Thursday was a travel day….after waiting for 45 minutes for
our bus to the airport, we loaded up our bags at 12:15 and said adios to La
Cantera Jungle Lodge, a clean oasis with EXCELLENT internet, great breakfast
buffets, a super comfortable bed, good air conditioning…just a nice place to rest
after a day of exploring.
Our plane took off on time at 1:45 pm. After an
hour and 45 minute smooth flight, we landed in Buenos Aires at 3:30pm. With a 2
hour layover, we wondered around the airport (which we had already become very
familiar with since this was our fourth time being there during this trip) and
then settled into read for a while. The next flight took off on time around
6:00pm and landed in Mendoza at 8:00pm. It was an enjoyable smooth flight.
Larry made friends with a nuclear physicist gentleman and his wife from Sweden
who were traveling on a “Food and Wine Tour”. They each shared a lot of good
travel stories together, developing an instant friendship….anyway it made the
flight go by very fast. 
Afterward, a 20 minute crazy taxi ride that took us through some interesting areas of Mendoza we arrived at the Intercontinental Mendoza Conference Hotel.
With an expansive grand view of the Andes Mountains, we thought that we may never leave this room during our four night stay!
Mendoza, Argentina January 29-31, 2016
Mendoza, Argentina is backed up to the Andes Mountains, making
the area very scenic. It is the heart of Argentina wine country, popular for its
bold reds. The city streets are lined with many trees creating a laid
back country atmosphere.
During our stay in Mendoza, we walked the area around the
hotel, a nice neighborhood with a fantastic shopping mall.
The Mall had an amusement park, bowling alley, supermarket, food court, and numerous name brand stores.
We enjoyed a great walking park that flanks the major highway that
leads to downtown, an 8 minute taxi ride. The area is full of bodegas (
wineries)….the big tourist draw to the area. The hop on hop off bus was totally booked up
to taking tourists to just those spots.
While eating dinner one evening we met a young Mendozian, Diego,
who helped us to finds some specific things in the area. We had such a good
time talking with him, that he said he would like to take us for a tour of the
city. Sunday morning we met him in the mall and off we went. He took us to San Martin Park, a huge area of natural land
that ran alongside the Andes Mountains.
Locals were hiking, bike riding, jogging, and enjoying the great day. We watched rowing teams beside the exclusive Club Mendoza, the local health spa. This place was very busy with lots of activities going on.
Passing the large football stadium, he took us to the top of a large hill that had statues commemorating San Martin, the general who lead Argentina to independence.
We stopped by Plaza Independencia (one of Mendoza’s five city parks/plazas) known for its mosaic tiles.
The street adjacent to the park was lined with numerous sidewalk cafes….just a nice relaxing area.
Beautiful mosaic tiles
We ended the quick morning with a delicious Argentina steak lunch. The beef in Argentina is nothing to joke about….all that we have had here is very tender and delicious….many times better than what we have had at the finest restaurants in the US.
We were thrilled with the tour that Diego gave us and even more so about having a new Argentina friend.
It was great!!! Was a pleasure...
ReplyDeleteIt was great!!! Was a pleasure...
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