Mendoza...as tourists!

While we really enjoyed living like locals in Mendoza for a whole month, we did throw in a few "touristy" things.

First off was a trip our to Potrerillos for a day of rafting on the Mendoza River and zip lining across it! The rafting wasn't challenging, but it was fun and the kids got to try out being boat "captains" for the first time. The river is brown and rich with sediment from the mountains, but that sediment quickly settles out in the blue lake below. But we did have to rinse all the grit off in the really nice facilities at Argentina Rafting. They have nice-sized changing rooms with hot showers so you can de-river. We enjoyed a reasonably-priced, delicious multi-course lunch (a surprise since this was the only food game around and we are used to over-priced uninspiring food at places like that in the U.S.) with a great view of the river before setting off on a half-dozen zip lines. The final two were super long and crossed over the Mendoza River. It was a really fun day overall!

Such a fun day with Argentina Rafting!

Let me start off by saying that bus tours that shuttle you around to viewpoints aren't normally my thing, but since we didn't have a car we opted to book the High Mountain tour so that we could see Aconcagua, the tallest summit in the Americas at 6962m, up close. This tour took us back to Potrerillos and into the southern extent of the Incan empire. It's like our trip is coming full circle! The landscape in the foothills of the Andes was stunning, and we had great views as our bus climbed to the Cristo Redentor Monument at 4200m. This was a really cool (cold and windy!) stop that symbolizes the union between Argentineans and Chileans and allowed us to peek back in to Chile. We also stopped at Puente del Inca, a natural rock bridge. It was a long day on the road, but wine and alfajores and a big Argentinean lunch got us through it!

Saw the sites, learned about the area, and relaxed!

Frank and I snuck away for our own adventure at Bodega Santa Julia one day. We aren't super wine snobs, but knew we wanted to visit at least one of the famous Mendoza wineries and this one offered a harvest day! We learned about the wine industry of the region and how to harvest grapes, sipped wine while we harvested Malbec grapes, toured the wine production facility, tasted several wines, tried some olive oils from the adjacent grove, and finished the day with the winery's famous empanadas and wine in the courtyard. It was a full, fun, perfect adult day!

Adult Day Camp was so fun (and educational!)!

Near the end of our stay we headed about 40 minutes out of town to Lunlunta Valley for a sunset horseback ride with Los Pingos Horse Riding and it was AMAZING. This was honestly probably my best horseback ride experience ever. My horse, Padrillo, was super sweet and the trail took up into the hills over the wineries as the sun set. Then we headed back to the ranch under a clear night sky with the glow of the city lights of Mendoza in the distance. The night ended with a traditional asado meal, decent wine, and good conversation with fellow travelers. Everyone really enjoyed it.

The sunset horseback ride was a family favorite!

While we walked in General San Martín Park almost every day and enjoyed its many statues, one day Frank and I went the extra distance to climb Cerro de la Gloria to see the Monument to the Army of the Andes. This impressive monument celebrates the Army of the Andes, led by General San Martín and later Simón Bolivar, and its role in the liberation of Chile, Argentina, and Peru. As those are the three countries we have spent over six months in, it almost felt like we were bringing our trip to a close right there.

And while not a touristy thing, our time in Mendoza did overlap with Festa in Piazza, a celebration of Italian food and culture in Plaza Italia, and Vendimia, the region's wine harvest festival. We enjoyed dinner in the park with Festa en la Piazza one night, and that same night the main street in our neighborhood was closed to traffic and was full of people partying while DJs played music. It was awesome, but really loud! Then on our final day in Mendoza we had to wait seven hours between check-out and our bus, but there was a parade and sidewalk cafes, so we were good for several hours! We even talked to a local during the parade that told us a bit more about it. Of note--all the kids were excited to get stuff from the floats, but what did they toss? Water, fruit cups, grapes, pencils, trail mix, a few sodas (and two lucky adults near us got wine), garlic (a gift of agriculture from one of the regions represented)...not a single piece of candy! But they were all so excited! I loved it. Vendimia is a great celebration of the agricultural wealth of Mendoza and I would highly recommend being in town for it if you want to experience a non-touristy, local celebration!

Festa in Piazza was delicious and fun!

Oh, Vendimia...what a great party!

Oh, and we ate. We ate lots of great food in Mendoza! We didn't go out a ton, but when we did, it was good and very affordable. Many dishes are meant to be shared, and sometimes we misjudged and over-ordered. But leftover fries are always good with eggs the next morning.

Just looking back at some of these pics makes my stomach hurt, but we tried picadas, the empanadas, the milanesas, the papas, the calzones, the cafes, the beers, the wines, the Peruvian food, and so much gelato!

We have talked a lot about how much we enjoyed our very slow time in this great city. We didn't "do" all the city has to offer, but we did feel perfectly comfortable in our neighborhood, got to really observe a non-American lifestyle, and even learned about some locals' feeling about the U.S. We are a bit reluctant to leave, but there is a lot more adventure in store for us in the coming weeks!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma