Menodza (click link for pictures of Uspallata, Mendoza and Cacheuta
27.5.09
Two weeks in Mendoza
Mendoza feels like an oasis in the semi desert landscape. The city feels like it has its own microclimate, where it is not so dry and the streets are well shaded from the heat (it’s now a little cooler being winter).
The city relies fully on irrigation which is fed into open cobblestone street kerb aqueducts and it feels like there is an abundance of water – parks/plazas have elaborate fountains, the trees are large and luscious, offering plenty of shade, and the aqueducts & canals are like rivers with grade 3 rapids. You only have to take a 20 minute bike ride to the outskirts of the city to find the arid dry dusty (yet beautiful) landscape we have become familiar with. The rocky landscape has a wide variety of pink and brown tones which are remarkably enhanced at dusk.
Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina and what can I say other than, ‘we love it.’ It has class, sophistication and is very, very laid back. They take their afternoon siestas very seriously and the city doesn’t seem to again wake until very late. It is unusual to be sitting in a restaurant before 9pm and on the weekends most restaurants don’t seem to reach their capacity until around midnight. We have seen more children eating with their family close to midnight than we have seen in school. We have tried to adopt this ‘Argentine/Spanish, way but come 8:30pm Stuart and I are looking like homeless starving dogs begging for food at the restaurant door as the staff set up the tables.
In fact last Friday night, Stuart and I thought to get into the ‘cultural’ groove of things and headed to a flamenco restaurant to see a live show before our bellies started roaring. Come midnight the show started but it turned out to be just singing rather than the dancing we were promised by the restaurant spruiker. We were tired before the show reached any sort of climax and prepared to head out the door when the singer then dedicated a song to ‘us Australians’ before the staff slapped down a bill for 20 pesos for the privilege. Cheeky but when you aren’t sufficiently fluent it is hard to argue that he hadn’t advised previously.
Stuart and I spent the first 4 nights in the hostel ‘Campo de base’ , which is meant to attract many climbers and outdoor adventurers. For us, we were hoping to get out of the hotel/camping (solo) routine and get to know a few people beyond ourselves. A hostel seemed ideal and it had a pretty cool atmosphere. On the Wednesday night we even decided to go the hostel ‘pizza party, where three hostels got to get together for an all you can eat pizza night (or rather all they choose to make pizza) and a boogie. The boogie turned out to be three 3 bar staff licking their lips and wagging their tails, pumped full of anticipation as they poured copious amounts for tequila down girls throats doing laybacks. We felt ‘aged’ as we didn’t feel the least bit of interest partaking in the laybacks ourselves.
As much as Camp de Base tried to create its fun atmosphere it had its very disappointing pitfalls. We’d learnt that night that one poor girl had had the whole of her belongings stolen from the reception just hours beforehand, right under the nose of the staff. From the street there is a security gate, camera and intercom, before the 2nd door which leads to the reception. It appeared to us that the staff just buzz in whoever rings that bell, which can be expected in a high traffic hostel. We were a little disappointed that the staff were not diligent or responsible enough to warn their guests of the high risk robberies that have taken place in the lobby.
It took that incident to make Stuart and I even more security paranoid than we already were. I remember Stuart always getting cross every time someone left the external lobby without properly shutting the front gate.
It was on the morning we were leaving where we had own brush of attempted robbery in the same outdoor lobby. Stuart was bringing down the bags and I was guarding them along with the bikes behind the gate. Two men walked passed and one said a well rehearsed ‘hello’ in English. I replied with a disinterested half ‘hi’.
