mendoza

today i returned to buenos aires after having been in mendoza for the past four days.  it's funny -- this is the second 4-day weekend we've had in buenos aires in the past month with the first one having been for carnaval.  seems like its a ploy by cristina to win votes in the forthcoming election and an easy way to jump-start the economy via tourism.  anyways, it's been a good opportunity to explore parts of argentina i haven't yet seen.

mendoza is known for its wine with malbec being probably the most popular variety.  it's also known for the andes and aconcagua.  needless to say, the weekend was great.  drank lot's of wine, saw some pretty amazing scenery, rode a horse for the first time in my life, and got to see a new city and a new culture.

in terms of observations, i'd have to say the people i met in mendoza were extremely kind people.  i had the opportunity to walk around the crafts market on the city's main plaza on saturday and sunday and on more than one occasion was asked where i was from, what i was doing in mendoza, what i was doing in argentina, etc.  the fair had a cool laid-back hippy vibe and reminded me why i was in argentina.  it was so great to see everybody out on the plaza drinking mate and hanging out with friends.  no one seemed like they were in a rush to do anything.  could have been because it was a public holiday but i'd bet its like that in mendoza on most days.

another observation -- i had the change to visit a few wine bodegas.  basically, they do the same thing at each bodega.  you walk in, they give you a tour/tell you about the history of the vineyard, and then comes the wine tasting.  for the most part, the tour is a bit impersonal and you realize that just like almost everything else in this world, wine is a business.  one of the vineyards we went to was different.  it felt more personal than the others and less businessy.  i think the friends i went with would agree when i say that they seemed like they made wine because they genuinely like making wine.  in a world where it seems like few people enjoy their job, i think that this is something to aspire to -- that is, liking what you do.