Montevideo

Wednesday 20th April 2011
Today we travelled the 2.5 hours to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. We were sad to leave the relaxing surroundings of Colonia but felt that 2 days was probably enough to see everything. The fact that the weather was miserable also made us feel like travelling was a good option.

We had a bit of trouble booking accommodation in Montevideo. Not particularly wanting to be in a dorm meant a long search for a double. With it being Easter we should have expected it and perhaps should have booked something earlier. In the end, after a few phone calls, we found an executive suite in a hotel. The room is about 3 times bigger than we are used to but it's a nice treat.

Just opposite our hotel is an old market, now containing shops and a couple of cheap eateries so we headed over for a late lunch.

The official Easter holiday here is Thursday to Sunday although most museums seem to have started early. At this point we weren't really sure how we were going to spend our three days!

Our biggest frustration about Montevideo is the lack of tourist offices. We found them either closed down or shut so our hopes of finding out if anything was open were dashed.


The famous stadium.

Luckily (for James at least) there was more football to be seen. We headed up to the Estadio Centenario to see if we could get tickets for the evening's game. The stadium is famous for being the venue for the first World Cup final in 1930, won by Uruguay. Sadly the museum was closed but we managed to get top price tickets (£8).

An institution.

The match kicked off at 9:50pm so we headed to Pizza Subte for prematch dinner, a plate of 'blanco', mozzarella pizza, with oregano. This place is somewhat of an institution, packed with locals, with takeaways flying out the door.

Nacional's newest supporter.



Surely this is dangerous?

Abondon the game, too much smoke.

We were slightly nervous heading to the match, mainly due to it being evening, us looking pretty foreign and the taxi driver telling us to be careful. We needn't have worried as there was no trouble at all.

The game in question was Nacional of Montevideo Vs. America of Mexico in the Copa Libertadores, the SA champions league. It was a fairly exciting 0-0, but sadly the score put Nacional out of the competition.

The real highlight for us was the atmosphere. The Nacional fans sung solidly for the full 90 minutes, only stopping for half time and to change song. Also amazing were the flares and fireworks. Health and Safety in the UK would have a heart attack. We wanted to upload a video, but unfortunately the technology let us down.

Just past midnight we were back near out hotel and nipped into a cafe for a bedtime drink. Despite the time it was nice to see a father and son discussing the result. Hopefully James and Joe won't be disappointed with the result after their next match.

Thursday 21st April 2011
Today was the first day of holiday here and as such pretty much everything was shut. From our base in the centre we headed to the old town to have a look around.

Another fish being caught.

Reaching the port, we saw that the people moving containers on and off boats were still working hard, whilst the stone harbour wall was full of fishermen presumably trying the catch dinner and get some quiet time.

How many dead animals?

Further along we walked past the naval base to the Mercado del Puerto. This is another old market full of parrillas. Given this, it seemed rude not to stop for a spot if lunch. Emma had a lovely piece of swordfish whilst James tucked into the best steak of the trip so far. For dessert we shared a Flan con Dulce de Leche. It was a good job we shared!

Seriously sweet and tasty.

Continuing our personal waking tour, we saw many amazing buildings. Sadly a high proportion are closed and boarded up, a sign of the economic times we imagine.

Sadly going to rack and ruin.

The most stark example of a great building going to waste is the old train station. It's amazing from the outside and inside it has a roof similar to Paddington. Sadly, it now serves as shelter for the homeless, with rubbish and the smell of urine chucked in for good measure. We found this quite depressing, as would George Stephenson, whose statue outside had long since lost its toes.

With a couple of beers and another trip to Pizza Subte later, we headed back to our huge and comfy hotel room, shattered from another day walking the streets.

Graffiti: both here and in Argentina there's much more of it around, with many statues and monuments defaced. It was a nice feature of Colombia and Ecuador that this wasn't the case.

Friday 22nd April 2011
After a couple of grey days, it was nice to wake up to blue sky again today. With it being Good Friday we immediately gave up any hopes of any museums being open and headed for the beach.

Power walking.

Montevideo stretches many kilometres along the coast so from our hotel we took a walk away from the old town about 6-7km along the coast. After not seeing many people yesterday, there were loads around today. The runners and cyclists were back in force, as were people kicking footballs.

Emma and the beach.

After some lunch we settled down on the beach for a few hours of relaxation. James dipped his toe in the water. It was very cold, unsurprisingly for the Atlantic.

Eventually the grey returned and we headed back along the way we came. The theme park was  in full swing, the lights brightening up the dark sky.

As we reached the end of our walk another container ship left port bound for pastures new. They obviously are not afforded the day off with the rest of Uruguay.

Mate: This drink is even more obvious here than in Argentina. On a day off in Montevideo the thing to do is take your mate and your thermos and head to the coast, watching the sea while you share your drink with friends and family. What's amazing is the bitterness of the drink. People here put extra sugar in fruit juice so it seems strange they drink something so opposite to sweet.

Heart attack on a plate (spot the salad though).

Chivito: for dinner we had this local speciality. It was certainly the most unhealthy meal of our trip (if not our lives). The picture says it all. By the way, we didn't manage to eat all the chips.

Colonia de Sacramento

Monday 18th April 2011
With an 8:30am ferry to catch, we were up early to head to the port. After an hour ride across the River Plate, we arrived in Uruguay and more specifically a place more commonly known as Colonia. This was to be our 5th and final country of the trip and we were intrigued to spot any differences to Argentina.

 

Nice colours.

We were blessed with perfect blue sky and it really helped us feel we were in a very special place. It's a pretty town, with lots of old buildings, cobbled streets and open spaces. It's surrounded by water on three sides so you have great views of the river.

After lunch we visited a couple of museums. Casa Nacarello is a pretty colonial house preserved in the Portuguese style. It was a small house, so after 5 minutes we were done. Next door the Museo Municipal housed random artefacts from around the town, including a ghastly display of stuffed animals and preserved bugs.

Nice views.



Someone spoiling the nice views.



Alongside the Plaza Mayor is a lighthouse. We climbed to the top and took in the views over the town. As it was a clear day, we were able to see over the water to the skyscrapers in BA.

Old car.

There are loads of old cars here, and we mean old. Around the cobbled streets there are classic motors from the first half of the 20th century in various conditions. We even saw one with a tree growing in it. We also saw a burgundy Austin Maestro. It was like stepping back 20 years.

Yet another sunset, how romantic.

With so much water, we settled in with the locals (and their Mate) to watch the sunset. This was spectacular and reminiscent of those during the first half of our trip.

Currency: whilst Uruguay has its own currency, it's also common for the shops and restaurants to accept others. One place we visited accepted the Argentine peso, the Brazilian real, the US dollar and the euro along with the Uruguayan peso. Staying for five days, we decided to get some local cash to save ourselves any confusion.

Tuesday 19th April 2011

James and the buggy.

There are a few things to see around Colonia, so we decided to hire our first vehicle of the trip-a golf buggy. The only roads we weren't allowed on were route 1 and 26 so we set off about town to have a look around.

After our first buggy didn't start, it wasn't too much of a surprise that our second backfired through the day. The amount of smoke it produced was something close to a Bond car creating a smoke screen! It kept going though, so good news.

Falling down bull ring.

First stop was the Mihanovich project. Back at the turn of the 20th century this Argentine entrepreneur spent $1.5m building a tourist complex. The bullring, 3000 seat fronton and hotel/casino are either gone or falling to pieces. Only the racecourse functions today. It must have been amazing, but today it is all rather sad.
   

The racecourse, still in use.

Anyone for tickets?

We headed to the Ferrando beach to have a little picnic. We were not alone and were joined throughout by a dog. He happily shared our crinkly crisps. We had a nice walk and it was hot enough to sunbathe, although probably not to go into the water.

The happy couple.

