I continued backpacking alone from Córdoba to Mendoza, Puente del Inca and Uspallata.

1st day – Sunday (05/22/2011)

After a 10 hour bus ride from Cordoba (see more details here), I arrived in Mendoza at 9am. I passed by the tourist center at the bus station and they told me to take a bus that would pass in front of my hostel, the Hostel Suites Mendoza. I took the bus and after I realized that I needed to have a specific card to pay for the bus, that is, I couldn't pay with cash. What a shame...luckily a girl on the bus paid for me...

I arrived at the hostel, which was very cute by the way, and I did check in in a room with 5 beds and 1 bathroom, just for women. I loved the atmosphere of the hostel, because everything is colorful, new and the people there were very lively.

I went out for a walk in the city and realized that everything was closed because it was Sunday, but I found it beautiful. Low buildings and houses, with lots of trees and streams in the streets, with yellow and orange autumn leaves, lots of squares, etc.

I bought the prepaid bus card and decided to go to the San Martin Park, where is the Zoo and the Hill of Glory, mainly. Update: another zoo on this trip…aiai.

I loved the walk on both, especially on Cerro because of the desert view. To get there, I took a trail that was indicated to be 5 minutes long, but it took me about 20, which went up from the zoo to the top of the hill. From up there, I took lots of photos, had a snack and took the opportunity to read the guidebook and plan my activities in the city.

I took a bus to Independence Square, where a comedy play was being shown, with many people sitting on the grass drinking chimarrão. I watched it for a while, but after not finding it that funny, I decided to keep walking. I went to Municipal Museum of Modern Art since it was inside the square, but I didn't think it was anything special.

From there, I decided to start the tour clockwise through the 4 equidistant squares of the Independence Square, starting with Plaza Espana. The coolest thing about the square is the blue water in the central fountain, from where you can see a panel with a large, old tile painting. Some benches, people resting and well-kept vegetation give it a delightful atmosphere.

After that I went to Plaza Italia, also very well looked after. And to my surprise, blue water again in the central fountain. 🙂

After some photos and appreciation, I headed to the next square, Plaza Chile. Also with blue water in its source and well-kept vegetation, but now with a plus … sun on the benches!

I took the opportunity to warm up and rest a little, before heading to the last square, closer to my hostel, San Martin Square. In this one I came across many teenagers walking around skateboard and bicycles, which meant I didn't stay long, as it was so noisy.

I kept walking and went back to the Independence Square because I saw a lot of people going there. The play was still going on, but now there was a really cute craft fair, where I bought my fridge magnet, as usual.

I went back to the hostel, booked the tour Alta Montana Tour for the next day, I talked a little with my roommates and I fell into bed. Best room of the trip so far…

2nd day – Monday (05/23/2011)

I woke up at 6am, had a delicious breakfast at the hostel and waited for the van that would take me on the tour scheduled for 7am. I put on several layers of clothing, gloves and a hat and prepared my backpack with a camera, extra battery and snacks. I got on the minibus with little heating system and soon we were on the road watching the sun rise behind the mountains with eternal snow on top. The view is desert-like and enchanting, I loved it! Oh, and it was on this road that the movie “7 Years in Tibet” was filmed.

After almost 2 hours of travel, we arrived at Uspallata, a very friendly village, where we went into a restaurant to drink hot chocolate and buy delicious treats.

Warmed up, we got back on the minibus and continued our journey. After a while, we stopped at a place considered sacred, with a stream and a bridge made of stones, which was very beautiful by the way. I met a very nice Mexican girl who was also traveling alone and who ended up being good company!

We continue until the Inca Bridge and there was a really cute craft fair going on. Magnet bought, photos taken, scenery enjoyed – time to get back on the bus.

We continued on the road until we reached the entrance of Aconcagua Park, with the mountain clearly visible from the entrance. How powerful! We started a trail through the park and passed several frozen lakes. The view is really cool, because it is a desert with very low vegetation and rocky mountains, with snow on top. In winter, there can be up to 5 meters of snow where I was standing…

After the park, we took the bus back and stopped at a restaurant for lunch, which was already included in the tour. I met other girls who were also traveling alone, which was really cool. The lunch was delicious, as was my nap afterwards, inside the moving bus. Just one detail… If we followed that road, we would arrive in Santiago in a few hours. Has anyone here done this Mendoza-Santiago route by car?

I arrived at the hostel, took a shower and went in facebook to settle the details of the Draft beer with the girls I met. I took a taxi, stopped at their hostel and went straight to the street Aristides to a very nice and small tapas bar (I don't remember the name). We drank some Argentine beers and ate tapas and pizzas, while chatting freely. We left a little late, but nothing too absurd that would make me lose track of time the next day...

Oh, just one detail: There is siesta In Mendoza, the city is practically empty between 12 and 4 p.m., because people go home to have lunch and sleep. But the good thing is that when you get to the city after this time, everything is open and there are a lot of people walking around the streets... and it stays like that until about 8 or 9 p.m.

3rd day – Tuesday (05/24/2011)

I woke up at 8am, had breakfast, packed my backpack and went checkout, leaving her in the locker from the hostel. At 10 am, he arrived land rover of the company of paragliding flight. We picked up some American girls who were staying at a fancy hotel and headed to the top of the mountain, where we would do the jumps. What a cool view! Very similar to the view from Cerro, but the excitement of the first paragliding jump made everything even cooler than usual…

The instructor prepared all the equipment, analyzed the wind, talked to the other instructors and called me… what butterflies in my stomach! After a few minutes of preparing for the jump, it was time to jump towards the cliff, with all my courage. Wow!!! So much adrenaline… I ran out with the instructor and before falling over the cliff the paraglider pulled us up and the feeling was wonderful. We spent 40 minutes flying, doing some crazy things. The butterflies in my stomach went away and I was able to enjoy the ride. It was worth every penny spent…

After the jump, the driver left in a good place to catch buses to the region of Maipu wineries. I had scheduled a tour to the wineries, but it was canceled because there weren't enough people, meaning if I wanted to visit, I would have to go exploring alone. And so I went. I took a very basic bus to the city of Maipu and when I got there, I went looking for a place to rent a bike. I read in some guides that cycling around this region is the best…and it really is.

I visited several wineries (the ones I liked the most were Tempus Alba – very modern and Tommaso's family, very traditional), I went to Wine Museum and I ended up drinking too much at the tastings offered. It was so much that I was escorted by a local police motorcycle, because I couldn't ride in a straight line on the road. It was a good ride, you know... I almost missed the time to catch the bus back to Mendoza.

I had bought my bus from Mendoza to Neuquen at 8:30 pm and I arrived at the hostel at 7:50 pm, that is, right on time.

If there was a little more traffic, I would miss my bus...God is great! <3

This trip to Neuquen It took 12 hours…needless to say I had a great time, right? To find out more about the continuation of the trip, click this link.

Want to know everything about my 30-day trip through Argentina and Chile? Just click on the links below. links below:

• ARGENTINA – Buenos Aires and Tigre
• ARGENTINA – Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villa Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano
• ARGENTINA – Mendoza, Uspallata and Puente del Inca
• ARGENTINA – Neuquén and San Martin de los Andes
• ARGENTINA – Bariloche
• CHILE – Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas
• CHILE – Pucon
• CHILE – Cálama and San Pedro de Atacama
• CHILE – Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaíso