10. My husband thought the king size bed at the swanky Park Hyatt was too big.

9. The feria de bodegas, or wine fair, held last Friday night in the Mirror Ballroom at the Hyatt. We got free passes and had more than 30 bodegas to taste from. Malbecs from Lujan, champagne, shiraz from San Juan, voignier,
pinot noir from the Valle de Uco - the real goods, including an incredible $180 of Enzo Bianchi malbec.

8. Roadside olive and fruit stands that make fresh jamon sandwiches soaked with olive oil.

7. It rains only 5 days a year in Mendoza and we hit one of them the day we toured this incredible garden! Water is always a revelation in Mendoza.

6. The chef at La Bouroogne, considered the top restaurant in Mendoza and one of the top in Argentina, gave us a special sampling menu, paired with top wines, then came and drank espresso with us as he discussed his vision for the menu. Yes, that impressed the guidebook writer plenty.

5. My friend Gabriela is a third-generation wine maker who has turned her family’s vineyard into a sweet inn. We had three nights in a deluxe villa at her place, with long evenings with friends over bottles from her own vines.
She knows everyone and hooked me up with all her interesting friends to get the real insider’s scoop. Good deets for the guidebook!

4. Speaking of scoops, the tiramisu and the vanilla with malbec icecream at the famous Ferruccio Soppelso heladeria were unforgettable. They get mentioned for sure in the Where To Eat section.

3. The fresh mushroom and pine nut sauce on top of the squash raviolis at Il Piadino, a little-known family-run Italian joint in the rural town of Chacras de Coria. It’s making the ‘finds’ section of Frommers Argentina, folks.

2. Stumbling upon the rafting village of Valle Grande outside San Rafael. After driving for three hours through a desert, the Atuel River shines its way down the Andes. There are side-by-side rustic cottages where whitewater lovers like me can have some quality river-time. Again, water inspires.

1. Realizing that 10 days isn’t nearly enough when you’re in love with a place. Then remembering it is your job to transmit that love to the page and share it with others…. from your desk in Patagonia… overlooking the lake with the Andes in the distance.

In other words, living the dream!