Nov 26, 2005 - Argentina: Mendoza

Mendoza, our first stop in Argentina. Took us most of the first morning to find a suitable hotel as most places we went to where full. One of the hoteliers explined it was because at the moment Argentina was really cheap because they have had economic problems and because Chile is so expensive a lot of travelers get out of Chile before running out of money. He then went on to tell us how bad the country was and how it has lost its identity. Of course we decided not to stay in the happy sole's hotel and found another really friendly...

Nov 26, 2005 - Mendoza

Hallo Zusammen Ich bin fast versucht zu sagen, in Argentinen gibt's die schönsten Städte von ganz Südamerika. Dabei habe ich bisher nur 3 gesehen, und die eine war so klein, dass sie kaum als Stadt durchgeht. Aber jede dieser Städte hat ihren eigenen faszinierenden Charme. Meine letzte Station in Argentinien war Mendoza, am Fuss von der Anden. Eine sehr wohnliche Stadt. Leider wurde sie im 19. Jahrhundert beinahe vollständig durch ein Erdbeben zerstört. Das heisst, alle Gebäude sind relativ neu, doch wegen der Erdbebengefahr wurden nur noch...

Nov 26, 2005 - Mendoza - Muchos Vino Tinto and Bife de Chorizo

If Adelaide, South Australia has a sister city, we have just found it in Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza (population just under 1 million) produces 70% of Argentina's wine and is renowned for its Malbec varietals. The climate is similar to Adelaide and the wide, tree-lined streets are dotted with alfresco restaurants and helados bars (ice-cream parlours). The majority of restaurants consist of parrillada (grills) and pastas, again due to a strong Italian influence. Everything we had heard about the meat in Argentina is true - it is the best we...

Nov 11, 2005 - Malargüe

No one comes to Malargüe. When I arrived after my near disaster in San Rafael, I was the only traveler in the only hostel in town. The only reason I came to this dusty, single stoplight pueblo was to visit the Cavernas de las brujas (Witches Caverns), which were recommended as an alternative to the normal gringo routine. Our caving guide, Santiago, was the perfect stereotype of a spelunker, outfitted it khaki pants tucked into his leather boots and wavy spotted gray hair and matching beard. While driving he played the austere adventurer,...

Nov 10, 2005 - San Rafael

I passed through San Rafael for two days and one night on my way to Malargüe and las Cavernas de las Brujas. Although only three hours south of Mendoza, and in the same providence, this small town is far off the beaten up gringo trail. It doesn't even show up in my Lonely Planet book, generally a good sign if one wants to get out of tourist clusters. I was the only non-Argentine staying in my hostel and our group dinner consisted of nothing but pure CasteSHano (little joke for all those familiar with the AR accent). I tried,...

Nov 9, 2005 - Puente del Inca

short bus ride back towards the Andes. we spent the night in a small border town called Puente del Inca. we booked a room at a small refugio about 5km from Aconcagua National Park. cooking in the hostel was the first experience we had with cooking in a foreign country. we went to the market, bought some canned tomatoes, oregano, garlic, pasta and asparagus. it took a very long time to prepare the meal but once it was done it was really good. the next morning we woke and hiked into the park. we met a Chilean park guide who had visited...

Nov 7, 2005 - Mendoza

Notre 1ère étape en Argentine: bienvenue dans la jolie ville de Mendoza, toute calme et tranquille, dimanche oblige! On est arrivés vers 6h du matin, on a cherché un hotel pendant une bonne heure, puis on est allés se promener car on ne pouvait avoir notre chambre que vers 10h! Et là pas un chat dans les rues, comme si les habitants avaient quitter la ville! Juste un chien qui nous a tenu compagnie toute la matinée ! On a passé l'après-midi dans l'immense parc, une sorte de bois de Boulogne argentin ! Et là on a compris : ils étaient tous...

Nov 7, 2005 - Mendoza, Argentina

wow what a day! i spent most of the time with my nose in the spansih dictionary trying to come up with terms like cuanto questa o que hora es? the chilean dialect is very different than the spanish that i am used to. it seems lazy and isn't as pronounced or sharp. maybe it is just that it has been so long. we spent the morning at the bus terminal after taking the metro across town. we bought tickets to Mendoza and had lunch. i had pappas frittas and some tasty meat selection from the cafe style restaurant. afterwards we walked about town...

Nov 7, 2005 - Mendoza

I had high expectations coming into Mendoza. It is one of the most frequented stop overs for South American travelers due to its reputation as the heart of Argentina's wine country and as a hub of various outdoor activities. Three hours west, Mt. Aconcagua, the largest peak outside Asia, hugs the Chilean border, . The capital is filled with numerous adventure shops that line wide, shady sidewalks. Due to the sky-high number of tourists, it would be easy to visit and not speak a word of Spanish. The travelers in my hostel came from all over:...

Nov 3, 2005 - Bus pass

Yet another amazing bus journey, from sea level to over 3000 metres over an Andes pass to Mendoza. A very dramatic road, reminds me of a posh Nepal, driving past glaciers, and through snow runs, etc. And in the lower bits, vineyards. It is really very attractive round here, worthy of a few months travel in its own right. In retrospect I think I should have probably gone back into Bolivia and come into Argentina that way. It may not have been that much quicker, but would have saved me many thousands of miles and days and nights of travel on...

Oct 27, 2005 - Mendoza

Mendoza Na een fantastische rit door de Andes en een relatief snelle grensovergang komen we tegen 15.00 uur aan in Mendoza, hoofdstad van de wijnprovincie van Argentinie. Mendoza doet in alles aan het goede leven denken: het klimaat, de vele platanen, de studenten, terrasjes en vele restaurantjes. De volgende dag alweer vroeg op. We gaan de wijnroute fietsen. Via enkele buitenwijken en onverharde wegen bereiken we de eerste wijngaard, bodega La Rural. Dit blijkt een van 's lands grootste wijngaarden te zijn. Na een indrukwekkende...

Oct 17, 2005 - MENDOZA!

Well, what's not to love about Mendoza? The streets are leafy, clean, and hopping -- almost every square inch of sidewalk space is occupied by a patio serving cheap cervezas and bad (but also cheap) coffee. The occasional car will even brake for those weary pedestrians crazy enough to cross the street. The people are friendly and endlessly patient when dealing with three Canadians who know enough Spanish to ask where the baños are, but don't understand the response. And they love their green space. You can't swing a cat in Mendoza without...