Bodegas by bike

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Today didn’t go exactly as planned.  After having breakfast and applying lots of sunscreen (it’s so hot here), I walked to the bus stop for the local bus to Maipu.  Maipu is where the vineyards are actually located, about 30 minutes or so outside of Mendoza.  On the bus, I talked to the only other tourists (two British guys and two German girls) who were also planning to rent bikes to explore the area.  I know I did the wine tasting thing yesterday, but that’s one of the main attractions in Mendoza, and renting a bike is the common backpackers way to see lots of bodegas.

We exited the bus at 11:30am right outside “Maipu bikes” and figured that was as good as any.  The woman gave us a simple map and highlighted some bodegas.  I wanted to stop at the wine museum first and Bodega La Rural, but the rest of the group wasn’t interested.  Content to go off on my own, the woman warned me that it wasn’t a good idea in case something happened to my bike.  Never one to ignore words of warning, I stuck with the group and rode my single gear basket-bike five kilometers to our first bodega.

Tempus Alba was a beautiful, modern bodega with a self-guided tour.  The grounds were immaculate and the building gorgeous.  We sat on the terrace and ordered our wine – a selection of three wines.  I chose the more expensive option which included a nicer glass of their Tempus Pleno a blend along with the Tempus Tempranillo and Tempus Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Pleno was by far the best and the tasting sizes were quite generous.  We spent over an hour enjoying Tempus Alba and were hungry at 1:30pm when we departed, concluding that our next stop would be lunch.

We checked out a bodega nearby, but the food options were limited, so we biked another three kilometers to Bodega Familia di Tommaso, one of the oldest bodegas in Mendoza founded in 1869.  Four of us ordered the daily special pollo al disco, country chicken cooked in a typical Argentina style with dark beer, vegetables with a side of rice and salad. Not wanting to get drunk, I ordered lemonade to drink and the brownie with dulce de leche ice cream; even though the main course was filling (everyone ordered dessert).   I overheard four American girls talking at the table near us and went over to say hello and ask where they were from (Los Angeles, St Louis, Colorado and Arizona).  We had a quick chat before I rejoined my European group.

After a very relaxing, hour and a half lunch, we went inside for the wine tasting and tour.  The tasting included four wines, a 2009 Malbec (a bit harsh on the throat), a 2007 Malbec (aged for six months in oak, much better), a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and a white dessert wine.  All of the bodegas seem to share a sample of their dessert wines.  Following the tasting, we were shown the old winery including the original cellar section.

By the time we were ready to leave, it was almost 4:30pm and we only had time for one more bodega since some close at 5 and the remaining at 6pm.  Challenging ourselves, we biked another 2 kilometers to the farthest bodega, Carinae, French owners with an interest in astronomy.  Only the guys and I did the tasting after a short tour of the storage building: rosé Malbec, 2009 Malbec and a Malbec-Syrah blend.  All pretty good considering that the owners have only had the winery a few years and had no prior knowledge of winemaking (but are being trained by experts and the vines are 100 years old).

Across the street from Carinae was Laur, an olive oil workshop.  I was quite keen to stop there for some samples before we biked the 10 kilometers back to Maipu bikes but the group was moving slowly and it was almost 6pm.  I went ahead and in the end, only one of the guys joined me for the tour and tasting since it cost money.  Unlike the factory yesterday, they no longer use the old techniques but now have machines.  We sampled the extra virgin olive oil, a mustard-honey spread with olive oil and sundried tomatoes with olive oil; all tasty but the bread was a bit stale.  Post bread, I was ready to ride, but the rest continued to take their time.  We finally set off at 6:15pm.

We rode at a steady pace on the way back but all the sudden one of the girls stopped for water.  The woman at the stand was so slow we were there for 15 minutes, with only 10 minutes until 7pm.  Not my style to rush things so I got even more frustrated about the day.  As I said, I’d been content to go on my own but took advice not to.  While it was comforting to be with others, I really didn’t click with them (didn’t even ask for their contact info or remember their names).

Anyway, we made it back to Maipu bikes at 7 on the dot.  Instead of kicking us out, we were offered free white wine – it was so disgusting – and a seat to relax.  Soon after we sat down the wind picked up and we walked to the bus stop instead.  As we approached Mendoza, I kept looking out the window for our stop.  We still seemed to be a ways from the center of town, but one of the girls said it was our stop.  For some stupid reason, I got off with the rest of our group, even though my instincts told me they were wrong.  Well, turns out we were still ten blocks from the main square.  They went a different direction towards their hostel (not sure how long it took them to get back) and I went off on my own.  It took over 40 minutes to walk back to my hostel (not that I minded the walk) and I was overheated when I arrived.

