Wine country
Trip Start
Jan 17, 2006
1
18
19
Trip End
Ongoing
Mendoza, Argentina
Friday, July 28, 2006
The trip to Mendoza, 10 hours, was a doddle and we watched 3 movies en-route. My tolerance for buses has gone through the roof - no more flights from Dublin to Kerry for me I can tell you, Bus Eireann all the way! (I`m sure I`ll re-assess that one whenever I get back!)
Mendoza, located to the west of Argentina, is famous for its wineries - which is remarkable seeing as that the place is actually a desert!! There is hardly a drop of rain throughout the year and there are no rivers. Water comes via an ancient irrigation system from the nearby Andes which form a scenic backdrop to the city. Seeing as the place has such a reputation for it`s wines we thought it would be rude not to check them out! We did some wine-tasting where I hadn`t a clue of the difference by the end! 10 wines - tough going! `Bikes and wines` is a popular thing to do here also - consisting of hiring some wheels and visiting various bodegas! All good fun with the cycle back to base being a particular highlight!
Other than that we haven`t been up to a whole out around here. Our hostel here, Wincas, is one of the best we`ve been in and it`s a good place for chilling out - table tennis, Connect 4 etc!! There is a tremendous park which we visited the other day - the weather was pretty fantastic for this time of year and it was crowded. The amount of people out running, cycling, playing football etc. made me want to race around too...but I didn`t. We were paragliding this morning and there was plenty of wind this time, no worries there!! The people on before us were having some difficulties with their take-offs so I was a little apprehensive but needn't have worried. We soared like eagles and I have to say it was a great feeling! Must see if I can do a paragliding course when I get to Oz and fly on my own!
The people of both Cordoba and Mendoza have been among the friendliest we`ve encountered in our trip around SA. From taxi-drivers to waiters to the staff in our hostels, they have been really nice and much different from the `portenos` of Buenos Aires who seem to think of themselves as a little superior to the rest of the country - and possibly the continent! A bit like the way it is at home with the Dubs and the rest of the country! Ah, take it easy there lads, only joking...
The road to Chile via the Andes has been closed for the past 5 days due to heavy snowfall and so we`ve been waiting for that to re-open. Apparently it did so earlier today and that is great news seeing as we now have bus-tickets for tomorrow. Our flight to Oz is in 4 days time so we need to get there soon!!
