Mendoza = Malbec + Mountains

We arrived in Mendoza yesterday after a 14-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. While I don't think the accommodations quite lived up to Alex's luxury bus fantasy, it was much nicer than the bus / train rides we are used to in the US: the seats reclined into flat beds, we watched a movie on our private TV and we were served wine and dinner. That said, a 14-hour bus ride can only be so fun...

Selfie before sharing Alex's headphones to watch Drive.

We made it to our bed and breakfast, Casa Aristides, and were greeted warmly by our hosts, Marcelo and Pamela. We were starving after the long journey so Marcelo helped us locate a local breakfast spot, which was a big help since most places are closed on Sundays in Argentina. We were rewarded with a cheap and tasty meal at Maria Antonieta, including the best croissant Alex has ever tasted.

Fluffy cheese omelet, café con leche, croissant and our first tabasco sighting in weeks? We might be back here. 

After our meal, we walked around downtown Mendoza. The weather was perfect so even though most places weren't open, we had a nice time checking out the town. Once we made our way back to the B&B, we unpacked and rested a bit, booked a couple tours (with Marcelo's help) and then headed to find a place where we could try some Malbec, the local specialty.

For about US$12 we had an amazing bottle of wine, which we paired with a massive antipasti plate. Definitely a nice way to end a sleepy Sunday.

A meal in itself!

Similar to our ATV tour in Peru, today's excursion was full of surprises. We woke up early to join a bus tour that took us past the vineyards and into the Andes mountains. Our first surprise was that we weren't really going to be doing any walking / hiking in the national parks but would be shuttled from place to place instead (I think our lack of Spanish and Marcelo's lack of English were to blame for us not fully understanding the nature of the tour). Still, the scenery was beautiful and we were lucky to have blue skies all day (seriously, we did not see a single cloud all day!).

Sunrise over the mountains in Mendoza.

The second surprise was a stop at a "ski resort" which seemed like it hasn't seen many skiers for some time. We took a chairlift up (and down) in our regular clothes and just looked around for a bit. There was definitely nowhere near enough natural snow and no visible snow machines for proper skiing which made us wonder whether the only people coming here were confused tourists like us.

View of the "ski resort." Where is the snow?!

Our next surprise was a stop to see the highest peak in both South and North America, Aconcagua. The views were nice, though I think we were pretty spoiled after our incredible trek to Machu Picchu.

Standing in front of Aconcagua.

Lunch turned out to be another surprise as it was not served until 3pm (gotta get used to this later schedule!) but it was hearty and delicious! Worth the wait and now we won't be hungry for dinner until 9 or 10pm, a much more appropriate hour for dining for Argentina.

Next, we learned that we would be heading all the way into Chile. I thought: "Cool! We weren't planning on going there" while Alex worried "Shit, I didn't bring our passports." Luckily for both of us, we only just crossed over the border and the customs checkpoint isn't for another 4 kilometers or so.

We made it to Chile...sort of!

Our final surprise was the activity planned for our one hour in Chile: "playing in the snow." I'm not kidding when I say we literally pulled off a highway so that the majority of our South American tour mates could walk and sled around some dirty, hard snow. Guess we've been spoiled in the US with much snowier winter sports conditions.

Not our idea of fun.

Much like our stop at the "ski resort" Alex and I were a little confused - according to our guide it never snows in Argentina which is why we had to cross briefly into Chile? Definitely not a highlight of the trip but an amusing stop for sure.

While our trip through the Mountains in Mendoza didn't go exactly as planned, we still had a nice time checking out the local landscape. Tomorrow we are signed up for a winery biking tour so hopefully that turns out a bit differently!

Almost Like We're Back in New York

Buenos Aires is definitely the biggest and most cosmopolitan city we've been to so far on our trip so we were expecting it to remind us of home a bit, but it really felt like we were back in New York as we walked around today. As we would begin many Saturdays back home, Sarah picked out a brunch place for a filling meal to start the day. Magdalena's Party also happens to serve some of the best bloody Mary's we've ever had - no horseradish, but plenty of peppers to give it a nice kick!

The morning sun made the celery look like it was glowing; it also gives you a detailed look at the thickness of my beard!

I got the steak and eggs sandwich. I've never seen this classic brunch combo on a roll before, but with an onion ring and "special sauce," it was really phenomenal.

After brunch we walked up to what I would describe as Buenos Aires' version of Central Park. Along the north part of town there are a series of connected parks: the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, a bunch of Plazas, the Botanical Garden and the Zoo. We spent a few hours walking around enjoying the weather and the sights. We had to be careful as we were walking on paved paths though because there were literally hundreds of rollerbladers throughout the park - in Central Park I feel like you only need to watch out for these guys, but in Buenos Aires it seems like everyone rollerblades.