Luckily, even though there was only an hour until free chorizo night, I was still able to sign up and after relaxing I headed to the terrace for my free dinner.  I sat with a group of very friendly Swedish travels, a couple whom studied in Cusco.  At 10:30pm I decided it was time to come back to the room and get some sleep as I’ve got a long bus ride tomorrow to Viña del Mar.  Overall a lovely (but hot) three days in Mendoza drinking wine (and paragliding).

Malbecs in Mendoza

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I made sure to have a large, bread-filled breakfast this morning as I was picked up for a full day wine tour at 9:45am.  By the time we’d collected the other passengers, including Kelly and Tom from yesterday and one other American (Andy, from Boston who is starting his MBA at Penn in the fall), and arrived at the first bodega it was 10:45am. We had a short tour of the San Huberto winery before our tasting, first a rosé Malbec, then a 2009 Malbec and finally a white dessert wine.

Our next stop, Pasrai, is an olive factory which has been producing extra virgin olive oil for 90 years.  They still use the same manual methods and machinery.  We sampled the virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic olive oil, sundried tomatoes with oregano olive oil and olive tapenade with basil olive oil.  So delicious that I bought a couple mini bottles.

We had a tour of Cecchin bodega (a small organic winery) and tasting (including a 2007 Malbec) before sitting down for lunch.  It was such a beautiful setting, in middle of the vineyard shaded by a huge tree.  Kelly, Tom, Ophelia and Joel (Tom’s Australian friends), Andy (from Boston) and I sat around a large circular table sipping wine and digging into the bread.  Lunch started with a warm tomato compote on bread followed by lamb with mashed potatoes and fruit for dessert.  Excellent food, relaxing afternoon and gorgeous setting – life doesn’t get much better.

Post-lunch, we headed to our final bodega, the large bodega Familia Zuccardi.  While waiting for our tour, the power went out and we were offered free glasses of sparkling rosé.  Kate, an American from Colorado, showed us around the winery before our tasting.  We tried the Syrah rosé, 2009 Malbec and white dessert wine.

Before returning to Mendoza, our final stop was a la Antigua, a small shop producing liquors, chocolates, jams and other spreads.  It was so crowded we waited outside 15 minutes for our “tour”.  The tour ended up being a woman showing us each product produced in the small building.  Apparently the woman does the jams, etc while the man does the chocolate and liquor.  In any case, it was a waste of time.  The only good part was sampling a liquor of our choice, I selected chocolate mint.  I did buy a couple chocolates since it was supposed to be a chocolate factory, but the quality was fair.

Ten hours after being picked up, I was dropped at the hostel.  Now that it’s the end of the day, I can’t tell you much about the wines I sampled, but many of them were enjoyable and I didn’t purchase any (since I can’t carry them around for four more months).   I heard a lot today about the aging processes in French and American oak, number of times barrels are used (before they are sold for a mere $50, purchased for something much higher), and the care taken for the premium wines (and therefore the mass production of the younger, cheaper wines).  It is only 8:30pm, but I’m exhausted from the day.  Fun tour with great people and excellent bodegas and fantastic lunch.  Going to do my own wine tour tomorrow, by bike.

High in the sky

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Last night the bus arrived in Mendoza around midnight, and by the time I checked in at Hostel Suites I was ready for bed.  One of the women in my dorm (who checked out today, thank goodness) snored the entire night, so I quickly found my earplugs to get a descent night sleep.  Went down for breakfast at 9:45 (it ends at 10) and almost all the food was gone but I ended up chatting with a nice couple (probably in their 50s) from Canada and American girl (20, from Chicago).   Joan and Mike spent a week in Mendoza and were on their way to Bariloche while Rachel is living in Mendoza for six months.

After getting their recommendations, I booked paragliding for this afternoon and a full-day wine tour tomorrow.  As it was already midday, Rachel and I walked around Mendoza and ended up finding a buffet style take-away restaurant where we selected a variety of foods and brought them back to the hostel.  I was craving a cold coffee given the 100 degree heat, and stopped into a Starbucks-like place for their version of a Frappuccino.

Rachel and me eating lunch at the hostel

Back at the hostel, we enjoyed our lunch and talked with a couple other guys from Chicago.  At 2:30pm Joan and Mike reappeared and we chatted until 3:15 when the paragliding instructor arrived to take me away.  Along with four other English speakers (Tom from Australia, Kelly from Missouri, and Julia and Elton from Sweden) we headed out of Mendoza to the paragliding base camp.  Tom had already tried paragliding once this morning, but even though all his friends made the trip, the winds changed just before he took off.  So he and Kelly were the first pair to go up the mountain.

