Perils of Biking and Wining
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2010
1
15
55
Trip End
Feb 20, 2011
Mendoza, Argentina
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Another day we bussed out to Maipu, the more popular winery area, and rented bikes for a tasting tour. Now, Dan and I have biked through Sonoma many times. I'm not sure if we were expecting a perfectly replicated experience or not, but I can tell you that this was nothing like our
time in Sonoma.
First, the bike tour is no more than 20 kilometers round trip, and when we first started off there was a bike path set apart from the 2-way street, all was A-OK. But then the bike path disappeared. HOLY SCHNIEKES if you've ever driven with South American drivers, its frightening to be in the car, yet alone sharing the road with them on a bike.
Second, our guide book and other tourists all warned, make sure you rent good bikes. Ummm yeah, that's not really possible based on the inventory we saw. We were lucky to find a bike with good breaks. Dan actually finagled one with shocks, and as a consolation prize, they gave me a cheap plastic basket.
Now, imagine the scene here: dust flying everywhere, we're coughing up a storm and our eyes are tearing up, commercial trucks are speeding by, for kicks the drivers honk as they pass by, the road getting narrower and narrower... and where are the damn wineries!
After countless near-death experiences on our rickety bikes, we finally came to Tomasso's winery and restaurant. After some Patagonian lamb and Cab Sav, we were ready for more death-defying wine tasting. Rough biking conditions didn't seem so bad on the return, even when my cheap plastic basket flew off unexpectedly. Funny how that works after throwing a few back.
So yeah, its not quite the serene country roads of Sonoma, but all the same Maipu packs a punch.
--Dana
