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Argentina: Zonda Almacen & Uco Valley
December 2024
See and be seen
In Gualeguaychú, we re-entered Argentina from Uruguay.
We noticed that, especially in the late afternoon and late into the evening, local families spend hours driving around the Rambla (promenade) in their often old or very old cars.
The old Fiat, Renault and Peugeot cars are loaded with up to 7 people, well over their weight limit. The fact that fuel prices have doubled in Argentina doesn't seem to have had any impact yet. Driving around reminded me of the old town in Zug 50 years ago. NSU TT drivers proudly showed off their vehicles to the guests sitting in the beer gardens all evening.
Height restrictions in villages
Truck traffic in Argentina is endless. Transports of wood, livestock and grain, mostly on trailers with 5 to 8 axles, drive through the countryside at high speeds. It can happen that when you stick to the speed limit of 50 or 60 km/h in towns, a well-motorized, long truck drives past at 80 km/h. It's only on long gradients that the lorries lose a bit of speed. In towns with a lot of through traffic, the side access roads to the smaller towns are now restricted in height with massive iron pipes because of the many trucks. This is not always pleasant for motorhome-drivers.
Zonda Almacen, Manzano Histórico
By chance, we parked in front of this small store and restaurant to grab a bite to eat. We sat down at the only low wooden table on the terrace. André, the very nice, competent chef and owner, recommended two different starters, followed by grilled meat specialties a discrétion. This was accompanied by a bottle of Malbec from one of his private winemaker friends.
What was on the menu was absolutely superb. Comparable to a super gourmet temple. The price was very fair. The setting was impressive. In addition, gauchos were driving a herd of cattle past and locals were buying snacks in the kiosk opposite. What looks like a promotion here is a fact. In hindsight, we saw on Tripadvisor that the restaurant is rated an even five with many entries.
Wineries
Once again, we spent 2 weeks in Mendoza and the surrounding area, including the Valle de UCO, for wine tastings. It was well worth the time. We were able to visit great cellars and taste excellent wines. More and more established wineries are presenting not only good wine but also special art in unique surroundings. See our photo gallery.
We noticed that many well-known wineries with good restaurants only allow entry by reservation. Since the devaluation of the peso, most of the prices on the wineries website for menus have mostly disappeared. This is probably because they are now at or above the Swiss level prices.
Some larger wineries with restaurants in the upscale price range now offer Argentinians, i.e. locals, discounts of up to 30 percent when paying cash in pesos. Whether this still fits with the official exchange rate, which is now almost identical to the blue dollar, is questionable.
Customer training
Always something new.
After a large purchase at the Super VEA in Argentina, we are at the checkout with a full shopping cart. The cashier keys in all the items and asks us if we want to take the full cart to the parking lot to our vehicle.
Of course, we say yes. He then takes back one of the items we paid for and explains with a smile that he will exchange it for the shopping cart when we bring it back from the parking lot.
Border Argentina/Chile
Last time we entered Chile from Argentina was 18 years ago. Even then, Chilean officials were very strict when it came to complying with regulations. According to information from the Internet, they have not become any more tolerant. We used the option of filling out a customs declaration online in advance.
This sped up the bureaucratic process at the border considerably. But it didn't get us past the very youthful-looking customs officer who wanted to inspect our vehicle. After opening the sliding door of the motorhome, he pointed to the compartment in which several bottles and cans of drinks were visible. He was visibly fascinated by the Coke Zero cans. Apparently, he didn't know Zero.
Brigitte then showed him inside and opened the cupboards and cabinets as well as the toilet and shower. As soon as he was outside again, he reached for a can of tonic. Before he could ask what it was, I put a can of cola in his hand and told him to taste it. That was the end of the inspection.
If he had wanted to inspect the 8 storage boxes accessible from the rear, things would have been a lot more complicated. All's well that ends well and we were in Chile with a 90-day visa.
