Funny...I´m just writing a little wrap up on Mendoza, and realized I completely forgot to write about the tours last weekend!
Saturday was a tour into the mountains to the border with Chile and back, and was amazing. We left Mendoza early (I was picked up at 6:30 am!), and headed up a curvy mountain road (365 curves...they´ve counted) to 3,000 metres and a view of Aconcagua. From there down to Valle de Uspallata, a cute little village where I found a very decent coffee shop. Then to Los Penitentes, a ski resort, where many of us took the chairlift up the ski hill for some pretty incredible views. Next was Puenta del Inca...very pretty place where the river has created a natural bridge, and the mountaineers cemetery which reminds those thinking of conquering Aconcagua not to get cocky.
The monument of Christo Redentor on the border of Chile and Argentina at 4,200 metres was incredible. Considering the effort it took to get there in a modern bus (switchback after switchback, all the way up), it´s hard to imagine how it was placed there in the first place. The monument is only accessible in January and February, which is understandable considering you are so high you are looking down at snow. Pretty funny when cars stop at the side of the road and everyone gets out for a snowball fight.
On Sunday, I toured 2 wineries including the very large Bodega Familia Zuccardi, that makes the Santa Julia wines. The tastings were great, but the lunch was spectacular...they kept bringing out meat and wine until nobody could take any more. I tried blood sausage...not really my thing, but worth a try. A bottle of Malbec and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc later (for my host family), and it was time to go home for a little nap.
Both tours were completely in Spanish, so I was one of only a few with pretty limited Spanish. ´Twas fun: on both tours, I was adopted by people that enjoyed trying to communicate. I got by ok. One comical moment was a lady telling me that she had a ´cosy´in Toronto, which I did not get. She tried to explain, then changed to Spanish explaining that her uncle had a daughter. Ahah! A cousin! So she was fairly amused that I could understand her in Spanish better than in English.
Heading off now for a little bbq for dinner, so I´ll hold the Mendoza wrap til I get to Salta. In short, a great time, and great memories.
