Mendoza is red wine country. Every fellow backpacker I met the length and breath of the continent recommended it. Stressed with importance similiar to the Inca trail and Iguazu Falls we happily jumped on the overnight bus there.

Unfortunately our first impressions were the quite mixed. We checked into Mendoza Inn hostel and it seriously failed to impress. The place was run by a group of kids who blasted music from seven am till midnight, staff were rude and unhelpful. Having stayed in or around sixity hostels across seven countries it was coming up near the top on my list of hostels to avoid!

Mendoza is in quite a dry spot and so generally it never rains. Obvioulsy the day we arrive the most horrendous storm blew in that evening. It rained non stop for about thirty hours. Every local we met declared with surprise 'God this is the first rain in seven months'. This nugget of information did not lighten my mood one bit.

Thankfully we had just managed to squeeze in a cycle of the city earlier that day. We visited Parque General San Martin (the biggest in south America) and enjoyed the view of the city from the Cerro de la Gloria. We also had the opportunity to cycle around the Regata Lake that is encompassed by some beautifully landscaped gardens. Lots of people were out for picnics, walking their dogs and jogging around the lake.

From the cycle around the city I knew Mendoza was a vibrant city with a lot to offer. So when the rain stopped and we checked into a new hostel I was ready to do give it another go! We were staying in Damajuana hostel on Av. Villaneuva. It is the epicenter of social scene in Mendoza. Restaurants and cafe's line the street. It is perfect for an afternoon of chatting and people watching with your friends. There was also a great Middle Eastern place down the road called 'Cocina Puebla'. It sounds bad but it was delightful change in flavour from all the pasta, chicken and meat that I was eating.

Obviously the wine tour is the number one item on the list of things to do but more on that later. In the mean time we decided to head white water rafting. After all the rain and the spring thaw I was expecting some great grade four rapids. That was not the case and we only had grade two to three. Despite the fact that we would not be getting thrown out of the boat at ever turn it was a very enjoyable day. Our guide was great fun and made us rush into the rapids backwards or direct us towards rocks in order to give us that extra bit of excitement.
We even bought the CD as it had some great shots of us looking awesome.

To top off all the fun during the day Mendoza has a good nightlife. Generally it starts off in the hostel with an asado (BBQ) and some drinks in with my newly aquainted hostel friends. I did end up in 'Por Aca' a few too many times but it was justified. They played some great 90's tunes and less of the Latino tunes including free tequila at the bar.

Next up in Mendoza is the wine tour - huzzah!