Mendoza - wine and mountains
Trip Start
Jul 15, 2004
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24
27
Trip End
Jul 15, 2005
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Mendoza, Argentina
Thursday, April 7, 2005
I arrived a couple of weeks ago, after stopping in Buenos Aires again for a a couple of days from Patagonia. They were quiet days, and I had intended for quiet early nights, but I ended up meeting this lovely English girl called Jo, who was on her last two nights in South America, so we drank wine and swapped stories. The first night was fine, but the second night I should have known better...I do know better, really I do..but going to bed at 2am is a bad idea when you must be up at 5am to catch your 13hr bus to Mendoza. I managed it though, and got to the station on time, to discover my bus was 1/2 late. My head was throbbing, my eyes couldn`t stay open and I wasn`t really sure I was on the right platform. I had high expectations for this bus...afterall, Argentinian buses are generally good for long trips. Hmmm, generally. I paid 77 pesos (about $30 AUS) and the bus was in all honesty, the second worst in Argentia. I say second worst, because the worst was definitely that trip we made to Iguassu Falls in October, where the bus had the `mishap with the bird` and we had to change to the equivalent of a local bus at 2am. This bus was one step away from being sent for use in Northern Brasil...Luckily I had two seats for most of the trip, but this was a long trip. Turned into 16 hours, and we had just one 20 minute stop in all that time. A word of advice to people going to Argentina, NEVER travel T.A.C! Plus I now know it was overpriced, I have a trip back to Buenos Aires booked on a full Cama bus (your seat is a full on bed, and you get meals and movies etc) for only $15 more...and I suspect, this bus will make it on time, not 16 hours!
So, I arrived in Mendoza, a little weary and had to deal with the Taxi drivers...who are a bit of a pain in this part of the world. For a start, they never get out of their car, even to open the boot of the car for your pack. You have to try and fit it into the car...no easy thing. Secondly, most of them have no idea where anything is...it took three to know where my hostel was, even with a street address and even though this place is on a main road in the centre of town! At 10.30pm, I was not in the mood! Finally, I arrived at the hostel and met my friend Sarah, who I had met in Buenos Aires...we were meeting in Mendoza to celebrate my birthday on the Monday. It was great to be with a friend. The hostels were fully booked because it was Easter weekend or Semana Santa here. We were not it the best, it was so noisy and what is more, the bunk beds were definitely childrens beds, but it wasn`t the worst by far...and that night, I could have probably slept in the doorway of the hostel if there hadn`t been a bed, I was so tired.
The next day, I got to look around Mendoza. I had heard so many great things about this city from other travellers and it has a reputation as a chilled out town with lots to do. It is situated at the base of the Andes, and near the highest mountain in South America, Aconcagua. It is most famous as the best wine growing area in Argentina and one of the best in South America. The city is very green, lovely streets all tree lined, and now it is autumn, they are starting to change colour. It is still lovely and warm though, not unlike Perth in autumn. There are some beautiful plazas and a great park. So all in all, it has a lot going for it. Also, you can get into the mountains and do some adventurous things.
Sarah and I organised some adventure activites for my birthday, but for the first few days, we took it easy, and did some cultural things, like shop (I maintain shopping in a foreign country is cultural!!) and go to a tango dinner. I love tango, really love watching it. I have had only one lesson back in Buenos Aires and that was hilarious...not because I couldn`t do it, but because my instructor was explaining to me how the movement with Tango was all directed by the subtle movements of the man`s torso and I had to learn to feel this. You have to smile when the guy looks like this guy did (very non-ugly, hotbod, wearing a white singlet top!) and then asks you to close your eyes for one song while you dance to learn to `feel it`. I felt like I was having a `Dirty Dancing the movie` moment...so of course I couldn`t stop giggling! Thank god I had one lesson...because at this dinner show I suddenly got asked to dance by one of the dancers...thankfully, I didn`t make a total fool of myself because I remembered the basic steps...but no flashy leg work for me just yet!
Sunday we went whitewater rafting, which was Sarah`s first time. It was a bit of a bus ride into the mountains, where we finally reached the point to begin the rafting. Getting started always seems to take forever, getting the protective clothes on, lifejacket and always attractive helmet, plus the safety talk...i.e. don`t fall out. While it was quite warm in Mendoza, the weather up in the mountains was a little cooler, and so I was imagining the water was not going to be warm either. It was the Mendoza River we were rafting down, with rapids about level 3. Of course you never stay dry rafting, even if you stay in the raft, and within about 30 seconds of hitting the first rapid, I found out how cold the water was. Our guide, Esteban, was a funny guy, he got us to do crazy things like stand up in the raft, and once he found out it was to be my birthday the next day, said he had a special job for me. This special job involved our attempt to ´surf the rapid´ which is trying to stay on the rapid by paddling upstream against the water...see crazy, when it goes wrong the raft will flip. I was to kneel right at the front of the raft to add weight (yeah, I should be offended I know...), which was supposed to help. I´m an idiot, the last words I heard were...`I recommend keeping your mouth shut` which were good words of advice as the front part of the raft and my head disappeared under the rapid. Of course, I was laughing too much and so swallowed a good portion of freezing cold Mendnoza River water, and was soaking wet too! The water was bloody freezing, but it is a good laugh. I always seem to get picked on, not sure why that is...being goofy is apparently obvious to everyone! I thought that was it, but was silly, because at the end when we were in the calm water I was suddenly picked up by Esteban and thrown out and into the water! So, just when I thought I couldn`t be wetter, I was. Drowned rat would be a fair description. God it was cold! But a lot of fun. While I was being taken away by the current, the group in the raft sang happy birthday to me....it sure beats standing around a cake!
