Lakes & Wine

Ah, the bus to Bariloche-- what turned into a 30 1/2 hour journey through the most mundane landscape in South America.  Same, same and more of the same nothingness! Wait, there is a sheep grazing! ;-)

The only highlights:

1) I almost won at Andesmar bingo.  Yes, they have bingo on the bus and announce the numbers (in Spanish) using a ridiculous game show voice.   My Argentine seatmate translated all the numbers for me, which really wasn't necessary, but appreciated. The winner received a bottle of wine (which you need on a 30 hour journey-- luckily I thought ahead and BYOB-ed!)  

2) I accidentally left my North Face jacket on the first bus, only realizing a hour later.  Amazingly I was able to get it back using my limited Spanish and Google translator.   I was all proud of myself after helping some Israeli guy avoid queso on his sandwich, but  abrigo blanco was a tougher challenge.  I gave the bus driver a big hug when he returned with it- I think he thought I was loco.

3) The fact that I slept an unbelievable amount of the journey :-)

After a day on the bus (left at 4pm and arrived around 10pm the NEXT night), I was dirty and tired when I was warmly greeted with a glass of wine at 41 Below.  It was thankfully a very friendly bunch in Bariloche since it poured rain the next day .

It was actually nice to have a down day when it was too gloomy to go hiking or biking or whatever else was on offer in the Lake District.

One thing that was quickly discovered from Martin, yet another Aussie mate, was that the buses are again booked for days in advance.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  I just arrived and I am already stuck here-- a place I had never intended to visit.  Ugh, Argentina was really starting to get frustrating!

No prob, I will just stay one extra day before attempt #2 at entering Chile for surf and Spanish lessons at the beach.

In the meantime I can get some Mexican food and fulfill that craving (not the best I've had, but it's been a while so better than nothing).

Although super windy, a few of us opted for a hike on  2388m Cerro Cathedral.  Yes, it should have been a ride up a chairlift and walk across and down, but it was too windy so the chairlift was closed. 

Instead Martin, Francesca (Germany), Casey (Canada) and I did the 20km round-trip hike to Refugio Frey with beautiful views of Lago Nahuel Huapi along the way.

Casey had enough sense to turn around just before it got hard, but we braved the wind for some nice views and pizza at the top with a Slovenian we happened to meet a few days earlier at 41 Below.

The following day I was all about the Circuito Chico bike ride that everyone does around the lake.  We heard it was pretty hard, so thought maybe we should take a bus to the town of Ville La Angostura and bike around Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes instead.

Oops, this bike ride is harder?

Okay, we'll take the boat there and bike back since it is easier- great!

Why does no one tell us that the boat is sold out BEFORE we bike down the huge hill that we now have to bike back up?  Ugh, Argentina!!!!!!!

We made the best of it and biked to a scenic lookout which seemed hard since it turned out it was all uphill.  We got back to town in no time which made us feel really lazy. At least it left time for more yummy ice cream--- I have mentioned that the ice cream in Argentina is fantastic, right?

We did have another moment of frustration when the next bus back to Bariloche wasn't for 5 hours, but thankfully they added a bus so we didn't have to cry!

Done with Bariloche; now for my second attempt at Chile, but first I had my thousandth tear-my-hair-out moment. (Really, in 10 months I've never been so frustrated!)

Of course it was Friday, so we had to make an ATM run before the town ran out of money-- a common problem in Argentina for some reason.

Then best to get money changed since I can foresee being stuck at the border with no Chilean Pesos and no ATM.  Of course they don't change money between 1-5pm! WHAT THE F!!!!!!!!!!

Teetering on the edge...

Get to the bus station and realize after some time that they don't mean Gate 5, they mean the bus is delayed until 5--- great, now I will miss all connections to Santiago.  Deep breath (after again temporarily hating the country)!  I can hopefully catch the midnight bus to Santiago if all goes well. 

WHAT? CANCELLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, the only thing that prevented a full breakdown was coincident- ally hearing Fergie's "Big girls don't cry" in the bus station- I had to laugh.

It's all about flexibility!  Ten minutes later I changed course and hopped on the next bus--- Mendoza it is.  

A 20 hour journey that I wasn't really prepared for, but it was actually a nice ride along the Ruta de los Siete Lagos. 

The next morning I finally arrived in toasty warm, wine country (I am following summer, but it's been cold since landing in Ushuaia)-- things could be worse!

