Beaches from Brazil to Buenos Aires & Beyond

- Day 23 -

It’s amazing how although you’ve not done something for years, you can miss it. These were my idle thoughts as we lazily stretched out on terrace overlooking the regatta lake in General San Martin park, sipping a shandy in the hot afternoon sunshine, catching up on our blogs and watching crews warm up in their boats. It’s fair to say that our last few weeks have not been filled with rigorous exercise - the occasional body surf and long beach walk have not offset the cake breakfasts and dulce de leche treats. Although I don’t feel we’ve been lazy, my muscles felt twitchy watching the rowers, remembering the same pain/pleasure of being put through their paces on the Thames.

The morning had started migrating from the convenient if uninspiring Savigliano hostel near the bus station to the welcoming and centrally located Hostel Mora.

After picking up some picnic provisions, we marched up Mendoza’s elegant boulevards to the main park, reminiscent of Hyde park in London with tree lined avenues, shady trellised walkways and an enormous artificial lake with its own Andean mountain backdrop. Perfect for us to took into a Scooby size sandwich of ham, avocado, tomato and lettuce.

What we hadn’t been told either in the guide book or from the helpful receptionist at the Mora was that the park had an amazing Regatta centre on the lake complete with swimming pool. Sadly we hadn’t brought our cozzies and so instead we retired to the terrace to sip our cerveza and 7up and watch others exercise in the increasing afternoon heat.

Strolling back into town, we tried to grab an afternoon alfajorez and coffee at a Havanna café, but the service was so slow, we skipped off our table and continued back to the hostel for a siesta.

We didn’t venture far in the evening with Cass still suffering a stomach upset and settled on a parilla in the main precinct where I could grab a delicious Bife Chorizo and Cass some digestible pasta. The live music and entertainment complete, strangely, with a rendition of the pink panther theme offered up a lively distraction, before we hit the hay, ready for an early start to the mountain water parks of Cacheuta.

- By Ian

-Day 22-

Hellooo, after many years of a long distance love affair, I am so pleased to finally meet you Mendoza. We have at last arrived at holy grail of the bottle. Ian and I, and several girlfriends back home (you know who you are!) should be proud to hear we are largely responsible for keeping Argentina as the 5th largest wine producer in the world.

Not that you’d have known I was pleased to be here if you’d seen the state of me this morning AFTER I DISCOVERED MY SHOWER GEL HAD LEAKED OVER MY BRAND NEW (was) AMAZING LEATHER HANDBAG. Not cool, much stomping in mediocre hostel room ensued. But things inevitably got better when wine got involved.

We decided to go on a self-guided bicycle tour around the Maipu wine region. Against our better instincts, we went to ‘Mr Coco’s’ - the first bike rental shack we saw after getting off the bus. We were handed a map detailing ten vineyards staggered along the 7km Urqroadulza Road. Brilliant! And off we went!

We straddled our clattering “mountain bikes” and cycled along, dodging squashed tomatoes on the road which had fallen from the top of an overstuffed produce truck, which we also narrowly avoided. We then jealously passed smug tipsy cyclists coming in the other direction, depositing their shiny new ‘Mr Hugo’s bikes’ (complete with baskets) only two minutes further up the road than Coco’s. Damn. We decided we’d cycle all the way to the end and work our way backward through the vineyards, knowing that after a few wine flights, a 7k pedal through wine country wouldn’t be half as appealing.

We turned into Familia di Tommaso and were greeted by a gorgeous little courtyard overlooking rows of vines. We decided to tuck into a delicious lunch of cannelloni and an obligatory tomato mozzarella salad. And then the Canadian couple cycled into the courtyard! Was it possible they’d planted a tracking device on us?? After bumping into them four times in three different countries in remote or obscure locations, yes, we very much think it is possible, if not likely.

Together we did the tour of the oldest winery in Mendoza, it is still run by the same family it was started by in 1869. They produce just 40,000 bottles a year, exporting very little and exclusively selling to individuals (like us!) or through a small number of retailers. By keeping their vines and production levels small it allows them to continue producing the same top quality wine they have for all these years. It was absolutely fascinating to see them filling the french oak barrels by hand. It was also an insight into the past to see the old fermentation tanks fashioned from brick and concrete and lined with wax. Today they are used as wine cellars as the winery now have to employ newer controlled methods to comply with health & safety, but the original tanks have been given protection as historic monuments.

Of course the best bit was the tasting! We tried three different Malbecs; one non barrel oaked, and two aged in the barrel for 6 and 12 months respectively. Then there was a 17% walnutty desert wine which was to die for, sods law they don’t export hey!

