Malbec in Mendoza

So, recall my nausea inducing departure from Thunder Bay? Where I was afraid, anxious, and unable to wrap my brain around large scale international travel?

Less than 6 days after, I did it again.

Last Friday, I went to Argentina. Just for the hell of it.

Argentina. For the hell of it.

Mind Blown.

After an awe-inspiring 8 hour drive through the Andes (!), we arrived in Mendoza late afternoon, and the weekend became a happy, buzzed blur of excellent dinners, wonderful drinks, and dirt cheap cab rides.

The Hostel we stayed at (Hostel Suites Mendoza, certified by Hostels International) was noisy and garishly decorated with primary colours. However, our room had bunk beds! I have decided that bunk beds make up for everything, because the holiday atmosphere had a sleepover-ish quality that was both tiring and hilarious. Socks may have been thrown.

Part of the Hostels organization was that they had lists of daily events to do around the city. Obviously, there's nothing better to do in Southern, semi-rural Argentina... like a wine tour.

A full four hours on Saturday was dedicated to an Olive Oil factory followed by two local wineries, both of which specialized in the highly prized Argentinean Malbec. There was brilliant fall colours, full sunlight, and glass after glass of red and rose wine followed by bread and oil. I may have been in heaven.

It was also the perfect antidote to the Friday night, which was "a quick drink out to explore" that had turned into a full-on 3.5 hour bar-hopping jag until 2:00am down the main Mendoza club strip. I slept VERY well. I also LOVE hostels!

Due to the relative weakness of the Argentine dollar, the entire weekend (Bus tickets, Hostel, Food, and Fun)  cost me less than $300.00 Canadian.

Although we'd only been in Santiago a week, it was good to be out of the city. As lovely as Santiago is, the smog is terrible, and the city noise was tiresome after only a few nights. Our apartments are located in the business district (Little Manhattan, they call it, seeing as Santiago is the financial capital of South America) so it's always noisy.

I'm pretty sure I haven't had a solid 8 hours in the nearly 2 weeks I've been here. My body's response to this is to punish me with a wicked head cold and an achy back.

I should be catching up on sleep this weekend...

But, since I can, I'll be spending the upcoming long weekend in Quisco! Our entire group was invited by a travel and tourism student who loves Canadians (having spent over a year in Canada) and who has a large family and 3 Beach Houses near Val Paraiso (There is a rumour that his parents own several bus companies...). There will be scuba diving, surfing, barbeques, and buckets of cerveza. I will bring my camera.

Hasta Luego, Amigos!

P.S Aced my first Spanish test, and have been comfortably (if simply) conversing with the maids and concierge!