Wine and white water

  Mendoza, Argentina
Friday, February 29, 2008

Arriving in Mendoza after a 14 hour nightbus ride from Bariloche we were pretty tired. However, after a short taxi ride to our apartment, we soon started to feel at home. We managed to book an apartment for the cost of a basic hostel elsewhere in Argentina and quickly felt confortable with our own kitchen, air conditioning and little patio for al fresco dining. All for about 8 pounds a night.

 
Mendoza itself was a charming city with wide boulevards, many parks and a hot climate that made Lola feel brave enough to take on white water rafting. The Mendoza region also produces around 75% of Argentina´s wine, so there were lots of bodegas (vineyards) for us to visit. We spent a day touring a few of the smaller bodegas, where they were happy to educate you on the production process and, more importantly, let you try their wines. It was a little disappointing, but understandable, that they only let you try the cheapest of their wines. On the whole the wines were good, but nowhere near as good as the stuff that we had been paying 1 or 2 pounds per bottle for in Buenos Aires. We did try a really good Chardonnay, which tasted a bit like Sauvignon Blanc (to PR), that we bought a bottle of and which can be seen in our al fresco dining picture. 




As the photos from previous locations show, Lola is really embracing the outdoor life and was keen to do some whitewater rafting in the 35c heat, so we organised a 3 hour excursion up in the mountains. Despite the heat of the day, once we were out on the water, soaked to the skin and exposed to the mountain winds, it felt pretty chilly. At the halfway break, Lola´s teeth were chattering and her hands were shaking. To warm her up again it was necessary to put hot rocks into her wet suit, which soon brought a smile to her face. Apparently the water was a 3+ difficulty rating and the photos do justice to how rough it was.