Wine and Olives: The Bodega Tour

After a bit of rest, I decided to see what I could do in Mendoza with one day. I had asked the previous night and was told that I was a 30 minutes too late to book any excursions. Luckily, a different staff member was working in the morning and she advised me to check out Parque San Martin where the 1978 World Cup was held and from where you can see the Andes. She was also able to put me on a bodega tour to see some of the Argentine wineries. After that, I would be off to the bus station to catch my bus to Bariloche in Patagonia.

Around 2:30 pm, the tour guide, Karla, picked me up from the HI Hostel in Mendoza. She was quite dismayed when she realized that spanish is not my language. For you see this is a Spanish-only tour! No problem, I told her. I can understand more than I can speak. Plus, it's good practice for me. When I hopped in the van with my big 'ol backpack, I sat down beside a young guy. The first thing he asked me was, "Are you really from Canada?" Perhaps, he thought I was one of those tourists from the U.S. who straps a Canadian flag on their back. But, I assured him that no, I actually am from Vancouver. Turns out that this guy is from Mexico and is living in Buenos Aires studying wine and design. Great! By the end of the tour, we had exchanged e-mails and promised to meet up when I got to the city. Here comes Felipe, new best friend!

So, with Felipe, I toured the San Felipe winery in Mendoza. Luckily, this tour was bilingual. So, I got to listen in Spanish first and then check for understanding in English second. Que bueno!
The winery is one of the largest in Argentina and they have a wonderful museum of both turn-of-the-century artifacts and a history of wine making. After seeing the vineyard and the museum, we got to see the factory and wine cellar. The wine tasting here was pretty basic and only got to one red. I have to say that I prefer the wine from Chile. Score one for them!


Next was a smaller winery run by a couple from France. The focus here is on sustainability. They use all of the grape so they do have rose wine which is normally not made in South America. Here my spanish really got a workout because the tour guide\owner speaks no English and she speaks spanish with a French accent! Again, not too taken with the white or red wine we sampled. Although, by this point, I have perfected my wine tasting skills.

I was pretty sure that was our last stop of the day but surprise we were off to the Olive Oil factory. That was good news by me because I was starting to tire of the wineries.

Backpackers' Motivations

As I have been traveling, I have been wondering what motivates fellow backpackers to embark on such a journey. For me, I have an interest in the language and culture of South America, specifically Argentina, that can only be satisfied through travel. I also just love traveling. It is my favourite hobby and of late, I have been reading only travel literature. As I have been speaking with other backpackers, I find that there is a bit of a common theme emerging: traveling after breaking up with a long-term girl/boyfriend. For others, they are escaping a job or a life which bored them. Even with different motivations, I feel that there is a strong sense of camaraderie amongst fellow backpackers. After all, it is not for everyone. It takes a lot of courage to travel this way but it's one of the most fulfilling experiences you could ever have.

Partying in Mendoza

Mendoza was a bit of strange stop for me. I had intended to stay longer but it didn't seem like there was that much to do here. I get the sense that Mendoza is good jumping off point for excursions into the Andes and to winery tours. Because I arrived in the early afternoon to the hostel, it was to late to join any excursions. After running a few errands, I went back to the room and met new best friend, Daniela from Brazil!

Later that night, most of the guests were dining at the hostel on spaghetti and then this crazy man from Uruguay who is easily pushing 50 came over and sat in between me and this British backpacker who were conversing about the American Idol finale playing in the background. He goes to me "I love your accent. Keep talking. I love American English." So, I continued talking awkwardly now with this British guy. I asked the Uruguayan man, if he would like to talk instead to me. But, no he only wanted to listen.

After dinner most of the guests retreated to the bar at the back of the hostel but I wasn't interested in hanging out because I was behind in my journal writing. The good journalist that I have become! Later on, I had another visit from my Uruguayan friend who had clearly just downed a few beers and again just wanted to listen. After that I thought, maybe I should get out of the hostel for while...I can always write in my journal tomorrow.

Luckily, a different group of British Backpackers (Nick, Vas, Sofie, Marcus and Rob) plus my Brazilian friend were planning a night out in Mendoza. Seems the Brits want to party their way across this continent. For this group at least partying is the top priority. The plan was to hit a bar and then see where the night takes us.