Sure I had to stay at a crappy place before I moved into Hostel Lao, but no big deal.  Instead I spent the day with some Americans I met on the bus and at a cafe on Plaza Independencia checking out the town and a great view from a rooftop pool.  (Rand from Nashville had just attempted to climb the western hemisphere's highest summit, Cerro Aconcagua, but weather was problematic leading to two fatalities.) 

In good Domingo (Sunday) fashion, I did nothing.  I have learned that NOTHING in South America is open on Sunday, so you might as well spend the entire day dozing and reading in an orange hammock.

I was pleasantly surprised to run into my Aussie mates, Nathan and Woody, from El Calafate who I joined for a movie (El Tourista, as they say en Espanol) and a tasty dinner.  Like Calafate, Mendoza is full of dogs, one of which followed us all the way across town as we ran into a truly bazaar bachelor party, at least that is what we think it was.

It's about time I got wine tasting! Per strong recommendations, I joined an Aussie, Swede, Oregonian and Brit to bike around the vineyards of Chacras de Coria.  We hit four spots:

Carmelo Patti- a family owned winery that took us a while to find since there was no sign.  It was worth the effort since we met Carmelo and he was DElighful even if we didn't exactly catch everything he was saying. The wine was good too!

We then rode to Cavas de Chacras for lunch, a tour by an informative (if slightly arrogant) guide and a tasting of their lesser quality wine.  I still wish we had tasted their "A" line.

Alta Vista, a larger producer, was quite a complex.  The wine cellar and tasting room, complete with our guide from New Jersey, felt just like home.  I was slightly disappointed to not try their highly praised Alto, but what we did try was very nice and I appreciated the complimentary tasting of dessert wine. 

Our last stop was Pulmary, another family operation that makes organic wine and pours a healthy tasting.  They even let you taste right out of the tank (which are concrete here in Mendoza, interestingly).

It was a lot of wine, but shockingly we made it back to the bike shop unscathed despite riding against the flow of traffic on a narrow street.

Funny enough, when I returned to Hostel Lao I learned that I knew everyone staying there from either wine tasting, El Calafate or Bariloche--- I know this is the 8th largest country, but it is beginning to seem pretty small ;-)

I had considered another day of wine tasting in a different valley, but instead Nathan and I opted for lunch at a vineyard, Nieto Senetiner.  Sure, we probably spent more on the cab and lunch than we had on a few days lodging, but it was SO worth it.  We LOVED it here and had the whole place to ourselves (after clearing security)!

In fact we so enjoyed the meal and bottle of Bonarda that we opted for a second bottle on the patio overlooking the beautiful grounds and mountains in the background.  It was the perfect day (until they made us leave since they wanted to close!)

What a good way to end my month in Argentina.  But wait, it can't possibly go smoothly.

Unbelievable- no one at the bus station would print my ticket despite the fact that they all had printers right in front of them and I offered to pay.  So nice of them to offer me one last chance to lose it! ;-)

Once on board the bus all was good as I watched the vineyards pass by and tried to guess which mountain was Aconcagua with my Canadian bus mate.

Fingers crossed I can cross the border on my 3rd attempt!

Picture Perfect Patagonia (Until You're Stuck)

Back in Buenos Aires for one final day and night.

I had intended to take the evening ferry from Colonia, Uruguay, but enough was enough; instead I could use the day to see the sites in BA that I missed when I slept the days away.

The biggest miss, Cementerio de la Recoleta, where over-the-top mausoleums house Argentina’s elite, including past presidents and Evita herself. The architecture of the sarcophagi was an equal match to the buildings outside, just splendid! Each resemble little churches, with statues, one more impressive than the next.

On the way to the cemetery I attempted to find an English language book (since my Kindle was busted). I didn’t really find a book, but did stop by a really impressive bookstore housed in an old theater where the box seats on the side are now used as reading rooms. It was pretty cool.

A decent walk and I made it to my final destination, the Museo De Arte Latinoamericano De Buenos Aires (aka MALBA). The modern art museum is housed in a modern glass building and displays the collection of Eduardo Costantini, including Xul Solar-- an artist I was unfamiliar with but liked a lot.

Now the the toss up--- stay in and get a good night sleep before my 9am flight or meet up with Ariel and Ilse one final time. Guess what won?


It was a long night!!! First I took a cab to Ariel’s place which confused the cab driver- I think he thought I was confused and kept saying “Providencia, not Capital.” Yes, I know!

