Internacional Hotel Mendoza

... intense search of all the bags begin. Unrolling socks, unfolding and feeling every inch of jackets that were at the bottom of bags, and even opening up bags of dirty laundry. Then out of nowhere, they decided they had seen enough and barely even looked in the last fifteen people's bags. We got back on the bus and thought we were out of there and we were, sort of.. We rolled out of the garage and then just sat outside for another hour.. We didn't know why at the time, but they ...

... passports back! Then we went on an spontaneous trip to El Salto on a mission for beer. El Salto is a tiny (i´m talking 100 people) town 2500m above sea level, near the more popular Potrerillos. We took a local bus for 7 pesos into the Andes to find a micro-brewery called Cerveza Jerome that we had read about a few weeks ago. After the 2 or so hour bus ride the bus stopped at a dead end and ...

... good but now best ever!). The following day was the reason everyone comes to Mendoza - the bikes & wine tour. As the name suggests, we got bikes out and spent the day cycling around some of the many vineyards in Mendoza...learning about wine, seeing how its made, and (most importantly!) tasting it! It was a beautiful sunny day so we got to chill out, enjoying our wine tasting on beanbags in gardens, outside sofas and rooftop terraces. At ...

... entire time. We left the club around 530am. By that time...I was taking care of this Argentinian that was really wasted...he leaned on me all the way back to the hostel...which was about 5 blocks. We chatted it up a bit back at the hostel and I put the drunk guy to bed and I too went to bed. I woke up because the sun was in my face...at 12P!!!! I quickly, as quickly as Duke can, brush my teeth and gargled. My bus to Los Andes was at 1230P so I ran downstairs ...

... the parilla. So a nice local Tempranillo and local mineral water rounded out the lomo (tenderloin), chorizo, and pollo. In addition to stuffed pollo (with egg & olives), a pollo picatta (read my comment about Argentina´s long history with Italy), and lots of veggie ensaladas and stale bread. (yes, what is their infatuation with stale bread¿) All for a whopping 131 pesos/$37.00. The parade began at 11 (which we took to be midnight) and wow ...

... to know and said he is the guy you go to see in Mendoza. So we got a bus half an hour out of the city and made it to Hugo's place and we were instantly welcomed with open arms and a couple of bottles of ice cold water. After receiving our bikes for the day we headed down the path to the first winery. The guy who gave us the first tour reminded me like a chubby Antonio Banderas both in looks and in voice. After trying a couple of glasses of the region-famous ...

... under the flying saucer type roof, down 2 levels, the barrels sit and wait for the wine to eventually reach them after the fermentation process. Its a place that uses a simple century old technique, but in a 21st century building. As you walk around the concrete corridors, lights go on automatically, and doors open as you approach them, at any minute you expect to hear from behind you "Ah, I have been expecting you Mr Bond!". It is a truly awe inspiring place ...

... food for when we're resting and acclimatising but up high we need to provide and cook our own grub. Another member of the climbing team arrived this afternoon from Ireland, so we went out for a bite to eat in the evening and a few cheeky beers on one of Mendoza'a cosmopolitan boulevards. Mendoza has a real café culture with the pavements littered with tables and chairs from the numerous cafe's and bars. Day 4 - 10/01/09 Spend most of the ...

... take some Xanax or something before driving through the mountains in a bus. The sharp turns with no guard rails, being only inches from going off a cliff and not having a seat belt have gotten to me. I keep thinking, if the bus goes over this cliff, exactly how many people would crush me? Plus the story of Liz and Erin almost going over a cliff didn't help. Yikes. Long story short - it took a few hours to get thought the boarder ...

... a very exclusive rowing club on it; the boats sparkled like a jewel under the early afternoon sun, it was quite a sight. <br><br> <br><br>We found a nice shaded spot for our picnic, and thoroughly enjoyed the first lunch we've made ourselves for ages. <br><br>It was very relaxing as we watched the rowers glide past effortlessly. Honestly ...