Wine Country

I arrived home yesterday afternoon. In the past 15 days, I have spent 125 hours on a bus - most were overnight trips on buses where the seats recline into beds. I have no idea how many miles I traveled. I've been home for 24 hours and my trip already feels like it was a dream. Like most trips, it went by way too fast. I had some wonderful experiences and met some great people from all over the world.

Mendoza was wonderful. On Friday, I went on a bike tour of 3 different wineries - San Huberto, Clos de Chacras, and Alta Vista. It was hot (100 degrees), but so much fun! I was surprised to find Mendoza so hot, but it was a dry heat, unlike Buenos Aires, so it wasn't suffocating. We went to the less touristy area to visit wineries. Tasted some good wines and saw some great views. At the last winery, we had a nice treat. A couple on the tour wanted a bottle of 2005 Malbec from the top shelf. The guide opened a bottle for them to taste in addition to them buying a bottle. The couple treated Chris, me and the other 2 from our hostel to a tasting of the wine - they said wine is meant to be shared. The wine was so good - definitely the nicest I've ever tasted.

On the bus to Mendoza, we met a girl from Mendoza who was sitting across the aisle from us. She speaks English fluently and was excited to practice her English with us. She was on her way home from visiting family in Chile. Before we got off the bus, she gave us her phone number and told us to call her if we needed anything while we were in Mendoza or if we wanted to meet up for a meal or something. Friday night, we called her to see if she wanted to get lunch on Saturday. She invited us to eat at her house with her family and, of course, we accepted. I had a wonderful time. Her family was very warm and welcoming. The afternoon flew by. They invited us to return to Mendoza anytime and to stay in their home. I am constantly amazed at Argentine hospitality.