Julia, Elton and I played card games while we waited for them to return and I learned that Julia was only there for support as she didn’t have an interest in paragliding.  At 5:20pm, we loaded the truck for our ascent to 1600 meters.  It was a bumpy 30 minute ride to the take-off point and once Elton and I were all strapped up and ready to go, the wind died down.  We waited about 15 minutes, just standing in once place, for the wind and thermals to change.  Abruptly, my guide rushed me to the other side of the hill for better wind.  Nerves set in (Tom didn’t have a great experience earlier today) as I worried about the wind but before I knew it, Tato told me to start running and a few steps later we were in the air.

Getting ready for the flight

Looking back at where we took off from

I wanted to video the takeoff (like I had in Switzerland) but my arms were held behind the straps.  I had a similar reaction, getting a bit nervous and then yelping once we’d taken off before relaxing into the seat.  The beeping noise on Tato’s device told him that we should fly higher and we lifted into the air higher and higher from where we started (maybe 400 meters higher).  I enjoyed the tranquil flight, observing the surrounding mountains and city in the afternoon light and reflecting that paragliding beats skydiving, not only is there no free fall, but you are sitting as you fly through the air – so peaceful.  Just like a bird (I imagine).

Fifteen minutes later, Tato landed safely at the base camp.  My ride was over, and this time, I was disappointed to return to earth.  We eventually drove back to Mendoza at 7pm and I relaxed for a bit before seeking out a restaurant for dinner.  On my way, I stopped into Tartufo chocolate shop which Tali recommended and picked up some small chocolates, including a few pieces in Star of David shapes.  The kind man at the shop gave me a sample for free then charged me less for my purchase.

Tato and me, safely on the ground

Woman at the chocolate shop

I easily found Las Tinajes, a buffet-style restaurant Allison recommended and settled in for a large dinner with a small bottle of Malbec.  I usually don’t drink while travelling on my own, but this is Mendoza, capital of the Malbec.  After sampling some of the cold salads, I had chorizo and queso followed by ravioli and some fruit for dessert.  Full from my large meal, I took a detour to the Plaza Independencia before coming back to the hostel.  All day wine tour tomorrow.  Buenas noches.

Plaza Independencia

Detour to San Rafael

Sunday, January 23, 2011 – Monday, January 24, 2011

Yesterday the bus arrived in San Rafael one hour late.  I stopped into the tourist office to enquire about the direction of the hostel (I ended up having to go back and ask again because her directions didn’t make sense) then set off the ten minute walk.  Check in wasn’t until noon so I hung around the hostel (finished writing about Cordoba) and booked the tour for today.  Eventually I got out for lunch with a plan to visit a bodega (winery) by bike. 

Nice guy from the bus (previous post)

After some mediocre pizza at a local place, I walked in the direction of a potential bike shop (potential because the woman at the hostel said they might be closed on Sunday) and stopped off at tourist information receiving confirmation that the bike shop was closed.  On the walk back to the hostel, after a quick detour in the supermarket for some cold drinks, I concluded it was much too hot to take a ten kilometer bike ride (each way) to a bodega. 

So I spent the afternoon reading on the main square in San Rafael.  The city seemed extremely quiet; turns out Sunday was a poor choice of days to visit.  A few places were open and I strolled along the stone-paved tree-lined streets eventually coming across an ice cream shop.  Mint chip ice cream was the perfect antidote to the heat.  When I finally returned to the hostel at 7:30pm I was content to relax, shower and get a good night sleep.

Main square in San Rafael

Today started at 8:15am since I was supposed to be ready for my tour at 9.  Well, at 8:30 a woman showed up asking if I was ready.  I hurried to finish packing since I needed to check out and store my bag for the day; a bit more hectic than I planned.  When I got on the van, there was only one other couple and I discovered the tour was only in Spanish.  I leaned my head against the seat and sighed.  When I booked the tour with the hostel I spoke to the woman in English so I assumed she knew I would want an English tour.  The guide, Cynthia, offered me some mate as we drove to pick up the remaining passengers.

Fortunately, Mariana and her husband, a young couple from Buenos Aires spoke English and she translated some of the information.  I spent the majority of the day with them as it was easier to communicate.  Our first stop was a viewpoint overlooking the surrounding mountains followed by Nihuel dam, one of four dams along the river through Canyon de Atuel, a 20km long gorge with polychrome rock formations. 

