Viajando, Por Fin

A little over a week since my last post and I have missed you. A lot has happened in the past week, feels like a few crammed into one. And I ain't complaining, I want this experience to feel as rich as possible.

I am in Mendoza right now. I took an overnight bus on Tuesday night. Not your average Greyhound. Buses here are the preferred way of travel for Argentines and tourists alike. They have 3 classes, semi-cama, cama and super cama, which range in level of service and comfort. I took super cama because I'd heard so much about it. Worth the hype. I spent the night on a leather covered easy chair-like contraption that fully extended into a twin bed. I was greeted with champagne and feasted on meat and potatoes and red wine. The "entertainment portion" of the evening was quite colorful, beginning with a bingo game, followed by 1 hour of 80's music videos including the likes of Michael Bolton, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Modern Talking, Cyndi Lauper and a host of other big hair, crazy graphic-filled videos. Annoying at first, then a guilty pleasure. I had a blast, hadn't seen some of those videos in ages, and some I had never seen. If you want a laugh this morning, check out the Geronimo's Cadillac video by Modern Talking. Gotta love that hair. Gotta also love that random sprinkle of kitsch that makes this country a place to love.

I arrived well-rested on Wednesday morning and ready to explore wine country. I checked into Damajuana and spent the morning lounging by the pool, waiting for my room to be ready. I kept running into a nice woman who'd smile at me from a far. Something that stood out because, surprisingly, the other guests here are not that friendly. Strange for a hostel. I went back to my room and found her there. She's my roommate, perfect. A German Parisian living in Geneva and traveling throughout Argentina on a month off between jobs. She had already booked an afternoon tour of 3 wineries in the area and so I tagged along. Here are some photos from Damajuana and from our tour...