Mendozz

I realize that I haven't posted for two full weeks. I'll get better, I promise, starting with a three-part recap of my weekend getaway to the Dirty 'Doza! (aka Mendoza, and actually that's a misnomer because it's one of the cleanest, nicest cities I've ever visited).

Friday afternoon I finished my TEFL course, taught my last practice class, packed up my clothes and, in a sweaty flurry, hopped a 15-hour bus from the Buenos Aires Retiro bus station to Mendoza. I went with two girls from my house, Becky and Debbie (friends from Iowa / the rest of my midwest contingent) and Garrett, who grew up in Texas and is the most generous, curious, non-bro-like bro. Garrett brought three bottles of wine for the bus there (to get us in the Mendoza mood) and we made a shitshow by spilling the wine all over the seats/our clothes/the floor -- due not to intoxication, but rather a bumpy bus and "creative" bottle-opening methods resulting from lack of a corkscrew. The seats were roomier and more comfortable than airplane seats, though during the night I swear it couldn't have been more than 60 degrees on that bus. Mendoza's on the west side of the country (only like four hours from Chile) at the base of the Andes (heard of 'em?) so the last hour or so was made bearable by gawking at the mountains.

Taken from the bus; I have better pics but you have to wait until Days 2 and 3

We wasted no time after checking in at our hostel, and immediately left for Mendoza's infamous "bike and wine tour" -- basically for 25 pesos ($6), you're given a bike for the day and a map of 12 vineyards spread out in the town of Maipu (about 10 minutes from Mendoza, and the source of unabashed immature snickering "Maipu, el mejor lugar para vivir"). The vineyards all having tasting specials, ranging from free to 15 pes for 3 glasses. On the way, there's also an olive oil factory (FREE SAMPLES + BREAD) and a chocolate/liqueor house. What none of our predecessors told us is that the first and 11th vineyard are SEVEN MILES APART. We thought it'd be an ingenious plan to bike to the end and make our way back, but time (we started at 1pm and the vineyards close at 6:30) and the effort exerted to bike down miles of bumpy roads worked against us. The "bike" ended up outweighing the "wine," and in the end, we visited just three vineyards and the chocolate house. It felt like a go-see challenge on ANTM, in which we had to make a good impression at as many vineyards as possible but still make it back in time. A go-see challenge that gives the models a really sore butt at the end of the day.

So for future ref -- if you go to Mendoza and want to get drunk on the bike and wine tour, stay in a concentrated area of vineyards and start early in the morning. STILL, the sun was out all day, most of the bike ride was gorgeous, and we got a special tour of the processing area in one of the vineyards. We found out how they make Malbec (and Rose, did you know Rose just has less time with the skin? did you know I still don't remember how to make accent marks on the computer?).

Chock-full of vino tinto

Garrett leads the long ride home

I mean we did drink some wine.

We then went out to dinner at a parrilla (meat meat meat), had more wine, and chilled with other people from the hostel. Buenos Aires is all about "going out" all the time, and it was kind of nice to be in a city where things close at midnight and cars put less effort into running over pedestrians. The city has only about 150,000 people, so that's a BIT of a difference as well from BsAs's 13 mill.

Tomorrow: the most gorgeous hot springs you ever did see.