Lago Nihuel

We drove into the gorge, years of the canyon’s creation displayed in layers of various rock sediment. We passed the second dam and lake, before stopping for a walk in the canyon.  I couldn’t help but be reminded of the walks we took in the Grand Canyon in July 2009.  The scenery wasn’t as stunning, but climbing the rocks and making our way through a narrow passage was very familiar. 

Canon de Atuel

On our walk in the canyon

A quick photo stop at a third lake before we settled in Valle Grande for lunch and afternoon activities.  Lunch was a run-of-the-mill, overpriced affair where I tried choripan (basically a sausage on bread).  We had three hours to enjoy the valley, with options of zip-lining, rafting or a boat ride, but Mariana, her hubby and I chose to relax on the river banks and swim.   After stepping into the chilly water, I resolved that my afternoon would be spent reading my book.  It was a sunny, hot afternoon in the Valle Grande.

Quick photo stop

Valle Grande

Just as we were leaving the valley, a storm came in and it started raining when we passed the final dam.  It only lasted an hour, and stopped after we arrived at the fruit factory.  As part of the tour they included a stop at a shop selling dried fruit, wine and olive oil.  You should have seen the masses of people reaching for the free samples – ridiculous.  The dried peaches were delicious, but I knew I’d never eat an entire bag and quickly exited the overcrowded, overheated room.

I was dropped at the hostel at 6:30pm, an hour earlier than expected and requested a change in my bus ticket since I’d booked the 9:30pm bus in anticipation of the 8:15 bus being too early.  Turned out I had plenty of time to shower and relax before boarding the 8:15pm bus to Mendoza.  I should be arriving before midnight and will jump in a taxi for my hostel.  Looking forward to my four-bed air-conditioned dorm.

Cosquin and Alta Gracia

Friday, January 21, 2011 - Saturday, January 22, 2011

I can’t believe how little I did yesterday.  I woke up at 9:30am to have breakfast and inquire about bus tickets before spending time on my netbook uploading skydiving photos and doing some research.  But I’m not really sure where the morning went.  I chatted with the three new Canadians in my room about their travel plans.  At some point I called home to say Shabbat Shalom to dad and that’s when Tali finally came into my room.  Our plan was to the Cosquin Festival Nacional del Folklore, which is why I hadn’t much yet.  But how it was already 2:30pm, I’m not sure.

Not knowing exactly when the festival started, I asked the hostel guy and found out it was more of an evening event.  So I went out to get a couple empanadas for lunch, then came back to the hostel and chatted with an American guy from DC before joining Tali, Oren and another guy (I still don’t know his name) in the kitchen outside.  Oren cooked a huge lunch of meat, rice and salad.  We sat around talking but at 5pm I suddenly felt very tired and went to take a short nap.  It must be the heat that’s getting to me.  Not that I mind the warmth, but with no air-conditioning there is no relief.

Tali was still in the same place when I came back downstairs and we decided to leave at 7pm for the bus station.  We purchased return tickets and boarded the next bus to Cosquin.  Along the route, we picked up so many passengers that it was standing room only.  Upon arriving at 9pm, we asked in a shop how to get to the festival.  Turns out it started just around the corner with a huge street market.  Stalls of vendors from around the region selling everything from jewelry to wood carved items to books to musical instruments.  We got distracted walking around until I noticed an ice cream shop.  We’d been craving ice cream all day, so we rushed inside and ordered brownie sundaes.  They were so decadent we couldn’t help but take pictures, and the entire staff got together for us.  Talk about a sugar rush, the thing was SO sweet!

After a bit more “window” shopping (and a couple small purchases), we headed down the main street towards the stadium.  The street was crowded with restaurant tables, street performers and people trying to get from point a to b, including those with baby strollers.  While we walked, a small fireworks show took place nearby, lighting up the sky.  It took us forever to push our way through the crowds and find the queue for tickets.  We finally got inside the stadium at 11:30pm and were shown to our seats.  There were still a number of empty places, but tons of people packed the bleachers. 

We watched a number of performances: singers, dancers, accordion and harmonica players, all showcasing various traditional songs and dances of the region.  However, there was a lot of talking in Spanish between numbers and between acts which eventually got boring.  The temperature had also dropped now that the sun had long past set.  I was in a tank top and pants, but Tali was wearing a skirt, so we were both sitting there trying to warm ourselves.  I thought the performances were interesting but by 1:15am, we were ready to go.  (I found out that the whole thing didn’t end until 5am.)

