Mendoza (Argentina)

Cesta do Mendozy trva 17h a jizda probehne bez nejakych zvlastnich udalosti. Hned na nadrazi koupime jizdenky do dalsi destinace Salty a jdeme na MHD. Az kdyz vlezeme do busu zjistime, ze to tu neni jako v Bariloche a neplati se u ridice, ale v automatu za nim. Mince a presny obnos. Nemame nic, behem chvilky ridic pochopi, ze jsme mimo, tak jen mavne at sedneme a jedeme zadarmo. Jeste nam pak zastavi mimo zastavku, aby jsme to nemeli daleko.
V Mendoze nastesti neni takove vedro jak jsme cekali, prijemnych 29stupnu bez vysoke vlhkosti. Jak uz si zvykame, v Argentine kazde mesto vypada uplne jinak nez to predchozi, ani Mendoza neni vyjimkou. Prevazuji 1patrove domy pospojovane do bloku a tvorici perfektni ctverce. Navigace je alespon jednodussi. Vsechny ulice lemuji nahusto nasazene platany, tak je tu stin a vse ma nazelenaly odstin. Od 12 do 5 je to mesto duchu, kdy behem siesty nepotkate skoro nikoho. Co ale hned zaujme je mistni ¨kanalizace¨ - kameny vydlazdene skarpy, prekryte chodniky, se spoustou der. Takze v Mendoze se urcite vyplati koukat kam slapete.
Nasledujici den po snidani jedeme do 25km vzdaleneho Potrerillos. Konal se zde posledni JA sampionat v raftingu a tak je jasne co tu chceme delat. Po prijezdu jsme rozdeleni do dvou skupin anglicko a spanelsko mluvici a projdou s nami plan dne a dostaneme vybaveni. Neopren, mikinu, helmu a vestu. Nalozi nas do busu a odvezou 12km proti proudu. V busu je sranda, tym raftaru je mlady a poskladany ze vsech koutu sveta. Prichazi dalsi instruktaz, tentokrat hodne podrobna - co delat kdyz vypadnes z raftu nebo se raft prevrati. Standardni prehnana bezpecnost pro zelenace a velke skupiny rikame si...Pote jsme rozdeleni do mensich skupin po 6. V nasem tymu je krome nas jeste par z Anglie, nemec a novozelandanka. Podstoupime jeste jedno skoleni, tenktokrat o tom jak se na raftu chovat, co ktery prikaz znamena a jak se koordinovat. Vse je vtipnou a zabavnou formou, tak ani moc nevnimame, jak je dole pod nami ta voda rychla.. Nasedame a vyrazime, 8 raftu, 4 kajaky pro zachytavani vypadlych a 2 fotografove. Je videt, ze jsou to profesionalove, vse je perfektne propracovane, pozice, signaly, koordince. Reka je cista, ale voda zbarvena do hneda od okolniho piskovce a cedice. Stav vody je docela nizky, takze pojedeme obtiznost III az lehci IV. Jedna se o maximalni obtiznost povolenou pro rekreacni a komercni rafting, V je jen pro sehrane tymy profesionalu a VI je na hranici sjizdnosti. Kazdopadne z vody vlny vypadaji mnohem vetsi nez ze brehu. Je to parada a misty poradny sesup. Pri prvnich perejich me valec dole jako prvniho malem sunda z lodi, noc a pusu mam uplne plny vody, na pristich se musim vic zaprit. Z raftu za nama to 1. uz sunda, takze zadna prehnana opatrnost... Ve druhych perejich nas kormidelnik s velkym usmevem prizna, ze jsme byli centimetry od prevraceni (vypada, ze by se mu