Day 86 - 90 (June 8 - 12) - Mendoza
My first activity was arranged for a 2pm pickup, to spend the afternoon touring 2 bodegas and an olive farm. The tour had about 12 peopl, mainly Brasilians, a few Americans and a few others. The first bodega 
was Lopez, it was a large commercial operation and the second was Cecchin, a small organic (sin quimicos) farm. We tried a smooth Malbec at Lopez that was really nice along with some good Malbec and white (can't remember what is was) at Cecchin. Cecchin actually exports to the US so you might be able to find some if you want! In between the bodegas we went to an olive farm. It was a quick visit, basically just drove through their orchard, saw the presses, tried some olive oil and hung about for a bit. It was cool and the oil was great though.
We made a few stops on the way and saw the Puente de Incas. It is a naturally formed bridge that was used by the Incas and others to cross the river. We stopped and took some photos there. But it was cold! I mean really cold!!
After that we went just up the road to the Aconcagua national park. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the americas and means Stone Sentinel in native languages. Talk about COLD!! There was snow and ice on the ground, the lakes and lagoons were frozen solid! I borrowed our drivers jacket to put over my fleece... turns out he is also a mountian climbing guide and has climbed Aconcagua 21 times! We got to see some condors way up in the sky. Oh yeah, we went from about 760 meters above sea level in Mendoza to 3,000 meters above sea level in the park. There were all kinds of warnings about altitude sickness and tuff, but I was fine for now.
I got back to BA and tried to figure out what to do next. I decided on heading up to Mendoza (tomorrow) on the overnight bus (again). Mendoza is the wine captial of Argentina and is the stopover for most climbers, mountaineerers (?) and other mountain sports enthusiasts as it is close to Aconcagua and the Andes. Also the main road to Chile runs through Mendoza.
After deciding that, I rewarded myself by doing basically nothing until my bus left the next day (Tuesday 8th). I needed a rest after the 2 overnight buses in 3 days and just felt like relaxing. I got my bus at 4:30 and settled in for another long ride 17ish hours(4:30 pm to 9ish am...).
I also arranged for a package deal of activities around Mendoza, so there was a driver waiting for me at the bus terminal (Wednesday 9th). After a long, uncomfortable bus ride, with a few unhappy children along as passengers..., I caught a lift to my hostel, checked in and took a walk around the city. I ended up buying a much needed fleece and just wandered for a little.
My first activity was arranged for a 2pm pickup, to spend the afternoon touring 2 bodegas and an olive farm. The tour had about 12 peopl, mainly Brasilians, a few Americans and a few others. The first bodega 
was Lopez, it was a large commercial operation and the second was Cecchin, a small organic (sin quimicos) farm. We tried a smooth Malbec at Lopez that was really nice along with some good Malbec and white (can't remember what is was) at Cecchin. Cecchin actually exports to the US so you might be able to find some if you want! In between the bodegas we went to an olive farm. It was a quick visit, basically just drove through their orchard, saw the presses, tried some olive oil and hung about for a bit. It was cool and the oil was great though.That night I gave into an organised pizza party between four hostels. it was entertaining enough, I went with the only two other people from my hostel and quickly ran into three people I had meet at the bus terminal. I tried to keep it an early night and made it home reasonablly so....kind of.
The next day started at 7 (well they said to be ready to be picked up at 7... 
actually meant about 730 which is on time by South America standards). Today (Thursday 10th) we went into the High Andes. The road is the main highway to Chile and follows the river through the mountains. it is absolutely gorgeous. the mountains just rose out of the morning fog and towered over us as we got closer. They are all different colors from the various minerals. There are reds (iron), yellow (sulphur), green (copper) and several over large deposits that made for some great contrast in the mountains.
actually meant about 730 which is on time by South America standards). Today (Thursday 10th) we went into the High Andes. The road is the main highway to Chile and follows the river through the mountains. it is absolutely gorgeous. the mountains just rose out of the morning fog and towered over us as we got closer. They are all different colors from the various minerals. There are reds (iron), yellow (sulphur), green (copper) and several over large deposits that made for some great contrast in the mountains.
We made a few stops on the way and saw the Puente de Incas. It is a naturally formed bridge that was used by the Incas and others to cross the river. We stopped and took some photos there. But it was cold! I mean really cold!! 
After that we went just up the road to the Aconcagua national park. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the americas and means Stone Sentinel in native languages. Talk about COLD!! There was snow and ice on the ground, the lakes and lagoons were frozen solid! I borrowed our drivers jacket to put over my fleece... turns out he is also a mountian climbing guide and has climbed Aconcagua 21 times! We got to see some condors way up in the sky. Oh yeah, we went from about 760 meters above sea level in Mendoza to 3,000 meters above sea level in the park. There were all kinds of warnings about altitude sickness and tuff, but I was fine for now.Friday I got to slept in a bit, we started at 9 with a drive into the mountains. We were headed out to do a short trek, some rapelling and then hung out in the hot springs. The group was different every day, but this one included a few people from the previous day and several others. One turned out to be a recent Carolina grad (Sigma '09)and another American who were working for Teach for America in New Orleans.
We got to our destination, Cacheuta, and started hiking. We hiked up a mountain for 
about an hour or two, maybe a bit more and then crested a low summit. We were headed to a set of three faces to rappel down, the first was about 15 meters, then 5 or so then 40. The hike wasn't too 
taxing but it was fun. When we got to the cliff faces, it got a bit more interesting. I have to say I was nervous at the first one, but by the time we got to the last, I was more than comfortable and even managed a few small jumps (its hard to control the speed of the rope without gloves!). I thought I did a good job but was followed by our guide who ran down face first, descending in less than a minute what took most of us several minutes...
about an hour or two, maybe a bit more and then crested a low summit. We were headed to a set of three faces to rappel down, the first was about 15 meters, then 5 or so then 40. The hike wasn't too 
taxing but it was fun. When we got to the cliff faces, it got a bit more interesting. I have to say I was nervous at the first one, but by the time we got to the last, I was more than comfortable and even managed a few small jumps (its hard to control the speed of the rope without gloves!). I thought I did a good job but was followed by our guide who ran down face first, descending in less than a minute what took most of us several minutes...
After that it was a quick walk over to the termals (hot springs) for lunch and a few relaing hours in the water. Apparently the water is 60 degrees CELSIUS (140F)when it comes out of the ground. So after a long soak, a few runs on the water slide, we went back to town. The termals were really nice with an awesome backdrop of the mountains.
I went to another party at the hostel for barbecue and a big night out... Saturday is the REAL being of the World Cup (needless to say Africa and South America are absolutely crazy for it), with Argentina's first game with a win over Nigeria and US first game, a 1 - 1 draw with the UK. I watched the gams at the hostel with everyone and just chille out for the day. Saturday is another overnight bus up to Salta...
All in all, it has been a great time in Mendoza. The city is great, really a beautiful town. The surrounding scenery is fantastic and is defintely worth a visit, or a return visit!
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