Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
ADVENTURE SPORTS AND WINE... BUT NOT AT ONCE!
Friday 24th July - Monday 27th July
Our introduction to Mendoza was gentle and relaxed. We spent the first day milling around the streets doing odd chores and kitting ourselves up with some warmer attire (woolly hat and gloves were the order of the day). Although it was their winter, the city was still inviting with large avenues of leafless trees, pretty parks and, of course, being surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains and endless vineyards. Pretty lit up market stalls appeared in the park in the evening but unfortunately my pocket could only stretch to the essentials of warm weather gear for the day (really, I was saving my money for the vineyard trip and the wines!!). We spent a couple of days doing bits and bobs and we were reunited with Jane and Chris (who we met in BA). Sometimes it's nice to stop for a moment when travelling and remember it's not just about what you see and where you are, but about the people you meet along the way and what they've done with their lives. Jane and Chris were great fun and great company and it was nice to spend some time relaxing in a lovely hostel with lovely friends.
One Raft and One Rope
Well, 2 days of relaxing was plenty… roll on white water rafting through the Andes and abseiling/rappelling down the side of a waterfall! The journey alone through the mountains, glimmering lakes and rivers and glistening snow was stunning enough. Then came the white water rafting. We'd hung around for a bit at the activity centre, had a safety talk and changed into our wet suits and helmets (looking rather fetching may I add!) and then headed off on another mini journey to the starting point which was positioned nicely next to a luxurious spa resort nestled between a river and the mountainside… what a tease! I was very excited until we had another safety talk, this time running through procedures should someone fall in, which was a rather common event. Suddenly, a little nervous energy built inside of me and I realised that as I went through all the possible bad things that could happen I missed the safety talk. Marvellous. Thank the Condor, Puma and Snake spirits of Andean culture for not letting anyone fall in the freezing freezing FREEZING water… there were icicles on the rocks at the edge of the river and I certainly felt like one giant icicle by the end of the raft. Despite all of the nerves and not so warm climates, the rafting experience was incredible! The winter is better for beginners as you can see the rocks on the river bed as the water level is lower. It was still pretty choppy and bumpy though! I definitely want to go again and maybe next time I'll be able to concentrate on the instructions.
After heading back to base, changing into dry clothes and taking a nap in the sun we went off trekking for about an hour or so through the valleys of the Andes. Us four backpackers were in a group with a local family who weren't really ready for the activity… namely one woman was in ballet pump type shoes - not ideal for jumping over streams and climbing over unsteady rocks (gosh, I sound like my mum!). Eventually, we reached the waterfall. I've abseiled before but there's still nothing like that initial exhilarating/terrifying/tense feeling when you first lean back on the ledge and hope that the rope doesn't snap. If that's how I felt I don't know how Rich was feeling as he's petrified of heights. But fair play he slowly but surely edged over the cliff and bounced down rather comfortably. The day definitely took it out of us - a nap back on the mini bus, a quick trip to the supermarket for supplies for the following day and bed!
Wine Glorious Wine!
To end our few days in Mendoza we had to do it in style… and that involved a bike, a few vineyards, a police escort and plenty of wine, cheese and crackers. Needless to say it was fun. However, the bus ride to the vineyards and missing out stop was not all that fun. Anyway, a couple of hours later than planned we arrived at the wine museum. We'd missed the tour in English which annoyed me but a couple of free glasses of red and I mellowed a bit. Our second stop was at a large and rather posh vineyard. The sun was shining and it was pretty warm- a perfect day minus the fact that Chris got a puncture and had to call for 'breakdown cover' from the company we'd hired bikes from. Soon Chris caught up with us maxing and relaxing on the roof terrace with a large glass of my new favourite wine: Malbec. Malbec actually originated from France and translates as 'bad mouth' since it doesn't grow well and therefore tastes bad in France. Quite the contrary in Argentina, though. A quick stop on the way out as we had a nibble on our cheese and crackers that we'd bought for the trip (classy) and off we toddled or rather wobbled to our next vineyard 15 mins down the road.
We'd timed our cycling perfectly as we arrived in time for a tour which made me pretty happy after the earlier mishap.
Wine Fact 1: Red and white wines are made from the same grapes - it's the skin that gives the added colour and taste.
Wine Fact 2: Oak barrels can be used to give the wine added flavour.
Had a bit of a wine tasting session - but a good one not a bad one (a good one in the sense that we didn't have to spit out the wine after tasting!!). It wasn't only me that had fallen in love with the Malbec and we felt it was only right to savour the moment and buy a bottle to accompany our cheese and crackers. It really was turning into a perfect afternoon.
Unfortunately our late start to the day and problems with the local transport had a knock on effect and we realised we were rapidly running out of time. No time for the olives and the chocolate but we thought we could squeeze in one last wine tasting session. 1 rose, 2 reds and a dessert wine later and we left - must've only been in there for about 10 mins but had no time to spare as had to give the bikes back by a certain time otherwise we'd get charged.
Typically drama struck on the way back. First, a policeman on a motorbike suddenly appeared behind us. We might've been a little wobbly and zig zag like on the bikes but not enough to cause any problems. We then found out that the police regularly escort cyclists around the area just in case some are a bit worse for wear. But just as we thought drama was over, drama 2 struck: Chris got another flat tire. We were cutting it fine so we all cycled on back to get Chris some help and to avoid the fine. Chris didn't get help (he arrived about 30 minutes after us back at the base) and then we were still asked to pay the fine. Let's just say another drama occurred and it was useful having Chris and Jane around who could speak, and argue, in Spanish.
We had a fantastic time in Mendoza - the vibe was a mix of fun, exhilarating activities with relaxing, chilled ways to watch the world go by whilst putting it to rights. We not only shared our time with some great friends that we'd made along the way, but the friendly staff and other guests at the hostel made the atmosphere and experience that little bit better. Rich and I will never learn though and the night before we left for Chile we ended up in an Irish bar till the early hours of the morning. What can I say, we live for the moment and will worry about the headaches in the morning!
- comments