Mendoza is the wine-making hub of Argentina. I had a very relaxed time there, generally treating myself.

We went for lunch in town when we arrived and saw some preparations for a festival that was taking place that weekend, including the finalists in a pagaent-type contest, each representing a local town.

I spent the afternoon at the spa at the Hyatt Hotel where I had a massage and used the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room

In the evening we went to a specialty beer pub where we had a tasting menu with miniature glasses of all the beers on offer. Then we went to the festival where there were lots of stalls selling homemade goods. The pagaent queens were there advertising the local towns as tourist destinations. There were amazing barbeque stalls and we stuffed our faces

The next day was Sunday and the town was deserted. I walked around a bit and found a Carrefour supermarket (exciting - lots of 'normal' things that I hadn't seen for a while). I bought loads of yummy food and a group of us went to the Parque General San Martín to bask in the sunshine with a picnic.

In the evening we went to a tango restaurant/bar for dinner. I resisted the calls to get up and dance - I wouldn't know where to start! It was fun to watch though, I'll have to try to learn some when we come back to Argentina. I caught the end of the Oscars on TV when I got back to the hostel.

The following day we did a cycling tour around some of the many vineyards in the countryside around Mendoza. We visited three wineries, an olive plantation and a teahouse that produced chocolates, preserves, sauces, liqueurs and all manner of goodies. I ate SO much but at least I burned some of it off by cycling in between.

Back in town I had a quick nap before going to the very fancy Azafrán restaurant for cheese and meat tasting plates and more wine - it was lovely.

That night I walked around the city - it was a Monday and it was the first time I'd seen the town in full swing (it was very quiet at the weekend) - it was a big, lively place. The fountains in Plaza Independencia were pretty at night and there were lots of stalls and entertainers nearby.

In the morning, on the way to the bus station, I put my backpack with my hiking boots attached into the boot of the taxi but when I got to the station my hiking boots had mysteriously disappeared - quite upsetting