Gangsters Paradise

A park larger than its own town

Occupying 307 hectares, and offering 17 kilometers of paths, the San Martin Park in Mendoza is larger than the adjacent downtown area and probably is the town’s main attraction. The park can be easily reached by foot from the downtown area; it is delimited by the avenues Emilio Civit to the north, Boulogne Sur Mer to the east and San Francisco De Asis to the south. To the west are hills on which a future expansion is planned, and beyond them the mighty Andes mountains. A view of the city is available from the top of the hill Cerro de la Gloria, within the park.

The Western Park

In 1861, an earthquake destroyed much of Mendoza; many diseases were brought by the massive destruction. One of the steps adopted to put an end to the health crisis was the forestation of the area west of downtown and the creation of new neighborhoods in this area. Until then, this was an altitude desert, as much of the Andes Mountains are. Later, in 1896, the forest was transformed into the "Parque del Oeste," the Western Park. The French architect Carlos Thays was hired to design the new park; he had designed several other parks in Argentina before that. The result was a huge park with a distinctive European touch which is several sizes bigger on its hosting town. In the best South American fashion, its name was later changed to the one of a general.

The park has thirty-four sculptures; among them are the impressive "La Fontaine de L'Observatoire" located in front of the rose garden and the monument to the Andean Army. Among them are a science park belonging to a local university, a soccer stadium in which games of the World Cup 1978 took place, a botanic garden, a Greek amphitheater, a zoo, the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, a tennis, horse races, fencing, golf and other clubs. Ending the list is an artificial lake where water sports are played and the Regatas Club is placed. The main entrance gates were placed in 1909 and feature an impressive condor, a theme that appears in other sculptures within the park. Within the park are more than 300 species of trees brought from all around the world.

Activities

The park offers special activities during the weekends; these begin at the roundabout next to the Rosedal (the "Roses Walk"). On Saturdays those include walks (10 AM), Aerobics (4 PM), Salsa (5:30 PM) and others. On Sundays the menu includes yoga (9 AM), Aerobics (11:30 AM), walks (10 and 11:30 AM) and others.

The Museum

At the southern tip of the lake is the Natural Sciences and Anthropology Museum. This is one of the oldest museums in Argentina and displays more than forty thousand items related to the country, including rocks, fossils, animal species as well as collections related to the Inca and Huarpe cultures.

The Visit

The park is huge; hoping to see its attractions in a single visit is hopeless. Probably the best way to enjoy just a visit, is beginning with a walk from downtown Mendoza to the main entrance, passing through the elegant condor sitting upon the gate and then wandering around. The lake, the main fountain, the many trees surrounding the paths, the gardens and the other visitors assure a pleasant visit even if not all the clubs and museums and whatever would be seen. At first sight the park seemed idyllic, being so oversized in comparison to its city meant it looked empty. I visited it during the afternoon and as in the town, the police presence was massive and on the verge of scary.

The lowest point in the park was the artificial lake. It looked… well, artificial. Out of place in a high desert, its perfectly defined shores created a strident touch in the otherwise enjoyable park.

Beyond the lake, the place seemed to have been designed for lovers. Soft pastel colors, too many flowers and endless secret spots created a paradise for first kisses. Accordingly, most visitors at the time of my visit were couples; joggers diversified the human presence.

One of the most impressive points – especially since it seemed unplanned – was the main avenue splitting the park in two. Completely straight, it run westwards and was flanked by tall trees. As expected, the road and two lines of trees met at the horizon, but there, instead of seeing the blue sky, was an impressively tall, brown wall belonging to the lower parts of the Andes.

Zoning Time

I had left Buenos Aires in the afternoon. Next morning just before 8 AM, we entered the Terminal del Sol, Mendoza’s bus terminal. I picked up my luggage and entered the building, which looked too empty for being in a main city. Dismissing such an early morning thought, I entered La Posta, the first coffee shop I saw in the building. Coffee was my main priority. On the wall was a clock showing that it was before 7 AM.

In such a way, I found that Argentina had exempted thirteen provinces of following the daylight saving time for the summer of 2008-9. Thus the country was for the first time divided in two time zones. The western and southern provinces kept a different time than the central and eastern ones.

Linking Cultures

Having arrived from Buenos Aires, the sound of the local dialect was clearly distinctive. At first the difference was difficult to pinpoint, but soon it became evident the local Spanish was closer to the one spoken in Bolivia.