After an asado (bbq with chirizo- yum!) we went to a club and danced all night to bad 80’s music and a lot of Madonna, if I remember correctly. They had me drinking Fernet, their favorite beverage which is DISGUSTING!! The place was packed all night and was great, but sadly I had to leave at 6am to catch my flight to Ushuaia.

After that night I couldn’t even remember which airport I was leaving from, luckily my great effort to come up with “domestico” worked (sometimes it works to just add an O to the English word ;-) and I made it to the right place. Check it was a bit hairy and I did ram one woman with the cart in my tipsy, sleepy stupor, but amazingly managed to check in and clear security.

Another amazing thing--- waking up 4 minutes before departure, perhaps a good time to board the plane? ;-)

I arrived in Ushuaia, a port city set between the Beagle Channel and the Martial Range—literally the bottom of the world as its southern most city. It has sort of a rugged appearance with buildings climbing the hill and ships anchored in the harbor, including those leaving for Antarctica (I thought about taking advantage of the last minute $3,500 fare but my lack of winter clothes ultimately prevented me from going).

While there I went on two excursions with Canal Fun.

The first was to Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego,  with our guide Valentine, where we hiked along the lakes taking in spectacular views of the Argentine and Chilean mountains (when the wind didn't blow hair in my eyes). After canoeing against some pretty strong wind (my canoe won!), we stopped at the end of the Pan-American Highway which starts in Alaska- maybe one day I will go to the northern most point?

I also sadly watched the Eagles season end--- the game was just as nerve wracking and the last play (Vick interception) just as devastating watching dots and squiggles on ESPN.com :-(

That night it poured and poured and poured so I was not terribly excited to go on my tour of Estancia Harberton and the penguin colony.

Miraculously the sun came out just as we left for the long drive there- yay!

We started off rafting with a tailwind and then ridiculously against the wind---we flat out could not get to the dock after several fruitless attempts and had to paddle around a different way to get off.

After lunch it was a speedboat to see the penguins which were way better than expected. The island is home to thousands of Magellan and Gentoo penguins and had me thinking my favorite Dr. Suess’ “The Sneetches” watching the orange billed penguin (Gentoo) walk with an air of superiority though the plain penguins.

We ended the tour with a fairly uneventful hike through the ranch, seeing trees that are constantly battered by the southern winds.  Finally, a draft of the southernmost micro brew in the world. Of course we also needed to fit in some crab since Ushuaia is known for their crab, plus a visit to the most southern Irish pub in world.

Next stop-- El Calafate, a couple hours flight up the west coast of Argentina.

I arrived fairly late into town and was greeted warmly by the amazingly helpful guys at America del Sur- the best place to stay in Argentina.

I was only there a few minutes but they had already arranged my trip to Glaciar Perito Moreno in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.


The glacier was really pretty spectacular.  I took about 1,000 pictures and now understand why Mom and Dad had all those pictures from Alaska.  Honestly the pics don't do it justice since you can't see the different shades of blue, how huge it is or the sound and splash as icebergs fall off into the water (surprisingly loud).

With a combination of boat ride and viewing platforms, you really got a good view of the 30km long, 5km wide and 60m high glacier, which they claim is constantly advancing (2m a day).

Funny enough, upon my return to town I ran into two Dutch guys I met in Ushuaia (through Anil from BA days). Coincidentally they were staying at the same place, so I had new buddies for the next few days. First thing to do with friends?--- eat Calafate ice cream, which really tasted a lot like blueberry.  Second thing- pick up a bottle of good, cheap, Argentine wine at the supermarket-- love wine producing countries!!! 

It was great, I was able to convince the Dutch to join me for a night in El Chalten, a town that was quickly built in 1985 to beat Chile to the land rights.

There really isn't anything to do in El Chalten except hike, which we had grand plans to do.  The real reason to come is to see the 3405m Cerro Fitz Roy which we decided to tackle on day 2 when the weather was forecasted to be even better.

Around noon we headed out for Laguna Torre which was really beautiful, even if Cerro Torre was always in cloud cover.  We even got a glimpse of Fitz Roy while taking a break for lunch. 

However, after 22kms we were pretty spent--- maybe we should have done Fitz Roy today since 25km tomorrow was looking doubtful (after dinner with beer and lots of wine it was even less likely).

It's official- trek burnout, plus an incredibly windy day.  Needless to say, we saw as much of Fitz Roy as we were going to see (see pic- peak on right in clouds).  We then made the fatal mistake of returning to El Calafate where the frustrations began.

