A boy and his backpack. A tale of journey and adventure.
July 26, 2008
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Mendoza at Last!
Several weeks ago, we finally were able to cross over the Andes mountains and into Argentina. Mendoza had been a city I have wanted to travel to since I first decided to go to South America, and it did not dissappoint. One of the most difficult parts about getting there is that it requires a bus ride through the Andes. During winter months (which it is here right now) the pass can become blocked by snow and it makes it impossible to get through. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and we got through.
The first thing I will say is that the bus ride itself was amazing. The Andes mountains are breathtaking from up close! As the bus winds itself upward and over to the other side, you are presented with some spectacular views. I will include a picture that will probably not do it justice… It is about 7 hours by bus from Santiago to Mendoza.
Once in Mendoza, the differences were glaring. Argentina is completely different from its Chilean neighbor. The city reminds me a lot of Europe. Cafes line the streets and people have a strong fashion sense. If I didn´t know any better, I would have thought I was in a city somewhere in Spain or Italy instead of South America. Most of the people look European as well. The is of course due to the fact that most of the inhabitants of Argentina are descendants of Europe, with very few indeginous locals surviving when the Spanish invaded.
Mendoza is a lovely city. Trees cover just about every road. They line both sides of the street and meet at the top to create an archway that gives a great view. It´s not a large city, but as I said before it has a European feel to it.
Due to it´s proximity to the Andes, Mendoza is THE wine capitol of Argentina. We took and bike and wine tour through the wine valley. There weren´t any grapes on the vines, but it didn´t matter. The Andes make a great backdrop that was visible from every angle. The wines were nice as well. It was unseasonably warm, so it made for good biking weather. We were also able to try some liquour flavored treats, and we stopped by on olive tree farm and tried some olive oils. Really great stuff. The best part really was just biking through the countryside… looking at the vineyards and observing the mountains beyond.
The next day was one of my highlights of the trip so far. Fulfilling the adventurous nerve in our bones, we set out and paraglided from the Andes. Paragliding… Defined as running off the side of a mountain as fast as you can and hoping that your parachute catches the wind properly. Fortunately, it did and I was treated to a 20 minute flight over the mountains. It is a great feeling just gliding over the mountains and seeing Mendoza laid out below.
We attended a Wine and Tango show that night. Argentianians danced the tango to several different songs performed live and it was accompanied by a narration that excpained the history of Mendoza, Wine, and the Tango.
The next day just so happened to be Argentina´s Independence Day. So the streets were filled with people, there was a large concert in the main plaza, and Argentinian steak was on full display. Let me just say this… if you like steak, and since most of you live in Texas I will assume you do, you have to try Argentinian steak someday! The best I have ever had without question!
We capped the nights off by drinking some more of the fantastic wine, and went back to Chile with our stomachs full and our sense of travel and adventure firmly restored. I have included a few pictures from the trip.
