Bikes and Wine

Wine tasting on bikes--what a novel concept!  The town of Mendoza is outfitted perfectly for this activity.  Timmy and I rented bikes for the day from Mr. Hugo's Bike Shop.  It's 50 Argentine pesos for the day, which gets you a map of the wine route and the use of a rickety old bike.  

The late start had us determined to see as many vineyards and do as many tastings as time would allow. We stopped at a food and liquor tasting first, then it was on to the vineyards.  We toured a working vineyard and got to see some of the inner workings of the wine making process.  Then we sampled many glasses of good Argentine wine.  I lost count as the distinctions of each place seemed to blur together past the bucolic scenery. 

The police in Mendoza are very tourist friendly.  Since wine tasting on bikes is such a common activity, they patrol the area looking for wine tasters that have had a few glasses too many, and offer rides to the riders and their bicycles.  When Timmy and I had trouble finding one of the vineyards, a police officer on a motorcycle offered his help.  He ended up giving us a police escort--leading the way on his motorcycle in slow speed so that our bikes could follow--right up to the front doors of the wine tasting room!

At our second to last stop we met Wally, a crazy, fun-loving Canadian from the Yukon.  It was clear Wally came to Mendoza with two goals: to get a tan and to get as drunk as possible while still retaining the ability to ride a bike.  Wally turned everything into a big party.  We joined him and the two girls from New Zealand, shared a bottle or two at the next stop, and marveled at the view of the sun-drenched vineyards from the patio.





Wanting to savor the moment, we lingered a little too long at the last place, and had to race back to return our bikes to Mr. Hugo's on time.  When we got there, Mr. Hugo was throwing a party of his own for all the people who had rented bikes from him.  We sat in his yard, talking, laughing, and drinking some cheap table wine supplied by Mr. Hugo who made everyone feel like family. 

San Telmo Sunday Market

I'm back in BA--and at the right time--just in time to see the streets come alive for the Sunday Market in San Telmo. The streets are littered with blankets of rasta jewelry for sale, food vendors selling baked bread, mate, and fresh squeezed juice, and an antiques market in the public square selling everything from old buttons to chandeliers. Beautiful music floods the streets and tango dancers perform for the crowds. There are enough street performers to make Venice Beach seem like a sideshow.

I can't help but smile, getting swept up in the festive mood of San Telmo. This is the Buenos Aires that I've been waiting to see!




I try to navigate the busy streets with the Australian girl I just met, and we go in search of the fresh fruit stalls. The only thing that could interupt the festivities of the day is bad weather. It starts to pour and we duck into the antiques market to wait out the storm. The tables get folded up, the blankets of jewerly wrapped up, the musicians begin to pack up their instruments, people start scatter like ants--And just like that, the party disappears.

When it rains in Buenos Aires, it really pours! I'm kind of disappointed, but at least I still got to catch a glimpse. Maybe when the rain calms down, I'll get off the computer, and take another look around.

Another Chinatown

For Mom and Dad: Yes, there is a Chinatown in Argentina.

On almost every family vacation I can recall, the first thing my parents want to see is Chinatown. And there seems to be one in even the unexpected places across the globe. This one is just outside of Buenos Aires, right off of the Belgrano train stop.

So, Mom and Dad, this picture is for you:



It kinda looks like all the others.

Train to El Tigre

For about 80 cents (U.S.) you can catch an hour train ride from Buenos Aires to El Tigre. It's a great day trip to escape the hectic city, and service runs fairly frequently from the Retiro train station.

El Tigre is like Tom Sawyer Island. It's a city that straddles the delta on el Rio de la Plata, and the waterways are the main thoroughfare. Big boats, little boats, and barges that pick up garbage go up and down the river. You can buy fruit and vegetables from the small boats, or watertaxi your way down through town.

