacket & helmet and hopped on the transport bus to the upper part of the river. All of the waiting and changing finally became worth it when we got in that raft and out into the river. The water sure was cold (being fed from the year-round snowcapped mountains) but it wasn't enough to detract from the amazing experience. Sadly I don't have any pictures of us rafting, either before or after, because I was just worrying about
La Cava
hostel & barkeeping my camera safe & dry. We had fun times out in the water though... some water fights, splashing, and battles were all part of the adventure. Three hours and 25km later we arrived back at the base, did some air drying (I forgot a towel), then headed back to Mendoza in our shuttle (with a little nap too).
Monday we got a little bit of a later start, taking our time with everything, and then eventually headed outside of town (where the vineyards are) for an afternoon of bikes & wine. Somehow _____ & wine seems to be a recurring theme, we'll see if that continues beyond this trip. Anyway, we got picked up at our hostel by the owner and operator of the company in his 1970 VW Wagon (see pictures). He was definitely an interesting character and very committed to making sure that everyone had a great time. We got out there, were given a map and some bikes and then we headed on our way. We decided to start with the furthest vineyard (10km) and make our way back from there over the four hours that we had. The ride started out not so great,
Andes!
view from the bus on the ride to rafting just a little confusion and some poor scenery, but eventually became beautiful as we were cruising down tree-lined avenues and looking out over the vineyards to the mountains behind them. First stop was Bodega Carinae, a newer French vineyard. We stayed there for a bit, enjoying a bottle of Malbec before moving on to a small tasting while talking to the fun, French owner (I can't tell you awesome it is to hear a French accent in Spanish, very intriguing). From there we made our way to Di Tomasso, Mendoza'a oldest vineyard. We did another tasting there, drinking it all of course, before heading to our final vineyard of the afternoon. We arrived too late to do the tasting with enough time to return so we decided to purchase a bottle and drink it while we relaxed outside and admired the vineyard (also see "Bienbebidos" sign below). Let me just say that the biking portion of the excursion definitely became more interesting as the day went on, as you can imagine. It was definitely a very fun and unique experience and I wouldn't do it any other way, it's really the perfect way to visit the vineyards.
The next
morning (Tuesday) I split up from my friends and got on a bus to Santiago (they were going south to San Rafael to do some camping and hiking). It was a beautiful bus ride through the Andes. Eight hours and a nice border visit later I was in Santiago for the night. I got to my hostel, Casa Roja, and then headed out exploring. First, I was starving, so I headed to this little corner restaurant and found out first hand about some comida chilena (Chilean food). I ordered something that sounded interesting, Chorillana, and what I proceeded to consume was probably the least healthy thing that I've done to my body (aside from a week in Cancun). I recieved a plate with a base coat of french fries, a 'healthy' layer of shredded carne with some sauteéd onion, all topped off with a fried egg and some sliced hotdog along the outside of the plate for appearance (see picture). It was absolutely delicous, after all, how could it not be? It had nothing healthy to offer me. mmmm. Anyway, I continued to wander around my little area of the city and take some pictures. It had a distinct feel
vw wagon
yeah, that's what we were picked up in the next day.. fun times to it that I can't exactly place or explain. It was just different, but not in a bad way.
The next day I got up and decided to do some further exploring. I walked from my hostel out toward a major street to look for a place to use the internet and then get some lunch. I was just walking along the sidewalk when I suddenly found myself around fully armoured policemen on horseback! As I had learned beforehand, there had been some student protests the previous week and it ended with hundreds of students being detained. Apparently there was some carryover and the policemen were clearly there to prevent any such demonstration from starting again. I kept on walking and it was only getting more & more intense. I never felt threatened or unsafe, it wasn't like that at all, it was just kind of... let's say... "on edge." I saw more on horseback, a bus full of military personnel, and even some sort of tank-type vehicle. Quite an experience to observe and document with my camera, it definitely made my brief stay in Santiago more enjoyable and worthwhile. I eventually found myself some lunch and then headed
bikes & wine
picking up our bikes and getting a map back to the bus station and got on the next bus to Valparaiso (1 & 1/2 hours).
