Bikes and Wines on the Gringo Trail

Saturday morning I checked out of the hostel, bought some snacks, and headed to the bus station for my trip across the Andes. The bus company I was directed to by my hostel may not have been the cheapest (US$35 one way) but it was certainly upscale, with semi-cama service which basically meant tons of recline and leg rests. There were two drivers, and the one who wasn't driving doubled as a flight attendent, handing out sandwiches and juice at the beginning of the journey.

We spent about six hours en route, incluing one section which must be the steepest road in the world. The it wasn't that the road itself was so steep at any one moment, but rather the way in which 15 or so switchbacks are tucked together so tightly. At the end of the climb, we easily rose 1500-2000 feet, with the bottom of the road probably only half a mile away as the crow flies. I'm making those numbers up, but it was nuts.

I arrived in Mendoza a little after 10pm (including a one-hour time change) and checked into what has probably become my favorite hostel that I've ever stayed in. Hostel Lao in Mendoza has a 95% favorability rating on HostelWorld, higher than you really ever see, and deserves it. It only had room for about 20 people (good thing I resereved!) and was as homey as you could hope for. When I arrived there were no less than 10 people hanging out in the living room enjoying the free wine, and upon sitting down I was immediately absorbed into the conversation. Most of the other backpackers were in their mid-to-late twenties from either the UK or Ireland, plus a pair of American girls on study abroad. It was about as much as I could ask for as a solo traveler.

My first day in Mendoza I slept in, and spent the afternoon on my paragliding adventure. That night I went out for steak to a somewhat upscale parilla with a few of the British girls. The steaks were good although I'm not sure the place was quite as un-touristy as our hostel manager described.

Monday was wine day. It is a gringo right of passage to do some sort of wine tour when in Mendoza, and the one I did was certainly the most heavily traveled. That said, it didn't feel too kitchy, and I certainly didn't feel ripped off. Ten bucks for a bike rental (with map) and then $3-$5 per winery for a short tour and small tasting didn't seem like a bad deal. The whole area consists of one road about 12km long (45 minutes rididng) with about 9 wineries scattered along it. There's no tour, which is why it was nice that I had a small group of people from the hostel to ride with, and you spend about 8 hours meandering and drinking until you can't stand it anymore. We ended up seeing three wineries, plus an olive oil factory and a chocolate liquour factory.

The most amazing part of the day, however, had to be the environment. The first half of the ride was somewhat commercial and filled with the noice and pollution of trucks and buses, although once we got a little further and it got a little quieter we really got to appreciate the area's beauty. Looking to our right, you would see rows upon rows of grape vines, and then in the distance behind, the dramatically snow-covered Andes. All of this was draped by a perfectly blue sky and 70-degree air.

We were exhausted, although not drunk, when we got back, and just bought some vegetables to make a big salad for dinner. The body can only take so much red meat and red wine!