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From Jachal to Mendoza

From Jachal to Mendoza

I was having breakfast at the El Mangrullo campsite in Mendoza when I realized that I hadn't made any notes over the last few days. 

It occurred to me because I was browsing through my travel guide. The greater Mendoza area has over 1 million inhabitants, but the city was summarized with 3 squares, 2 buildings, a city tour and museums. There were also 3 pages on the wine-growing region and winyards. That is not unusual. Apart from Buenos Aires, it was similar in the cities before. 

If I'm honest, that's also true quite often. When I think about what I remember about Jachal, it's a network of one-way streets without any signposts, 2 petrol stations & supermarkets that were closed after lunchtime. 

I saw the towns more as a place to wash clothes, take a hot shower, refuel, shop in large supermarkets (things you can't get in the small ones). 

Outside the towns and villages, the tension rises. I didn't turn off onto the RN40 in Jachal because it was really busy with cars, lorries, buses and motorbikes 

If you continue west on the RN 150 towards Las Flores, the ascent into the Andes begins and this road was very little used. The rugged valley of the Rio Jachal and barren rock formations make up for the bumps. 

At Lago Cuesta del Viento, no idea why, the bumpy road ends and the next 250 kilometers on the RN149 are a dream. And not just because of the perfect road. You get up in the morning and look out over a breathtaking landscape with the snow-capped Andes in the background. 

The few small towns have a petrol station and a few shops. Calingasta was the first place that was nice enough for me to have a cortado and watch the people go by.  

By chance, I had found the Estación Astronómica Felix Aguilar or Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO) during the break. With a free campsite less than 2 kilometers away. As soon as I arrived, I was told that I had to book in advance for the evening stargazing. Fully booked until the end of November, was the verdict! Claudia and Stefan had managed to get 2 last-minute places just before me. So I'll have to see what the observatories in the Atacama are like over the next few days.  

After a day of blog updates, the journey continued. The dream of a relaxed journey ended abruptly on the way to Uspallata. As I crossed the border into the Mendoza province, the tarmac road ended and the next 60 kilometers were dirt tracks. The first track with anything like traffic. 

And with Uspallata I had to make my first real decision. Continue on the RN7 and reach Mendoza in about 1.5 hours, or take the easier but longer option via the RP52. Or the compromise, through the center along the RP13. 

I chose the RP13, just under 80 km over two 3000 meter passes. If LocusMap hadn't gone on strike again, offline planning doesn't really work for me, I would probably have taken the RP52. 

What can I say, 80 km was about an 8 hour journey. The first 3'000 m.a.s.l. pass was doable. I would probably have cancelled the approach to Segundo Monolito if there hadn't been 2 enduro riders who showed me the hairpin bends going to the top. Even the tight hairpin bends pushed me to the limit. By 16:30 I was at the top, exhausted and decided to spend the night at 3'177 m.a.s.l..

Despite temperatures just below 0 degrees, it was the right decision. The 4 hours to Mendoza the next morning forced me to fill up a hole at Caracoles Casa De Piedra. Otherwise the descent went without any further problems.  

All in all, the 80 kilometers were worth it. I now know better what the Dog.O.Mobil can do and where I need to turn round.  

On the first afternoon I spent 3 hours in the city exchanging 100 x 1 dollar notes for pesos. The banks were closed, the ATMs charged €12 fee for 40'000 pesos, the chicos offered 70'000, but I found Pago Facil who gave me 100'000 pesos. I was also able to top up my SIMs😁 at Pago Facil.

On the 2nd day I explored the city. My first stop was a proper market with meat, spices, seafood and some vegetables. There are lots of small shops around the Mercado Centro. I then strolled through the 5 squares (Plaza Independencia, Plaza San Martin, Plaza Italia, Plaza Espana and Plaza Chile) and wandered through the city center.

Between Av. Colon in the south, the Mercado Central in the north and Av. Belgrano in the west and around Av. San Martin in the east, life is happening. It was quite funny to watch Argentinian locals. How they shopped, ate lunch and spent their time on their mobile phones 😂. Not much difference to European cities. I spent approx 4 h in town.

My planned wine tastings fell through. As I'm not a fan of steaks, I found it hard to put down €90 for a 5-course meal (steak was the main course) and 4 wines. After the lunch/dinner is a guided tour. That's how it's normally offered.

I tried my luck the next day and drove to 3 wineries in the south of Mendoza. They were either closed or there was no shop where you could buy wine. I had a similar experience along the RP86. Although you drive through large vineyards with imposing gates, I bought wine in Tupungato, in a wine shop.

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