I saw graffiti using the exclamation "ya!" which is never used in Buenos Aires in such a way but is very common on the Bolivian highlands. A restaurant was named "Yapa," which is the Aymara and Quechua verb "to add;" usually it is used in the food industry to imply a smaller second serving, especially in the form of the diminutive "yapita." The Argentinean "y" (in the beginning or end of a word) and "ll" are very different from the ones used in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries; it sounds like an English "sh." However, in Mendoza I heard the word "ayer" (yesterday) pronounced as "ay-ehr," again as in Bolivia.

Finally, I saw the wiphala flag (the colorful Bolivian Indigenous people flag) hanging from a balcony and the name Aymara being used by several establishments and I began suspecting that many of the locals migrated from the northern neighbor. Moreover, a very popular soft drink in Bolivia is called "Mendocina" (meaning "from Mendoza").

Deep Insights

At first sight, the views were pleasant. Wide sidewalks flanked wider avenues; green trees separated between them. People sat drinking lazy coffees at sidewalk cafes. Attempting to take a few pictures (after all this is an IgoUgo hot destination) I almost fell into a deep ditch and got in such a way another deep insight into the town. Most of the sidewalks featured open, deep and unmarked ditches. Nobody could explain why they were not covered or at least marked. Beggars slept next to them, again with nobody noticing them.

Internet

The several internet cafes I met in downtown were part of a local chain, an intriguing sign tempted me inside one of them.

"How much costs the hour?"

"Right now, it is 4 ARP per fifty minutes."

The phrasing of the answer was as strange as the sign I had seen. After a few questions, I found they have a differential pricing scheme in which the more customers in the shop, the higher the connection price. Later I checked the price again and it was 2 ARP per thirty-two minutes. I never understood how they compute a long stay in which the number of customers in the shop changes.

Graffiti and Policemen

Other very obvious characteristics were the almost ubiquitous graffiti and policemen. The first were almost expected and standard, as if they have been copied from other Argentinean cities, or (who knows?) painted by members of the same unknown, undercover organizations. The last came in an awesome variety: walking, bicycle riding, motorized vehicle riding, and dog-walking policemen. I have not seen any other city – at least cities not in an openly declared state of emergency – with the exception of La Paz in Bolivia feature such a large number of police troops. Yet, all over the city were signs reading "+ control" that attempted to promote the enlargement of the police activities.

"I am safe here," I thought before seriously exploring the town.

Later, in the late afternoon of my first day in town, I already knew I’ll be writing about the police presence in downtown. I needed pictures.

Nonchalantly, I took out my smallest camera – I wanted to get a natural looking picture – and aimed it in a random direction of the Sarmiento walking street and waited for a policeman to appear. I assumed it wouldn’t take long.

Seconds later, a police on bicycle appeared in my findview. I let her get closer and then pressed a button in my camera. She passed next to me – trying hard to disguise she was looking at me - and then I took another picture from the back, since her vest was marked "Policia." Two clear pictures.

I was returning the camera to its place, when she stopped and left the bicycle under the nearest tree.

Seconds later, standing next to me, she asked:

"Are you a tourist?"

"Si," I said in my best Spanish.

"Where are you from?"

I answered, giving her my best smile.

"Do you want me to send you a copy of the picture?" I thought asking her. Instead, I kept smiling; she couldn’t use her weapons on me and ten seconds later she left without adding a word.

On Coins and Cigarettes

On my first night in town I crossed the central plaza three times; two in the evening, in my way to and from dinner, and one in the early morning when I was leaving for the Aconcagua Mountain.

The scenes I found in the area, including the nearby blocks were quite frightening. All of the sudden, there was no police patrolling and small groups of men and women occupied strategic positions at the street corners.

"Una monedita y un cigarillo, señor," a young man shouted after me. "A small coin and a cigarette please," he had said while I began walking faster.

By the next group a young woman said to me:

"Quince pesos, señor," fifteen pesos she had told without specifying what she was offering for that.

After that I made a point of avoiding the groups, but even that didn’t help.

"Una monedita y un cigarillo, señor," a shirtless young man shouted while walking after me. I began walking really fast now.

"No tenga miedo, solo una monedita," he added. "Don’t be afraid, just a small coin;" the fact that five or six of his fans were behind him didn’t make his statement very credible. I took one turn to the right, the next to the left and they were gone. The bus terminal with the bus to the Aconcagua was now in clear sight.

Could it been that the police didn’t know about these activities at the very center of the town? Could a complete stranger have witnessed what they haven’t seen? I doubted that. More control they wanted, thus a certain level of insecurity was to be displayed.

