Mendoza: 22nd - 26th March 2026
22nd March – Sunday
Today was so long. One thing I hate about hostel dorms is that the more I try to be quiet the louder I actually am. I tried my best but make several loud clanging noises before I managed to empty my draw of my belongings and move everything into the communal room. Luckily no one else was up so I had privacy and the heater all to myself and, as planned I left for the bus station at 7am. It was a bloody cold walk and stupidly I took the long route – but such is life. The coach journey to the airport was spectacular. However, I almost lost my window seat, the woman next to me asked if I’d swap with her elderly mother so they could sit together. Obviously she asked in Spanish and I didn’t have a clue what she was saying, then this handsome young man, Rowan, stepped in and translated. I was in a bad mood and said I would swap if it was a window seat, Rowan said it was so I moved. Rowan was wrong and I was upset so he gave me his window seat. What a lovely young man. We ended up chatting for quite a while, he is from Sheffield, but I cannot remember what he said he does as a living. Never mind, I made the most of my window seat and enjoyed the spectacular views pass by me.
I had ages to wait for the first flight, so I sat and had a coffee and couple of empanadas before checking in my luggage. This flight was actually very beautiful and I was quite shocked at how much the mountains had changed from when I flew into the region. The peaks are now clad in snow, where as two weeks ago they were bare. I expect in another two weeks the entire area will be covered in a white blanket. I am sure it will look spectacular from the air, but will be extremely cold on the ground.
I had another long wait at Buenos Aires for the second flight, so there I had dinner – pizza and a beer. Other than that the flight was very standard, however by the time we landed at 9am I was finding it quite hard to stay awake and was relieved to get of the plane.
Myriam, the host, was waiting for me when I arrived at the apartment, which was nice as I didn’t have to hang around for her. She is very warm and bubbly and gave me a huge hug. She also had an old guy with her, he told me his name but I cannot remember it. They were both so over enthusiastic about helping me. All I wanted to do was go to bed but I ended up, after discussing my plans for the week, letting them take me to the all night supermarket. It is only a 10 minute walk from here, but at 10:30pm, after a days travel I found the whole experience really painful,
but I didn’t want to be rude as they were just trying to help me. The supermarket was huge, and I could not think so I bought stuff for breakfast and small bottle of beer to help me relax before bed. All I can say is thank god I got back to the apartment without getting lost.
23rd March – Monday
Today has been productive. I put my laundry in for cleaning. The first place I went to was closed so I ended up going the one that is actually nearer to me but does not have such good reviews. You have to be very careful walking around Mendoza as all of the pavements have very long gullies with trees growing out of them. One wrong step and you could fall in and break and ankle or leg. Other than that, I didn’t really take that much of the area in as I was on a mission and wanted to get back quickly.
On returning I did a lot of research and booking. I now have 3 nights in Santiago (Chile), before I fly to Easter Island where I will stay for a week. I found some really cheap flights but it meant booking each way separately for a total of £500! but it does mean an extended stay, I also found a fairly cheap place to stay, it is up a hill but the walk will do me good. So I am quite excited and definitely looking forward to having a few days time out. I would really love to settle for a month, like I did in Vietnam, as I am actually exhausted from travelling but as I only have 13 weeks of travelling left, a week to chill will have to do. Before I leave here I also want to book the Galapagos Islands, plan what to do in Peru before I meet my mum and also book my flight from Bolivia back to the UK, but I will do that another day.
After all of that I went for a walk to clear my head. I half followed my steps from last night and went to Plaza Espana. It is actually very beautiful, with Spanish style architecture and intricately designed blue and white tiled seating areas, a beautiful fountain and a monument to the Hispanic-Argentine Brotherhood. Lots of people were hanging out in the plaza, lounging on the grass, and it had a really nice chilled feel to it and this afternoon was a lot warmer than when I went out this morning. From there I walked to Plaza Italia which, although not as stunning as Plaza Espana, is still very charming and chilled, again with lots of people just hanging out for the afternoon. The fountain in the middle was quite strange with several statues and
red water, there were also several monuments, one is of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a Roman Wolf. As with the Plaza Espana, this one was built after the 1861 earthquake which greatly damaged the city.
