Last week was spent relaxing, and this week we peppered in a few activities around Lujan de Cuyo and Mendoza.

(NOTE: Argentina’s currency situation is, well, complicated. All US dollar (USD) prices quoted in this post were paid using Argentine pesos (ARS), which we obtained at the “tourist dollar” rate, typically by using a credit card or by withdrawing pesos from an ATM. We will explain more in a future post!)

Our current lifestyle is what’s known as “slomad” (slow nomad) and it resonates with both of us. Staying in a place long enough to sightsee, while still having time for relaxing and watching the NFL playoffs (futbol americano!). It’s a great way to relieve travel fatigue and potential burnout from travel. We also get to work on our tans when we’re not running from museum to museum! This provides us time to explore the wineries in the area, too.

Highlights

Here are the activities that stood out to us this week.

Termas Cachueta Thermal Pools

This thermal area, located east of Lujan de Cuyo, was recommended both by online guides and our Airbnb host. We arranged a driver to take us out in the morning and pick us up at closing time. There is a bus that will get you within 3.5 miles. Uber is also an option to get there but cell service may be difficult to obtain in the area.

Termas Cachueta has two separate areas: the fancy spa attached to the hotel ($55 USD per person) and the water park ($5 USD per person). We decided to go the cheap way and visit the water park. In addition to thermal pools of various temperatures, it also has splash pools, water slides, and a lazy river. We had read in advance to expect crowds and throngs of children. As their website indicates, the water park is for “fun, not relaxation.”

We spent the day elbowing for space in the various pools of the big complex, which is nestled within the canyon walls near Potrerillos. Views of the river can be seen from some vantage points, and the beautiful arid mountains populate the background.

The crowds were as expected, even on a Monday! But we still had a really nice day soaking in pools and enjoying the fresh mountain air. After spraining my ankle on a water slide in Bulgaria, I decided to avoid the more adventurous activities. I’m glad we went but I wouldn’t make a second visit on this stint in Mendoza.

The area just outside the water park was teeming with restaurant touts. We looked around and ended up at a small parrilla (grill) restaurant. The experience was just okay. We ordered the parrillada (mixed grill plate) for two. The wood-fired parrilla could be seen at the front of the restaurant. Everything was grilled there and delivered to the table on a hot cast-iron. Still, some of the items were clearly grilled earlier in the morning, and we had the odd experience of a sizzling-hot platter with cold vegetables on top. As is typical for Argentina, the french fries were fresh and high-quality.

We also had our first bad wine in Argentina: a generic supermarket wine was being passed off as a “premium” wine. With no harvest year on the label and no flavor to the juice inside, there was only one way to save our drinking experience: order a Coca-Cola and make calimoxos! The Argentines love mixing fernet with cola, but we have not seen the wine-and-cola combination on any menus yet.

Horseback Riding

We booked this tour in advance as it was something I was really looking forward to. I had not ridden horses in over 20 years and this excursion was highly recommended in Facebook travel groups.

We met our group in downtown Mendoza and were bussed out northwest of the city where the river valley meets the mountains. The skies had opened up in the afternoon and we were worried about the dense humidity and the potential for further rain. Fortunately the cloud cover provided us with some comfortable shade for our 90 minutes of riding, with the dark purple mountains in the periphery.

After a very brief introduction the ranchers picked people out of the group and paired them with a horse. Corey was selected first.

I was peeking under the horses to try to find a little ladder or something to stand on so that I could reach the stirrups. There was nothing. Eek! Eventually they paired me with Lola. The ranchers worked together to hoist short people like me on to the horses.

Lola was a little spunky but well-trained. She got hungry halfway through (so did Corey) but other than that we had no problems.

We moved as a pack with about 14 of us in total. The head honcho led on the trail and a ranch hand would ride along the group encouraging the horses to trot here-and-there. The trails were dirt and river stone, and it appeared there were several washes that may fill during heavy rains.

Upon returning from the ride we were greeted with a nice Malbec being poured freely from carboys (large-format bottles they call garrafas), while we waited for the asado to get going. We enjoyed the fresh air and “open bar” for two hours as we watched the adobe oven fill with wood, burn down to coals, and finally cook an enormous amount of beef.

