Macrina, Maria, Sam and I traveled with a Cordoba based travel group called Intercambio Cordoba.
The bus ride to Mendoza began at 10:00 pm on Wednesday night. It was a ten hour drive which consisted of fog that made it impossible to see, winding roads through the mountains, and a hail storm. This photo is of the gas station we waited at during the hail storm. There were dozens of cars seeking shelter under the awning while baseball sized hail fell. We got to our hostel at 8:00 in the morning on Thursday and had breakfast (criollos and coffee) We then headed out to begin our trip.
DAY 1: Our first stop was at Mr. Hugo bikes to get bicycles for our day of bodega tours. We visited 5 different vineyards to wine taste, tour, learn how the wine is made, and to eat lunch. The vineyards were really beautiful and so was the scenery. Riding the bicycle was the first time that I noticed the Andes Mountains which extended as far as I could see. At the end of the day, we had biked for nearly 5 hours and I was exhausted. For dinner that night, we had carne asado, played pool, and visited into the morning hours. 
DAY 2: We started our Friday morning early. After breakfast, we began our 4 hour drive into the Andes Mountains. Final destination: Aconcagua, the second largest mountain range in the Americas. Half way into the mountains, we stopped at an Incan feria and looked around at the hand made items.
The hike to Aconcagua was only 2 hours up and wasn't too difficult. It was so beautiful! I could turn 360's and see mountains all around me. I could have stayed there all day and just stared at the mountains. I realized I was a mountain person when I went to the Himalayas last summer. Visiting the Andes reaffirmed that fact. The Himalayas made me appreciate the beauty of life and made me feel like a bug on the earth compared to what I was seeing. The Andes made me appreciate the beauty of the earth and I wonder at the possibility that something made of individual rocks, soil, grass, and snow can bring me so much peace and self assurance. Being in the mountains makes all of the insignificant worries that I have feel even more insignificant because how can anything be so wrong in life when there are creations such as the Andes Mountains?
DAY 3: We woke up early again and drove back into the mountains. This time, was for white water rafting. It was amazing. The water was freezing, but it was so much fun. We rafted 12 kilometers through the rapids in the Andes and then hung out at the base for a few hours. When we got back into the city that night, we walked around the center of the city, visited monuments, and stopped for Subway (so good).
DAY 4: Our last day in Mendoza (Easter) we drove into the mountains again to swim in a hot spring. It was such a beautiful view and nice to have some last time to enjoy the mountains before leaving. We left Mendoza for Cordoba at 2:00 and returned at midnight. From the trip I have taken away life affirming views, great memories and jokes, and also a bad cold from the altitude and unclean hostel. So glad I took the trip and look forward to the next one. Buenos Aires in 3 weeks and Iguazu in 4!
I hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend. Thanks for reading. If you're interested in more pictures from the trip, click the link below.
Suerte,
Alex
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