Stats:
- 2 taxi rides
- 2 flights
- 22 hours door to door
- 2 bags arrived intact (the duct tape held!)
We are back home and it is gooood! We walked into our building and kept saying, "Isn't this clean? Doesn't everything look so clean?"
At the writing of the post, we have completely unpacked, gone through two huge bins of mail, Arn has prepared our taxes, Arn has removed the power supply and ordered a new one for our server that died while we were gone, I have run 6 loads of laundry and put everything away, Arn has drained and refilled the hot-tub, I have washed all the camping supplies and unpacked all the bike gear (all has been stored away), we have picked up our new ottoman for the living room, and we went grocery shopping. Not bad for less than 48 hours! Arn has headed out to go kayaking. My plans for a bike ride in the tulip fields have been crushed. While I survived all the harrowing moments with the traffic while cycling, I did not survive a greasy spot on the floor at Fred Meyers (while grocery shopping). With a glass jar in hand, I had a massive wipe out. To avoid landing on the jar of jam as it smashed, I landed on the back on my hand and smashed the knuckles. So, I am currently without a "breaking hand" to cycle. Figures.
We'd love to hear from you. You now know where to find us!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Homeward Bound (Thurs 4/8)
Last night after dinner, I sat in the window and enjoyed the lights of Santiago from the 35th floor. It was a pretty sight. Knowing that we head home today, I grew a bit pensive. Our travels to the southern hemisphere have always been in search of a "second summer". Or, given the order of the year, perhaps it is a "first summer" before the one at home. Our first trip to New Zealand was in 1992, just 7 months after we started dating. While we have returned many times, we haven't been there in over five years. Still, much has changed between our first visit and our last. Last night, I started to reflect on our trips to Chile. Our first visit was in 2003. We were headed to Antarctica and tagged on two weeks in Chile. We booked an organized bike trip with Backroads for our time in Chile. The trip was canceled two weeks ahead of time. With no Spanish language skills, we threw a few ideas together and bought a phrase book. Since then, we have returned 3 more times to Chile, I have mastered restaurant Spanish, and Arn is fluent in what he calls travel Spanish. Also during this time, we have seen a lot of change in Chile. More colleges and universities have been built. Education is stressed more as a means to greater opportunities. This is evidenced by advertising and marketing campaigns highlighting the value of a college degree. We have seen dramatic changes in the skyline of Santiago. Construction cranes and beautiful, new modern skyscrappers are abundant.
We are leaving having had a great trip. The Carretera Austral and our cycle tour will be remembered as a magical time where we feasted on the remote and wild scenery. We both suspect it will be a long time before we return to Chile or Argentina. As I have said before, we have satisfied our curiousities about so many places. So, I sat in the window last night and wondered --- if we come back in 5 or 10 years, how will it have changed? What will be different? I have my own secret wishes for them. Only time will tell what happens.
So, for today's blog, we decided to finish with a sort of "Best" and "Worst" list. It is a random collection of topics, but subjects that were important to our overall experience. Some you will probably already know. Others, well, we didn't include those moments until now. Here goes...
Best breakfast ---
1st Place: Diplomatic Suites Hotel in Mendoza (Arn had grapefruit juice)
2nd Place: Hotel in Puerto Chacabuco (first time we had something other than bread in three weeks)
3rd Place: Xelena in El Calafate (eggs, Dulce de leche bombs, jam in every flavor -- not just peach)
Worst toliet ---
1st Place: Trevelin. Arn dropped a job. It would not flush. Finally, Arn had to cut it in half to flush it. One half of it flushed. The second half still didn't go. So, I dropped a new dump and then the whole thing went. It proved that sometimes in Argentina a turd needs company to leave the bowl.
2nd Place: Villa la Angostora. Arn dropped a job. It flushed, but everything backed up. We had to get maintenance and a toilet plunger. Bet you don't know the word for plunger in Spanish?
3rd Place: Trevelin. Really, it was so bad it must be mentioned again!
Best toilet --
1st Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
2nd Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
3rd Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
Best Sandwich ---
1st Place: This could a tie between the sandwich we ate in a woman's dining room the day we left Futaleufu and the peanut butter sandwiches we made in Puerto Chacabuco. One was the size of our head with lettuce, awesome tomatoes, a hamburger, and roasted chicken. The other was crunchy peanut butter, thick strawberry jam with whole chunks of fruit and a perfect kaiser type bread roll.
Best Dinner ---
1st Place: No question here. This was Butterfly in Bariloche. All seven courses were awesome from the smoked trout to the risotto to the steak to the raspberry mouse.
2nd: La Cabrara in Buenes Aires. This was the shock and awe dinner with 14 side dishes and 19 different fruits and vegtables on the table at the same time.
Best city for food ---
1st Place: Buenes Aires
2nd Place: tie between Santiago and Mendoza
3rd Place: Valporaiso
Best bed ---
1st Place: Los Antiguos (awesome sheets that were clean!)
2nd Place: Buenes Aires (biggest bed we've ever seen)
Worst moment ---
Arn: When a rock nearly killed Deborah
Deborah: When a truck nearly hit Arn
Worst meal ---
For Arn: mystery meat in Amanguel. Five cyclists ate it and not one could identify it.
For Deborah: trout in El Bolson. It had too many bones that were too small to work around, yet too big to eat. The waitress said they eat the bones that size!
Best moment --
Deborah: When I saw Cerro Castillo. It was sceney on steriods that just kept getting bigger and better. It was a beautiful stretch of road. It was cycling perfection.
Arn: 1st -- When the rock thrown up by the crazy driver didn't kill Deborah. 2nd -- Base of Fitz Roy with no wind. 3rd -- Seeing the road downhill coming into Cerro Castillo and our out running of the horseflies.
Best lessons learned:
For Both of Us: For two anal planners, it was great to do a trip with no set plans. There were very few things we missed out on and many more things we were able to take advantage of.
For Arn:
1 -- Less planning and letting it unfold rather than micro managing the plan worked out better. This year's approach was a direct reaction to last year's trip. We missed on a few things but it worked out better.
2 -- Like the scenery better in Chile and the food better in Argentina.
For Deborah:
1 -- My bad Spanish is still good enough to retrieve my lost nightgown.
2 -- It is good to hold onto a wild ass dream as it might just pan out.
Worst statement made by a local ---
1st place: The doctor in Argentina that said while he felt bad for the Chileans in the earthquake, Argentina is now 20cm wider.
Best wine --
Errazuriz 2007 Carmenere Max Reserva from Aconcagua Valley (all 2007 carmenere from this valley are supposed to be silky and delicious)
Best winery ---
Benegas (Mendoza)
Best ice cream ---
El Chalten.
Best hike ---
Without a doubt, this was the hike El Chalten...from hostel, thru the white valley to the base of Fitz Roy and back to town
Best day of riding ---
Too hard to know...perhaps Valle de Los Explorodores or the day into Cerro Castillo. Everyday with good weather was a good day.
Best View from Hotel Room
1st Place: Radison Concoón, Chile
2nd Place: Sol Arrayan, Villa La Angostura, Argentina
3rd Place: Boulevard Suites, Santiago
4th Place: Xelena Hotel, El Calafate, Argentina
Best Place to See Kitties ---
1st Place: Botantical Garden in Buenes Aires
2nd Place: Cabana along road between Pucon and Argentina border (13 kittens)
3rd Place: Streets of Valpo
Biggest surprises ---
- The extent of earthquake damage so far from the epicenter
- How quickly I bonded with "Naranjita" and how hard it was to part with her once she was sold
- How good the food was in Buenes Aires
- How disgusting and dirty the streets were in Valpo
- How stunning Fitz Roy was
- How unbelievably lucky we were with weather on the Carretera Austral after such an auspicious beginning.
