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