Arriving at the bus station, a bus was just pulling out for Cordoba, and though we had the option to board, it was standing room only.  No thanks.  Sadly, we didn’t realize that the next bus was in another hour.  So we sat having some water and talking.  Two buses pulled in around 2am, and I went to check if they were ours, even though it wasn’t until 2:30.  Tali kind of gave me a hard time for being so anxious that when a third bus pulled up at 2:12, I didn’t bother seeing if its destination was Cordoba.  A few minutes later we decided to check, just to be sure, and it turned out it was our bus.  Not only that, but there was a huge queue of people and no seats left.  URRR.  The bus left at 2:20, ten minutes ahead of schedule and I ended up standing for an hour, listening to my iPod, extremely annoyed with myself for not following my own instincts.  Enough people got off along the way that we eventually got seats and dozed a bit.  We finally arrived back at the hostel just after 4am and to my surprise (although at this point I’m not sure why I was surprised) most of Tali’s Israeli friends were still awake.

Since I just got my laundry back, I had to shower before putting on my clean pjs.  By 4:30am I was in bed, ready to get some sleep.

As it was my last day in Cordoba, I wanted to go to Alta Gracia and forced myself to wake up at 9:45 even though I needed more sleep.  The morning was spent repacking my backpack, eating breakfast, booking my bus ticket and sorting out my bill.  After applying sunscreen to every square inch of my body showing, I was finally ready to depart for Alta Gracia; it was almost noon.  Once I bought my ticket, I waited near the designated platforms slightly confused because I didn’t see any buses with my company’s name.  The bus was late, but it turned out I was in the correct place.

An hour later, I was dropped in Alta Gracia near the Che Guevara museum.  A German couple were also looking for the museum, so we walked together through the heat.  The museum is located in Villa Beatriz, which was the Guevara’s primary residence in the 1930s, and contains a number of photographs from Che’s life and a few maps showing his motorcycle journeys around Latin America.  There was also a section about his involvement with Castro and Cuba.  I found it interesting but I still have a lot to learn about his life.

I strolled back into the main part of town, stopping for lunch at a restaurant with a very colorful interior.  It was already 2:30pm, so I figured my meal would act as lunch and dinner and ordered the lasagna.  From there I went to the Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Senora de la Merced and the Jesuit estancia, now the Museo Historico Nacional del Virrey Linies.  The building is part of the UNESCO group of Jesuit estancias that I visited on Wednesday.  A beautiful building with archways, rooms showing furniture from the last owners, and a communal bathroom which in the Jesuit days had running water.

On the central Plaza Manuel Solares, I found an ice cream shop and took a mint chip cone to help cool down.  It has been so hot lately.  After wandering down a street, I determined that I’d seen what I wanted and headed toward the bus stop.  Perfect timing as it arrived a couple minutes after I did.  I was on the bus at 4:45pm and arrived back in Cordoba just before 6pm, plenty of time to shower and relax before my twelve hour night bus to San Rafael at 8:40pm.  Refreshed from my shower, I relaxed in the common room watching the end of the Pursuit of Happiness before saying goodbye to some of my new Israeli friends.  A couple of the boys called my name from the balcony of our shared room when I left the building.

As I walked to the bus station, I smiled.  A very successful time in Cordoba.  Of course, after I boarded the bus, having stood around for 20 minutes with my backpack on, I looked for something in my daypack.  In the process I realized my pills were missing.  I was fairly certain they were in the bag and hadn’t been left behind, but I started to panic.  I frantically began searching my bag and couldn’t find them in any of the normal places.  Telling myself to calm down they would appear, I continued looking, but then I feared they may have fallen out in my locker at the hostel.  Tears rolled down my cheeks at the thought of losing two weeks of pills and I tried to rationalize that dad could send me more, but it didn’t help calm me down.  I approached one of the drivers and tried to explain in Spanish that I didn’t have my medicine and that the hostel was only 10 minutes away (I wasn’t able to say all of that, but I pointed on maps, etc); it was no use.  I didn’t have time to go back.

Turning back to my daypack, I continued the search.  As it happens, I found my spare camera battery that I thought I’d left in Punta Arenas.  A huge relief as I really didn’t remember packing it and almost purchased a new one.  At least there was some good from my panic.  Eventually, just as I was about to give up, my hand felt the case.  Thank goodness!  A few minutes into the drive, one of the bus drivers came up to ask me about my medicametos and I told him I’d found them.  I was warmed by his caring nature.  

