Mendoza, Argentina
32° 53' S 68° 48' W
Jan 30, 2006 20:39
Distance 261km

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Mendoza- The city of heat, wine & Helados

Text written in: English

So with a hop skip and jump (more like a half hour flight) we were back over the Andes (this time covered in cloud) and immersed in sweltering Mendoza. We found a terribly dodgy hostel called Campo Base out of sheer laziness and spent the evening trying to secure the first available bus outta there as well as line up some Ex-coor-syons to keep us entertained while we waited. The first bus to Bariloche happened to be a fabulous Andesmar Cama bus where the seats are as big as laziboys and recline alost all the way back. We were jolly pleased about this after all the uncomfortable buses in Peru. Yay!
We decided that a stay in Mendoza would not be complete without a trip into the countryside culminating in  a short visit to the park at the base of Mt Aconcagua. We ended up doing this in a very crowded minivan full of very young travellers from our very dodgy hostel. This would not have been so bad had we actually been able to see out of the wndows. We knew it was going to be tough when we got into the van to find a terribly dingy interior that shut out almost all the bright morning light. The windows themselves ended at about my nose height so only the person right next to the window was able to see anything out of them. I would have thought that window size would be the first consideration when arranging an 8 hour driving excursion. The fact that the seats were only just wide enough for my relatively small backside added to the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia whilst I was being squeezed in between Ant and another rather burly young man (not as appealing as it may sound).  I guess it is ok because I slept almost the entire time in between being ferried from point to point.
And not to mention the fact that I left the camera in our room after I was sent back by the guide to change my very comfy flip flops for shoes more suited to Trekking. Now I use this term Trekking very lightly and I should have shrugged his suggestion off. Trekking on any excursion besides the Inka trail usually consists of taking a very slow stroll for about 20 minutes along a paved path in one or other touristified natural setting. This was no different, albeit in the shadow of the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere. So we had no camera (which was ok seeing as we couldn't really see out of the car anyway) and very comfortable shoes for the 20 minute walk through the glacial valley near the entrance to the Aconcagua Provincial Park.
Our trip took us past a thing called the Inkan bridge which we discovered had nothing to do with the Inkans but was rather a bridge over a river caused by the mineral deposits of a natural spring that the Inkans may or may not have used as a crossing point of one of their trails. Still the yellowy orange slimy looking gunge that was in the process of swallowing a recent bathhouse was amazing to behold. The locals have a craft market nearby selling things that they have submerged in the spring (old takkies, flipflops, teapots, mugs etc) which now have a hard yet spongy looking orange coating. Very odd. And quite disturbing really, the things people make and that others will buy.
We also took a chair lift up a hillside at one of the small ski locations on the way. You would have to be seriously passionate about skiing to want to stay in this characterless place (like the worst RCI has to offer with asphalt in between and not a tree in sight)... however the view from the top was pretty amazing.
The view of Aconcagua was by far the most interesting and humbling part of the tour. It has a hanging glaciar on it with ice 300m deep in places (this was the first glaciar I have seen). There are 3 different routes up the mountain with verying degrees of difficulty, but pretty much anybody could climb it with the right amount of determination and accimatization. Inkan mummies have been found on it's face, implying that even they made pilgrmages up it without Goretex or special Crampons. I also had a good think about Neil and how this was the last mountain he climbed. What an achievement and an excercise in insanty at the same time!
The ride back was a little more interesting for me as I grabbed the window seat (Ant had his turn at the sleeping) and ws awarded with amazing views of the so called 'Hills of 7 colours'. I never had an idea that mountains came in blue, green, red and yellow. It was like looking at the world through 3D glasses where the shapes were right but the colours just seemed completely improbable. I tried to take some mental pics whilst I bemoaned the lack of Camera.
When we finally got back to Mendoza it ws just as hot as when we had left it that morning but a gorgeous thundershower colled things down somewhat that evening. It reminded us of home! The delicious ice cream also went a long way to making the heat more bearable. Ant thinks he has died and gone to heaven in Argentina for all the yummy ice cream all over the place.
Our last day was spent catching a bus out to Maipu- Mendoza's equivalent of Stellenbosch- to sample some of the famous local wines. I must say it was fabulous being able to catch a bus to a wine farm. Much better than having to drive around half drunk after one too many wthout spitting. We only managed to endure one wine tour at San Rafael winery before the hunger overtook us and we went in search of some yummy lunch. This was had in the garden at a little place that makes delicious deli fare (sundried tomatoes, pesto, pickled zuchini and onions, brandy figs etc). The presentation was perfect, the service spectaculor and the food scrummy. We left feeling very pleased with selves for happening on such a great little spot.
Drunk on wine and heat we staggered our way back to the bus stop and returned to Mendoza, grabbed our bags and headed off to the bus station for our 20 odd hour bus trip to Bariloche (not before slurping down some more ice cream as we boarded).
xx V&A

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