The next day was my birthday...yep 32 years old...eeck, I can hardly believe it! Plus, my first birthday away from home. I decided to mark it by doing something I had never done before, and was scared to do...rapelling/abseiling and rockclimbing. I am a little scared of heights, not in buildings of anything like that,but more involved in the actual coming down from a great height. For example Tikal in Guatemala when I had to come down backwards from a pyramid was hard and awful, and I never jump off anything (not even the Coogee Jetty when I was a kid). I knew the problem with rappelling for me, was to actually come off the edge to go down. But, after my ice climb I was feeling a little more confident. Right until I had to do it...
Other Sarah went first, and there was a knot in the rope, so she got stuck near the top...this made my nerves go into overdrive. By the time she had finished the guide was looking at me to go next, and I was now shaking, pacing and generally shaking my head. But I was mad at myself for my weakness, I really wanted to do it. Eduardo, our guide did a good thing, he suggested I just get set up and stand at the top and see how I feel. I did that, then I was suddenly standing with my back to the edge of the cliff. I looked down, started really shaking badly and started crying. Happy bloody birthday...! I wasn`t going to do it, I was petrified, but somehow Eduardo talked me into just moving my feet alittle, and wouldn`t you know it, I has off the edge and moving down...slowly, very slowly. The next five minutes were the hardest ever, I never lost the fear, at one point I hit a part of the cliff with an indent which made me have to re-adjust and that was tough. But I made it, got to the bottom and my hands were shaking so badly. I had serious rope burn on my left hand, which wasn´t supposed to hold the rope but I just couldn´t let go of it at all. Then I realised, I had forgotted to put a helmet on...thank god I only realised then! So I did it, but I didn`t love it, and not sure I will do it again, although probably should.
Next I did a small short climb, small and short because I knew I had come down and I was still not feeling great. This time, I had a helmet on, thankfully. When I decided I wanted down, I had to go into the Rappelling position and the guide would let me down. Simple right? I did this, stepped back but the angle of the rope meant I suddenly swung to the right. OK, think ´Cliffhanger´, when they ran along the vertical mountain side, well that was me...except it was pure luck I kept my feet there and didn´t hit the wall on the other side. Sarah was killing herself laughing, apparently it looked quite funny. Actually, but the time I got my feet on the ground I was laughing too because I could imagine how ridiculous it looked.
So, that was my birthday...that night was rewarded with some alcholic drinks...for the nerves of course, and some very yummy icecream (there is an icecream store on nearly every corner here...and it is really nice!)
Other days have been spent shopping, and sitting in the lovely park here, and catching up on some movies. You can`t believe it, but I got my third case of tonsilitis...just one month since my last. I am falling apart, I think nearly 9 months is taking it´s toll. I fantasise about having a kitchen and the ability to make a big vegetable curry, or veggie lasagne, or thai curry or anything that is good vegetarian food....Argentina is the land of meat, and if you don`t eat meat the choice is average or worse salad, or pasta. I`m sick of both. In other countries when you say you are vegetarian, you get the look of pity. Here, they just laugh at you and call you crazy. Meat is a lifestyle here, so all you carnivores would love it, the steaks look pretty good and by all accounts taste even better. I just haven`t go used to seeing a sheep cut up the middle, flattened out and then barbequed in a restaurant window...but maybe it is just me!
I spent last weekend in another city, Cordoba, which is the second largest city in Argentina and a very stuent town. The accomodation situation in Cordoba is dire for some reason, and so I have come back to Mendoza for a few more days before finally returning for my last 10 nights in Buenos Aires.
I am now staying in a nice hostel called Winca`s with two insane roommates...both guys, Aussie and British, who are leaving today, thank goodness otherwise I could see me getting roped into a big night out. Plus, one of them asked me if I had breast implants and I wasn`t sure if that was a compliment or what? I just left them in the room dancing in their boxer shorts to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and trying to convince me to go on an all day drinking session with them. Last night they managed to flood the bathroom...ah, the joy of hostels, and dorm rooms. I have decided, they are one of the things you can get to old to enjoy, or maybe I have just had my fair share of them! The thing i hate most is the mixed dorm, not because I have anything against the guys as such (flooded bathrooms, clothes everywhere and breast comments aside) but you just know one of them is going to snore the roof down! I feel violent tendancies coming on when I can`t sleep and the snorer is blissfully with the Sandman. The other day I actually kicked the bed of some guy snoring in the morning when I just had to leave the room otherwise I was going to scream, still didn`t wake them, and frankly I wanted it to wake them...about 10 minutes later nearly all the other occupants of the room had come down to breakfast, all feeling similar urges of violence...there was talk of a mass assault! At least i am not the only one...
Well, the sun is shining and I am off to the park, it really is a great place to just lie on the grass and relax (such is my stressful life!)
Less than two weeks left in South America, I am trying not to think about it!
take care, lots of love
Sarah
xxx