There are actually 4 plazas surrounding independence Square. I think I will book myself onto a walking tour tomorrow, so I can find out more about them. I know I can research on the internet but a guided tour is so much more fun. Before returning to my room I found a little cafe and sat on the street and had a rather delicious gin cocktail called a nigroni and some bread with salami and olives. I actually wanted a main meal but she said they didn’t serve food until 8pm, however the bread and salami was very good and satisfied my needs. It was lovely sitting there watching the world go by and I would have stayed and had two drinks but it was in the shade and I started to feel a chill coming on.
I am still so exhausted. And after everything yesterday, I still did not sleep well last night. This apartment is on the corner of two very busy roads and the traffic noise did not stop until gone one this morning and then started up again at 6am. Although I am on the 4th floor the windows are so useless, they only block out the weather, not the noise. Hopefully, now that I know what to expect, I will sleep better tonight.
24th March – Tuesday
I was a little disappointed as my tour guide cancelled the tour last night, he said I was the only person but I think it was more to do with today being a national holiday in Argentina. It is the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice. The day is a reminder of the human rights violations that occurred during the Argentinian dictatorship. It is also a day of remembrance for 30,000 people who disappeared during the dictatorship. So sad.
This morning I decided to do my own walking tour. Having already completed two of the 5 plazas I went to Plaza San Martin and Plaza Chile and had a walk along Sarimento street. Thus covering all of the main areas that my guruwalk would have covered, except Plaza Independencia, which I am saving for tomorrow. Saimento street is very nice, it is a pedestrian area with many bars and restaurants spilling out onto the street, a couple of fountains and many street musicians plying their trade. It was early when I went so a lot of the bars and restaurants were not set up but the street still had a very bohemian, chilled feel to it.
I liked Plaza San Martin a lot. It is not as fancy as the two I visited yesterday, but it appeared to have more trees and felt more like a park than a plaza. It is in the banking area of town so it is also surrounded by some beautiful large building. Plaza Chile was very run down compared to the other three, it was not as impressive and many of the mosaic tiles from the fountain were missing. It could do with some tender loving care. I am really loving Mendoza, it is so green, every road is lined with trees and my walk was very calming.
When I got back to my room I had a little catnap and woke to the sound of drumming. I poked my head out of the window to witness lots of people carry banners and flags and heading towards Saimento Street. I quickly got dressed and followed them. I found myself at the start of a parade for the Day of Remembrance. Although it was quite upbeat with drumming and dancing it also had a very sad feel to it with families holding up high pictures of loved ones that had disappeared during the dictatorship. I sat for quite a while watching the parade pass and was surprised at how big it was, it seemed to have grown from when I first encountered it. After a while I decided to walk and saw that on every corner there was a group waiting to joining the parade so it constantly growing in size. I walked along with it for quite a while and then sat in Plaza Espana and watched it from there before heading back to my room. I am not sure where it was actually heading to but three hours of it was more than enough for me.
25th March – Wednesday
I’ve had a very lovely day. I finished my walking tour with a visit to Parque General San Martin and, this evening, last but not least Plaza Independencia. The park was lovely, very serene and green, with some really beautiful trees. It is a huge park and includes a museum and golf course. But by the time I walked there, via Plaza Italia and my now favourite little cafe where I had brunch and a gin cocktail, I was too tired to traverse the entire park. so I had a leisurely coffee by the Fuente de los Continentes and then headed back.
Since I have given up smoking I just don’t seem to have the energy I used to have. I hope this is just a temporary change and once my system has settled into being a non-smoker I get my energy levels back and my weight settles down again – I have put on so much weight, I have cellulite on my thighs and my knees and back really ache. I have been doing my exercises which relieves my back but it doesn’t seem to do anything for my knees. Please don’t let this be old age setting in, I am not ready for old age yet.
Once I was back in my apartment I did some more research in regards to the Galapagos Islands, I am really torn between doing a cruise or a DIY tour. Everything I have read, even travellers blogs, state that cruising it is better, but they are so expensive. I will make a final decision tomorrow morning.