The Chilean border was still closed (they were protesting an increase in gas prices)!!!  Yes, it has been closed for 3 days now, but certainly the protest and blockade wasn't going to last long.  I had to catch a boat up through the Chilean fiordlands from Puerto Natales in a couple days, and I wanted to stop by Parque Nacional Torres del Paine on the way. 

The Dutch were smart and made a quick scramble to the airport and got out before the masses, but I needed to be in Chile on Monday night, so waited it out with a very optimistic attitude.  I was even more hopeful after the delicious beef stew (served in a pumpkin) I enjoyed at Pura Vida all the way across town.

My hopes were dashed as the days went on and I heard more stories from people that made their way over the border into Argentina.  One Brit faked an injury and crossed the border in an ambulance.  Others had their car shaken and stones thrown at them.  Torres del Paine was reported to be like a refugee camp with people lined up for food (the W is a famous 4-day trek there and you have to carry all your stuff, so you wouldn't have extras).   Others dropped off their Avis rental car at the blockade where the Avis clerk met them to hand over the keys,  then they walked 20+ kms. with all their stuff.  Not good!!!

Things worsened when two people were killed and the military evacuated all the tourists from southern Chile.  I guess I am NOT making it to that boat--- let's hope AmEx or my travel insurance refunds the $400.

Now I am part of the masses of unhappy travelers trying to get out of El Calafate.  Yes, a cute town for a day or two, but not five!!  I was back at the bus station, chatting with the same people I met there every day, all looking for a way out, but of course now everything is booked for days.

Where to go?  Just get me out of here!

Bariloche it is!  I didn't have much interest, but it appeared to be the only option since I had already been to Ushuaia.  Look at a map- this country is huge- the 8th largest in the world! A bus to anywhere is going to be an ordeal.

I was able to find two options- a bus a 3am that seemed like a sucker bet since it look 32 hours and involved three transfers.  I appeared better to wait yet another day for a 4pm departure--- interestingly the direct bus to Bariloche was sold out for days, but when I asked about connecting through Rio Gallagos I could get a seat------ OMG, it was the SAME bus, I just had to move seats (this was NOT the most resourceful or helpful woman!)  You can see why we were all so frustrated!

And now I had to move out of America del Sur since they were booked up, but on the plus side I met Nathan and Woody from Australia and had a nice dinner and more Malbec at a cute bookstore/bar (after eating a fruit that looked like cherries from the tree outside). 

El Calafate was really a nice town, even if there are stray dogs everywhere (seems to be a South American thing), you just don't want to be stuck here.

Yay!!! Finally I get to leave.  Wait, first I have to get out of the room.  Crazily enough, I was accidentally locked IN the room.  Not sure what my life has come to--- I actually had to climb out the window--- I really can't get out of El Calafate!

At last success!  On the bus for the next 26 hours heading north to the Lakes District. :-)

Muchos Buenos Aires

Yes, perhaps I should have arrived nice and well rested after what I think was a 14-hour, 1st class trip from Sydney (they greeted me with Qantas PJ’s- how nice!), but I was pretty sleepy trying to adjust to the 16-hour time difference from New Zealand (even with my friend, Ambien).

Day 1 in Buenos Aires was pretty much a waste. All I did was sleep and wander around trying to find a mobile signal (un- beknownst to me I found one in the “don't cry for me Argentina” plaza).

Finally motivating, at 9:30pm I decided I should probably grab dinner not realizing this was WAY early by Argentine standards. This became clear when people continued to arrive (with small children) as late as midnight. I am still puzzled how they manage to do any work? In the land of beef, I had to get my first steak, mashed potatoes (there are NO vegetables here) and Argentine red wine (plus a glass of free champagne for some unclear reason)--- so far South America is off to a fine start. ;-)

The following day I walked around Puerto Madero, the old port that was only used from 1898-1926 since it became too small to handle the amount of cargo by 1910. Complete with cobble stone paths and brick warehouses, the area has been converted into an upscale neighborhood.

It is charming and apparently brings out the romantics--- as I was sitting on a bench a young, Argentinian man asked if he could sit and chat (in our broken Spanish and English). Before I knew it he kissed me--- my, they are quite forward here in Buenos Aires! Needless to say I was taken off guard (but found the whole ridiculous incident pretty amusing.)

After lunch I visited the Museo Fortabat, a new museum showcasing the collection of Argentina’s wealthiest woman, Amalia Lacroze. I loved the art as well as the building which has movable aluminum panels above the roof that open and close depending on the position of the sun- cool!

