HI Los Penitentes Mendoza

1 december
Vandaag vertrekken we richting Punta de Vacas. Hier begint ons voor acclimatisatie programma. De tocht naar de top van Cerro Vallecitos (5.500m). Dit wordt een prive tocht. Wij 2-en, de dragers, de kok en de gids (Chavier, zie foto). Dat hebben we weer getroffen. Vanuit Vallecitos lopen we een klein stukje naar Valles de Plata, waar we overnachten in een berghut. Hoogte 2.900m.

2 december
Er staat een klim van 500m op het programma van Valles de Plata ...

... with the big tall black boots and the gestapo hat. Really- I am not exaggerating.

He "lovingly" pointed us to park our bikes in the station, and we went in to go through all the customs formalities of the temporary importation of the vehicles. This is normal - we have done this in every country and here in Chile was no different and it took the amount of time it usually takes - about two ...

... wilde ook nog een stuk van de Aconcagua opgaan. De hoogste berg van Zuid-Amerika, maar die is pas vanaf november betreedbaar. De hoogte stage wordt dus op een andere plek. Donderdag ben ik naar Santiago gegaan op bezoek bij een roommate van Buenos Aires. Die heeft een appartment daar.

De busrit ging dwars door de Andes heen. Hele mooie uitzichten. Alleen er was een staking bij de douane. De grensovergang duurde 4 uur. De chilenen zijn ...

... which was yummy and fruity. The lady there was really friendly and told us the correct process of trying wine and what to look for in each one. Having cycled on for about twenty minutes we got to another old place which had a traditional barbecue out the back as well which smelt amazing. There we got to try a glass of wine each, and I tried a 2000 Malbec (aged in an oak barrel donīt-you-know) which was absolutely amazing. We enjoyed our wine outside in the sun and chatted to two ...

... from Ireland ( Dermott and Aine). All 6 of us from hostel went on the famous Hugo wine bike tour. We got some old rickety, rusty bikes and a map of places to visit. First stop of course was the wine museum and here we got to sample the classic Malbec grape which is quite oakey! It was good craic and there was plenty of other backpackers completing the same tour. We visited a few vineyards getting to ...

... and the wine was atrocious. Most of the people from the bus didn't know anything, and they bought lots of bottles! Then we went to an semi-artisanal olive oil manufacture, and finally in another cave, a bit better than the first one but still very ordinary. What a pity... On the last night we had a big asado at the hostel, the local version of the BBQ, and as-much-as-you-can-eat. I hadn't stuffed myself with red meat like that for years... That was really good! :)

... attempts to communicate with them, even if it is stunted and mainly gestures. We are looking forwarding to heading out of the city tho and seeing a bit more of the countryside . We flew out of BA to Mendoza on Wednesday... I think. Days are merging into one. Mendoza is famous for its wine. Nearly 70% of all South Americas wine comes from the Mendoza region. We stayed in a lovely family run hostel and meet some ...

... a liqueur making place (awesome chocolate liqueur) and 4 on the second which led to us buying a couple of cases of Mendoza's wine...the only problem was working out how to ship it back! This didn't prove to be the easiest task in the world and after a few hassles, arguments and debates as to whether it would have been easier just to find the same *******n bottles in NYC we ended up carting the crates all the way to Buenos ...

... maybe 30 kilometers". Phew! We drove in a southerly direction past the suburbs of Mendoza. The city is situated at the foot of a range of low, barren mountains (about 2000m high) which quickly make way for the magnificent snow-covered peaks of the Andes, the highest of which is more than 6,500m high, providing a pretty spectacular backdrop. As we drove on, the suburbs gradually ceased and switched into row after row of vines: wine country! The landscape here is flat ...

... hostel in the Lonely planet only to find that it had closed down. O well. We searched out the Tourist Information office for a list of places to stay. Unfortunately on checking the list we realised that this was the most expensive small town in the world! Hostel/hotel prices were much more than we had expected. There were a couple on the list that seemed reasonable. I headed off to one but had no luck as it also seemed closed. George headed to ...