On my first day in Mendoza I went on an excursion to the mountains. One of the stops was to enjoy the view of the "Aconcagua", the highest mountain in America (see Wikipedia for more detail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconcagua ). It was hard to judge or tell how big the mountain really is, because we have simply been too far away.
However, the "Aconcagua" with its 6,962 m (22,841 feet) elevation is quite an amazing view.
There was also a train running from Argentina to Chile, but for some reasons like in so many other places in South America trains are being abandoned as a mode of transportation, replaced by trucks. You would think that with the large distances trains would be the cheapest and fastest way to transport goods. According to our guide there are plans to refurbish and reactivate the tracks.
On our way home our driver was not only speeding, but also passing in a no passing zone. A truck was blocking his view and so he was not able to see the cop. They negotiated for quite a while, then went behind the bus where we could not see them. What do you think happened?
The next day I did a wine tasting tour. Our first stop was the "Weinert Winery". Some rich Brazilian guy bought a run down and abandoned winery in Mendoza in 1975 and turned it into one of the largest in the country. This barrel was manufactured in 1940 in Germany and shipped to Argentina. It holds 40,000 liters, approximately 60,000 bottles of wine.
Next we visited a small winery. I watched the guy spraying the vines with pesticides, the only protection he was wearing was a raincoat.
The grape crusher in the small winery. Their Malbecs and Cabernets were really good.
Our last visit was to a distillery. They make awesome, fruit infused spirits as well as Pisco and Grappa. The distillery was located in a very unique, modern building (see below.
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