After more driving we headed back to the centre for a look at the old city walls, ruins and Uruguay's oldest church.

The oldest church.

After yesterday's spectacular show, we grabbed a beer and sat on the peer watching the sunset. We were entertained by a man sitting on his boat smoking a huge cigar. We imagine he did this a lot.

We could see a storm brewing over in BA and a few hours later the heavens opened on us. Luckily we were tucked up in our room contemplating our penultimate stop the next day, Montevideo.

Buenos Aires - Part 1

Wednesday 13th April 2011
We arrived at our hostel at 8:30, left our bags and went to the lounge area to gather our thoughts for the day. About 5 minutes later we were joined by a couple of Irish chaps who'd just got in from their night out and were intent on making out with a couple of local girls next to us. At this point we decided we needed a cafe.

It's worth pointing out that our hostel is the America del Sur in San Telmo, sister hostel of our place in El Calafate. So arriving here had an air of familiarity, especially when we saw the chap from the Calafate hostel in the office.


Change for a million?



After our coffee we headed to the cathedral, only to find that they have a dress code, i.e. no shorts. So instead we headed to the Museo Historico Dr Arturo Jauretche. This was a really interesting place, showing the history of banking and money in Argentina. The best part was seeing the 1 million peso note that was produced at the height of their financial issues. It was surprising to see just how many times they've devalued their currency.

Christmas come early.

Next we went to the Museo de la Cuidad. This had great old photos of the city, with a particularly interesting series showing the demolition of a huge church to build a diagonal road. The second half of the museum, rather bizarrely, had an enjoyable toy collection, including classics such as ludo, toy soldiers and scary looking dolls. One very interesting display was of Snow White and the Dwarfs, made in England and used to promote the original film in Argentina. The building itself was magnificent, as you would expect for a place that was a 5 star hotel and was frequented by only the richest families.

A crane.

Many boats.

After a small siesta, we wandered over to Puerto Madero, a modernised port area with loads of posh/expensive restaurants. What was once the main port in BA now services the office workers as they finish a hard day's work. It's nicely done, with cranes still in place and it was pleasant to grab a drink and watch the rollerbladers pass for the umpteenth time.

For dinner we went to a huge and packed parrilla in San Telmo. It was great watching the waiters work and a random bloke who was sweeping various tables for half finished drinks.

Thursday 14th April 2011

How big!

Today we decided to pound the streets and do a walking tour suggested in our guidebook. This took us through the shopping district, including a shopping mall with frescos on the ceiling. This area was very busy and had street sellers trying to sell us either tango shows or change every few steps. Next up we crossed the Avenida 9 de Julio. It's about 14 lanes wide and said to be, according to a local cabbie, the widest street in the world. It is not an easy or quick thing to cross. Continuing past government buildings and theatres, we eventually made it to the end and the ice cream shop, our first in BA. It's true what they say, the ice cream here is good being softer than our traditional ices. James is particularly keen on the Dulce de Leche flavour. In fact, he's so taken with this spread that a jar will be purchased on our return.

Yum!

Observation: People here walk quickly. Probably no quicker than parts of cities in the UK but much quicker than anywhere else in Argentina. Coupled with small pavements, it makes a day's walking a more tiring experience than we have been used to on the trip.

Friday 15th April 2011
Palermo
We headed for the metro to catch a train to the trendy area of Palermo, north west of the centre. It struck us as more residential than San Telmo and the green spaces would make it a nice place to live. It's full of bars, cafes and exclusive shops. We ducked into a couple and definitely felt scruffy.

Man's best friend(s).

On our walk we saw a couple of dog walkers. Although given the number of dogs (maybe a dozen) and their size, maybe the men were being walked.

After a nice lunch we headed to the Eva Peron museum, Museo Evita. Knowing relatively little about her, it was a fascinating walk through her life, with video clips, photographs and an impressive display of her clothes.