Valparaiso, on the Pacific coast, was definitely the most unique feeling city that I visited during this trip. It all has to do with the mountains meeting the ocean. I'm finding it difficult to actually put into words so it's probably best that I let the pictures do the talking. Here's my best effort though... tons of winding streets, fun mini-mountains to walk up and overlook the city, and a lot more street art than I had seen in the other cities. I arrived, walked fifteen blocks to my hostel, El Yo Yo, checked in and then went to explore some city. I loved wandering around Valparaiso. Everyone was extremely friendly and it was simply a fun place to be. Later that night I met up with my friend Jocelyn that is studying there for the semester. We went out and met up with some of her friends at a little jazz bar and then headed out to another after that. It was a fun night. As much as I love making my own schedule and traveling alone, it was definitely nice
photo op?
trying to capture the biking "moment" if you will... don't worry, this was before any wine was consumed (note: check out duncan trying to flip the bird) to have someone there to introduce you to the nightlife. I had a blast, made it back to the Yo Yo and crashed for the night (early morning).
The next day I woke up and headed up into the hills of Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre where you can find some cool little shops, an old cemetary, and an ex-prison that is now a community center. It was an extremely interesting journey to say the least. That was how I spent the majority of my day on Thursday before I met up with Jocelyn and her friends again at night. While waiting for them that night, I got to go out in Viña del Mar, technically not part of Valparaiso, although it is less than 10 minutes away by bus. I found a little pizzeria that had a futbol game on so I decided to grab a pizza & a beer while I waited. I was quickly befriended by some nice Chilenos as we watched the game. It was awesome to be able to converse with them about everything from sports to politics to women. I picked up on some Chilean-isms and some insight into the rivalry between Argetina
wine country
hard to make out, but it's a nice shot of a snowcapped peak beyond a vineyard and Chile all while joking around and practicing spanish with these guys. From there I went out again for the night and eventually made it back safely to the good ol' Yo Yo. After a late start on Friday (accidentally), I was on my way retracing the map back to Mendoza.
Fun story about my hostel in Mendoza. I made it back to La Cava around midnight to find that there was a very different feel to it. Before it had been a hostel and a "bar" - meaning that they had a kitchen with some large refrigerators that they served beer out of (legally). Now, in the four days that I was gone, they had constructed an actual bar, rearranged the two living room areas, set up some music & video, and had actually made a pretty happening place. There wasn't an open seat in the house, not to mention an open bed. However, seeing as how I got close to them the last time I was there, they let me lock my stuff up in a closet upstairs and crash on the futon / sofa for the night for free. It was stunning to see how different
it was in just a matter of days. I absolutely love that place. There are four friends (two are siblings) all about mid-20s or so that went in on it together just over 2 months ago. They had fixed the whole place up (I saw pictures) and are now running there very own hostel. I spent the day Saturday, after buying a bus ticket for that evening and doing a little shopping, just hanging around the hostel and talking with the sister that was one of the owners. I had a blast getting to practice spanish, joke around with her, and learn about the process that it had been for them to open that place up. Before I left I even showed them that I can remove the cork from completely inside an empty bottle of wine with the power of my mind! I'll share it with you all this coming holiday season (Mom, Dad, Carol, & Jerry have already witnessed my supreme mental capacity). Needless to say I had a hard time pulling myself away from that place and making it to my bus. If I get a chance again while I'm here, I'm definitely going to make it
first stop
the french vineyard Bodega Carinae back to La Cava and spend some time with my Argentine friends.
From there the rest is boring history. I got on the bus Saturday evening, watched Blood Diamond onboard, slept, and arrived back in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning.
I had a blast this whole trip. Traveling alone was definitely a new experience and I loved every minute of it. I'm pretty sure I'm hooked and I can't wait to share my next experience with you guys.
Chau
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Dad
non-member comment
Wow
After seeing this, Mom will sign up fro another dose of Arg fro sure...we had a great time with you two weeks ago, maybe another venture is due. just kidding, but what a country, more cows than we see anywhere here,friendly people, some language barrier when not w/you, but we did ok i guess. Nice work on all your pix and on the captions. by the way does any class type activities happen in your future or more travel and pix may be the way to GO... Thanx see you in July....Daddio