Guess I’ll try to get some sleep.  We’re supposed to arrive in San Rafael at 9am.

SKYDIVING from 8500 feet!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I went skydiving today!  I went skydiving today.  Can you believe it?  I’m not sure I can which is why I’m repeating myself.

I first read about the option of skydiving in Mendoza in a Get South tourist book I’d picked up in Pucon.  For some reason, I felt inclined to do it.  This is my around-the-world trip; if I don’t do it now, will I ever?

Tali had agreed to go with me, so we woke up at 7:20am in order to be ready for our 8am departure.  As we’d been warned, 8am doesn’t always mean 8.  Not only that, but the sky was cloudy so I got back in bed, not very hopeful.  I awoke to the sound of a honking horn followed by Andre (the guy at the hostel) calling my name.  It was time to go!

At 9:30am, Tali and I nervously left the hostel and crammed into the front seat of the car since the back was full.  Fortunately the ride wasn’t too long since I was crunching part of Tali in an effort to keep clear of the gear stick.  The other three in the car were Israeli, so Tali spoke to them in Hebrew and I just sat looking out the window.  Turned out they tried to go yesterday but had to come back since the weather wasn’t good having spent about six hours waiting.  Having heard this, I wasn’t too surprised when we were told to sit and wait.  About an hour or two later, we got clearance for the first jump and we all went to watch the first guy get suited up and take off.  The plane flew higher and higher eventually becoming a small speck in the sky.  That’s when I though, am I really going to do this?

But there was plenty of time to sit and wait so I tried not to think about it.  Following in tradition and utilising my creativity, I had Tali write on my hands "Hola mom dad Shell".  After the first three went, there was a break.  Tali and I got a bit nervous about the weather conditions, but they were only refueling the plane.  At 1pm, Daniel my guide got me suited up for my flight.  I got a bit nervous while they put on the gear but quickly calmed down.

Ready to go, with Daniel

I have to say that climbing into the small plane and watching take-off I was oddly calm.  As we soared higher, I serenely looked out the window trying to remind myself what I was doing.  I honestly wasn’t nervous.  That was before they opened the door.  As soon as the door open, I freaked out (video evidence shows this change).  I paid close attention to directions while being completely scared.  As I swung my legs to the right of the plane, I couldn’t look.  I knew Daniel was going to do all the work for me, so I crossed my arms against my chest, leaned my head back and let him do the work.

Having fun in the plane

We're about to jump... see how scared I look?

When he jumped from the plane, I hooked my legs behind him as quickly as possible.  Next thing I knew, we were falling.  Free falling.  And you know what was going through my head as I plastered a smile on my face for the video cameras?  Firstly, that the wind rushing in my face was really uncomfortable.  I didn’t like the feeling of my cheeks vibrating so profusely.  Second, it’s a bit chilly up here, wish I’d worn the long-sleeves I brought with me.  Third, the wind is extremely loud in my ears.  Fourth, is this ok for my eyes (I was wearing glasses, but even so)?  Fifth, when is this going to end?

All of this was going through my head as we fell from 8,500 feet.  I remember reaching out to touch the photographers hand and then waving goodbye as we shot off.  I’m pretty sure that’s when Daniel pulled the parachute.  We jerked back up as the parachute caught the wind, but I only vaguely remember this.  Next thing I knew, we were floating.  My post-free fall reaction is also on video.  Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, is all I could say.  I was relieved to no longer be falling.

The next part of the flight was just like paragliding.  We floated through the air.  I looked around at the city of Cordoba and its surrounding countryside of fields, the clouds preventing a clear view of the landscape as we slowly made out way back to the ground.  Even though I was relaxed, I was still processing the free fall.  As we got nearer to the ground, I searched for Tali and found her on the grass below taking pictures.  I’m not sure how long we were floating, or falling for that matter, but I heard Daniel say “legs up” as we approached the ground.  For some reason I put my legs out when we landed (not the best idea) but quickly pulled them back it.  It was over.  I’d done it.  I’d jumped out of a plane at 8,500 feet and made it safely back to earth.

Coming in for a landing

We made it!

Tali came over to give me a hug after Daniel unclipped me.  We walked back to the hanger together as I tried to explain the feeling of falling.  When I watched the hand-camera video of my flight, I almost started crying while I laughed.  I saw the panic in my face when the door opened and it was almost like reliving it made it more real.  The aftermath was when the emotions really hit me.  But since Tali was getting ready for her flight, and I was supposed to take pictures as she’d done for me, I stopped the processing and focused on her.