There is a cute street in Mendoza called Villaneuva. It's basically one street with cute shops and lots of restaurants and bars. On the way there, I spied a cute hostel called Damajuana. It looked brand new and very posh for a hostel. Should I ever return to Mendoza, I'd like to stay there. We went to a bar in this area called El Abasto. To be honest, I was pretty bored with the bar and the group. But I did end up starting a good chat with Nick and had fun taking crazy pictures with Vas. Nick, the player man that he is, got us free passes to a club called Irska. I decided to cab it with Daniela and Vas. On the way there, they were both getting agitated with the cab driver because they thought he was taking us for a ride. Inside, I was thinking, "tranquila chicos, tranquila." But nope, they were starting to ask him where he was going, etc? Turns out there are two streets with similar names in Mendoza like Av. San Martin and Av. Gral San Martin. We were off to Club Irska on the further street. I was glad we got there in one piece and for a cheaper price than our other four mates.

The club was packed and the DJs played a good mix of English and Spanish music. I really had a great time dancing to all of the Reggaeton hits like Gasolina, Rompe, La Tortura, Lo Que Paso, Paso, and a mix of Gwen Stefani and BEP hits. I think we all had fun and were bonding on the dance floor. After a few unwanted suitors and a drunken Rob, I was anxious to get some shut eye before my not-yet-determined sightseeing and the night bus to Bariloche. After dragging Daniela back to the hostel just before 7 am, I finally get some rest.

In the end, I was glad that I went out and partied with some unlikely friends. Since everyone was leaving the next day, it was a fleeting moment of togetherness. But those are the moments, after all, that make backpacking so much fun.

Argentina vs. Chile

After spending only a few hours one afternoon in downtown Mendoza, I began to see why people prefer Argentina to Chile. So, to help fuel this on-going rivalry. I will add my two cents with the reasons why Argentina is better than Chile.

1) Fewer stray dogs. Most Argentines keep their dogs as pets (at least in the cities).
2) Less holes in the sidewalks. In Santiago, some sidewalks had big holes and I´m surprised I made it through that city without falling into one. At least in Argentina, the greatest danger you face on the sidewalk are broken tiles.
3) Sweets that actually taste good. Argentina has a plethora of sweets. Hello dulce de leche and alfajores. Good bye tasteless Chilean sweets.
4) Stores that actually let you browse. In Chile, you have to tell the store clerk what you want, then she gives you a ticket. After that you pay and receive a receipt. With that receipt you can now collect your goods. Is that a make work scheme or what? On the other hand, it does streamline the process for the store.
5) Money that I can understand. The Argentine pesos is in units of $1. The Chilean peso starts at a $1,000 for about $2 US. It is through the kindnesss of strangers and people working at tourist attractions, that I did not loose more Chilean pesos, the first day I was there. For example, I tried to pay $12,000 pesos for a ride that costs $1,200. I was thinking that Chile is as expensive as everybody said.
6) Less garbage on the street. In Mendoza, the garbage was up off of the streets in metal bins or in garbage cans. The garbage in Santiago was spilling off of the sidewalks and into the streets.
7) Being able to go to a public restroom without having to pay! This is a big one. In Chile, most public restrooms are staffed. This is probably a good security measure but it's hard to always have to pay when you are out sightseeing.
8) In Mendoza, there are no beggars on the street. Only men selling roses!!

All in all though, I had fun in Chile and would like to go back one day and see more of the country. Ciao for now, Chile!

Through the Andes

The first rule of traveling should be never consume tragos the day/night before going on a long distance bus trip or flight. But, this is a rule that few backpackers follow. Some miss their connections but I was determined to make mine.

With all of my worldly possessions on my back, I trudged down to the metro station at 6:30 am, made one change of subway trains and got to the bus station just in time to catch my Tur-Bus to Mendoza, Argentina. At long last, I would make the windy trek through the Andes and seem them in all their splendor. Best laid plans, indeed. However, tiredness from the night out on the town led to a sleepy ride through the Andes. What I did catch was, of course, stunning and they are a must see on any South American journey. There was only a slight amount of snow when I crossed them on June 1. The road curves through the mountain range and I saw cute little hosterias on the way.

What my tired state led me to do with beyond a doubt the epitome of stupidity. When we got off the bus after 4 hours of twisting and turning, we had to clear customs. I managed to exit Chile, but I forgot to enter Argentina! Anyways, after a slight embarrassment at the hands of the bus drivers, I admitted my stupidity, marched off and cleared customs and immigration for my destination. What is even more crazy is that I was not the only passenger to make this mistake. My seat-mate, a handsome Chilean, did the same thing. I mean, you'd think a semi-local, would be a bit sharper. But, no! Definitely the most embarrassing moment of the trip thus far!