Travel to the end of the Earth: Mendoza

For the delicious food, good wines and fine liquors amateurs, Mendoza is the perfect destination. 

Mendoza is the entrance gate to Argentina, and will charm you with the simplicity, naturalness and the relaxed air of the people there.

To get to know the city and its surroundings you may need about a day and a half. You can explore the city in a few hours and during the night you can walk through one of its markets and pedestrian streets, where local artisans keep their stalls with handmade products open, mainly with leather accessories and silver decorations, until late at night. After a walk and a shopping session in Plaza Independencia, you can continue to Sarmiento pedestrian boulevard which is packed  with many shops and cafes.

Mercado Central is a must see, receiving its customers or visitors with enticing smells and little restaurants opened all day. With only 30-40 pesos, that is about $7 to $10, you can eat an asado (barbecue beef or chicken) or a traditional dish.

You need about half a day to visit the wineries (las bodegas) and olive oil mills in the town of Maipu, which is 45 minutes from Mendoza. You can go there with a local bus (colectivo) and from winery to winery there are bicycles for rent you could use.