After a short nap I made dinner and then went for an evening walk to Plaza Independencia. I saved it for the evening as the pictures I saw online showed the fountain lit up at night. So I took my chances and hoped that it is a nightly event. I was not disappointed. I arrived at the park about 15 minutes before sunset and got some lovely pictures, then as soon as the sun set there was a tanoi announcement and then the tune Fame came on and the fountain lit up with different colours. It was very beautiful but I could not help think about how amazing the new fountain in Siem Reap was and how stunning the display for new years eve was, it made me feel sad not being there any more. I still miss Cambodia! This plaza is the largest of them all and is actually in the centre with the other four, with one off each corner. It was very busy with a few artisan market stalls, and lots of people milling around. It also houses an arts museum, but to be honest I have been to so many museums in the last year I really do feel I have my fill. Perhaps if I was here for longer I might visit, but I am busy tomorrow and then leave the day after.
I didn’t hang around for long, it’s all a bit boring hanging out on your own. I walked back via Sarmiento street, which wasn’t too busy. I bought a naughty chocolate pastry cake which was absolutely delicious and washed it down with a glass of red wine. Very naughty of me, especially after complaining about my weight but such is life and I am on holiday!
26th March – Thursday
It’s been a good afternoon but I have been in pain ever since putting on my trainers this morning. I was going to go for a walk to find out where the bus station is for tomorrow, but the bunion on my right foot hurt so much I got as far as the lift and turned back around. I tired again later and got as far as the food shop on the corner, where I bought some lunch before hobbling back to my apartment.
This afternoon I had to grin and bear it on the wine and olive oil tour. Luckily I got picked up on the corner just outside my apartment and we did not do too much walking at each of the 4 stops. The first stop on the tour was an organic winery called Familia Cecchin, this was my favourite, the wine was good, and the winery tour guide was excellent, she explained the whole process extremely well and explained why they do not use man made fertilisers and how they keep the birds at bay. It was all very interesting. However what interested me the most was when she was explaining about the irrigation system. The whole of this region gets it’s water from the Andes and it is controlled by the government. So if you need water for irrigation you have to apply for it, trenches are then dug to your plot with a slush gate system for turning the supply on and off. Most farms receive water once a week for 24 hours. And the system works. It was on the way back to the apartment that it dawned on me, all of the trenches along the city walkways are the irrigation system for the trees. It all makes sense once you know. We tried an orange wine at this stop, it is only called orange wine due to it’s colour, which is determined by how long the skin of the grapes are fermented for. The wine has no orange in it – lol. It was very nice, but really just a white wine that is coloured orange.
The second winery was a modern day plant called Vistandes. They do not supply local supermarkets, 80% of there produce is exported abroad and the rest is for exclusive sales. In the organic winery the wine is fermented in huge clay storage boxes / rooms. Here they used humongous metal vats which reminded me of beer brewing. The region is renowned for it’s Melbec wine, so at all three wineries we were plied with many different types of this, I had no complaints what-so-ever. I even enjoyed the sweet desert wines we sampled, but not as much as the reds and whites we tried.
The final winery was an historical one and called 1870, which is the year it started production, we did this one last, after the Olive Oil plant. This was my least favourite tour, but I think by now I was tired and we were not really told anything new. Unfortunately, for this tour we were kept as one whole group, and the tour guide alternated between English and Spanish. This actually made it long and boring, the previous 3 tours we had been split and went with either an English speaking guide or a Spanish one. This was much better and not so long and boring. Due to having to endure the Spanish I did not focus on what was being said as much so I probably missed some very interesting facts – but such is life.
I absolutely loved the Olive Oil tour, it was so fascinating to learn about the different varieties of Olives, I think she said said there are over 1,000 varieties in total, which is absolutely staggering. You have olives for eating and olives for oil, and each variety of olive for oil has a distinct taste. We did a tasting and although she said they were peppery I could not taste pepper but the first was definitely mild and buttery and the last one we tasted was very bitter and strong. A couple of the trees had shrivelled olives on them and she explained that this happens if they get too much water. She said the year they were planted the region had hail stones and so they were over watered, have tumours on the trunks and shrivels olives. I asked if they were going to cut them down, but she said no and that they are treating them with copper, which will bring them back to their correct form.
Most of the people on the tour were really friendly, which always helps. There were a couple of guys from Germany that I chatted with quite a bit and a male couple, Timothy and Edwardo, I think, who are Chilean but have lived all their lives in America. The guy sitting next to me on the coach was an odd bod, he didn’t say a word to me and bought 9 bottles of wine and several bottles of olive, but each to there own. Overall it was a fab tour and a great way to end my time in Argentina.
