Our trip has changed quite a bit since the last time I
wrote! We have been spending a lot more time outdoors. We bought camping gear
when we were in Santiago and since then have camped for the last 9 nights. At
first it was hard to get used to the heat and cold in the tent, not always
having electrical outlets, being a little farther from the city AND having to
carry A LOT more gear, but despite all these things I’ve found that it’s really
pretty nice. It’s nice having campfires, cooking outside, the other friendly
campers, saving money and being more self-reliant than we were before. Plus,
I’m getting to do more cooking than before and that’s definitely a good thing!
Brett left off at our first camp trip right outside of
Santiago. After camping we had to go back to the city to make a visit to the
Chinese Embassy. For those of you who don’t know, we are planning to move to China
shortly after this trip. I got a job with Disney English in Shanghai and my
start date is mid-February, so we’ll be moving there about 2 weeks after
finishing this trip! I’m really excited about the job… This is something that
I’ve wanted to do for a while and it’s really cool to finally actually be doing
it. After visiting the Embassy, we found out that you can only get your Visa in
the country where you’re from, so we’re just going to wait until we get back to
the States. After getting this news we packed up and left the next day for
Mendoza, the Malbec capital of Argentina!
Mendoza is a pretty big city, so finding and getting to the
campsite was a little complicated. After talking to like 5 people, we ended up
jumping on one of the city buses. If you don’t know a city, then it’s a bit
complicated figuring out the bus system. We found someone to let us use their
bus card and attempted to explain to the bus driver where we were going.
Everyone in Latin America is so friendly and helpful that even if they don’t
know what you’re talking about they will still act like they know what you’re
talking about and give you advice. So of course, the bus driver said he knew
exactly where we were going and dropped us off with only a 45 minute walk to
our campsite. We’re walking and walking with our huge packs following the map
that someone at the station had made for us… Only to find that the map only led
to a dark street that dead ended at a baseball stadium. We were pretty happy
when the cops rolled up with their lights on and offered us a ride out of the
“bad neighborhood” and to our campsite. It was a tight squeeze for us and our
massive bags to fit in their tiny 4 door sedan, but we made it happen!
Despite the campsite being a little hot, dusty and lined by
roads on two sides, it was already well past dark so we decided to stay. We
spent the next day wandering around the city and trying to find bikes that we
could take out for wine tasting the next day. We went to visit the vineyards
about 45 minutes outside of the city in an area called Lujan de Cuyo. We were
told that it’s best to catch the bus at 9am to make sure that you have time to
visit at least 4 vineyards. As it goes for Brett and I, we woke up a little
late and took a really long time to get ready and finally made it to the bus
stop at 1045am. We recognized another couple at the stop with the same bike
flyer as us and joined forces with them to make sure we got the right bus.
We were all riding along when the bus driver yells that it’s
our stop. It didn’t look quite right, so we asked him again if it was the
Andover bodega and he said yes with such certainty that we all got off. After
looking around and checking our map, we were convinced that we were definitely
not there yet and needed to get on the bus again.
We took another short ride to the place where we picked up
our bikes. The guy renting the bikes had made reservations for us at 3 bodegas.
We were happy to have these reservations because some of them are very strict
about security and don’t let you in at all if you don’t have a reservation. The
first bodega we went to was called, Panacer. We road in on a dirt road lined
with the grape vineyards and came to a really nice building surrounded by a
pond. It was very picturesque. The main wine produced in this area of Argentina
is a red called Malbec. If you haven’t tried it yet, then I highly recommend
it! We were given an assortment of 3 different, unfinished Malbecs that we had
to try to mix together to make a good blend. After that we were given a white
Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and then a taste of their Malbec Reserve. They were
very generous with the wine and by the end we all had a pretty good buzz and
were having a good time chatting with everyone.
Next stop was for the sparkling wine at Chandon, about 16km
away. We all went outside to jump on our bikes when I realized that my tire was
completely flat! Brett and I have to be the most unlucky people when it comes
to renting equipment, because it seems like our stuff always breaks! Anyway, we
had the bike rental guy come switch out the tire and by the time we got going
again it was about an hour later. We only had about 40 minutes to make it for
our next reservation and we missed it because I was craving empanadas and it we
stopped at 4 panaderias trying to find them. ;/ Anyway, when we showed up, we
were told that we missed our tour but just as she said that the tour group came
in and she said we could join in for a free tasting if we wanted! : ) We got to
try 3 different kinds of champagne. The bottles of Chandon are only $10 here
compared to the $40 that they are sold for in the States!
It’s here where we got to meet back up with the couple from
Holland that we’d met in the morning on the bus. They got to talking about the
Torres del Paine hike that they’d done just a couple weeks before. The same
hike that Brett has talked me into doing. The 5 day/4 night hike where you have
to carry all your food, clothes, water and camping equipment through the wind,
snow, hail and rain. I have never done anything like this, so I’m pretty
nervous. While all of you are out drinking champagne and celebrating your New
Year, you should think of where we will be… Outside, wet and freezing in the
middle of a Chilean forest. Lol. Wish me luck! Hopefully Brett can manage to
carry in a small bottle of Chandon for the celebration… ;)
After the tasting at Chandon, we realized that it was
already too late for us to make it to our 3rd reservation. We jumped
on the bus with the Hollanders and headed back to our campsite to have some
dinner in the outdoors with our adopted cat, Patrick. Even though our wine
tasting experience didn’t go as smooth as possible, we still had a really great
time. I think it’s these small things/problems that happen to make life as
interesting as it is. Plus, we wouldn’t have nearly as many stories to tell
without them.
Next stop, Bariloche… Moving on into Patagonia! I’m sure
there will be lots to tell. Until next time… Lots of love!
Sophia