Around 10pm we headed back to Palermo to meet Stephanie and go to Salon Canning, a dance hall recommended by our friends Diana and Francis. From 11pm, locals turn up with their tango shoes to dance at a milonga. Some have partners, some don't. Some old, some young. Some smart, some scruffy. The whole affair is quite relaxed though we read that you can't strut any kind of stuff on the dance floor; you may be asked to leave. We remained firmly at our table supping beer (we were practically the only ones as everyone else drank water). It was interesting to see how with a wink and a nod across the room, partnerships were formed. It was so different to see people spending their Friday nights this way.

After a couple of hours we went to a local plaza and had a couple of beers. When we left at 3:30am you felt that for the locals, the night was just starting.

For further study: We want to read more about Eva Peron and her story, particularly the part where her body ended up buried in Milan until the 1970's.

Saturday 16th April 2011
We realised we'd not really ventured into San Telmo and so we did, having a lovely lunch in a little courtyard. We were quite taken by the area's atmosphere and architecture.

Urban vs. rural.

Walking from San Telmo, through Puerto Madero, we reached the ecological reserve, a huge space free and open to the public. It's a popular place with cyclists and runners, although the chap at the gate doing exercises half naked seemed to be slightly over the top. We spent a few hours wandering the area in the sun, enjoying the scenery and catching the odd glimpse of the city in the distance.

Late in the evening, after stepping out of a restaurant, we found it was raining. Having had so much sunshine it was, in a strange way, nice to be out in the rain. It's probably a sign of things to come for us back home.

Sunday 17th April 2011
Today was the footy day, the day James had been waiting for in BA.

Memorial to the merchant navy.

With kickoff at 4pm, we had time to walk the weekly flea market in San Telmo. There were loads of arts, crafts and tat on offer here. Possibly our funniest moment of the day was hearing an Aussie chap say "Although it's spelled 'pollo' it's not pronounced 'pollo'. It's insane!". He obviously doesn't understand the intricacies of English pronunciation.

The flea market.

San Telmo market.

We retuned to the hostel, waiting to be piced up for the match at La Bombanera, Boca Juniors vs Tigre. It's difficult to get tickets here unless you know a member. We don't, so we went for a tour option which is basically a friendly racket. It's completely overpriced but still  acceptable for a one-off event.

A sunny day.

Great fans.

We were in the ground early and  found a spot on the terraces under a roof. This was  important as the away fans were above us who have a reputation for throwing things at the home crowd. Although covered, the sun was on us throughout and it was one of the hottest games we've experienced. The stadium filled quickly and with no on pitch warmups, the match was underway. It was a bit of a thriller. Tigre went 2-0 up only for Boca to equalise on the stroke of half time. Then a pen in the 2nd half put Tigre ahead before the final goal equalised it at 3-3. It was a really interesting game and, according to James, one of the best atmospheres going although neither team cared about defending. The stand bounced during the celebrations, girls screamed and men punched the floor. The roof came in useful as through the 2nd half the fans above chucked whatever liquid they could find or produce onto the fans below.

One thing the Premier League could take from the game here is the ref's can of foam. He used it to mark the 10 yard line at free kicks and this seemed like a good idea.

After the final whistle, we were kept in for an hour to allow the away fans to leave. Everyone seemed amazingly patient with this.

Our 'package' included some beer and pizza post match. With three bus loads of people to please, the pizza never made it to the back, with vultures circling at all times. We dread to think what it would be like if people were genuinely starving. We managed to get three slices between us and some beers. (James's height was a real bonus.)

Not full from the pizza, we grabbed a Chinese for dinner and prepared ourselves for an early start the next day.

Cordoba

Sunday 9th April 2011
We arrived at around 8:30, booked our tickets to BA and headed for our lovely lodgings, Hotel Garden, right in the middle of the city.

Emma at the door to the art gallery.

We couldn't get into our room until 10:30 so we headed out to get a coffee and juice. We found a nice spot opposite a church and could see the masses heading to and from service. We also managed to skype Emma's mum using the excellent cafe wifi.

A dog chasing a duck.

