A tourist's guide to Mendoza, for tourists - Mendoza

Mendoza is a charming little town located in the Argentinian desert. While it technically houses about a million people in the greater Mendoza region, it's architectural response to the earthquake that erased the first Mendoza from the map was wide streets with low buildings. You won't find any sky scrapers in Mendoza. You won't even have an easy time finding buildings large enough to require an elevator.

This factor along with the city-wide shut-downs that occur every day during the siesta from one to five every day as well as on Sundays all day are what give Mendoza that little town feeling. A lazy town to spend time in if you want to relax.

WARNINGS

As a tourist your natural inclination will be to look around and up, but in this city of roaming dogs and open aqueducts, you risk dirty shoes, or worse, a broken leg, if you don't look down every once in a while.


WHERE TO STAY

Mendoza has almost as many hostels as it does heladarías, which is saying something. If you want to stay in a hostel the best bet is probably to check around the downtown core for what specials are available (often in the form of N nights for the price of N-1 nights, where N can range from 3 to 5) and make your selection on the ground. One thing to be aware of is that some hostels allow indoor smoking and some don't. If that's an issue for you make sure you know the policy before booking.

Chris' pick: Hotel Aragon, Godoy Cruz 212 Cdad. Mendoza. Perfect for the budget conscious couple or friends travelling together, it features the same prices as a hostel for two people, but lets you sleep in a private room instead of a dorm. The kitchen is tiny but serviceable and the staff friendly and helpful. My tip, try and get a room in the newer refurbished section as the rooms (and bathrooms) are larger.

WHERE TO EAT

While Mendoza has many many restaurants, my experience has been one of dry tasteless steaks and pizzas with a thick dry crumbly crust. I almost get the sense that Mendoza has declared a war on flavour and texture. My suggestion for food is to do it yourself. Buy your food at the Carrefour (Las Heras and Belgrano), along with a bottle of wine from their extensive selection, and take advantage of your hostel's kitchen.

Their are two highlights when it comes to Mendocinian food though, empanadas and super panchos con lluvia de papas. Even if a restaurant gets nothing else right, odds are that their empanadas will range from good to perfecto. And when you want something to eat right now, Mendoza's version of the hot dog with a hefty sprinkle of potato chip sticks will do the job.

Chris's pick: Estancia La Florencia, Sarmiento 698 Cdad. Mendoza. The only place that succeeded at cooking me up a rare steak, which ranged in thickness from an inch and a half at the shallowest to two inches at it's thickest, it also has an extensive wine selection and friendly staff. But if you are looking for that maravilloso romantic dinner, be warned that this family style restaurant shines the lights as if shadows were harmful for your health.

HOW TO GET AROUND

Finding a hostel in town is easy and means you won't need to use Mendoza's extensive, nearly free (each ride costs just a bit more than buying a cheap lollipop), efficient, timely, frequent bus service that runs all day and all night.

WHAT TO SEE

While there are plenty of museos in Mendoza, for contemporary art there is no better scene than the street scene. Graffiti in Mendoza relies heavily on text and stencils to put forth political messages that might not get voiced otherwise. Whether it be on the subject of homosexuality, who to vote for in the coming election, sexual assault, or an effort to keep water as a public good and not a privately owned resource, you will find something somewhere on the subject (along with various attractive visions of whimsy).


WHERE TO LEARN SPANISH

ECELA, Nicolás Avellaneda 701, Cdad. Mendoza. A great school to pick if you are young and looking to have fun as the afternoon activities tend more toward the partying side of things.

InterCultural, República Siria 241 Cdad. Mendoza. A great school to pick if you are a bit older and looking to learn as much Español as quickly as possible as the afternoon activities tend more toward the extra free classes side of things.

WHAT TO DO

Museo de Arte Moderna de Mendoza, Plaza Independencia, Ciud. Mendoza. Located underneath Plaza Independencia the museo can be hit or miss with regards to the quality of it's temporary exhibitions (and it only has temporary exhibitions), however the free music nights once a week are well-worth it, as are vernissages for new exhibitions, where entry is free and the vino espumante is all you can drink.

Parque General San Martin: If you want to exercise you have the options of jogging around the lake with hundreds of others or using one of the Pista de Salud to get in some resistance training. The not to miss feature of the parque is the climb up to Cerro de la Gloria. Be warned, you can visit this parque many many times and still not see all it has to offer, it is really really big.

Visit an olive farm and production facility: Not only will you learn a lot about how to make olive oil (tours usually available in Spanish and English) but you'll get to taste the greatest freshest olives you've ever had (along with some very interesting olive oils, ¿my favourite? unfiltered). Bring your wallet because it's impossible to leave without some fresh olives for later and a bottle of oil to enjoy back in the hostel. While out in Maipú tasting olives and oils you can take advantage of where you are to visit a couple of bodegas to taste some wine and to learn about the various wine production methods.

Visit Parque Aconcagua: Take a guided tour deep into the Andes. Experience shortness of breath both from lack of oxygen due to the height as well as the beauty you'll be surrounded by. Along the route, be on the lookout for piles of water bottles along the side of the highway, offerings to a local spirit (not a Saint as she hasn't been recognized as such by the church) said to perform miracles for those who need them.



CertainEs vendeurSEs de rue ici offrent des arachides recouvertes d'une matière sucrée. Lors de mon voyage au Sénégal il y a de cela (OMG!) 11 ans, j'avais ADORÉ ce produit. Je n'en avais pas racheté depuis, étant convaincue que je serais déçue. J'en ai acheté ici. Elles n'étaient pas aussi bonnes que dans mon souvenir. Christopher est convaincu que j'ai élevé mon expérience passée à un niveau qui ne serait jamais égalé, même si je retournais au Sénégal. Il a peut-être bien raison.

Le problème est que je crois avoir élevé toute mon expérience de là-bas à un niveau mythique que je continue de rechercher lors de mes voyages; ce qui me laisse à chaque fois un peu déçue. Ainsi, bien que j'ai beaucoup aimé ma visite à Mendoza, de ne l'ai pas adorée. Je ne me sens pas totalement ailleurs dans cette ville comme il y en a tant dans le monde. Je n'avais pas l'impression de vivre cette expérience hors de l'ordinaire que je m'imaginais avant de partir.

Il reste que ce soir, la veille de mon départ, je me sens nostalgique de mon passage ici. Je suis triste de réaliser que je vois certains endroit pour la dernière fois de ma vie, fort probablement. Ce qui m'encourage, c'est ce qu'à déclenché en moi notre excursion d'hier dans la cordillère des Andes. J'ai été emportée par l'émotion d'être en voyage pour la première fois depuis notre arrivée. Je me sentais prise par la beauté du paysage, par la conscience de mon privilège d'être là, d'y être avec Chris. J'ai décidé qu'il n'en tenait qu'à moi de revivre l'expérience mythique une deuxième fois. C'est bien ce que j'ai l'intention de faire.

J'ai déjà commencé d'ailleurs. Demain, départ pour Santiago, Chile.



https://picasaweb.google.com/109079031155853156451/GraffitisMendoza

https://picasaweb.google.com/109079031155853156451/CordiliereDesAndes