Classes have begun in earnest, which means less time for exploring. It's kind of nice to finally have a ~relatively~ stable schedule. Last weekend, however, was Easter, which meant two extra days off of class for everyone! Lauren, Caroline, Michaela and I took advantage of the break to spend an absurdly long time in Mendoza, Argentina, a city on the edge of the Andes in the heart of wine country. Wednesday night, Lauren, Caroline, and I disembarked via omnibus from Buenos Aires. Michaela is super susceptible to motion sickness, so she came by plane the next day.
The whole bus experience is a story in itself. We arrived to the terminal in Retiro with our printed confirmations in hand and no other instruction. Going into the terminal, we stopped at the information desk to make sure that was all we needed, and sat down (on the floor, mind you, there was hardly even space there) to wait. Our bus wasn't on the screen, but we weren't worried as we still had an hour or so until departure. With ten minutes until the schedule departure time and the bus still not on the screen, we got up to investigate. We asked some people, looked at all the screens, even walked up and down the platforms to see if we could see it. Mild panic began to set in, so we headed to the bus company's information desk; they told us not to worry, that everything had been delayed, that our bus would arrive somewhere between platforms 10-20, and to just keep checking the screen. Time passed, and our bus was nowhere to be seen. We took turns going to the company desk and asking for more information so that they wouldn't get too upset with the nervous, impatient foreign girls. An hour late, our bus pulled in and we took a deep breath, finally able to relax.
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| The chaos of the bus terminal |
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| Caroline enjoying her fancy bus seat |
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| Some gorgeous countryside |
Because of the delay and the Easter traffic, we arrived in Mendoza five hours late, around 4pm on Thursday, and took a cab to our hostel. The three of us hung out in our room, took a walk to Plaza Independencia, and bought groceries while waiting for Michaela. When she arrived, we went to Cielito Comida Mexicana for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed our "first" night of vacation.
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| Our 6-bed hostel room |
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| Two cuties at Plaza Independencia |
Friday, we took advantage of the good weather and headed to Maipú, a small town outside of Mendoza near lots of wineries or bodegas. Getting to Maipú was the struggle of the day. Because it was a holiday, hardly anything was open, including the kioscos that sold the bus card we were looking for. We asked nearly every person we saw if they new of an open kiosco nearby, and wandered the city without success. Eventually, Michaela and I went into a pharmacy to ask advice again, and the sweet cashier just gave us his! Armed with the RedBus card, we continued to wander until we found a place to load some money on it. After this hour long adventure, we caught the bus and headed south.
The bus dropped us off at Maipú Bikes per request, where we succeeded in obtaining the last four bikes available. The helpful staff talked us through a map of nearby wineries and olive farms, and we headed out to Domiciano first. Domiciano was a classy place. The guide talked us through the process of picking the grapes in the night, when the yeast that ferments the sugar into alcohol is dormant, to preserve the natural yeast. I thought I followed the tour pretty well, but surprisingly, my Spanish vocab relating to the process of making wine is relatively limited. At the end, we tasted three wines, a Malbec, a Syrah, and a Chardonnay.
From there we headed to Trapiche, one of the largest (and most commercial) wineries in Argentina. Although we couldn't take a tour, it was worth it for the scenery, and we had a picnic lunch on the grass in front of the gate. Our last stop was at Viña del Cerno, which had an atmosphere very different from Domiciano. Family owned and operated, this winery focused on making organic, artisanal wines. The tour was similar, with similarly limited comprehension, but at the end, the guide -- daughter of the owner, just for the record -- went through the stories and significance of all seven bottles they have on the market. It took forever, but it was remarkably inspirational. The four of us shared four glasses of wine, three Malbecs of varying agedness and one Chardonnay.
The second struggle of the day occurred on the way back to the bike rental, where a free happy hour with snacks included awaited us. About five minutes before we reached the rental place, the pedal came completely off of Lauren's bike. We walked the rest of the way, as it wasn't too far, but it was a stressful way to end an otherwise enjoyable afternoon.
Saturday, we got up early to get to the bus terminal in order to buy tickets to get to the hot springs in Cacheuta. After an hour bus ride, we arrived, and followed the masses towards what we could only hope was our desired destination. It was a chilly, yucky day; it didn't rain full on, but instead sort of spat in your face. The hot springs were crowded, with kids who happily would splash you in the face, and we waited almost an hour to rent bathrobes before we changed and entered the hot water. It was marvelous, but every time we got out to switch pools was a cold and painful process. The website led us to believe there would be a buffet lunch, which did not appear for us peasants who came without a tour group. Instead, we left the complex (in our bathrobes) and found a restaurant with vegetarian options for Lauren. Later, we were informed that in fact there are two complexes, one family friendly and cheaper, that we visited, and another of higher class and a more spa-like environment. It was pleasant and relaxing most of the time, but I admit a bit disappointing. I recommend finding that other one.
We spent two more days in Mendoza -- look for Part II of the trip to hear about our adventures to Aconcagua!
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