Lost items:
- 2 socks (Arn)
- 1 t-shirt (Arn)
- 1pair of silver earrings (Deborah)
Damaged items:
- Holes in Deborah's favorite tatoo arm warmers (with matching scars)
- Purchased new cheap duffle --- end pocket torn off during first flight, holes rubbed into other end on second flight
Packed items never used:
- Folding Bucket
- Water filter
- Most of repair kit for the bikes
- Cook kit used 1 time
- Stove used 1 time
- Bug repellent
- PreparationH (good thing)
- Platypus extra bag for water filtering
- Chemical hand and foot warmers
- GPS (only used 2 or 3 times to see elevation)
Wish we with us:
- More advil (it is $1 U.S. per 400mg pill)
- SD card reader
- 2nd pair of pants
- Long sleeve wool shirt (DC)
Things we most miss about home:
Arn:
- Friends
- Kayaking
- Computer
- Our bed
- Pasta shop
- Ethnic food
- Good pizza
- Pretzels
- Hot tub
Deborah:
- Friends
- Ability to use the phone whenever
- Our bed
- Hot tub
- Road bike
- My chocolate chip cookies
- Listerine
- soft Kleenex
- Jeans
- A real American burger
-Fitted sheets
- Decaf Lattes (the way Arn makes them)
We are leaving having had a great trip. The Carretera Austral and our cycle tour will be remembered as a magical time where we feasted on the remote and wild scenery. We both suspect it will be a long time before we return to Chile or Argentina. As I have said before, we have satisfied our curiousities about so many places. So, I sat in the window last night and wondered --- if we come back in 5 or 10 years, how will it have changed? What will be different? I have my own secret wishes for them. Only time will tell what happens.
So, for today's blog, we decided to finish with a sort of "Best" and "Worst" list. It is a random collection of topics, but subjects that were important to our overall experience. Some you will probably already know. Others, well, we didn't include those moments until now. Here goes...
Best breakfast ---
1st Place: Diplomatic Suites Hotel in Mendoza (Arn had grapefruit juice)
2nd Place: Hotel in Puerto Chacabuco (first time we had something other than bread in three weeks)
3rd Place: Xelena in El Calafate (eggs, Dulce de leche bombs, jam in every flavor -- not just peach)
Worst toliet ---
1st Place: Trevelin. Arn dropped a job. It would not flush. Finally, Arn had to cut it in half to flush it. One half of it flushed. The second half still didn't go. So, I dropped a new dump and then the whole thing went. It proved that sometimes in Argentina a turd needs company to leave the bowl.
2nd Place: Villa la Angostora. Arn dropped a job. It flushed, but everything backed up. We had to get maintenance and a toilet plunger. Bet you don't know the word for plunger in Spanish?
3rd Place: Trevelin. Really, it was so bad it must be mentioned again!
Best toilet --
1st Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
2nd Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
3rd Place: Hotel Diplomatic in Mendoza
Best Sandwich ---
1st Place: This could a tie between the sandwich we ate in a woman's dining room the day we left Futaleufu and the peanut butter sandwiches we made in Puerto Chacabuco. One was the size of our head with lettuce, awesome tomatoes, a hamburger, and roasted chicken. The other was crunchy peanut butter, thick strawberry jam with whole chunks of fruit and a perfect kaiser type bread roll.
Best Dinner ---
1st Place: No question here. This was Butterfly in Bariloche. All seven courses were awesome from the smoked trout to the risotto to the steak to the raspberry mouse.
2nd: La Cabrara in Buenes Aires. This was the shock and awe dinner with 14 side dishes and 19 different fruits and vegtables on the table at the same time.
Best city for food ---
1st Place: Buenes Aires
2nd Place: tie between Santiago and Mendoza
3rd Place: Valporaiso
Best bed ---
1st Place: Los Antiguos (awesome sheets that were clean!)
2nd Place: Buenes Aires (biggest bed we've ever seen)
Worst moment ---
Arn: When a rock nearly killed Deborah
Deborah: When a truck nearly hit Arn
Worst meal ---
For Arn: mystery meat in Amanguel. Five cyclists ate it and not one could identify it.