After checking in we set off to explore the city. Cordoba is the second largest in Argentina with 1.5m inhabitants. First up we visited the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr Genaro Perez. This contained interesting if weird pieces by Mariquita Quiroga and Ricardo Geri. Next stop was the Parque Sarmiento, a huge space designed by Charles  Thays who also designed Parque General San Martin in Mendoza. Amongst other things it contains a zoo, a ferris wheel designed by Eiffel, a fair ground and a boating lake. We particularly enjoyed seeing a swimming dog trying to catch ducks. It was never going to get one, but we had to admire its persistence.

Are we in London?

At 6pm we got on the city tour bus, an old London bus and thus obviously right hand drive. The bus ride was a bit of a disappointment: we couldn't hear the guide and what we could hear didn't add much to what we  already knew from our afternoon stroll.

Jumping off the bus early, we had a mooch around the weekend craft and antique fair. For 5 hours every Saturday and Sunday night this closes down several blocks and you can buy a whole array of items. Like most events of this type, women with pushchairs were still the biggest danger with few ankles being left unscathed.

After a bite to eat, we headed back for a well deserved sleep in a proper bed.

Observation: James Blunt is ridiculously popular here. Probably more so than in his own home. Along with Erasure, Rick Astley, the Pet Shop Boys and Coldplay, he adds to the popular if bizarre appreciation of British music.

Monday 10th April 2011
Mondays in Cordoba are much like a lot of others cities in that most museums and galleries are closed so we had to find other ways to enterain ourselves.

The Market.

The north market was a particularly nice way to spend lunch, with empanadas and paella on our menu. All the places were rammed with locals so we were reassured this was the place to be. The man behind the bar serving us was particularly friendly and it was interesting to see the enormous chef turning out plate after plate of food with amazing effortlessness.

Getting into the spirit of the locals we felt it was important that we take a siesta.

Having missed the chance to see the cathedral yesterday, we took a walk around, feeling slightly uneasy as we crossed paths with locals praying and some literally talking to God. One thing we noted was how colourful and hot the cathedral was in contrast to those we'd visited in the north of the continent.

The cathedral.

For dinner we went to a restaurant with a roof terrace. We were able to order two tasty salads and watch the world go by on street below.

Observation:
Smoke and health - it wasn't until we came to Argentina and Chile that we realised how little people smoked in Colombia and Ecuador. It's rife here and bars/restaurants resemble the UK in the 90's. At £1.50 a pack it's affordable here which we imagine isn't in Colombia and Ecuador. We have also noticed many larger stomachs (James's has been here all along) and people in general. Often it's due to pregnancy, but generally it's likely to be down to the large pizzas, the huge ice creams and the enormous servings of meat. It's just as well we're coming home in less than three weeks.

Tuesday 11th April 2011
With museums open and a night bus to catch at 11pm, we set about a day of culture in the near 30 degree heat.

Hundreds of missing people.

Our first stop was the Museo de la Memoria. It's a bit of a grim place if we're honest. Back 30+ years ago the army set up an illegal group (the D2) to capture, interrogate, torture and kill suspected political agitators, many of whom were students. This was one of the torture houses. Along with being able to see the cells, etc. there are also pictures of many of the prisoners, a number of whom are still missing today.

Next we headed to the Cripta Jesuitica. This is situated under a main road and the 300 year old building was only rediscovered in 1989 by some telecoms workers laying lines. The crypt was buried when the one of the main roads was extended at the beginning of the century.

After some time spent updating this blog and sorting UK train tickets, we took a picnic to the park for lunch. It was very pleasant and reminded us of similar times in the Retiro in Madrid.

Cordoba has around 100000 students at its university so it seemed appropriate to visit the museum. Some things of note are:
- the uni church is the oldest in Argentina.
- the original doors of the church were taken by the Franciscans and are now in the cathedral 2 blocks away.
- the library houses the first 'pocket' books, published in Holland and a very interesting bible written in 7 languages (this is not a pocket book!).
- a room of maps showing the changing boundaries of South America from the 1800's. If you visit Cordoba this place is worth a look.

