Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of going to Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is a province on the far western edge of the state, almost directly West of Buenos Aires and bordering Chile along the Andes mountain range. If any of you are fans of Malbec wine, there is a very good chance it came from Mendoza. This province is famous for its natural beauty and wine production.
Naturally, after a 14 hour bus ride the first thing me and my travel buddy, Samara, did was take a wine tasting tour on bikes. The weather was sunny and hot (perfect for me) and the scenery from the bike ride was gorgeous, with snow-covered mountains in the background and vineyards as far as the eye could see. We visited a more tradition vineyard (Bodega in Spanish) first which definitely had the highest quality of wine; it didn't hurt that they also gave us more wine than any of the other vineyards. After visiting two more vineyards, our tour guides led us to a local beer garden to enjoy some empanadas and a pint of ice cold beer. Altogether it was a wonderful day, and an excellent way to escape the craziness of Buenos Aires. We also met some very interesting people from all over the world, including some really cool Canadians and Israelis. We finished off the day with frozen margaritas at a Mexican restaurant. And if you are wondering, no I did not stumble home, I walked just fine lol.
On Sunday, we had to get up bright and early for a tour of the Andes mountains. We were more or less awake (In the case of Samara less) for the ride to the mountains. We drove over 250 miles that day, and saw some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my life, including the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Mt. Aconcagua (pronounced aconcowa). I could talk forever about how gorgeous the area was, but I will let the pictures talk for me. Strangely, our bus driver had a very big obsession with Lynyrd Skynyrd and other Southern Rock so while driving through all of this we listened to Free Bird, Sweet Home Alabama, and Fortunate Son several times (his playlist was on repeat). Not exactly awe inspiring music, but I enjoyed it.
The picture of the sediment structure/building and bridge is called Puente del Inca and used to have a hotel/ ski resort built next to and on it, but a rock slide destroyed most of the structures. The colors are formed by sediments rising up, a lot like stalagmites in a cave. Only locals now are allowed to go near the area now to prevent any more damage. Many locals will place rocks in the water for a few days and then once they become multi colored they take them out and sell them to tourist. Pretty sweet deal.
The highest altitude that we reached was about 10,000 feet, and it was pretty cold. We ate lunch at a very cozy restaurant built in a valley really close to the border with Chile. Crossing the border is a long process, but thanks to a relatively new process it is much easier than before. Around 100 years ago, a railroad was constructed through the mountains, but was very expensive to upkeep due to constant rock slides, so it was abandoned in 1990. You can still see the old tracks running near the highway, but large segments have been destroyed by landslides.
On Monday, we went river rafting in the Mendoza River. Not thinking ahead, we did not bring a change of clothes or a towel. It was hot in town, and we didn't really connect the dots that we would be going back up into the mountains again where it was colder. We did, and the river was snow fed. The rafting experience was amazing, and definitely at the top of the list in terms of most fun activities I've done here, but we were freezing cold. I was literally shaking when I got off the raft, but without a doubt it was worth it.
This was part 1 of my November experiences, look for part 2 sometime in the next few days. I actually have to go back to reality a little this weekend and study for a final that will be on Monday. Thanks for reading!
Scott
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