Before reaching it, Mendoza statistics seemed impressive: it is Argentina’s fourth largest city. That’s true, but the town has just above a hundred thousand inhabitants. Even including its metropolitan area, it doesn’t reach the million people. Yet, it offers a few interesting views, especially from an historic perspective.

In 1861 a major earthquake hit the city, killing more than five thousand people and destroying much of its center. As a result the city was rebuilt in an urban design aimed at minimizing the damage of future earthquakes. A huge park named Parque General San Martín was built at its western side and the town’s center features larger parks and wider streets than any other in Argentina. In its style, it is the role-model of an Argentinean city.

Being on the main route connecting Buenos Aires in Argentina with Santiago in Chile and nearby the Aconcagua Mountain – the highest in the Americas – ensure Mendoza a steady stream of tourists. Other industries like oil and uranium transform the city into the main urban area in Argentina’s central west side.

Downtown’s Square

Mendoza was re-built around a central square, called Plaza Independencia in this case. A perfect grid of 8x8 blocks surrounds it and forms downtown Mendoza, in what is known as classical Spanish Colonial style. The four avenues delimiting the downtown are: Las Heras, San Martin, Colon and Belgrano, most of the commercial and cultural centers are within this square. A stylish Shopping Tranvia bus travels along them during the day. A walking street called Sarmiento runs through half of its center and is the focus of social life in the area.

A dangerous characteristic that must be kept in mind while touring the town is the deep and often wide open ditches running along the streets. Aimed at supplying water to the trees, they pose a real danger to innocent visitors; there was no reason to leave them uncovered.

Transport

Mendoza has enough historic attractions without needing to create fake ones. The old trolleybuses seen in downtown were purchased in 2008 from Translink in Vancouver, Canada. The buses and most of the taxis travelling around town are older residents of the city. The Tranvia bus running along the four avenues delimiting downtown is openly aimed for shoppers in the area and has little historical value. In any case the downtown area – including the San Martín Park – is small enough to explore it by foot.

Plaza Independencia

Mendoza may be the only colonial city in South America that changed the original location of its central plaza. In 1870, after the earthquake, the new plaza was built to the southwest of the original center; the original plaza still exists and is called Pedro del Castillo.

Redesigned after the earthquake, Plaza Independencia is part of a complex of five plazas in the downtown area; the others are smaller and located two blocks in each direction. Occupying four whole blocks, the central plaza features several fountains; the water in them is painted deep red creating the illusion they are filled with blood. The contrast with the green grass is magnificent for taking pictures, but the overall effect is disgusting. The vegetation is almost as varied as in the nearby Parque General San Martín, displaying touches from almost every corner of the planet.

Every year, the Grape Harvest Feast takes place on a terrace in the new plaza. Below the terrace are the Quintanilla Theatre and the Municipal Museum of Modern Art.

Peatonal Sarmiento

Sarmiento and Mitre avenues divide the square downtown area in four equal quarters. Sarmiento does that on the west to east axis, and its eastern half had been transformed into a walking street. Being connected to the central plaza, it is the ideal place to be seen drinking a lazy coffee after a hard day of sightseeing or shopping. Keeping in mind the arrangement of the four avenues delimiting the downtown and the two bisecting it allows navigating the area without problems.

Avenida de las Heras

A description of downtown Mendoza would not be complete without giving room to Avenida de Las Heras, one of the four avenues delimiting it. Simply, the evolution of this street – and its names – is an open history book of Mendoza and Argentina.

Usually, that would be a difficult task; where do you find the history of a given street in a secondary city of the third world? But I got lucky, along the beautiful avenue were boxes containing the whole story of the street; with a bit of initiative, I took my notebook and wrote down the main details.

Until 1830, it was called "Callejon de las Muralfilas," and was an alley through where the summer downpours were taken away from downtown. After the earthquake, in 1863, it was renamed "Calle de la Circunvalacion Norte," and was designed as the northern limit of the new downtown. In 1880, its name was changed again to "Calle de la Carretas," hinting the new and important role of the street in the new town: it was the street of choice for the carts transporting merchandise. Moreover, the town’s Central Market was here; the structure can still be visited and enjoyed.

Only in 1882 it got its actual name, which refers to an Argentinean general; yet, since 1885 it was also known as "Calle del Ferrocarril," the Railway Street, since it was the street connecting downtown with the then new railway station. In 1908 it became the "Boulevard de las Palmeras," the Boulevard of the Palms, showing the new prosperity of the area.