All of the houses have their own makeshift little docks, and there are campsites right along the river. People were fishing, swimming, playing volleyball, and doing bellyflops off the small docks. El Tigre is a fun little town to see if you have an extra day in Buenos Aires, especially on the weekends when they have there big markets.

Recoleta Cemetery

The famed Recoleta Cemetary in Buenos Aires is the burial spot for some of Argentina`s rich and famous.

I`ve always found cemeteries to be a bit creepy, but this one is actually one worth visiting. The elaborate tombs and mausoleums are really an incredible sight. There are narrow passageways that lead to even more ornate burial rooms. It's like a small city of graves, which sounds a little morbid, but it's actually more like visiting a museum with all the marble statues and Gothic-style architecture. The rich and famous went through great lengths to try and outdo each other, so you can imagine the intricacy of all the fancy tombs.



The last plots in Recoleta filled up in the 70s. In some graves, whole families are buried together. Some of the mausoleums have clear panels of glass that you can see right through to the coffin...those were a little creepy.

In Recoleta the dead are not forgotten--instead they're visited by hundreds of tourists every day.

Otto Meiling: the mountain outpost

We heard about a party up at Otto Meiling, and decided to join in on the fun. Otto Meiling is a remote mountain outpost near the tronador outside of Bariloche. The little refugio was celebrating its 35th anniversary, which meant a lot of locals and a party somewhere up in the mountains. It sounded good to us!

Katie, Andy, and I planned our meals and stocked up on food from the grocery store then went back to pack our bags. After Torres Del Paine, the weight of my pack hardly seemed like anything.  


The next morning, a two-and-a-half hour bus ride brought us to the trailhead, and we quickly set off for Otto Meiling. The switchbacks looped back and forth and there were steeper short-cuts to shave time off the main trail--we almost always chose the shortcuts.

The hike was steep, with a 1900 Km elevation gain. It was a tough trek, but we were rewarded with incredible views and perfect weather.

When we reached Otto Meiling, there was a tiny tin lodge. It looked so remote sitting on top of the mountain surrounded by nothing but snow and the open air. We were above the clouds and the treeline, so there were perfect 360 degree panoramic views of everything above and below, set against a perfect blue sky.

We laid out on the rocks watching the sun go down, and did a little reading. I don't think we could've asked for a more perfect setting.



A live band came to play for the party. They managed to haul their amps, guitars, microphones, and drums up the mountain somehow, so we were rewarded by live music on top of the mountain. The backdrop was surreal--it made it feel like we were in a ridiculous music video.



This was one of those rare moments that you just want to bottle and hold on to the memory of forever. The audience kept singing along in Spanish and English. Everyone was caught up in the moment, and nothing existed except for the lyrics and rhythmic melody. The band was very talented. Nobody could stop smiling.  In more ways than one, it felt like we were on top of the world.



Dinner for the three of us that night was prepared mostly by Andy. (It's so nice when a guy can cook.) He made chile con carne with rice, and we devoured it along with the two boxes of red wine that we packed with us up the mountain.

Later that night, we brought the leftover wine with us outside and sat atop the rocks looking up at the blanket of stars that had lit up the night sky. We talked about how special it was to be part of the entire experience, and watched as a couple of shooting stars shot overhead.  

At night the little cozy lodge was transformed into a dance floor, and we danced along to the vibrant latin music and raegaton.

So many people had turned up for the party that it made the sleeping arrangements interesting, but it only added to the experience. Up in the tiny attic was where the 70 plus people were supposed to sleep. Backpacks had to be left outside, and mattresses were laid out completely covering the floors. It was two mattresses for every three people (a good thing we had come as a threesome), but it was basically 70 strangers sleeping shoulder to shoulder in one massive slumber party. Getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night was tricky though...

Small Circuit Bike Ride

One of the best ways to see Bariloche and all its splendor is to rent a bike for the day. We chose to do the 40 km circuito chico, which makes a loop around the mountains and lakes area.

