Over the long weekend, a group of 15 of us made our way by bus to Mendoza, Argentina.
5 of us, Rhiannon, Sophie, Megan, Anna and I left early Thursday morning to embark on our journey. I didn't really know what to expect and didn't have any specific adventures in mind, and I think that was the best way to go. My trip was both full of amazing times and economical. Both are important I think while traveling. On the bus I met a girl who was from London, teaching in the north of Chile, she is half Chilean and half Irish. She isn't able to actually teach due to the education strike so she was taking advantage and traveling. She was such a sweet heart and we had a conversation as if we knew each other for years. Funny how traveling does that to people. We arrived in Mendoza after 2 hours in customs, waiting in a line, downing the fruit we brought since we thought we wouldn't be able to bring it across and having to pay for toilet paper...Strange experience overall haha The process of getting to our hostel was interesting as well since we had no idea where we were, we thought we could simply follow the map. After going through what was probably the most sketchy part of Mendoza getting whistles and stares, we made it to Lagares where we were greeted and showed our room in which we shared with 3 other roommates and stored our things in lockers. Out roommates the first night were from England and had been traveling around South America out of a backpack for 5.5 months, Santiago was their last stop in South America before heading to New Zealand, Fiji Islands, and working in Australia for a year. Seriously impressive. They were ambitious guys and made us laugh a lot, especially the fact they decided to wander around in their boxers. A little too comfortable with hostels? That night we found our way to a bank for cash and a little Italian place for some pasta and wine after being on a bus for 10 hours. It was lovely.
The next day 2 of the girls headed out to water raft and zip line, Rhiannon, Anna and I chose to go on a biking wine tour at Mr. Hugo's. It was a 45 minute bus ride away, and we didn't have coins to pay the bus driver so he let us off without paying. We were greeted with a glass of wine and a map, we chose to bike to a chocloteria, a winery, and a beer garden. They were all very unique and it was a blast to bike around and explore the vineyards. The countryside of Mendoza was a lot more 3rd World feeling with dirt roads, run down homes, in comparison to the big city where our hostel was.
The following day we were not able to make reservations for the hot springs, so we took advantage and went exploring. We made it to a few stores as well as the Mercado Central before the city began to shut down for almuerzo. Nothing was open from 1-5pm. It was definitely an experience. They definitely take advantage of their siesta time! So we decided, when in Mendoza, do as they do..went back and rested for awhile. We then tried to make it out to catch some more stores before dinner at 8, I really wanted to get some artisan items as well as shoes and a leather purse; a few things Mendoza is known for. But as luck would have it, everything began to shut down around 7:30-8 for the night, interesting cultural experience!
For dinner the 15 of us met up at Las Tinajas, an Argentinian buffet; I don't think that I have ever been so full in my life. The food was amazing, anything from pasta, meat, salads, to make your own crepes. It was incredible. We also had some authentic live Argentinian music to entertain us. We had some great laughs and at the end of the night could not move. We walked to a nearby plaza- Plaza Independencia- to take some pictures. The 5 of us walked home, and I think we were so delirious from eating so much we just laughed and laughed the whole way home.
The last day in Mendoza we got up early and went to the mountains to ride horses. It was incredible. We met 2 girls from the states who were studying in Argentina, a guy from New York studying in Mendoza and another guy from France who know no Spanish and was just traveling around. It was a great mix of people. Our guides were also amazing, and showed us the best time. The views were absolutely breath taking as well. We had an authentic asado after our ride at this precious little house in the mountains. Fresh veggies, salad, and all the meat you could imagine as well as flan with dulce de leche to top it off. It was incredible. That night we explored the town a little more and bought some chocolate and alfajores to share with our families. Our new roommates were from England, Australia, and the US. The three of them live in Vina and are working there for 9 months, and were in Argentina for the long weekend as well. They were super nice and we made plans to go out with them once we got back.
Being able to see so many sides of one city was the best part. We really got to experience Mendoza for all is was worth. Traveling is always a trying experience because you don't know how well everyone is going to get along or what is in store for you, but everything went splendidly and I couldn't be happier with my experience. The way back was interesting because poor Sophie got really sick throughout the whole bus ride. Customs was much more organized going into Chile but also more strict so it was much more waiting around and all of our bags got checked multiple times. The bus ride was great as well because I took a lot of time to reflect and journal, it's amazing how taking yourself out of the "norm" can help you take a step back and realize things. The view was also absolutely gorgeous going through the Andes mountains in between Argentina and Chile.
It was a great trip and I am so thankful for being able to partake in it.
One more stamp in my passport :]
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