to asi libilo). To by byla sranda. Je to adrenalin a uzivame si to. 1.5h utece rychle jako voda po ktere jedeme. A ke konci nas v mensich perejich nechaji naskakat do vody. Je ledova, stejne jako irske more v lete, preci jen tece z hor. Janca byla z raftingu den predem trochu nervozni a moc se ji nechtelo, ale nakonec se ji to libilo tak, ze by jela znovu. Jeste jsme zazili trochu vzruseni pri vylodeni, voda byla prudka a jedne holcine to ujelo, behem chvilky byla 20m dal po proudu a od delsi vyletni plavby ji zachranilo jen rychle hozene lano.
Dalsi den je na poradi vinna stezka v Maipu, ktere je od Mendozy kousicek a jezdi tam MHD. Pri nastupovani si Janca dava na cas pri vhazovani minci a tak ji ridic povzbudi "Come on baby, faster". Pri vjezdu do Maipu nas vita cedule - Don´t worry, drink and bike! (Niceho se nebojte, pijte a uzivejte kola!). Hlavni ulici lemuji desitky pujcoven kol, vime ze ty vepredu jsou nejdrazsi a odchytavaji ty nejdychtivejsi turisty, tak jedeme pres mesto az nakonec. Hned jak vystoupime si nas odchyti pani co pronajima kola doma v garazi. Cena je nejlepsi co jsme slyseli, kola vypadaji docela nove, tak uz dal nehledame a jedeme. Vybaveni mapou vinic a vouchery na ochutnavky, objizdime vinice, ruzne specializovane a olivove manufaktury. Hlavni ulice v Maipu za moc nestoji, je prasna a docela rusna. Ale staci odbocit do kterekoliv bocni ulice a jste v uplne jinem meste. Ceka na vas silnice lemovana platany a za nimi hektary vinic a olivovych sadu. Oblast Maipu je vyhlasena pro sva tezka cervena vina Malbec a Cabernet Savignon. Den prijemne utika a ochutnavky vina prokladame ochutnavkami jidla aby jsme uz v poledne nelezeli nekde ve skarpe co tu slouzi zaroven jako stoka. Muj favorit dne je Malbec Rable z rodinne vinice Di Tommaso, vzhledem k tomu ze ma 14%, mame za sebou uz 5vinic, venku je 30st a Jance nechutna a dostanu i jeji, si na dalsi uz netroufam. Obema nam take moc zachutnala olivova pasta s lilkem z tovarnicky Laur. A propadak dne? V jedne manufakture likeru, jamu, past a cokolad se Janca necha bez podrobnejsiho pruzkumu zlakat poetickym nazvem Grapa Mandochina. Dynova palenka v pul 11 dopoledne neni to po cem nase chutove bunky zrovna touzi. Alespon ma Janca plusove body za to, ze se ji povedlo vyvest z miry majitele. Toto od zeny urcite necekal a jen povytahl oboci (v tu chvili mi bylo jasne, ze to bude zly:)
Pri vraceni kol nas jeste pani pozve k posezeni na jeji zahrade a dostaneme misku vina a ledovy domaci melounovy dzus. Skoda jen, ze nase spanelstina a jeji anglictina nejdou dohromady. Alespon si hrajeme se jejimi 3mesicnimi stenaty. Poprve v zivote jsem mel moznost ochutnat hrozny urcene k vyrobe vina a ne to co se da bezne koupit, neporovnatelne...
Jedine co nas pri odjezdu z Mendozy trochu mrzi, je ze jsme se nepodivali pod Aconcaguu (nejvyssi hora jizni polokoule). Ale casove to bohuzel neslo zvladnout.