Around 1912 it became the "Calle de los Inmigrantes," the Migrants’ Street, since it was in this area were Mendoza received the waves of migrants from other countries that arrived to Argentina seeking refuge from the wars of the period. Nowadays, it is known again as "Avenida de las Heras," and offers its visitors one of the prime shopping and leisure areas in Mendoza. The magnificent trees and the low colonial structures flanking it take the visitor back into 19th century Argentina.

The Quest

In the past I have trekked a few weeks in the Nepali Himalayas from Jiri to Kalla Pattar in order to see the Everest, the highest mountain on earth, while in other opportunities I have climbed mountains in Europe and Asia. Thus it was only natural that while in South America I would take a look at the Aconcagua Mountain.

At 6952 meters above the sea level, it is the highest mountain in the continent and the highest outside Asia. It is on the main road connecting Buenos Aires in Argentina to Santiago in Chile and thus is very accessible; however, the price travelers pay for its central location is clear; the snow along the highway is grey with sooth.

Aconcagua is considered to be an easy mountain from a climbing perspective. A permit from the Aconcagua Provincial Park authority in Mendoza, a local guide, a walking stick and crampons is all that is needed for climbing it during the season. According to the Nepali classification system, it would be defined just as a "trekking mountain."

A Con Ca What?

The origin of the name is either from the Arauca "Aconca-Hue," which referring to the nearby river means "comes from the other side," or the Quechua "Ackon Cahuak" that means "Stone Sentinel."

Reaching Aconcagua

The largest city in the area is Mendoza, the capital of the Argentinean province of the same name; Mendoza is 112 kilometers southeast of the mountain.

The Terminal del Sol (Sun Terminal) is Mendoza’s main bus station; it can be reached by foot from anywhere in downtown. From there, buses to Las Cuevas leave every day at 6 AM and 11:30 AM; during weekends the first bus leaves at 7 AM. Buses return from Las Cuevas at 11:30 AM and 4:30 PM, the driver should be asked to stop at the Mirador del Aconcagua, a few kilometers before the last stop and some four hours after leaving the town. The trip costs 15.8 ARP in each direction; due to the wild variations of the exchange rate between the dollar and the Argentinean peso it is risky to publish the equivalent price, but at the time of my visit it meant a bit less than five dollars. Another option for reaching the mountain is using one of the minivans arranged by the many travel agencies in town; this option costs 90 ARP per person for the round trip.

Despite the road climbing from a little more than 700 meters above the sea level (Mendoza) to slightly above 2700 meters, the way is not very scenic, with the exception of the final stretch between the Puente del Inca and the Mirador.

Puente del Inca

A couple of kilometers before the Mirador, the Puente del Inca (Inca’s Bridge) is a natural bridge of a sulfuric yellow color spanning the narrow Vacas (cows) River.

Apparently it was an official stop of Inca messengers connecting remote locations of that empire. Nowadays, it serves as a small commercial center catering for travelers and climbers; it offers snacks, souvenirs and a lodge.

This is the last opportunity for a coffee before visiting the Mirador; otherwise, it is possible to walk a couple of kilometers down the road from the Mirador to the Puente, drink a coffee there and then catch the bus to Mendoza from there.

Transandine Railway

The Puente del Inca was one of the last stations of the Transandine Railway in Argentina, before the train reached into Chile through a long tunnel under the Andes. As most of the passengers’ trains in the country, it does not work anymore, though eternally delayed reactivation plans do exist.

When active, a journey from Argentina to Chile involved two breaks-of-gauge and changes of train, one at Mendoza and the other at Santa Rosa de Los Andes in Chile. This is similar to what happens with several trains in China, especially in Yunnan, where three types of gauges are in use.

This meter gauge railway is an impressive sight, especially since it is partly covered by an artificial tunnel designed to protect the train from the harsh winter. Walking alongside the tunnel is possible and recommended since along it are awesome sights of the surrounding mountains and valleys, perhaps better than those at the Puente del Inca and the Mirador del Aconcagua.

Mirador del Aconcagua

A small hut with a slanted roof marks the spot of the Mirador. It is located at the exact beginning of the road leading from the highway to the Aconcagua’s base camp.

After the bus disappeared, I entered the hut.

"Which peak is the Aconcagua?" I asked the couple keeping the place.

They showed me around, and I found the hut offers information regarding the mountain and how to climb it, but nothing else. Then, we went out and they show me the Aconcagua summit.

"How did you arrive here before the first bus?" the traveler in me wanted to ask. There were no cars in sight. Thinking twice, I said thank you and left for a walk in the area.


