after landing in Mendoza an hour late Monday evening, we checked into the quaintly almost-ideal Bohemia Hotel. i say almost-ideal because it is a really funky, cute boutique hotel, exactly what you'd want after sipping Malbecs all day with your mom, but there had been some issues with the internet in the room (Macs don't get service in the back rooms? i was forced to sit in the enclosed patio outside our room, trying to upload pictures and send job emails while getting attacked by tiny no-see-um gnats), as well as the A/C unit located in the closet, which shared a sliding door with the bathroom, so in order to get A/C circulating in the room, the door to the bathroom had to always be closed... more annoying than it sounds. we changed rooms yesterday and solved both annoyances. ok, so now pretty ideal.
Monday night we meandered over to the hole-in-the-wall Peruvian joint Flor de la Canela that I had wanted to try my last visit here but didn't have the time. literally a hole in the wall where once the tables outside were full, they dragged the inside tables outside and filled up the sidewalk. we shared a ridiculous amount of very well priced (and spicy!) ceviche and 2 pisco sours and called it a night. tuesday we rented bikes and rode around the Maipu district, about 30 minutes outside Mendoza city. known more for the bike riding from vineyard to vineyard than the actual wines being served. we weren't impressed with the wines, but the bike riding and chocolate and jam and olives and olive oil tastings were fun (other gourmet foods Mendoza is known for)... then we got to the construction site where the one main road that leads to all wineries became a dirt path with endless rocks and potholes. bumpiest 30 minutes of my life. we somehow managed to make it all day in the hot, dry desert sun and got back to the hotel around 8pm. mom took a nap, i futzed with the internet connection and cursed out Flickr a few times, then we walked over to Mendoza's main nightlife strip, Aristedes Villanueva, (kind of like Lincoln Road if you know Miami Beach) and window shopped while snacking on this inflatable popcorn that is our new favorite snack. instead of a movie, we had the stores. instead of popcorn, Maiz Inflado.
Wednesday we slept in for the first time and then got our nails done so I could be somewhat presentable for my interviews. after 2 months of no manis and pedis, i felt quite bad for the girl assigned to me. two hours later, i was on my way to the Vines for interview round 2. sigh. i really was so excited for this one. the company is growing and growing... opening a culinary resort and spa in 2012, featured in all the guide books and NY Times and Bloomberg... then totally got disheartened after the meeting. to save time, i'm adding onto an email i sent to my Dad:
The first one was at the Vines, the big company owned by the American. I felt like I didn't connect with the woman I spoke with, an American who is the Director of Marketing. She's been here since 2006. I think mainly because she started off by saying they didn't have any specific position open and it might be a few months until they do. And then she also explained how the company was run very American... she only gets 2 weeks of vacation a year, she barely has anything to do with actual wine, works mostly in the office, etc. etc.... pretty much everything I don't want right now. I was pretty bummed afterward because the company is growing and I thought it would be great to work there, but then as we spoke, I realized it wasn't as good a fit for what I really want to do right now (learn the behind the scenes of a winery). I found myself pitching myself to to be a project manager! What the? That is NOT what I came down to Mendoza, ARGENTINA, to do.
My poor Mom, who was so excited for me that morning, had to deal with Pissed Off, Disheartened, I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING HERE Lindsey for a few hours until my next meeting. pouty McPouterson.
I managed to snap out of it before I met with Karim, the winemaker and owner of Altocedro, a small but well known winery in La Consulta, about an hour outside of Mendoza City. They sell in the States, so keep an eye out for it. We had a great conversation over coffee at the fancy-pants Park Hyatt where he knew about every other person who walked in, all of whom worked in the wine industry in some way. (Remember, I was put in touch with Karim through Carolyn, the American woman I randomly reached out to through email after seeing her company website. She's friends with Karim, who she met while working at the Vines herself, doing their PR. "Too corporate" for her... hence her own wine tourism business. there you go.)
Back to Karim. Turns out he's offering me an "internship" of sorts where I can learn everything about the winery during the harvest (March-May-ish), help him keep a "Harvest Log" online (take pictures and update daily with what goes on during a harvest... hello, yes I can do that), as well as actually get hands on experience with the machines and grapes. I wouldn't be doing manual labor unless I want to, it would be completely flexible time-wise (if I want to take a few days off when a friend visits, I can. (JEFFREY- we need to organize your trip soon!). He is also having another intern start in a few weeks, an Italian winemaker who wants Argentine experience. I may be able to rent an apartment with him, which would be great. Karim will cover part of the rent (about 50% and then if I share with the Italian, I only need to pay 25% rent. And he will cover 100% of my food). Sounds pretty reasonable and it's pretty much what I came down to do: get to know the winemaking process. We also briefly talked about maybe helping him expand his business in the States... but first things first.
oh, i've managed to upload all Patagonia pictures, most videos (uploading the sea lions now), as well as a new Special Album dedicated to the lost dogs of Patagonia... for some reason, i really took a liking to them. they just seemed to have so much more personality than the strays of the States. i've started a thing now and can't help but take pictures of random dogs i pass most days. so there will be a continuing evolution of this...
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