They came back moments after acting as backpackers, without packs. One stayed outside the gate and pretended to talk to an ‘amigo’ in the room above where I was standing, whilst the other buzzed the intercom to be let in. After he was let in, I noticed him subtly but carefully leave the gate slightly ajar, to avoid having to be buzzed out. He raised a map high above his face, to a peculiar height (presumably to block the camera on his face). I knew what was about to happen and walked up and pressed my foot against the gate closing it and trapping the thief inside. At that moment when I spun around and went to walk three steps back to my luggage, the thief outside the gate sprayed me with all this white pasty liquid. At first I thought it was a spiteful reaction for closing the gate and ruining their quick escape plan, after all I had caught his buddy inside. Within seconds I knew I and our gear was the target. Just as I was accusing the thief on the other side of the gate he was pointing up above to say that someone threw it from the room above. I was no idiot though and refused to take my eyes off our gear to look up. I had learned about this trick from Camilla and how teams of thieves can work. They spray something on you so that you brush your arm and let down your guard for a split second whilst the other robs your bags. (Thanks Cam! – forewarned is forearmed – you are a bag saver!) It was a quick reaction to lock that gate and it took some strength not let down my guard even for a second whilst being sprayed by paste (BTW I think it was diluted toothpaste as I found the cap afterwards.) I thought I was preventing someone else from being robbed but the more I have analysed it further, it was clear I was the target. I just didn’t give them the reaction they were after and maintained my guard. I still made a commotion and the thief outside had bolted as Stuart returned. Stuart exchanged a few threats to the thief inside that was making an empty handed escape as the oblivious Hostel staff let him out. Pheww.....what a close call!!!!
The ironic thing is that Stuart and I had decided to move on from this hostel, (who charged like a wounded bull for weekends) precisely because of the incident that happened with the other girl’s backpack and the staff’s lack of responsibility to inform their guests of the dangers. Isn’t it funny!
As we rode our fully loaded bikes with terrier in our eyes through the streets of Mendoza, we could see spray toothpaste everywhere (real and imagined) from previously hit victims.
So our hostel experience has ended and we are now back in really quaint Spanish style hotel for less money, our own bathroom, a sunny room and some very, very nice staff. Our tarrif includes a fabulous French breakfast. It was all the charm you would expect in Mendoza.
Mendoza is a very beautiful sleepy city with some great colonial, eclectic architecture and colourful streetscape landscaping. The food variety and choice of restaurants are sensational. Hot chocolates are made with real dark chocolate and warm milk and there are more coffee choices than I have ever seen. It’s the first city I have been to where the wine list out does the food, beer & cocktail choice. It seems to me they have the balance right!
An hours drive from here is Cachueta, which has thermal hotsprings. Cacheuta is located on the edge of the Andes not too far from Portrerillos. Stuart and I were hoping to ride 12km from Portrerillos to our way into Mendoza, however we learnt on route the road was blocked by the building of the dam (4-5 years ago) and the only access was from near Mendoza. Stuart and I took the bus there yesterday and spent a whole day lazing in the springs and eating the best Pararillo (BBQ) ever. It was bliss and it was great to be amongst the mountains again.
Today is the public holiday ‘25 de Mayo’, which is anniversary for the day when the Argentineans tried to overturn the Spanish rule in 1810. Most places are closed today and the streets are quiet, however the parks are full of live traditional and contemporary entertainment and food. We have had a great day.
Tomorrow we start a 20 hour intensive Spanish course which will included some cultural tours with our mentor......one to a bike shop to learn the components of the bike in Spanish. I think Stuart is excited about getting into the ‘bike talk’ in Spanish.
Hope you are all well.
Ciao
Anita (and Stuart)
PS There are photos in the link of
• Olivier (from France) who we met between Uspallata and Mendoza (www.flynroll). He is travelling for 4 years around the world with no petrol – hitched a sail boat from Africa to Brasil and is riding to Panama to sail to NZ, Australia and beyond. (Hey Angela – his cousin works at Veolia. A director named Maximo?? What a small world, eh?)
• Mendoza city
• Cacheuta (Thermal Springs)
• Maipu (50km day trip to winery area near Mendoza)
• Cerro Los Gloria just west of Mendoza centro/downtown (big statue)
• Christina of the Green Apple vego restaurant (she lived in New York for a while)
Posted byStuart Kane at 4:31 PM
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