Having said our goodbyes to Fathi the Frenchman, Theo and I caught the 8.00am bus in Valparaiso which would take us to the border with Argentina and over to our destination, Mendoza.

A torturous 12 hour journey that should have taken 8, was made more tolerable by witnessing some of the most jaw dropping landscapes. The 3500m ascent over The Andes was painfully slow due to steep inclines and sheer face drops but as we cut through valleys and mountains each turn provided picture perfect moments.. the Curva 21 in Portillo standing-out as one of the most mind-boggling roads I've ever seen.

From deep down at the foot of the mountain, faced with the curva, it appears to be a massive wall of rock with vehicles moving over it.. like a huge bookcase with tiny toy lorries and buses driving over the shelves.

After 20 minutes or so, taking each of the 21 curves at the slowest of snails pace while nervously peering over the edge, and each level concertinaing above the other, the bus crept its way to the summit causing the ears to pop.

Shortly after, we made it to the border crossing where cars and a long line of buses were queued. Surrounded by mountains, rock, dust and the most perfect of blue skies we were confronted with dozens of control huts and a big dome shaped bunker.. like something you'd see out of Thunderbirds or a James Bond film.

Suffering from ear ache and a little short of breath, this was the first time being at altitude has taken affect on me but it was nothing too bad.

The process was slow, like ridiculously slow, where staff seemed to be stood around twiddling their thumbs, to the point where nothing was moving making people abandon their vehicles.

Refreshment points in makeshift tents and gazebos had been erected at the side to take advantage of the waiting traffic. A group of people were huddled around in one of them so we marched over to check it out. Turns out they had a TV.. never thought I'd end up watching a Champions League game (Bayern Munich v Real Madrid) at a border crossing.. at altitude.. in The Andes!

After an excruciating 4 hour wait our passports were stamped and on we went to Mendoza. Due to the delays we didn't arrive at the Punto Urbano Hostel until 8.00pm. Too tired to venture out, we took advantage of the free red wine on offer in the lovely terrace/garden while getting to know a few. Not a fan of red wine, but I was in Mendoza and this is what the place is known for so, 'when in Rome!'

It was a bright sunny day on Thursday. Now when I see the sun a blazing like this, there's only one thing I want to do.. saddle up and jump on my horse of course! Waaaaaaa! Australia, 6 years ago, was the last time I'd ridden a horse so I was definitely due.

A minibus picked us up mid-afternoon and drove us out 45 minutes into the countryside to a ranch run by a lovely Argentinian family where we'd have a trot around and come back for an asado.. a BBQ to me and thee.

Other than Theo and I, who just like to joke around and have a laugh, our group consisted of four others.. a right mixed bag! An Argentinian girl who spoke no English but I'm pretty sure she was sound, a middle-aged French woman who was an absolute tool, and a Finish couple who were your typical, straight down the middle, regimented, lack of humour Scandinavians. Thank god there was some more sound people in the other group!

Our Argentinian tour leader, Augustin, instructed us on how to control a horse and gave no safety advice whatsoever, or safety gear for that matter, just a stick to keep the beast in order. And as always, I was given the disobedient reject, a horse named Chiquito.. also known as, an absolute handful!

We were told prior that the horses had been fed and to not let them eat any grass, and if they did, give them a kick and pull the reigns. Failing that, combine it with a whip of the stick.

No sooner had we set off on our trot around the beautiful green countryside, Chiquito was ready for his first of many fag breaks. None of the above prevented the lad from tucking into that tasty looking grass.. he literally didn't give a......! A constant cry of, "Nooooooo Chiquito!!" will have been echoing its way around the countryside.

While the others rarely strayed a few yards from one behind the other and seemingly in cruise control, Chiquito was dragging me through bushes and heavy rough.. needless to say we were mostly bringing up the rear!

Two hours later and an unexpected gallop on the home stretch from out of nowhere, we somehow made it back to the ranch in one piece. It may have been a more lively afternoon than I was expecting but it was all good fun.. never thought I'd have to graft for it though.

We had a further two hours to kill while the other group went out on their tour so we took a walk through the grape fields to the local Bodega where we sampled some red wine.

