Around the world: A Scotsman traveller's blog continues

IT was a mammoth bus trip from Cusco to Santiago, Chile, but a necessary one.

From Santiago we were able to cross the border back into Argentina and on to our destination, Mendoza. The journey from Santiago to Mendoza is spectacular and in winter the border is often closed because of snow.

The road rises out of the city into the mountains, snaking up the steep incline. Trucks and lorries full of export goods queue in long lines up the path as it reaches its summit, the border. Shivering officers shake fresh snow off their boots as they stamp your passport.

On the other side in Argentina, the road descends out of the clouds and the snow at the side of the roads melts away. Within a short time we were travelling through flat plains of vineyards, with rows of the crop stretching as far as the eye could see. The surreal juxtaposition of landscapes had us reeling as we finally approached Mendoza.

Mendoza is the centre of Argentina's wine making industry and our intentions their were entirely Malbec orientated. There are several ways to visit the wineries but possibly the most enjoyable is a cycling tour. At roughly 10am we were given a bike each and a map of the wineries in the area. For some reason I had expected a guided tour but making our own way gave us so much more freedom to set the pace.

The bodegas or wineries in the area range in size and price for tasting. Our first stop Bodega La Rural, was well established with a massive production of wine, free tasting and its own museum. Our second stop was the boutique Bodega Carinae, a much smaller affair were the tasting came at a price which the atmosphere and setting more than made up for. Laur, an olive oil producing company provided a free tour and some well-timed nibbles that soaked up some of our wine and kept us cycling before lunch.

As the light began to fade over the tree lines avenues, we pulled into the gravely driveway of Historia y Sabores, producer of liqueurs and artisan chocolates. For a small price we got a taster of any liqueur, a selection of chocolate and a sample of their various condiments. My glass of chocolate and hazelnut liqueur was the perfect ending to the day. We cycled off into the dusk and back into town, bags clinking, legs wobbling and eyes smiling.