This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to see the Andes Mountains and wine country in Argentina. It is home to Aconcagua: the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres. Mendoza, Argentina is the largest wine-producing area in South America. The bus ride from Buenos Aires was about 14 hours (longest bus ride of my life), but it was well worth the trip! Mendoza, at the foothills of the Andes, is only a 4-hour drive from Santiago-the capital of Chile.
Since it is wine country we of course had to try some wine. We were able to rent bikes and travel around the outskirts of the city to different wineries for wine tastings and to learn about the wine-making process.
Each winery has its own special processes to make their wine unique. One winery plays tango music to their wine 24/7 while it ages in wooden barrels. Another winery only produces organic wine. It takes almost 3times longer to make wine organically (without preservatives and chemicals) then to make it normally (with preservatives and chemicals).
Mendoza is also a popular place to visit to do outdoor activities like hiking, skydiving, paragliding, skiing, and zip lining. On Friday we spent the day zip lining through the Andes!
On Sunday we visited the natural hot springs. A bus took us up into the mountains where there are natural pools of fresh water- all of different sizes and temperatures. It is like an outdoor mountain spa where you can relax, eat and get massages (great place to be right before finals week)! The view from the pools is amazing.
Sara Smoter
Classmates Connecting Cultures
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Spring 2012
Beautiful pictures. Looks like soooo much fun.