Slow Travel in Mendoza, Argentina: Stop and Stay Awhile

Cynthia Ord
11 February 2012

In Argentina‘s wine country of Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, a tour of the bodegas (wineries) will teach you how to taste wines.

It’s a slow process involving all the senses:
+ Swirl the wine sample in the glass, looking at its legs, colour and edge.
+ Put your nose in the glass and have a good sniff.
+ Take a small sip, holding the liquid on your tongue for long moment.
+ Discuss and speculate about the wine’s tones and subtleties.

Malbec grapevines at Catena Zapata winery, Mendoza, Argentina

Malbec grapevines at Catena Zapata winery, near Mendoza, Argentina, are set against the snow-capped Andes Mountains. Photo courtesy of Ben Benrubi

This unaccelerated process of tasting a place is typical of slow travel. Both involve a deliberate, sensory-rich lesson in how to appreciate something to the fullest.

Mendoza lends itself nicely to a slow travel experience in other ways too. If you can, stop in Mendoza. Stay for a while, at least a month. Take small sips. Discuss.

Getting long-term lodging and bicycle rental

+ Go to mihouse.com.ar, a locally owned and operated website with shared apartment options, in English and Spanish.
+ Tell Mercedes, who runs the website, what you have in mind. She will place you in housing shared with local Medocinos.
+ When you arrive in Mendoza, find your house and unpack your bags, since you will not need them for a while.
+ Rent a bicycle from Mercedes. She has good monthly rental deals.

The tree-lined streets of Mendoza, Argentina, make it a shady green oasis in a desert climate, one perfect for a bike ride. Photo courtesy of flickr/lucasgburgos

Finding work in wine or tourism

+ Get in touch with Cristobal Anastasi about what it takes to work in Mendoza’s wineries.
+ Do some local legwork about hostels, adventure-tour agencies, restaurants and bars that need a hand.
+ Find an Instituto de Ingles to land an English-tutoring gig.

Making Mendocino friends

+ Buy a basic cell phone with a local phone number and plenty of pre-paid credit.
+ Take long walks in Parque San Martin, especially on weekend days and nights.
+ Light a cigarette, even if you don’t smoke. Chat it up.
+ Find the flashy bars and pubs on Calle Aristides, drink copious amounts of Fernet and Coke.
+ Flirt shamelessly in broken Spanish.
+ Opt for the chilled-out patio bars of the Alameda district on Calle San Martin, where you can usually find live music with a bohemian vibe.
+ Go online and get in touch with the vibrant CouchSurfing community.

Bakery Nuss in La Quinta Seccion of Mendoza,Argentina, becomes a habit. You can smell the fresh bread and artisanal 'alfajor' cookies from a block away. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Ord

Finding a rhythm

+ Pick one favourite cafe and a favourite bakery, and haunt them like a regular.
+ Take a crack at the local newspaper.
+ Attempt to get things done between 2 and 6 pm, when everything shuts down for a long siesta, then give up and take a nap like everyone else.
+ On laundry day, hang your clothes and sheets on the clothesline in the sun.
+ On grocery day, shop at the local market; pick up a bottle of local Malbec.
+ Stop for Mendoza peaches, pears and cherries from the sidewalk vendors.
+ Form a yerba mate habit.

Seeing the sights, slowly

+ Start exploring the city and region of Mendoza, little by little.
+ Climb Cerro La Gloria in Parque San Martin.
+ Take a full day to soak in the hot springs of Cacheuta.
+ Organise a camping trip to Uspallata or Potrerillos.
+ When the timing is right, do the full moon rafting and bonfire party.

A full day is needed to really take in the Cacheuta hot springs near Mendoza, Argentina, for some slow travel relaxation. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Ord

Doing your own thing

+ Go people-watching in Plaza Independencia.
+ Window shop the boutique clothing stores on Calle Espejo.
+ Spot turtle faces and perfect lips in Mendoza’s daily cumulus clouds.
+ Get a haircut, or at least a trim.
+ Wonder where all the rows of evenly-spaced deciduous trees came from.

Leaving Mendoza

+ As the first month comes to an end, consider staying for Festival de la Vendimia (harvest festival) in Mendoza’s late summer.
+ Imagine yourself living here indefinitely.
+ When your time is up, throw yourself a ‘despedida‘ goodbye party, complete with asado barbecue.
+ Get on the overnight bus to Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Salta, Santiago or wherever your next stop may be.
+ Take out your camera and look at the photos from the taste of Mendoza life you just sampled.

Cynthia Ord

Cynthia Ord discovered the WHL Group while interning with the local partner Outdoor Albania for a summer. She is currently based in South America, working with WHL Assist, helping out with The Travel Word, and planning her next trip. On the side, she writes about the impacts of tourism for her blog, tourism, people and the earth.