La Vida Errabunda

The sun was warm as we got off bus #10 at el camino de vino the wineries of Maipu, just outside of Mendoza. It was shaping up to a summer day, despite the fall season. Nobody in their right mind would bike from winery to winery in Napa Valley. But in Maipu and the carefree mind of Argentina, why not? We rented our bikes with baskets before noon, and started off with map in hand and plan in mind. Our first winery included free wine. The wine was perhaps the worst thing to ever to touch my lips; I don't think it was even worth being free. But the winery was pretty and included a tour of fabcrica de vino wine factory. Copa gratis In the dry desert of Mendoza, olive grow aplenty. The olive oil farm we went to included not only plenty of delicious oils and tapenades, but also liqours. We tried some absinthe, which brought tears to eyes and cleared sinuses. Absinthe flames We road the long journey (about 8 km) up to Di Tommaso, a beautiful family-owned winery....

Back in Argentina meant recovery time from the wild, untamed Bolivia. SLEEP. SHOWER. WARM BED. That may seem basic, but those were not existent during our trip.  The first day, after SSWb, we headed to the infamous museum with momias . Inca mummies. The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology has an entire exhibit dedicated to three frozen Incas, perfectly preserved due to the extreme cold and high altitude at Mt. Llullaillaco (22,000 feet). They were discovered in the late 1990s. It surprised us that the "Inca Trail" extends through northern Chile and Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Only one of the three frozen children is displayed at a time due to the religious context, respect, and controversy. It was amazingly intact- hair, teeth, and skin. Saturday was outdoor day. Salta is surrounded by beautiful mountains, so we headed for the nearby Quebrada de San Lorenzo. We decided to fill up on some delicious regional goat cheese, bread, and salami before he went. Full an...