Mendoza

We made it to Argentina. And we picked up an extra person, Levi. We now had half the Dusseau siblings in the Southern hemisphere. Too bad the twins couldn't make it. Or the 2 youngest were older and had trust funds. I'll see Ambreleah and Alysia in Peru very soon. The other 2 will have to wait until I go back home to Locke. 

Half of the Dusseaus.

After our smooth flight over the Andes, a cab ride from the airport, and some Spanglish communication, we made it inside the apartment we were spending the next 6 days in. While we waited for Levi, we ordered a questionable pizza and picked up some beer. The pizza wasn't so much pizza, as bread product with cheese on it. We were hungry, and we ate it. As for the beer, that was an adventure. Nothing was open since it was siesta, but there was a corner shop that we were able to grab some bebidas from. However it took a while until we finally understood that in order to get a beer, we had to turn in an empty. All we wanted was a cervesa. After minutes of this, we finally figured it out, but we didn't have any empties. Luckily we ran into our new friend who helped us out before and gave us 2 empties from his stash. Score. So not only did he help us get in contact with our Airbnb host, but also helped us securing beer. We were already off to a good start. 

We got beer.

After getting some food in our stomachs, it was time to wait for Levi. We all kind of napped on and off, and I was listening for the doorbell. After some time, I went online to check his flight. Not that I had his info. But there was a delayed flight and I assumed that was the one he was on. He finally made it and drank a bit more beer to celebrate his arrival. And then it was time to hit up the grocery store. We had to be sure we had sustenance for the week. Of course after loading up the cart, we had to make several more trips back to the store throughout the week. I'm not used to buying a lot of groceries, and when I do, it's only for one person. It was good to have a group of people to actually make some substantial meals with. It also meant our alcohol supply went quicker than anticipated. That resulted in most of the return trips. 

While at the grocery store, we ran into the guy from Washington that we met at the airport. A second chance meeting meant that was all we needed to hang out. So that's what we did that week. I think Favian was glad to have found a group of people to hang with and we welcomed a new person to get to know.

Since we are now in Argentina, they do not joke about their siestas and the later eating habits. We saw this throughout the entire week. We finally made our way to Aristides Villanueva to find food. After checking out a few places, we settled on a place and made ourselves comfortable. 

Dinner.

We ordered a gallon of beer. Yes, a gallon and Zach showed off his pinkie pouring skills. The pouring was good. The beer not so much. It was a little flat. Although we still finished off the entire gallon. I think this was a sign to stick with wine. I mean, we are in Mendoza. 

Pouring skills.

The following day, after wishing mom a happy birthday, and a run in Parque San Martin, we explored Mendoza.

Running.

Of course after some sort of siesta. I don't really nap during the day. Either it takes too long to fall asleep or I have other things to do. It turns out, we probably should have waited longer before we set out to explore. Nonetheless, we went for a walk around town. With an objective to find wine somewhere to drink. 

Mendoza streets.

Not beer.

Drink up Liz.

We eventually got to our destination, but turns out the place had moved. But we stayed anyway. We were at the Grand Hyatt. Surprisingly a very beautiful hotel. Unsurprisingly, filled with tourists. But they were open and they had wine. And tongue. Yup, we tried some tongue. Add that to the list of "firsts". It actually wasn't so bad. But I don't need to eat it on a regular basis. 

Wine and tongue.

Afterward, we ran a couple of errands. We exchanged some money, which required way more info than necessary, and then to the post office that a long wait like the DMV. After all that waiting, we needed another drink and some sort of food. We found a place that served drinks, but not food. No food until 8pm. It's like a very bad joke is being played on us. Fortunately the waitress took pity on us and ensured there were edible things in our cocktails (I had apple slices), and peanuts were supplied. 

Argentina.

We headed back to barbecued some food for dinner. After a team effort, with Zach and Liz manning the grill, Emily opening and puring the wine, Levi drinking said wine, and me photographing everything, we were finally able to eat some sort of meal. 

Grilling.

The following morning, we embarked on our wine tour of Mendoza when our driver picked us up. Yes, our driver. We sound so fancy. With 5 of us, it was the most economical way to hit up the wineries. After a delay (he showed up with a car, not a van), we were finally on our way. Our first stop was Pulenta Estate. Since we were a bit late, we had to rush a bit. We got our first tasting, which was Chardonnay, and went on the tour of the winery. We finished with a few more tastings, including Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and a nice blend, and then an olive oil tasting to wrap it up. 

Our first stop on the tour.

Once we wrapped up, we got into the van and made our way to the next stop, Vina Cobos. Since we were late, we were rushed a little bit in order to catch up to the couple that was already tasting. But it all worked out. Our host was very nice, even though she kept missing me on the tastes. And the 2 locals were very friendly. We all left as fast friends. The tasting consisted of mostly Malbecs from different years and their different vineyards. We did get a Corte and Cabernet Sauvignon to mix it up. 

New friends.

Of course, their super modern space was pretty impressive. Along with Emily. 

Vina Cobos.

