Mendoza

I painfully didn’t charge my ipod for the 18 hour bus ride from Bariloche to Mendoza, but it wasn’t a big deal considering the fact I drove through the most beautiful view of life. It was ok there was no more juice in my ipod because (I can’t believe I’m about to say this) for the first time in my life something was better than listening to music…the view outside the window simply beat listening to my music…I know, that’s how good it was.

What also made the bus ride fantastic was the grand game of BINGO…yeah, that’s right—the entire bus played BINGO! The best part was the winner received a free bottle of wine…too bad I didn’t win. (Mom, I wish you were there because between your luck at BINGO and me rooting for you...we would've won that bottle!) Next time...

Mendoza is considered the Napa-Valley of Argentina. It’s the largest wine-producing region in all of Latin America. Wine is not only a big influence in Buenos Aires (or all over Argentina for that matter) but in Mendoza it plays a vast role in every day life.  People practically breath wine there…and they do it with class. So, the next bottle of wine you drink (and if it’s a good one), you’ll probably notice it’s from Mendoza (or maybe Chile).

While the seven of us were in line waiting for a cab at the bus terminal, some guy walked up to us asking if we needed a ride. Being frugal travelers, we barked at his question and said, “YES!” He responded by saying, “Ok--- follow me to my car.” We did. After walking 2 blocks to get to his beat up cruiser, the seven of us crammed (and I mean CRAMMED) into the back of this man’s car. You’re probably wondering why we didn’t wait to take 2 cabs…great question. Well the thing is when you’re traveling, the common rule between all backpackers is that you’ll do pretty much anything to save money---and that’s why we chose our Jefe (boss); we wanted to each save 3 pesos…you gotta love the traveler’s life-style…it’s amazing! After repeatedly turning on and off his car, Jefe’s engine started working. He finally dropped us off at Damajuana Hostel.

WOW. Damajuana isn’t your average hostel. It’s more of a, let me think, it’s definitely “the” hostel to stay at in Mendoza. The hostel was an old house converted into a hostel. If you like the grungy, loud, and little sleep environment, then stay here. The seven of us walked into our hot, muggy dorm room and noticed there were about 16 beds and each one was taken with people’s smelly towels and bags. Yuck. Our room had awful circulation and the living conditions were poor, but the amenities and location of the hostel were outstanding. There was an outdoor pool, a bar in the hostel, and it was on the main street in Mendoza. It was a great hostel to meet other interesting backpackers.

Mendoza has so much to offer and is a great city. It’s very metropolitan. The Andes Mountains are near by for trekking, there are heaps of wineries, and rafting, horse-back riding, paragliding and the hot-spring are also close by. Mendoza is definitely a place everyone should visit if you’re in Argentina or Chile. After my few days in Mendoza, I really can say I felt the essence of the Napa Valleys!