Bikes and Bodegas

Undermining the tourism industry. Why pay big bucks for a tourism professional to organize your day, when you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price? This seemed to be an underlying theme of my time in San Rafael.

Vanesa and Laura were my dorm-mates, on vacation from their office jobs in Buenos Aires. We decided to forego the organized bike tours of the wine country just outside town and venture out on our own. We stumbled across a bike shop that rented comfy, wide-tired, coaster-brake bicicletas playeras at 15 pesos for an 8-hour rental. And the local tourist office gave us info, addresses and opening hours of the handful of bodegas in the area; they even drew us a map.

A quick trip to the mercado to pick up some snacks for the road, and off we went. Getting out of town was a bit nerve-wracking; cycling downtown Montreal at rush hour has nothing on negotiating the insanity of the roads in even a small Argentine city. But just out of town a bike path appeared parallel to the road. It was warm and sunny, that intense Andes sun that beats down ( and after soaking it up the length of a day leaves you zapped come evening time...) The ride was quite flat, the landscapes on either side vineyards and humble houses, the Andean cordillera faint in the distance.

So the rhythm went like this: Bike a couple of kilometres, arrive at a winery, go for their free guided tour and tasting(!). Chill out outside on the property until the buzz wears off. Then continue on to the next. There was an olive oil plantation/balsamic vinegar factory along the route as well. Though after their tour that ended in an educational video full of images of gfresh salads and glistening vegetables they left you hanging; there was no tasting to be had. What a rip!

The itinerary finished off at the uber-classy Bianchi complex, the white-walled buildlings that housed the plant, warehouses, and sales and showroom flanked by a huge manicured lawn and fountains, in addition to a large vineyard. The place was packed with tourists waiting for the tour, with just as many buying wine and champagne by the crate in the gift shop. There were a surprising number of bored-looking kids on the tour, undoubtedly dragged along by their vacationing parents eager for a break from running around in the mountains. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for opting for Disney World and not a winery tour, when we went on OUR family vacations.

We biked back to the hostel and got a delivery of asado and beer for supper. Oh yes, huge chunks of Argentine beef straight off the barbeque, delivered with side dishes and beer straight to your home. Argentina's the BEST!

( On an unrelated side note: I was the only foreign tourist in the hostel in San Rafael. The place was filled with Argentines on vacation. You see, with the exchange on the Argentine peso as it is, many Argentines now choose to vacation within their own country. As a result, in the last 5 years the Argentine tourism industry has ballooned, with the resulting development and expansion of infrastructure and services all over the country. Good news for the independent traveller.)