Manzano Historico

When we had last visited this area, it had been after the visit to the bodega and we had already got plans to meet our friends. We said at the time we wanted to come back to this pretty spot and spend a little more time there. So as we left Mendoza this time, it seemed like a good place to head to. We thought we’d spend a tranquil week up here in the mountains before another boozy birthday down in the valley.

Our little river spot had been ok for a night or two, but we had literally parked in the stream with the gauchos’ horses passing us all day. This time we wanted to stay somewhere with a little more space. A bit further down the road in the direction of the town, we had seen a nice area by the river. When we had passed it back in January it had been packed with people swimming and barbecuing on a hot summer's day but if it was a bit quieter, it would be perfect.

Having been away for a couple of months, we noticed the difference in the landscape as we returned. It’s rare that we come back to somewhere and so it was novel to notice the same trees, now turned yellow in light of the approaching autumn. The air was noticeably cooler and this time the engine cruised easily up to the small village, no overheating at all.

We turned left at the small roundabout, overlooked by Native American Jesus, to continue up the valley as we had done previously. This time we stopped just 2km out of the town where a bridge crosses over the river. Here on the left-hand side there were a few spots to stop. Even though it was midweek, there were still a few cars and people around. This wouldn’t have been any problem, except that there was only one flat spot to park that was a little off the road. Initially, we parked up on the side and waited for a bit but then when there were no signs of the car leaving, we decided to go down there and park anyway.

They had pulled off the short dirt strip and down the bank. Here they set up their grill and camping chairs on a convenient rock. We reversed back in Ruby as far as it was possible to get, passing them but still leaving space for them to drive out later. Even though it was the most level bit, it definitely wasn’t level. So we spent a while shuffling Ruby around, while being very conscious of just how loud we were when we did that, as we tried to drive up a pile of rocks. Finally after much jiggling, we found an angle where we could tolerate sleeping. We shut off the engine and I shouted across to the couple whose peaceful afternoon we had just annihilated, “I hope we’re not bothering you!”

In true Latin American fashion, they beamed a welcome and waved us down to join them. They insisted on sharing their food and wine and didn’t seem to care less that we had basically just parked on top of them. This was how we met Carlos and Rosa. They lived in Mendoza and said they often spent their Mondays at nearby places such as this to enjoy them without the busy weekend crowds. They also recommended the campsite we had visited last time in Tupungato and we all agreed that it was indeed a very reasonable price. The wine flowed, Lee ate their asado. I was proffered many bread rolls along with their homemade salsa, which Rosa proudly told me had her homegrown chillies in it.

In the spirit of things, Lee contributed some of his nice birthday whiskey. Then Carlos mentioned that what we really needed was a fire. Despite the many signs that forbade it, there was a lot of evidence of previous fires in the area. He said he had spotted a big tree that would be perfect, but that we’d need a saw to cut it up. We spent a good hour hacking up the fallen tree into pieces we could carry out of the bushes and to the fire and then we sat around the crackling logs and enjoyed the fruits of our labours.

By the time they decided to leave, it was past 10pm and we were already firm friends. We told them we planned to come back to Mendoza and were instantly invited to stay at their house. Carlos said his friend worked in a local bodega there and he could get his hands on 20 litres of the local wine for just £17. He invited us to come and help him drink it while Rosa insisted that she would cook everything, with a special vegetarian option for me as well. It was a lovely offer and they were the most lovely of people. We fully intended to take them up on it in the future and so we exchanged details and wished them a safe and careful drive back to the city, especially after the amount of drinking that had been going on.