Back at the ranch, we waited patiently for the other group to return while the BBQ was being prepared by the family. And it didn't disappoint when it finally arrived! They put on an awesome spread with some tasty cuts of tender beef accompanied by a shed load of red wine.

Augustin had brought his guitar along with him and he'd earlier tried to persuade me to play, or even sing, in front of both groups while we sat around a large table drinking.. "Nahhhhhhh mate, no way!"
A few more red wines later, I was up at the front with another girl from the UK called Emily singing Oasis' Wonderwall, Augustin on guitar. Our rendition seemed to go down a right treat, or the more probable reason being everyone was so smashed off the red stuff to even realise how crap our performance was!

It was a much later finish than anticipated but it was definitely worth it.. I had a great day/night!

The following day, Theo and I were due to be homeless as we had to check out of the Punto Urbano Hostel. With it being Easter Weekend, every hostel in the city was fully booked but thanks to a bit of good fortune and some random free wifi at the distillery the day before, we managed to get a cancellation somewhere else. Phew!

Theo had kept in touch with a girl called Megan from Canada who he had met a few months prior in Patagonia. She was heading to Mendoza for a few days so we arranged to meet up and get her in at the Hostel International where we were staying. Despite a massive 'duhhhhhh' moment from Megan when rocking up at the wrong hostel she finally met us at the right place.

It was early afternoon by the time we had checked in giving us little time to take a tour around the many wine distilleries in nearby Maipu. As mentioned previously, I'm not into red wine at all but I was game.

A short 20 minute train journey took us to Maipu where we could hire bikes and cycle around as many Bodega's as possible in 3 hours to try out the wine they had on offer.

Getting off the train was like walking out into the 1920's or something. The train station, the train itself, the cars, and the whole of Maipu for that matter wouldn't be out of place in a Back To The Future' film.. very odd!

The tactic was.. cycle to the supposed 'biggest and best' bodega which was furthest away, then work our way back. It took us 30 minutes to reach the Bodega Trivento.. but we had just missed the last tour!

With time against us we had to head back the way we came and find another one.. which we didn't. We ended up stopping for lunch and drinking wine there instead.. so much for the distillery tour! We somehow managed to swerve an awkward second meet with the k*** of a French woman from our horse riding group the day before, who was dining at the same outdoor restaurant. What are the chances?!

Our afternoon didn't quite go to plan but it was still a lot of fun. However, securing booze for a sesh that evening back at the hostel did go to plan. The three of us had a proper good laugh which involved 4 bottles of wine, beer, being followed everywhere by a middle- aged Brazilian man who we named J-Dog and spoke no English whatsoever, chasing a pizza delivery guy on a motorbike down the road for a menu to cure our booze munchies, and flagging down a random taxi, opening the passenger door to find the one person we never wanted to see in Mendoza again.. 'that' French woman! You gotta be kiddin' me?!!!!! Door slammed, byeeeeee!!

Saturday was always going to be a somber day.. after around 2 weeks travelling through Argentina and Chile it was time for Theo and I to go our separate ways.. he to Córdoba, and I, Salta. Megan, also heading off her own way to Chile.

There wasn't much happening in Mendoza that particular day, nor is there much to see or do unless you book onto day tours out of the city. To be honest, Mendoza itself is a bit of a dump apart from a pleasant avenue in the centre which is aligned with shops, restaurants and cafes. The highlight of the day was some amazing chocolate cake from a chocolatier/cafe.. that's as good as it got.

It was a sad evening saying goodbye to Megan and Theo before I left for the overnight bus to Salta. It was good to meet Megan, she's a really cool girl and a good laugh who I got along great with. And Theo, I had an absolute blast with! It has been a pleasure travelling around with him, seeing lots of cool stuff.. in particular the massive football match we attended in Santiago which I'll never forget. He's a proper good lad, and a great laugh who had me in stitches many a time with his witty comments. All the best mate!

I did have a good time in Mendoza but I'm happy to be getting the hell out of here. I've drank more red wine in the past 3 days than I have in my whole life. I still don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to the red stuff and my opinion on it still has changed.. it sucks! Pass me a beer any day!

Time to reset.. north to Salta it is.

Caio Caio xx