Since it was still relatively early, I decided to do Lonely Planet’s walking tour of Central BA, or at least most of the 5km route (who needs to see Congress up close, especially when it is modeled after the U.S. Capitol Building).

Along the way I saw Plaza San Martin with the obligatory statue of the hero/general who helped liberate Argentina from Spanish rule (there is stuff named after him all over the country). The plaza is surrounded by beautiful mansions and South America’s former tallest building (1935). Across the street is the British donated Torre de los Ingleses which they now call by another name after the Falkland Islands War (or Malvinas Islands as they are called in Argentina).Yes, they still hold a grudge.

After a walk on Ave 9 de Julio (‘the widest street in the world’- 16 lanes at some points), passing by the city’s 67m obelisk (build in one month back in 1936 and the place for celebrating sports fans), I ended the abridged tour at the Plaza de Mayo where the Cathedral Metropolitana (containing the tomb of General San Martin) and Casa Rosada stand, besides other impressive buildings--- the architecture in BA is stunning! The Casa Rosada houses the President’s office, but it is also where Eva (aka Evita) and Juan Peron (and Madonna) addressed the public from the balcony. I couldn’t stop singing the tunes from “Evita”!

After another steak dinner (not as good as the night before), I had another lazy morning (this is the Argentine way!) before heading off to the ritzy Recoleta neighborhood. I walked along the streets marveling at the stunning buildings (and disgusted by the fact that the Vatican embassy was the nicest of them all--- maybe they should sell that and give some money to their needy believers?). 

I later learned on a free walking tour of the area a few interesting tid bits:

#1- BA is often called the ‘Paris of South America’ since when trading with Europe back in the early 1900’s they needed to load the ships for the return trip, so the former Europeans and current residents of BA had the good idea to ship European construction materials: stone, ironwork, fountains, you name it.

#2- With a good insurance plan Argentines get one free plastic surgery every two years--- there were many ‘plasticos’ in this neighborhood!

The Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes was a brief stop before the walking tour, which was randomly full of Americans, including a lovely couple from San Fran who I joined for some yummy Dulce de Leche gelato afterwards (the Argentines have incredible ice cream so I tried to fit it in every day).

Each day in BA seemed to get less and less productive. Following a late night in San Telmo (4am) of more steak (getting worse food and service wise!), vino, Jenga and Connect 4 (I said you had to be a moron to lose at Connect 4 and then I lost 3 games- wow, I have really lost it!) with Anil, my new friend from Colorado, I slept yet another day away.

Luckily I rebounded for dinner with Ilse (Holland) and Guy (Belgium) at a buffet restaurant with the most adorable, young, attentive waiter (what a difference from last night!). Over the course of dinner we befriended Arian, a local who entertained us for days to come.

Since Arian invited us to a New Year’s Eve party, Ilse and I decided to go shopping in posh and trendy Palermo, (you can get Havianas down here for $10!!!!).

Arian’s band was playing at a party for what turned out to be Peruvians in BA. It was pretty hilarious and we felt like we crashed someone’s wedding--- we were definitely the thing that did not belong! Although midnight was fairly anticlimactic, the rest of the night dancing salsa was SO much fun (or whatever it was---- I had no idea what I was doing, I just followed my lead as the Argentines can dance!).

Wait--- it is 7am!!!!!!!!!!!!

It won’t be a shock to learn that yes, I slept a lot of the next day away too. ;-)

BA is going to kill me! Up all night, sleep all day. How do these people get anything done???

I did arise in time to see a bit of the start of the Dakar Rally and a late lunch along the waterfront (which was littered with beer and champagne bottles which as you can imagine didn’t smell too hot a day later…. prob worse three days later since no one works here on holidays or weekends!)

One of the only things left to check off the list was visiting La Boca, the meat- packing/ warehouse area that is known for its brightly colored houses. The houses were originally splashed with leftover paint used on shipping barges. Caminito, the famous street, is pretty touristy, but cute for a quick, sleepy stroll to see the houses and performers tangoing in the street (you can´t leave this street since the rest of the hood is a bit dangerous).

At this point I had to flee Buenos Aires- too much drink, too much steak, too many skipped meals and lost night’s sleep. It was starting to takes its toll. No mas!!!!!!!!!!

The city is AMAZING-- it is beautiful, vibrant, fantastic. Each neighborhood has its own distinct look and feel. I loved every minute of it (well, I could have lived without the morning headaches)!!!!