After my flight, before Tali's

After she made it back to the ground in one piece, we waited for our videos.  For the other jumpers, the video was ready before the next person came down, but mine seemed to be taking forever.  When I went in to ask, they told me that they needed to download my song (which they originally said they had) and were working on it.  I replied that I would have chosen a different one, but it was under control. 

About 10 minutes later I was handed my two DVDs and immediately put in the video to watch, then the other disk to make sure the pictures had loaded properly.  Once Tali had her videos we were all ready to go.  However, everyone at the skydiving center was eating lunch (they didn’t offer us any, even though it was 3pm and we were hungry) and we had to wait for our driver to finish.

As much as I’d wanted to use the computers at the center to immediately post on facebook that I’d gone skydiving, I wanted to tell my mom first.  So as soon as we got back to the hostel, I called her.  At first she didn’t hear what I said and when I started talking about the plane, she said “you did what?”  Yep, mom, I went SKYdiving.  It was a fun conversation.

Considering it was already four in the afternoon, Tali and I quickly left the hostel in search of food and ended up at a pizza restaurant nearby.  We talked about our morning adventure before getting into a deeper conversation about life and relationships.  When the pizza arrived, we dug in.  After sitting for a while to digest and enjoy being still, we walked back to the hostel.  I spent the afternoon trying to get the pictures and videos off the DVDs and online since I don’t have a CD drive on my netbook.

The afternoon passed quickly and at 9:30pm Tali and I went out to dinner.  She’d heard about grilled goat, a specialty in Cordoba, and wanted to give it a try.  Since most Israelis self-cater (make their own food in hostel kitchens) I was her best bet for a restaurant partner.  We went to Raoul’s, suggested by Alain (at the hostel), and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Tali was completely satisfied with her goat, and I loved my steak with a guacamole type sauce and vegetables.  We considered having dessert and the waiter brought us a sample of the dish we were going to order.  I think my facial expression said it all; I was not a fan.

Back to the hostel we went at 11:30pm, and while I was happy to get ready for bed and write, Tali joined the Israelis for a night out in a neighboring town.  I still can’t believe that I went skydiving today.  I’m glad I did it once, but I certainly won’t be jumping out of a plane again.

Cordoba and the Jesuit Estancias

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I arrived in Cordoba yesterday morning after a ten hour bus ride from Paysandú, Uruguay.  I slept the majority of the journey, but I can’t say it was a particularly restful sleep.  We arrived at 10:30am, and I headed towards Turning Point hostel, the hostel that was recommended to me by the couple I’d met in Montevideo.  Andre, the guy at reception, showed me around, and while it looked good enough, there was no air-conditioning.  I told him that as much as I liked it, I was really interested in having some a/c after the nights in the estancia with none.

Andre agreed to watch my backpack while I set out to find a different hostel.  I walked through the city’s main plaza to a crowded pedestrian street.  As I walked through the sea of people, I realized I liked the quiet location of Turning Point.  When I finally reached my destination, the hostel had no availability for the night, air conditioning or not, and I’d already decided I wasn’t interested in staying.  I took another street back to check out one more hostel, but was put off by the people sitting on the step outside the front door and concluded that Turning Point was my best option.  On that same street, I saw a synagogue, an unexpected surprise that I would not have encountered.  Taking the time to check out the other hostels was a worthwhile experience.  Sometimes you need to see a few other places before realizing that what you have is pretty good.  Since I rarely arrive without accommodation, I don’t usually get a chance to look around.

When I arrived back at Turning Point it was almost midday but check-in wasn’t until 2pm.  I stored my bags and after chatting with a few Israeli guys and watching an episode of Seinfeld, I strode into the heat to explore Cordoba city.  Having only eaten a small breakfast of crackers on the bus, my first stop was Sol y Luna, a vegetarian restaurant recommended in my Footprint guidebook. I walked through the main square and past a few of churches (Iglesia de San Francisco and Iglesia y Monasterio San Jose de Carmelitas Descalzas and a couple others) but avoided the pedestrian street I’d taken earlier and took a different street.  There weren’t any tourist attractions close to the restaurant, and I took pleasure in the fact that I was seeing a part of the city I wouldn’t have otherwise explored simply because I was looking for a restaurant.

I found Sol y Luna without a problem, but once I got inside, I couldn’t figure out how pricing worked.  In the end, I realized that you chose the dishes you want from the buffet and pay by weight.  The food was excellent; I relished having only vegetables after so much meat. 