We got back up on the scrap metal tied together by two wheels and realised it was already 4pm (time flies when you’re drinking wine!) We only had time for one more winery before they closed at 6! With Ian’s broken chain, we got to the Trapiche winery as slowly as humanly possible.

In contrast, Trapiche is the largest wine producer in Argentina (owned by an investment bank. It would be, wouldn’t it). As we turned our bikes off the dusty track, we were faced with an impressive modern brick structure flanked by sculptural olive groves, vines and fountains. Much to our dismay, we’d missed the last tour of the day, but they let us jump in halfway and tag along for free. Once again it culminated in a wine tasting. First off a Sauvignon blanc, for which they grow their grapes much closer the the foot of the Andes mountains as it’s cooler. We then tasted two reds, a Malbec and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Similar to the previous vineyard, they were both aged for a year in french oak barrels. Absolutely delicious, and I believe Laithwaites in the UK stock Trapiche, so go and grab yourself a bottle!

Ian’s bike chain had completely broken so it was a lengthy journey to return the bikes. We received a shrug rather than a refund from Mr Coco, but after the wine we didn’t seem to care much!

We were still on Buenos Aires time and headed out for supper in Mendoza at 11pm. We were met with quizzical looks from the hostel staff, as they told us the places we’d chosen to go will have finished serving for the night. Nevertheless, after browsing through a late night artisanal market, we managed to find a cute restaurant called Quinta Norte around the main town square, Plaza Indepencia. Satisfied our grape fuelled hunger with a yummy rotisserie chicken and rice, and a bottle of Trapiche Malbec no less!

- By Cass

- Day 21 -

One of the pleasures of spending 3 or 4 days in a city is that you get to backtrack and reexamine the areas you’re already covered and ticked off the “Must See” list. Having hit San Telmo on our first day for the market, I thought as it was our last day and our Hostel’s neighbourhood, we should have a mooch and check out the streets we missed due to the crowds, making our way back up to the centre.

Although I’m not sure when the “perfect” handbag become the holy grail of accessories, I’ve learnt over the years to keep my “helpful” observations to a minimum - why do some women shackle themselves to what is effectively a piece of luggage for daily use, groaning under the weight of filling their Mulberry with “essential” items. Rant over…

Despite Cass coping without a handbag over the last 3 weeks ( instigated by Brazil’s wise women avoiding muggings and my deep pockets) , I knew acquiring an Argentine “buttery” leather bag was high on her priorities for BA. She’d ear marked one in the mall yesterday but felt a cheat to select one from VitaminA, a Brazilian brand. I knew what she meant, as I, similarly eschewed a pair of loafer Hushpuppies as I wanted an Argentine brand - if your going to go with clothes as a souvenir, you at least want some sense of authenticity to justify them. Although we pored through every boutique in San Telmo, keeping our energy up with empanadas, it wasn’t until we reached the centre and a veritable Aladdin’s cave of outlet stores that we came upon THE bag, proudly displayed in the centre of the shop window. With a bit of haggling Cass become the proud owner of a Cul de Sac cream snake skin pressed and natural calf leather bucket bag, complete with “Hace en Argentina” stamped inside. I was equally pleased to complete this seemingly Sisyphean task as well as find my own pair of handmade leather loafers, with a half price matching belt thrown in.

Dashing back to the hostel to collect our less fashionable rucksacks, we discovered that although our 1st class seats on the overnight bus to Mendoza were all set, Lao Hostel had apparently double booked and we were now without a bed for the following night. In what felt like a repeat of our experience for Ilha Grande, we then had to chase around for an available double room, Cass keen not to repeat her Colonia dorm experience. Thankfully we managed to get two hostels booked for the 3 nights, minutes before we needed to head out to catch our ride to wine country.

Now I had been told that Argentine long distance buses were the cream of the crop in South America, and for only an extra £7 each, not choosing the first class cama suites seemed churlish. Other friends who had done the journey had remarked how incredibly spacious the fully reclining seats were and that some even served up a steak and glass of malbec to ease you into sleep. On the comfort side, Andesmar delivered and even my 6ft 3 frame was just about accommodated with some knee bending. The food however, was interesting. Served in what I can only describe as a Fisher Price sealed plastic puzzle tray, each compartment offering a “surprise”. Gelatinous cubes whether sweet or savoury I couldn’t tell, a just about edible potato tortilla and another triple deck crustless white bread sandwich. Strangely the waiter whisked this away after 5 minutes, seemingly familiar that little would be eaten, and followed it with a microwaved chicken fillet in sauce. Andesmar, on behalf of your countrymen, bring back the steak, as it will go perfectly with the delicious Norton Cabernet Sauvignon you provided. Only the free bubbly rescued the meal but it was shame after being tempted by a showcase of classic cinema, the Zookeeper was the night’s film feature.

- By Ian