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  Mendoza, Argentina
Thursday, April 17, 2008

The best way to visit bodegas (wineries) in Argentina is on a bright orange cruiser. 

We are in Mendoza, the heart of Argentinian wine country and hooked up with a company called Bikes and Wines to pursue our adventures in la viticultura.  We headed to Maipu, a little town outside of Mendoza and reassured ourselves on the way there that ¨of course we´ll have helmets and a safety talk.¨  We were wrong.  We hopped on our delapidated bikes with nothing more than a map and off we went to explore 12 km of wineries, chocolate factories and olive oil plantations. 

Our first stop was at a wine museum/bodega.  It is fascinating to see the old technology in wine-making and frankly, how little it has changed.  The rudimentary process from centuries past really isn´t so different from what we´ve experienced with Buddly´s wine project.  We took several photos of the old tools, copper tanks and enormous barrels.  From there, we headed to a small factory that produces jams, chocolates and liquors.  We were fairly amazed that our $5 peso (about US $1.60) tasting fee included a full shot of whiskey along with the dish of chocolates and spoonfuls of jam and spreads.  It was just what we needed at 11am to kickstart our day!  From there we had some great tours and tastings at old wineries.  Our favorite was Vina el Cerno, a functioning winery since 1914 that closed its doors in the 70´s and opened up again 20 years later when it was bought by its current owners.  They still process everything by hand (no factory production lines here) and operate with most of the old equipment, sharing the work with seven  other family vinyards in the area.

The backpacker circuit is a small world, and we were nothing less than excited to run into Suzanne, our friend from the Navimag ferry at one of our stops with whom we spent the rest of the day.  She accompanied us to the olive oil plantation and joined us for the rest of the evening back in Mendoza.  She is a pilates instructer in San Francisco and was lucky enough to find someone to temporarily replace her job and maintain her rent while she takes this trip.  Suzanne is only one of many fellow travelers we´ve befriended and continue to connect with along the South American path.

We stumbled upon a local theater and bought tickets for Markama, a lively music group that covers all genres of South American music, focusing especially on traditional instruments and beats of indigenous cultures.  Aside from the self-righteous floutist, we were impressed by the percussionist and charango (ukulele-like guitar) player.

It's not all fun and games.  We are being reminded that we are back in a big city with lots of people that would love to steal our stuff and have all sorts of ploys to do so.  We knock on wood every time we mention how lucky we are after seven weeks with no theft and virtually no harassment.  Don´t always obey your instincts or manners.  If someone drops something, don´t ever pick it up.  After one traveler´s mishap we are even reconsidering whether or not to look at our watches if asked for the time.  There are so many instances that appear so natural but are only distractions.  It´s such a challenge contrasting these precautions with the desire to connect with the warm and amazing people that make up the majority of Argentinians.

Also, we are taking Spanish classes this week... we´ve got the logistics down, but are somewhat frustrated by our inability to truly connect with and get to know locals.  Thus, we´re taking private refresher courses at our own respective levels, and then meeting up for an hour each day for joint conversation practice.  It's definitely strange having homework again, but a mini-slap in the face for Patience who will be heading to University of Oregon this fall to start a graduate program in Historic Preservation and Urban Planning.  The language structure and practice are definitely helping to nail down the forms, creating a much more balanced flow of sentences and conversation.

We are halfway through our journey, still having the time of our lives, but definitely starting to miss home.  If we´re in your thoughts, drink a bottle of Malbec and who knows- we may very well be thinking of you while drinking a bottle of the same wine on the other end of the world.  It will be like a cosmic connection...

Kyle and Patience

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