It started as a bit overcast today but fortunately the weather cleared up for our walk!

Sarah at one of the many plazas scattered throughout the parks.

More than a small resemblance to Bow Bridge over The Lake in Central Park.

No palm trees in Central Park though.

Sarah paused for a rest on one of the benches by the pond.

As the afternoon came to an end we wanted to get an early dinner before our overnight bus trip to Mendoza. Sarah had been eyeing a southern-style gastro-pub called Nola and I'm really glad she found this place. Great selection of craft beers (a welcome change to the usual pilsner offerings we're used to) and delicious fried chicken! If you want some decidedly un-Argentinian food when you're in town we highly recommend you stop by. 

The friend chicken at Nola - so good we each got our own order.

Now we are getting ready at out hotel for the overnight bus trip. Normally I would not be excited for a 13-hour overnight trip, but the busses are supposed to be nice and we booked a "suite" class ticket so I'm hopeful that it's a pretty enjoyable experience! Next stop: Mendoza!

Buenos Aires

Alex and I arrived in Buenos Aires late on Wednesday night eager to explore the city. We were pretty tired from a long day of travel and after we got settled into our hostel we went out for a very Argentinian-timed dinner around 9pm. I located La Vinya de Defensa, a family-owned spot down the street, and we headed there for tapas and red wine. The menu was a small chalkboard consisting of five daily tapas; since they recommended two per person and one contained nuts, our decision was pretty easy! Our hosts were lovely and even prepared a special steak dish for us since it was our first time in the city ("You are in Argentina, you must eat steak!"). If you are ever in San Telmo, definitely stop by for the amazing blue cheese scones.

Thursday morning we woke up feeling refreshed and set out to conquer some of the recommendations we've from friends along the way (Thanks Jennifer, David, Tierney and Mathias!).

First stop: Florida Street to get some cash, easily the sketchiest thing Alex and I have ever done. For the uninitiated, Florida Street is where a bunch of local guys (and girls) yell "Cambio!" at everyone, hoping to exchange currency for Argentinian Pesos. Our friends - and even guidebooks - directed us here because the exchange rate you get is approximately 30-40% better than the official rate, which you would get by simply withdrawing pesos from an ATM or using a credit card (click here for a better explanation). After negotiating with a handful of sketchy looking people and moving to a "back office" so we didn't have to exchange money on the street, we emerged with our spending money for Argentina. For context, the official rate was 8.7 pesos / 1 USD, our hostel offered us 10 / 1 and we got 12.5 / 1 on the street (we could have gotten 13 / 1 if we'd been carrying $50- or $100-bills but we only had $20s from Peru).

After an exhilarating morning experience, we walked toward Recoleta for lunch and to check out the famed cemetery.

The Recoleta Cemetery is as well manicured as a park, with beautiful walkways and trees.

Just strolling through a cemetery.

Alex and I marveled at how large and imposing some of the mausoleums were.

One of the biggest tombs in the cemetery.

The cemetery was a very unique place with beautiful architecture; definitely the least creepy cemetery we've ever been too! We left wondering how much it costs to be buried there and/or how famous you need to be (Evita is one of the notable names laid to rest at Recoleta).

After visiting the cemetery, we continued walking west toward Palermo and eventually to our dinner reservation at I Latina. At the recommendation of a friend, we decided to splurge and try their 7-course tasting menu (the restaurant holds the #1 spot on trip advisor out of 2,300 others so I was easily convinced!). Great call - each course was unique, well prepared and delicious. The three Colombian siblings who run the place also graciously accommodated Alex's allergies and thoughtfully described each part of the meal.

Only the bread course, but really great. Alex had nut-free banana bread and we both enjoyed the cheese balls!

The restaurant is located in a beautiful old mansion. At 8pm, we were one of the earliest seatings (the meal still lasted until 11pm!) so we had a great view of the kitchen.

Friday morning we walked to the historic neighborhood of La Boca, known for its bright buildings and working-class residents. Now a popular tourist destination in Buenos Aires, the area seems to have lost a bit of its seedy reputation (at least during the daytime). We enjoyed walking around and sipping coffee at an outdoor café but took a pass on posing for tango photos or buying the many trinkets being hawked at us.

Graffiti on the walk to La Boca.

Most of the brightly colored buildings were composed of old scraps / shipping containers.

After lunch we are heading to a different hotel in Palermo Soho so we can check out a different area of the city. Tomorrow night we head to Mendoza!