With the day done we headed to the bus station and (probably) our last night bus. This time we went for a suite which basically means the seat reclines to flat. James managed a good night's sleep, but sadly Emma was kept awake by a snoring man. No, it wasn't James.

Dinner time on the bus.

Mendoza

Wednesday 6th April 2011
We caught an early bus  to the capital of the region, Mendoza. Although wine is produced throughout Argentina, this is the centre of the wine industry here so much more tasting was to come.

The size of the cities we're visiting has been increasing gradually as we travel through Argentina and Mendoza is the first that tops a million people. After checking in, we took the afternoon to wander around and get a feel for the place.

The first thing you notice is that most streets are lined on each side with trees that completely shade the road. In the past this was to give the grapes some respite from the sun as they  were transported through the city. Nowadays they provide welcome shade for the city dwellers.

The boating lake with the Andes looming large.

One of the big green spaces in the city is the Parque de General San Martin. It's huge and we only walked around the large boating lake (this is partly due to some areas being quite dangerous for tourists). During siesta time many people were power walking, running or cycling, and in another area of the park we saw a group practicing fly fishing on grass.

Whilst Mendoza is very green, it is all man made. It's effectively built in a desert with snow melt from the Andes used to provide water for the inhabitants and, of course, the grapes. With only an average of 10 day's rainfall a year, the hot days and the cooler nights, the climate provides perfect conditions to grow grapes.

In the evening we went to a lovely little place called Anna's Bistro with a beautiful outdoor dining area. We felt mildly scruffy as we tucked into delicious food and a bottle of red wine.

Thursday 7th April 2011
Today we did an organised full-day tour. Sometimes it's quite nice to do an organised tour as it takes away all the decision making and organising, which is a welcome relief when you do so much of it while travelling.

After picking up our our other companions for the other day, Juan (our guide who all the girls fancied and was likened to Barbie's Ken by the booking girl) talked us through the day. We headed to the Lujan de Cuyo area and vineyard number 1.

Freshly picked grapes.

Mendel: There were a few unique things about this tour. Firstly we got to taste the Malbec grapes straight from the vines. Malbec grapes are very small and sweet with quite a thick skin which is used to make the lovely dark colour of the wine. Next was the guide. She was very 'Mother Earth' and was heard to say, 'Yeast, like love, is all around.' Finally, for the first and only time, we were able to see the grapes being unloaded, put through the crusher, sorted by ladies and then placed into containers to start the fermentation. Most vineyards keep you away from this so we felt privileged to be in the thick of it for a few moments.

Cheers.

In the tasting room we were firstly given two differently aged Malbecs and it was interesting to try to appreciate the differences. There was quite a difference just in the one year between 09 and 10. We were not put off by the American lady opposite (luckily not on our tour) who just seemed to moan about how Malbec is just for blending. We do not agree. Our third tasting was a blend of 70/30 Malbec/Cab Sav. This was one of Emma's favourites.

Not quite ready to harvest.

Dante Robino: By our second stop the tours were starting to become quite similar. A nice point on this tour was being able to taste their sparkling wine (espumante) before the second fermentation had  started. It was rather tasty, if not very bubbly.

Our group and Pablo.

The tasting was the best of the day with 4 on offer and a very knowledgable Pablo offering us loads of information as we drank. We started with the completed bubbly (Extra Brut), moved onto a 2010 Chardonnay, then a 2008 Bonarda before finishing with their Gran Dante and premium wine, a 2006 Malbec (although 2007 is said to be fruitier). The Bonarda grape, we are told, is grown more than the Malbec but it is normally used for blending. Their aim is to make more 100% Bonarda wines and we agreed it was worth doing so purchased a bottle to savour it again later. We also bought a cork screw as screw cap wines are nearly non-existent here.

Vines everywhere.

