Muuuuuuuuuy Lindo!!! (en Mendoza)

Hola,

I met the cutest woman ever, Analia, in Mendoza (see photo). She was one of the owners of the hotel and we did a lot of talking so I could practice my Spanish. Everything she described was 'muy lindo' (very beautiful/cute/pretty) with a lot of Argentinian body language so sooner or later, I was copying her in the hopes of being a true Argentinian.

Below is a video of us practicing together... Please provide your comments if you think I have gotten the hang of the muy lindo.




Anyhow, our hosts at the hotel really made us feel special, especially after we bonded over the fact that Dolores had taken advantage of us (they didn't like her either). The ladies even helped us book a Bike Tour called Bikes & Wine for our third and final day in Mendoza. The tour logo (above) is of a person drinking wine while simultaneously riding a bike, which as you may expect, is not something you normally do. I don't ride bikes much but it seemed like the perfect way to explore the Maipu valley in Mendoza so long as we didn't get too intoxicated. So we decided to go for it, especially since the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day!

We got a taxi to the bike shop and rented the bike from the cute Argentinian guy with the long hair in the photo. Long hair (and jean shorts) are very "in" here. In fact, a lot of the people are floggers, a term that I have never heard of but apparently it's the style here. I am not turning into a flogger, don't worry.

We got on our bikes and rode to our first stop, a winery where we tasted some Cabernet Sauvignon (see photo)... Keep in mind that it was only about 11 am at the time.



After this winery, I was a bit peckish so we stopped at a chocolate store and tried some chocolate liqueur and of course some chocolates. I was in heaven being in a chocolate store, and as usual, decided to take a photo of us behind the counter..

We then rode by this pretty house and stopped for a nice lunch in the garden. We later found out that the owner of the house is a woman from Vancouver BC (a bit of a hippy). The food was quite delicious and we bought a bottle of Torrontes white wine. It went great with my gazpacho soup.

For the main course we had a steak (lomito) sandwich with papas. This is starting to be a staple for me here in BA. Also starting to notice that I have a tiny little pot belly (HELP!)...


The scenery around us was really fantastic. Here is a picture we took from a third winery we visited...

Here is another one, with the happy couple in front of the nice scenery...

We really enjoyed the wine of the third winery. So much so that we started to feel tired. Thinking about biking back to the bike rental place was not turning my crank, especially since the bike seat was not very comfy (yes I am used to the finer things in life). So, being the VIPs that we are, we opted for the Option B : leaving our bikes at the winery and taking a cab back home. It was only 10 pesos more and well worth it.

We arrived back to our hotel and bonded a bit more with the friendly ladies there, then boarded our bus back home to Buenos Aires...

We got back in BA and spent our last weekend on the town, where we checked out some clubs and had a great dinner with Sandra and Silvina. They have been great hosts to us while we have been here (Sandra works for the same company as me, but here in BA). Sandra told me she reads my blog often which is the best thing you can possibly say to me other than you love my grey hair (both will earn you many brownie points).

The two told us about their upcoming meditation retreat to India and it got me thinking that would make an EXCELLENT future trip, especially since I am constantly on the go and can't relax.

Well... looking back on Mendoza we had a great time there and will remember it as being MUY MUY LINDO! Our next trip coming up is to Bariloche on Tuesday. Time is really flying and I am going to need to take more pictures to capture everything we do....

Right now, I am happy to report that I have a tan from sitting on my balcony and reading in the park, plus all the time in the sun in Mendoza - YES!

Hugs,
Miguelito