When dinner was ready, we all sat at a long table and were served plenty of steak, potatoes, green salad, and bread to go around, with a warm chocolate cake for dessert. It was a wonderful evening! We don’t typically join a lot of group activities like this but it was worth it for only $100 USD for both of us which included transportation, horseback riding, music, wine, and barbecue.

Around 11 PM we got back in the bus and arrived back in Mendoza, where we enjoyed a nightcap with a friend. Since this is Argentina, the bars were still quite crowded at that time on a weekday!

Riding the Bus

Many public transportation systems in Argentina are cashless, exclusively using the SUBE card for payment. This includes Ushuaia, Mendoza, and Buenos Aires. Obtaining a SUBE card can be tricky: they are theoretically available at countless locations (including minimarkets and the smaller kioskos), but many places with a SUBE sticker do not have any SUBE cards to sell.

In 2023, inflation in Argentina was over 200%, with much of the inflation occurring in the last several months. Prices change daily, usually streaming upward. But we have noticed that some prices keep up and others don’t. Bus fares are a great example: In Mendoza, the fare is 160 Argentine pesos (ARS) per person, per trip. That makes a bus ride around 16 US cents (.16 USD).

Sure, Ubers are affordable (usually under $2 USD for a ride around the city), but if a bus can take us there for a fraction of the cost, then why not use it?

Riding the bus opens up opportunities to go places cheaply. I also get better views on the bus! I love looking out the big windows, and with the height I could finally see over all the tall gates and fences. Many of the homes and buildings here are surrounded by security walls, so when walking down the street one would have no idea if walking past a mansion or an abandoned cottage. On the bus I could peek into backyards with large sparkling pools, sunflower gardens, and handsome houses.

And because the bus is cashless, the schedules run pretty frequently without delays. People board, scan, and sit.

Lowlights

Not every moment can be stellar. We had a few frustrating experiences lately.

Bike Rental Through Bicitran

Mendoza has a bike rental program called Bicitran. Download the app, scan a QR code, and ride a bike for 60 minutes for 115 ARS (.11 USD, not a typo!).

Like many things in Argentina, this seemed simple at first, and then the complications arose.

Identification is huge in Argentina, and many transactions require not just a passport, but a government-issued DNI, essentially an identification number. This is obtainable by foreigners but it is a process. So anything where a DNI is required is out for us. Fortunately, the bike app allows for passport entry for foreigners. Or at least it appeared that way! Both Corey and I faced the same error message after filling out the forms and taking photos of our passports. The app support found some workarounds for us and then we were good to go…or so we thought.

Our first attempt to ride gave us each a different problem. For me, the lock unlocked but the app would not start the ride. Corey got a bike with a broken seat, attempted to cancel the ride, but the app got stuck in a loop. Eventually we gave up, locked up the bikes, and went across the street to drink some (good and affordable) wine. Possibly we made an 11 cent donation to the bike program.

We also found that our hands were black and filthy after touching the bikes. We are in a dusty desert, but this seemed more like pollution than dust. Ick!

We may try renting bicycles again, but we may decide that the Bicitran program is not worth it. In our time in the Mendoza area, we have only seen one person riding the bikes, although we have seen others who were trying and failing to get their bikes to activate.

Tennis

We found a tennis club that was accessible by bus. We arranged for play in the evening when it would be cooler, but then it rained that day. We were rescheduled for a noon slot in the heat of the day. That’s okay, the court rental is only 5,000 ARS ($5 USD) for a decently-maintained clay court.

When we reserved, the gentleman that “runs the club” said he would let us play with some used balls that he had. Then when we showed up, we provided us with one can of used balls and asked us for 3,000 ARS ($3 USD) for the “rental”. That’s the price for a can of new balls! These weren’t new and we couldn’t even keep them!

We actually did not have enough cash on hand to cover the balls, so next time we go back we will have to bring an extra 2,000 ARS. We will also be bringing our own can of balls, which we are on the lookout for.

What’s Next

We take a trip further south of Mendoza to the Uco Valley, where we will stay in a tiny house and drink even more wine (to celebrate my birthday)! Maybe we will discover more “penguinos”.