Exploring downtown Mendoza – Day 8

Trees shading a cycle trail by the park

After a leisurely start to the day we wandered into the central city area.  The streets are all lined with trees.  There are little deep canals between the foot path and the street that have water flowing through them which are a bit of a hazard.  Because the climate is so dry (it is a desert like climate) the water is needed to keep the trees alive. The trees provide shade as it gets very hot here in the summer. 

While out we encountered the one-way system which seems to exist in most streets apart from some really wide ones.  We are staying near a very big park.  Gen San Martin Park it is called and it is clearly a place that is heavily used.  Not surprisingly as there are lots of apartments or terrace like housing around with no grass to speak of.   One of the things that you become aware of is how security conscious people are.  Every property has a high metal fence around it and businesses and public buildings even have razor wire.  It suggests that property crime might be a problem although we were told that it was ok to walk the streets around our area at night.

The beginning of the entertainment area

We called into the Tourist Centre to get information and maps of the area.  We found that a good way to get to a place called Maipu was by light rail and that there was a bike shop by the station from which we could hire bikes.  We tried to get a booking but were told that there was no need and to just  show up the next day.

We also hired a rental car. This is so we can drive to the Valle de Uco which is 150km south and to the Inca bridge which is about 200 kms away. 

The red fountain - a more impressive one was not working

It was a nice walk with lots of people out enjoying the cooler weather – yes, it is much cooler here at about 20 degrees during the day and down to 9 degrees or so overnight.  We encountered a number of fountains that had red water in them.  Later we discovered this was to represent the red wine that is made in the surrounding area.   

We needed a few supplies so called into a supermarket.  We discovered that on Sunday they open in the morning then only  for  a few hours in the evening. Hence our difficulties earlier in the day.

We are a bit concerned about the next day as there is a public holiday on Tuesday and we have been told things close up for both the Monday and Tuesday.