Mendoza

Mendoza was the best choice to restart after the jungle adventures - in Argentina. The sunny city is located at the foot of the Andes in the far west of the country and has a unique feel-good atmosphere! It is also home to one of the best wine regions known for its Malbec.

We let our souls dangle and take it easy. We explore the compact downtown with green squares and a massive parkland that stretches from the valley up the mountain. We quickly find ourselves on hikes at impressive heights above the city.

Every day sunshine 🌞 When transitioning from winter to spring, pleasant temperatures between 20 and 24 degrees prevail. Thanks to a sophisticated irrigation system using water from the mountains, the region is an oasis where otherwise only very barren steppe could be seen.

At first, we need to organize ourselves for Argentina. Due to inflation, it's challenging to obtain cash. ATMs charge a fee of €5, allowing a maximum withdrawal of €40 🙈 Then success comes from registering with Western Union. I receive about 700,000 pesos (around €500) in 1000 peso bills and feel like a robber baron 😲

Shopping at various small shops and taking the bus with a payment card is also a bit of an adjustment. Many locations on Google Maps don’t even exist. However, Mendoza has a good network of bike paths leading out of the city in various directions.

The difficult economic situation is not really noticeable in the beautiful downtown area. Only the garbage collectors roaming the streets and rummaging through trash bags for paper or plastic to sell are a sign of the tough situation. The costs for accommodation are low for us. However, shopping and dining costs about the same as in Germany.

We particularly enjoyed the many vintage cars. They are from a time when cars still had charm 🤩

 

A highlight was the visit to a bodega (winery) nearby, in Luján de Cuyo. There are hundreds of them. Bodega Pulmary produces purely organic wines and also dark beer. The wine cellar with its massive concrete tanks was truly impressive.

 

         

We also undertook two hikes in the surrounding area: to Cerro Arco and to Cascads de los Berros.

The road trip to Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Americas) will follow in a separate post!