After lunch I walked to the canal (which ended up being nothing) before heading to the main Cathedral with a Romanesque dome, on Plaza San Martin.  Having just missed a 4pm tour of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, I chose to walk to Tango Hostel for Latitude Sur to find out about skydiving and other activities.  The journey was a waste of time since the hostel guy was the one giving information and seemed to be the same service my hostel offered.  I still had time before the 5pm tour, so I sat in the shade reading for a bit.

The tour of the Universidad, conducted in Spanish, was mildly interesting.  I’m sure it would have been better if I could understand all the history (Lonely Planet says it’s a great tour in English but because of the summer holidays English was not available), but it was worth seeing the former Jesuit institution.  I quickly looked inside the Manzana Jesuitica, UNESCO site.  By 6pm, I was feeling tired, sweaty and gross having not showered since the night before my bus ride. 

After settling in to my six-bed mixed dorm, I took a shower and hung out with some of the Israelis in my dorm.  Oren, one of the guys I’d met earlier, invited me to his birthday celebration which was taking place in the back kitchen.  Some point around 10pm I went downstairs to join the fun, a group of almost 20 Israelis drinking and cooking food (hamburgers and steak, mashed potatoes, salad).  It was quite the production.  As I introduced myself, I took pleasure in the reaction I received when I told people that I’d been to Israel on Birthright and was Jewish.  I really clicked with this girl Tali, who speaks perfect English and arrived in Cordoba on her own.  Most Israelis seem to travel in groups, and while she’d travelled with a few people, she wasn’t yet in a group of six.  We ate just before midnight and sang happy birthday to Oren in Hebrew.  A couple girls prepared dessert cakes and melted a bunch of chocolate for fondue.  It was a fun evening but eventually I got tired of not being able to understand conversations, which were conducted in Hebrew unless I requested English, and went to bed.

I had a restless night sleep and awoke this morning for my tour at 9am feeling tired.  Steven picked me up at the hostel before getting the three other passengers.  Even though he spoke English, the rest of the people on the tour were Spanish speakers, so the entire day he was repeating himself.  On our itinerary were three of the estancias which are part of the “Jesuit Block and Estancias of Cordoba” on the UNESCO World Heritage list.  According to UNESCO, “The Jesuit Block in Cordoba, heart of the former Jesuit Province of Paraguay, contains the core buildings of the Jesuit system: the university, the church and residence of the Society of Jesus, and the college.  Along with the five estancias, or farming estates, they contain religious and secular buildings, which illustrate the unique religious, social, and economic experiment carried out in the world for a period of over 150 years in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.”

Our first stop was Estancia de Caroya, from the 17^th century, a large white building around a patio with a quaint stone chapel.  Steven showed us around pointing out highlights of the various rooms.  I especially appreciated the beautiful wood beams in the ceilings and roofs.  After a quick drink/pee stop at a gas station, we continued to Estancia de Jesus Maria which holds a museum of religious items and paintings and a coin collection from around the world.  One of the most interesting aspects of the building was the bathroom.  The Jesuits knew something about hygiene and they had a room for toilets, holes on the second floor of the building which fell into running water another floor below.  When the Jesuits were kicked out, the new property owners cut off the water and used the space as a type of trash deposit. 

Estancia de Caroya

Estancia de Jesus Maria

For lunch, Steven took us to an Italian restaurant (the estancia was used as an Italian immigrant hotel in the 19^th century so there are a lot of Italian influences in the region) with a pre-set menu.  After a small starter of cold meats, we were served seven different types of pasta dishes, from spaghetti to ravioli, and a couple of meat plates.  So much food, all of it delicious.  We finished off with dessert, flan with dulce de leche.

Me and tour guide Steven at lunch

Tummies full, Steve took us across the street to Bodega La Caroyense.  We were given a tour of the winery, the part where the juice ferments and is bottled, and then had a tasting of our choice.  I sampled a couple wines and decided to buy their house wine, two bottles for 15 pesos (less than $4) to share with people at the hostel.  By the time we left it was already 4:40pm and we had a 40 minute drive to our last estancia.

The three other people I spent the day with

The last 15 minutes of the ride were on a very bumpy dirt road.  Seeing Estancia de Santa Catalina in the distance, I could imagine what it would have been like for visitors to find this place 350 years ago.  The estancia is in private hands, so we took a short tour of the church and a bit of time to enjoy the grounds before getting in the car for the drive back.

I arrived back at Turning Point at 8pm, completely exhausted.  After a conversation with Tali about skydiving tomorrow and some hanging out, I came upstairs to go to bed.