The bikes we rented were really well-equipped. They had excellent brakes, good tires, and the rental company even provided us with locks, helmets, and an emergency repair kit.

Katie (England), Andy (England), and I all met on the 28-hour bus ride from El Calafate and decided to do the bike ride together. I was feeling pretty good, taking in the pretty scenery and cruising right along...then came the hills...and I quickly realized 40 K was not going to be as easy as I thought. My quads were feeling it after the first killer hill.

We were so lucky to have such good weather, and the viewpoints were amazing! The best part was flying down the hills, feeling the wind in our faces, and the surge of adrenaline as we kept picking up speed on the endless downhills. It made the struggle of going up the massive hills worthwhile. It was also a good thing our bikes had such responsive brakes.



There are all sorts of different little trails for day hiking and camping, and our bikes gave us the freedom to see what we wanted. We biked to different lake areas, and hiked to some spectacular miradors. We even made our way to the famous Llao Llao hotel, an exclusive place at the top of the hill given the prestigious title of "hotel of the world."



We also biked through Colonia Suiza (the Swiss town). The wooden handcrafted buildings were so quaint, and we had the best ice cream.

Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche is a small Northern Patagonian town set in the mountains over a sparkling lake. In the winter time it transforms into a bustling ski village. In the summer, there's an array of outdoor excursions to choose from.


The town has a heavy Swiss influence that is noted in the architecture and the delicious chocolate. The streets are lined with choclaterias and ice cream shops. I met up with a bunch of other travelers from the hostel and we did a midnight chocolate run. There are so many things to love about this place.  

28 hours of contemplation

It's 28 hours from El Calafate to Bariloche--my first marathon bus ride. Thank goodness the buses in Argentina are so luxurious and comfortable. Even in the semi-cama class, the seats recline way back. It's more comfortable than flying.

What do you do on a bus for 28 hours? Sleep. Talk. Contemplate. Eat. Listen to iPod. Watch pirated movies that they show on the bus. Then contemplate some more...

My roommate, Andy (England), from the hostel in El Calafate happened to have the seat next to me--a nice coincidence. We got to know each other better on the bus, which made the 28 hours more bearable. We talked, shared food, played rummy, and I taught him how to play Big 2.

Occasionally the bus stops in random towns to refuel and everyone gets a 10-minute break to stretch or go buy food. We made one weird stop in this tiny town with nothing but dirt roads and dust. It was our longest stop (30 minutes). I think our bus driver wanted pizza from the one restaurant in town. The rest of us stood around snacking, and waiting for the tumbleweed to go by.

Perito Moreno Glacier

Okay, so I lied about there being nothing to do in El Calafate. There is one thing to do here. You can go see the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is the only game in town. But even if you skip the pricey tour and take the public bus, it´s still kind of expensive.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is quite a spectacular sight though. I didn´t think I would be too impressed since I already saw Glacier Grey in Torres Del Paine, but the massiveness of Perito Moreno is mind blowing. You can hear and watch big chunks of ice falling from the glacier. It sounds like loud claps of thunder.

The glacier seems to stretch infinitely. All I could see for miles were dramatic landscapes of ice, and where the sun hits, it turns a beautiful hue of blue.

El Calafate, Argentina

Yay, I'm in Argentina! After a 5-hour bus ride and several passport inspections, I have finally made it over the border. It's weird calculating things in another currency. I was just getting used to $600 Chilean pesos to $1 U.S. dollar, now it's 3:1 with the Argentine peso.

So while it's exciting being in another country, I can't say that I'm thrilled with El Calafate. There are tourists towns, and then there are tourist traps...I should have listened to the Australian girl when she said to try to avoid El Calafate (even though from Puerto Natales it's kind of unavoidable). Everything in El Calafate is outrageously overpriced, and there is really nothing to do. After a half day of bumming around I was ready to leave so I went back to the bus station to buy my ticket to the next place. Unfortunately, the next bus bound for Bariloche didn't leave for another three days. Ouch!