Seeing Aconcagua

In Nepal I have walked for three weeks among the highest mountains on earth and then got a breathtaking view of a Goliath. All the mountains around me were white with snow, except for the colossus. The Everest was so high that the wild winds prevented the snow to stick on its top; the last shone black amidst a sea of white peaks, a white plume of drifting snow crowned the mountain. I watched that from near the Pumari (a mountain that is higher than the Aconcagua and well over the 7000 meters), another giant which near the Everest looked as a small hill. In sharp contrast, the Aconcagua is one of the many peaks in the Andes higher than 6500m but lower than 7000m. Without having been told it was the highest, I couldn’t have known that. Having traveled there by bus from a major city also took away part of the fun.

Moreover, the Nepali side of the Himalayas enjoys monsoon rains and thus is lush green and densely inhabited. It is a feast of life. However, the Andes are generally dry, with very few people living on them. The brown altitude desert is not an attractive place for trekking. Yet, I was there, trying to spot the summit. The Aconcagua was almost completely hidden behind its neighbors and at least from the Mirador’s area none of the glaciers could be seen. Moving around the place, I finally got a clear view of the snowed peak but the overall effect was a bit disappointing.

The Chain



Founded in 1917 in Pasaje Guemes in Buenos Aires, Bonafide is nowadays the biggest coffee chain in Argentine; it is difficult to walk in downtown Buenos Aires without spotting a branch every few blocks. Back then, it was the first coffee shop to bring a roasting machine to the country, thing that secured its immediate success. In 1920 two additional branches appeared in Buenos Aires; later, branches appeared all over the country and nowadays they sum up more than a hundred. However, it faces competition from a newcomer to Argentina: Starbucks.



Bonafide offers mainly premium coffees, pastries and cakes, catering for the upper segment of the market. Its prices are roughly higher than those of Starbucks, though that's difficult to measure directly, since Bonafide offers mainly drinks and snacks combined into a single deal.



Bonafide Mendoza



Sarmiento Avenue is located at the very heart of Mendoza. The Sarmiento Avenue splits the downtown square, and half of it had been transformed into a walking street. While I was walking there, it was impossible to ignore the huge Bonafide branch nearby the central plaza. Tables occupied the entire sidewalk in front of it up to the center of the road; sitting places were available also inside and in an upper floor upon the counter.



Unable to resist the prospects of a coffee break, I entered the shop and chose a quiet place upstairs. Not that it was difficult, I was the only customer despite the myriad of tables; outside only a couple of tables were occupied. The recent monetary crisis in Argentina (the word "recent" could be exchanged here by "eternal" and the sentence would stay true) may explain that, since Bonafide prices are steep.



The room upon the shop was big with glass walls allowing sights of the walking street below. Works of art – most of them related to coffee – adorned the walls. The lack of music was strident, almost as much as the small, uncomfortable toilets placed at the very center of the room. Was the second aimed to provide entertainment due to the lack of the first?



Soon, a waitress approached me with a huge printed menu.



Café con Leche



Always attempting to experience local delicacies, I ordered a "café con leche," coffee with milk. Midway between a latte and a macchiato, this is the most popular type of coffee in Argentina. At 7.50 ARP (more than two dollars at the time of my visit) for a small cup it was very expensive by local terms, however, the event was sweetened by the fact it was of good quality.



Despite not being stated in the menu, the coffee came with a small and tasty chocolate cookie and a glass of soda water. The last is customary in Argentina, while the first made the medialuna superfluous, but it was too late for regrets.



I accompanied the coffee with a medialuna, which is the Spanish term for a croissant. Proper croissants are patiently made of a leavened puff pastry by layering yeast dough with butter and rolling and folding; if properly prepared, the result is very light and of airy qualities. My suspicion was that I won't get a European croissant at Bonafide, at least not for 1.6 ARP. Accordingly, I got a miniature pastry shaped as a croissant, made of a very heavy dough and covered with a thick layer of sugar. There was no enough coffee in the small cup to help me swallow it.



Environmental Concerns



Sitting alone in a small coffee shop can be charming. Imagine the rain outside, hurried passersby carrying each a whole life story to guess, a steaming cup of coffee carrying the promise of a second one if the rain wouldn't stop. Sitting alone in Vientiane while discovering the best coffee in the world is an experience limiting on the divine; or imagine enjoying the tasteful setup of a Starbucks branch while listening to soft music and reading today's newspaper. I would travel far for such prospects; but sitting alone in a huge room with the toilets placed at its center turned out being a less than charming experience.