As I always wanted to take a bike and ride from vineyard to vineyard, this was a great stop. We found a campground outside of town. The two gentlemen at the kiosk were very helpful with getting us set up with a bus card, directions, tips and a smile. We had this fantastic campground with a huge grill. So we enjoyed a big BBQ with loads of meat and a bottle of Malbec!
The food markets in town had a selection of herbs, spices, meats, cheeses and fresh fruits as I haven't seen before. A true paradise for food lovers and a pity that you can't find something in this size and quality everywhere on the world. The sales person were very delighted to see us and we tried in our poor spanish to communicate with them. We all had a blast and enjoyed the contact with each other. The dinner (BBQ) that night was absolutely delicious.
For the next day we planned to travel the 3 1/2 hrs by bus to the highest mountain outside the Himalaya. As we didn't want to spend the next 21 days to climb to the summit of the almost 7000 Meter high "Aconcagua", so we started our hike to the base camp. There are free hikes available around the visitor center at the bottom of the entrance to the national park. If you want to get any closer to the mountain or the base camp, you need to purchase a park entry pass and depending on the purpose of your trip a valid license. For a hiking pass its $25 for a climbing pass it can be up to $150. You need to sign a pile of waivers and fill in your medical conditions and for the climb to the summit you need to have a long list of necessary things you need to carry with you.
It was a beautiful, sunny day and our fear we would be underdressed were completely not necessary, as the sun heated the rocks around us yp and the climb made us sweat. As we had only limited time until our bus would return to Mendoza, we had to go in a good pace to be able to be back in time for our scheduled time.
We came in time before the clouds started to build up around the summit and were able to enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding. The climb was definetly worth it. Next time I'm gonna climb that little hill in the background! For sure I will! Will be a piece of cake... Who is in with me? Send me a fax and I'm gonna sign us up for it.
We both enjoyed the walk and the high alpine landscape. Each mountain front had a different face and story to tell. Very amazing to be up there. Our walk back was against the clock, but there were still people who were faster then us. Some people came running down the mountain with their backpacks on their back. The mules also came charging down the slopes and whenever they saw a nice patch of green they attempted to stop, but were interrupted by the horseman who forced them to continue their journey down into the valley.
On our unfortunately last day in Mendoza we took a bus to Maipu,one of the main wine areas around the city. There are plenty of different bike rentals and it is not a problem to find one. We were able to make deal with one of them and got a little discount from them. So we took our Orange Bikes and went on our conquest to visit some wineries.
Our first stop was an old winery with an fantastic collection of old objects around the production and tools of wine. A little tasting included as well and a good start for our day.
We next visited a little shop were they produce olive oil, marmalades, mustards and different liquores. After a little tasting we proceeded in the burning sun to our last stop for the day. First I had to sample if this were really grapes, which we saw all over the place...
Yep, these are grapes! In the winery Trapiche , we got a very good tour and were able to try some of the higher end products of their huge range they have. It was a great tasting and we enjoyed the wines we sampled. "Harry, I'm sure you would have liked the one or other as well!"
When we returned the bikes back to the agency, we were thanked for our trust in their old bikes with a snack and a chilled bottle of red. I am certain that the bottle was already refilled 23 times before, but I was thankful for the refreshing drop of red. After I finished the bottle we took a bus back to town. It wasn't the exact the same line number as before, but the final destination was the same. I first praised the driver for his gentle shifting, as all the previous drivers had the habit of abrupt changing of gears. I soon changed my mind, as he was the slowest and most careful driver I have ever experienced. This didn't help him as he still managed to slide along another bus when he turned into another road. Now we were worried that we would miss our night bus. So we decided to take a taxi and ensure a timely arrival at the bus terminal. How annoying and unnecessary costly for us! I could have returned to the agency and asked for another refill of the bottle to get over this emotional stress I went through, but Chrisy didn't want to let me go anymore. We waited at the terminal for the start of our longest trip so far.
If you want to see more pictures, have a look here
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