Foto z raftu:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52167&id=1344786025&l=042afab466

Foto ostatni:jeste nejsou


The journey to Mendoza takes 17h and during it nothing interesting happens. Immediately after arrival we sort our tickets to Salta our next destination and take urban bus to city centre. Only after we get into the bus we find out that this is not Bariloche. So you don´t pay at the driver, but have to put exact amount in coins into the machine behind him. We don´t have any change on us and driver gets it quite fast - we are just waved in and take the ride for free. Then he pulls over nearly at our hostel (off the scheduled stop).
The heat is not so bad as we expected, pleasant 29degrees and acceptable humidity. So far we haven´t seen two similar looking towns in Argentina and Mendoza isn´t exception. Mostly consists of 1storey buildings linked together into blocks making perfect squares. At least navigation is very easy. All streets are lined with big platan trees so everything has a greenish colour. From 12 to 5 it looks like ghost town, during the siesta time there is a slim chance of meeting anybody. One thing that catches the attention is local system of "sewerage" - stone paved ditches covered up by pavements with a lot of unexpected holes. So it pays out to watch your step.
Next day we go to Potrerillos. Last Panamerican rafting championships took place here so it´s obvious what we plan to do here. After short briefing on day plan we get our equipment - wetsuit, jumper, helmet and lifejacket. We get into the bus and are taken 12km up the river. The team running the event is very funny and the instructors from all over the world. We get off and get very detailed instructions on what to do if you fall out of the raft or if it turns over - just standard overcautious safety for big groups of greenhorns we think...Then we are divided into groups of 6. It´s us British couple, German guy and a girl from New Zealand. We get another briefing on what to do and not to do in the raft and the main thing orders and coordination. Everything is done in a very funny way so we don´t even get a chance to notice that the water in the river is very fast..We start - 8 rafts, 4kayaks to pick up people that fall out and 2photographers. We can see the team is very experienced - working perfectly together, position, signals, coordination. Water has a brown colour acquired from the sandstone and basalt that is all around. Water flow is quite low so we will do grade III to easier IV. It is the maximum allowed grade for leisure and commercial rafting. V is only for professionals and VI is considered to be nearly impossible. The rapids looks much bigger from the raft than from the river bank. It´s great adrenalin and the first rapids catch me unprepared and I nearly fly into the water, nose and mouth full of water. Have to brace myself more next time. Guy from the next raft behind us is prepared even less than me and goes for a swim. We take back our words about being overcautious...
In the second rapids our guide with a big broad smile admits we nearly turned over (I guess he would enjoy it). 1.5hrs pass as quickly as the water flows below us. Towards the end we are allowed to jump into smaller rapids. The water is as warm as an Irish sea in summer. Jana was a bit nervous and did not want to go day before, afterwards she enjoyed it so much she would do it again. There was a bit of excitement when leaving the raft. One of the girls slipped in the strong current and within seconds was 20m away from us. Only a quickly thrown rope saved her from a longer cruise.
Wine tour in Maipu is the next on the list. There is a big sign welcoming us to the town - Don´t worry, drink and bike! Well that´s why we are here, isn´t it? There is lots of bike rentals on the main street. We know the first ones are most expensive and only very eager tourists get caught so we go all the way to the end of the town. As soon as we get off a lady comes to us and takes us to her garage where she rents the bikes. Best price we´ve heard about, bikes look good so we take it. Equipped with a map of vineyards and vouchers for tastings we go around the vineyards and various local manufactures. The main street in Maipu is not very nice, dusty and busy. But all you have to do is take any of the side streets, little roads lined up with platan trees and hectares of vineyards and olive parks. Maipu is well known for its heavy red wines Malbec and Cabernet Savignon. The day is pleasant and we inter lay wine and food tastings. We don´t want to end up our trip somewhere in ditch... My pick of the day is Malbec Rable from family run winery Di Tommaso. Both of us liked a olive-aubergine paste from manufacture Laur. And the failure of the day? Jana gets lured by a poetic sounding stuff called Grapa Mandochina without checking first what it could be. Pumpkin spirit at 10.30am is not what our taste buds really want right now. At least I give Jana bonus points for bowling out the owner of the place. The last thing he would expect from Jana was Grapa Manodochina. The moment he raised his eyebrows in surprise I knew this was a bad choice :)
When returning the bikes, the lady invites us to sit down in her garden. Pity our Spanish and her English don´t work very well together. At least we enjoy homemade melon juice, fresh grapes and play with her 3month old puppies. Grapes intended for making a wine and the ones you get in a shop? Incomparable.
The only thing we pity a bit before leaving Mendoza is that we didn´t manage to trek around Aconcagua (highest mountain of southern hemisphere).

Rafting pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52167&id=1344786025&l=042afab466

Rest of the pictures: not available yet