Tapiz: we stopped here for a five course lunch preceded by an olive oil tasting. The five courses were chicken, ceviche, salad, steak and Malbec poached pairs with ice cream(and a chocolate Malbec leaf!). Each course was matched to the wines. At this point our memory of the actual wines we were drinking started to fade but we know there was red, a white and a red sparkling wine with dessert. The post-dinner coffee was long overdue, especially for one of our number, Stephanie, who'd fallen asleep at the table.

Alta Vista: Our final stop gave us another tour and again more tastings. The interesting point here was trying a Torrentes, a grape only grown in Argentina.

'Ken' with Emma and Stephanie.

Wined out, we were deposited back at our hostel for a well deserved nap. In our opinion this is definitely the way to do wine tasting when in Mendoza

Friday 8th April 2011
After the success in San Rafael, we decided to combine bikes and wine once more. Stephanie from the tour joined us as weheaded to Maipu to find Mr Hugo and rent one of his bikes.

Ready to go.

The bus journey should have been straight forward. However, we were sold a kipper by a bus driver and ended up an hour behind schedule and around 2 miles from the shop. Regaining our composure, we hailed a taxi, told him were he was (it seems that most taxi drivers here don't know any of the streets) and eventually got to the shop.

Mr Hugo greeted us in turn and having spent £4 each for the day's hire, we were on our way. Our first challenge was cycling along a stretch of unsurfaced road, reminiscent of Ruta 40. Luckily the saddles on the bikes were generous and took the majority of the impact.

Our first stop was Viña el Cerno, a small family bodega that produces only 80,000 bottles a year. The wine making was in full swing so no tour was available, but a very thorough and interesting tasting session was. This was the highlight of the day as we were able to try a wide variety of wines and different grapes.

We obviouslt went left.

Our second and last vineyard was Tempus Alto where we had more of the same. By this time we were starting to feel we knew the process and it was now down to personal taste. So going back to our English roots our next stop was 'The Beer Garden' for lunch and a spot of relaxation in the sun.

After a bit more cycling and finding places closed for business, we dropped off our bikes, claimed our complementary glass of wine and got a much quicker bus back to town.
The evening was spent chatting on the roof terrace with a few other guests. We tried Fernet which is a drink of Italian origin but is seen here as their short of choice, generally drunk with coke. It's pretty medicinal in taste, but gets nicer after two or three.

It's worth pointing out how sociable our lodgings here (Hostel Empedrado) were, certainly the most sociable of the trip. It's not a party hostel by any means, but there are events most nights and the multiple social spaces make it a great place share experiences and travel tips.

Saturday 9th April 2011
We decided not to have any wine today. With a night bus at 10pm, we checked out for a day of culture and relaxation in the numerous city parks.

Good quality British manufacturing.

Our first stop was the Museo Fundacional to learn more about the history of the city. It was founded in 1661 but exactly 200 years later an earthquake demolished everything (apart from one church) and the city we've lived in for 4 days was built. The museum holds some of the original ruins and also a 100 year old car built in Wolverhampton.

Risotto in a cauldron.

We had a lovely Italian lunch of ravioli and risotto, with James weakening by having a (huge) glass of house red.

The afternoon was spent admiring Mendocians. There were more crazy dogs, teenage boys hissing at teenage girls and lots of families enjoying the sunshine and the blue skies. Oh, and lots of large bottles of pop shared with friends.

Loads of parks.

We've had the perfect amount enough time in Mendoza and short of skydiving or climbing the highest peak outside the Himalayas, we'd seen everything we wanted to. As we left the hostel, the twice weekly asado was just getting into full swing and it's a shame our timing meant we were not able to experience it.

Fact:Sugar: Apparently there is a 2kg limit on sugar per shop visit. The Argentines can't get enough of it and so the government has set a limit.

Observation:
Pregnancy: Everyone is pregnant. OK,not everyone, but a large proportion of young women are either expecting or dragging a kid along. Birth rates are high and it's not uncommon for four generations of family to be living under the same roof. Imagine it ...