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Mendoza

March 2016
A 12-day adventure by Lisa Read more
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  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 1

    Settling in

    March 12, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We had a short flight westwards yesterday from Córdoba towards the Andes and wine country. There was a great biew of Aconcagua as we landed. Our AirBnB is located just off a street of hip and happening bars which we visited last night. People were actually eating and drinking before us. We are also close enough to Independiente Rivadavia's football stadium thst we could hear the roar from our room when they scored from. Games here start at 9.30 PM.

    Today we walked around the city enjoying the wide streets, green plazas and the lovely parque General San Martín. We've decided there is lots to do here so we are going to stay some extra days. We have booked a wineries tour for tomorrow which we are very excited about.    Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 2

    Hic!

    March 13, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Wine tasting in Valle de Uco near Mendoza was a sumptuous experience resulting in two rather inebriated chicas... Learnt a little about wine production and a lot about how delicious Malbec is 😋

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 3

    The tallest mountain in S America

    March 14, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    At nearly 7000m Cerro Aconcagua is the highest peak in S America. We managed to walk part way towards the first base camp and were very lucky to have such great weather to see the peak so clearly. In our lovely little group was Karl & Michelle from Dublin and our guide Martín. We had a "condor moment" too - so far, at all the most spectacular views, we have seen a condor gliding overhead at the perfect moment - today too. The amazing Andes are still putting on a glorious show for us!Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 4

    Cacheuta

    March 15, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Blissed out few hours in a thermal spa in the mountains today - Mendocinos certainly know how to live well - wine, good food, spas & mountains... Lovely.

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 5

    Planning day

    March 16, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The temp has been climbing and strangely peaks about 7 PM. It's in the 30s now. Both went for a nice run around the lake in the big park this morning then did loads of planning and booking. This is the part of the trip where we have four weeks with little planned and lots of choices to make. After some decisions we headed out for a late lunch and toured all five plazas in the city including the tiled Plaza España. Then back for more Internet and messaging remote places in Spanish. We didn't go out for dinner til after 10 PM.

    Here is the plan - 5 day road trip of national parks north of Mendoza. Then head to Salta early by plane, not 20 hour bus.

    Thurs 17 Pick up the car. Drive 450 km to San Agustín de Valle Fertíl.
    Fri 18 Drive to Talampaya NP. Evening meet up with a tour group and stay overnight in tiny place called Jague.
    Sat 19 Up at 5AM for a day trip to Crater del Corona del Inca and Laguna Brava. We will get as high as 5430 metres in a 4x4 convoy. Apparently the highest road you can drive up in the world. They bring oxygen tanks with us and we are suppose to eat in moderation and be very well hydrated the day before. No Malbec for Clare! Back to Villa Union that night.
    Sun 20 Drive to Ischigualasto NP (great name) aka Moon Valley. Evening back to San Agustín de Valle Fertíl.
    Mon 21 Drive 450 km back to Mendoza
    Tues 22 Fly to Salta in the afternoon    Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 6

    Road trip Day 1 Mendoza -San Agustín

    March 17, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    Big, long drive through a desert in 35C plus WITHOUT air conditioning. We will not make that mistake again.

    Highs - huge eagles, mostly empty roads, the most dippity doodahs ever and lovely mountains.
    Lows - the relentless sun, heat, sweat and hot drinking water. One photo shows Clare trying to shade her burning skin with a white bag. Also no toilets or suitable places to stop and when we (Lisa) did, being eaten alive by a swarm of mosquitos who then joined us in the car. Thus followed a comedy scene of two women furiously trying to swat mosquitos with their bare hands. Lisa has over 20 bites from her pee stop.

    Now we are at our rustic hotel with a swimming pool (we've had a dip) a fully stocked and very reasonably priced minibar (also had a dip) - and more mosquitos (we stayed in the room til dinner).

    At dinner Clare tried two big Argentine classics of food and drink - milanesa (chicken escalope) and fernet & coke. She loved the first, detested the second. Lisa tried it too - its very bitter like maté. Don't like either.    Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 7

    Gorgeous gorge

    March 18, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Talampaya national park is another of Argentina's several UNESCO sites. A huge red sandstone gorge where they have found lots of dinosaur fossils (mostly now in the University). That one with Lisa is a real one - honest 😉. We saw a set of ancient petroglyphs which show that this was an old nomad route along the river bed. I got a condor shot for you Mary, but trust me it is just a black splodge so didn't make the 6. There was a fantastic triple echo across the canyon when we all shouted in unison. We saw parrots, eagles, maras, vicuñas and a tree with photosynthetic bark - very cool.Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    1
    Day 8

    Trip to the top of the world

    March 19, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Had an adventurous and eventful trip with local guide Mariano and a group of Argentine tourists in a convoy of 4x4 over rocks, rivers, sand and ice up to, apparently, the highest point in the world that it's possible to drive to. Near the Chilean border, Crater Corona del Inca is 5340m - higher than Mount Blanc, so higher than any point in Europe. We started out at 6am and the sun rose as we drove. Luckily we only had headaches and a little wooziness from altitude but no sickness, although others in the group needed oxygen. Being buffeted by the wind, we saw other worldly landscapes, amazing array of colours, as well as the Laguna Brava with its flamingos and vicuñas (llama) in the distance. It was a rather crazy, haphazard day, all arranged by Lisa in Spanish - but it was a unique experience and we met lovely people in the group and laughed a lot - including Sol from San Juan who spoke English and shared her maté (local herby green tea) - much to Clare's delight!Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 9

    Itchy elastic national park 1

    March 20, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Having returned to a more normal altitude, we joined a car convoy tour of fabulously named Ischigualasto National Park - otherwise known as Valle de la Luna, Moon Valley. Or to us, with our plethora of mossie bites, as Itchyelastic, and other unpublishable variations. The park landscape is ancient, some of the oldest dinosaur fossils have been found here. It's full of weird & wonderful rock formations of many different colours, gorgeous in the early evening sunlight. The rock balls are called cancha de bochas and they don't really know why they are so perfectly spherical. Clare took so many photos that we are having to do two penguins...Read more

  • TravelerMendoza
    Day 9

    Difunta Correa

    March 20, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Stopped off on our drive back to Mendoza at a shrine to a local folk hero who is treated as a saint here. The legend has it that Difunta Correa's husband was captured in the civil war. She tried to find him, with her baby, but her body was found sometime later. She had died of thirst but her baby was still alive having breast fed from her. The main offering placed at the shrine is bottles of water - as Difunta died of thirst. There are thousands of them. Also plaques, prayer requests and thanks for prayers answered with gifts related to the request - car number plates, pictures of babies, scale models of houses and apparently somewhere a room of wedding dresses. Fascinating. My guess is that she represents many things, sacrifice, hope, love, survival, the fight for the cause...Read more

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