As we headed to our 3rd stop, we ate some lunch in the van. A picnic sounded nice, but we didn't have much time to do that. So we made do. We ate some cheese, bread, and crackers. Totally sustainable. We arrived, and as with every other winery, we rolled up to security and informed them of our intention. Yes, security is not a joke around here. But fortunately once we make it inside, we got some spectacular views. 

Chilling.

At Achaval Ferrer, we had a few tastings, and then headed down to the cellar to try a few wines straight from the barrel. We didn't stay long, but was a fun visit. 

Barrel tasting.

We made our way to our last stop, Dominio del Plata. Since we were late, again, we quickly joined another couple down in the cellar, this time from NYC. Yup. I got to spend a few minutes chatting about the city. We tried a range of wines and were definitely feeling good. 

More Malbec.

Our winery day came to a close and we headed back to rest a bit. 

Winery fun.

The following morning, I went on a run with Emily aned LIz. They didn't intend to go as far as me, so I went exploring the park on my own. Parque San Martin is apparently as big as Central Park. Even though this has been one of the biggest parks I've run in on this trip, I'm still very partial to Central Park. I'm glad they have all the bicycle paths. It did get pretty hot, so was ready for a mimosa (after downing a bunch of water), when I finished. 

Parque San Martin.

Eventually we made our way downtown to watch the Via Blanca de las Reinas, or translated to the Queen's White Way, a parade with all the departmental Queens that are vying for Queen of the festival. 

We took the long way to the parade route, explored a bit and found a place to sit down and get drinks and dinner with a view. As with everything else, the parade actually didn't start until much later. But no worries, we made some new friends. A couple from Michigan joined us. It was a bit unorthodox with how it went down, but worked out pretty great. Zach's margarita actually started it, as the woman wanted to try it and decided to join us. The more the merrier. They were a very entertaining couple and the more wine we drank, the better friends we all became. 

Wine=friends.

The parade of Queens eventually started, and each departmento had their nominee on a float with her posse. They threw out fruit to the spectators, with gauchos in between the floats, with music playing. It was a fun atmosphere and worth the late night, the pouring down rain, and the slight hangover the following morning. 

The Via Blanca de las Reinas.

The next morning was a little slow because of all the wine we drank. But we did manage to sneak into the Mendoza Club de Regatas. We walked in and people didn't stop us. And we eventually made it down to the Olympic size pool to swim a couple of laps. The woman at the entrance at the pool was surprised we made it this far, but still allowed us inside. We were grateful and assured her we could all swim. Apparently we needed some sort of paperwork that said that. I think I did 1.5 in total. My form may not be perfect, but it's nice to know I can probably build up to some sort of triathlon distance. You know when I do that someday. 

A much-needed swim.

And we had a great view of the crew races. A lot of different countries were represented and it looked like a range of races. I'm no expert on crew, but was fun to watch for a bit. 

France racing away? 

The rest of our day was pretty relaxed. We made some dinner and attempted an early night. But that didn't happen since we stayed up to watch the Acto Central, which included the election and coronation of the National Grape Harvest Queen. It definitely took a while. And I have no idea what the election process was, but it seemed as they voiced every vote. Hence the incredible length of the election. 

The following morning was Levi's birthday, which we started off with a mimosa. Obviously. We hung out for a bit, then sent him off with Favian to purchase some tickets to the 2nd night of the Acto Central performance. We had waited to go to a different performance since it would be a bit shorter and easier to get tickets. Our plan was to get dinner and then head to the show. 

Happy 29th birthday Lervman.

We walked into town.

And enjoyed some wine while we were at it. 

Birthday gift.

We wandered around a bit and then headed to Azafran. Of course they didn't have our reservation, but we were able to get a table anyway. Good thing we were ready to eat by 8pm and all the Argentinians come later, so we luckily snagged a table. The dinner was pretty great and we got to try a lot of different things off the menu, and of course some good wine. Last, but not least, some dessert, with a sparkler for the birthday boy. 

Feliz cumpleanos.

We then headed to the Centro Acto. Except dinner took so long, that we didn't have much time left to see it. We ended up splitting up and took separate cabs. Of course my cab dropped off about a mile from the venue, so we had to walk quickly. Once we arrived we looked for everyone else, but with no luck. We sat in our seat and caught the last 3 performances. It was pretty nice, and I do wish we had gotten there a bit earlier. But what can you do. Zach, Favian, and I were worried that Levi, Emily, and Liz completely missed it. After the show, we waited around for a bit in our seats, walked around a bit to look for them, and then eventually just headed back to the apartment. Eventually they showed up. We found out that they did catch some of the show (good), but didn't come to the seats (not good). But we all got to see some of it, so it all ended well. 

Acto Central.

The next morning was also a little rough since we stayed up way too late. We had drank a bit, but it was definitely more tiredness than anything else. We had our rushed goodbyes as Zach, Levi, and Liz headed to the airport. Emily and I tried to get a bit more sleep, but eventually gave in to being awake and did what we could around the apartment before making our way to our next stop. 

It was a great week in Mendoza, and definitely missed everyone after they left. I'm really glad that I was able to hang out with some of my siblings on my trip. And soon I'll see my sisters in Peru.