For Deborah: trout in El Bolson. It had too many bones that were too small to work around, yet too big to eat. The waitress said they eat the bones that size!
Best moment --
Deborah: When I saw Cerro Castillo. It was sceney on steriods that just kept getting bigger and better. It was a beautiful stretch of road. It was cycling perfection.
Arn: 1st -- When the rock thrown up by the crazy driver didn't kill Deborah. 2nd -- Base of Fitz Roy with no wind. 3rd -- Seeing the road downhill coming into Cerro Castillo and our out running of the horseflies.
Best lessons learned:
For Both of Us: For two anal planners, it was great to do a trip with no set plans. There were very few things we missed out on and many more things we were able to take advantage of.
For Arn:
1 -- Less planning and letting it unfold rather than micro managing the plan worked out better. This year's approach was a direct reaction to last year's trip. We missed on a few things but it worked out better.
2 -- Like the scenery better in Chile and the food better in Argentina.
For Deborah:
1 -- My bad Spanish is still good enough to retrieve my lost nightgown.
2 -- It is good to hold onto a wild ass dream as it might just pan out.
Worst statement made by a local ---
1st place: The doctor in Argentina that said while he felt bad for the Chileans in the earthquake, Argentina is now 20cm wider.
Best wine --
Errazuriz 2007 Carmenere Max Reserva from Aconcagua Valley (all 2007 carmenere from this valley are supposed to be silky and delicious)
Best winery ---
Benegas (Mendoza)
Best ice cream ---
El Chalten.
Best hike ---
Without a doubt, this was the hike El Chalten...from hostel, thru the white valley to the base of Fitz Roy and back to town
Best day of riding ---
Too hard to know...perhaps Valle de Los Explorodores or the day into Cerro Castillo. Everyday with good weather was a good day.
Best View from Hotel Room
1st Place: Radison Concoón, Chile
2nd Place: Sol Arrayan, Villa La Angostura, Argentina
3rd Place: Boulevard Suites, Santiago
4th Place: Xelena Hotel, El Calafate, Argentina
Best Place to See Kitties ---
1st Place: Botantical Garden in Buenes Aires
2nd Place: Cabana along road between Pucon and Argentina border (13 kittens)
3rd Place: Streets of Valpo
Biggest surprises ---
- The extent of earthquake damage so far from the epicenter
- How quickly I bonded with "Naranjita" and how hard it was to part with her once she was sold
- How good the food was in Buenes Aires
- How disgusting and dirty the streets were in Valpo
- How stunning Fitz Roy was
- How unbelievably lucky we were with weather on the Carretera Austral after such an auspicious beginning.
Lost items:
- 2 socks (Arn)
- 1 t-shirt (Arn)
- 1pair of silver earrings (Deborah)
Damaged items:
- Holes in Deborah's favorite tatoo arm warmers (with matching scars)
- Purchased new cheap duffle --- end pocket torn off during first flight, holes rubbed into other end on second flight
Packed items never used:
- Folding Bucket
- Water filter
- Most of repair kit for the bikes
- Cook kit used 1 time
- Stove used 1 time
- Bug repellent
- PreparationH (good thing)
- Platypus extra bag for water filtering
- Chemical hand and foot warmers
- GPS (only used 2 or 3 times to see elevation)
Wish we with us:
- More advil (it is $1 U.S. per 400mg pill)
- SD card reader
- 2nd pair of pants
- Long sleeve wool shirt (DC)
Things we most miss about home:
Arn:
- Friends
- Kayaking
- Computer
- Our bed
- Pasta shop
- Ethnic food
- Good pizza
- Pretzels
- Hot tub
Deborah:
- Friends
- Ability to use the phone whenever
- Our bed
- Hot tub
- Road bike
- My chocolate chip cookies
- Listerine
- soft Kleenex
- Jeans
- A real American burger
-Fitted sheets
- Decaf Lattes (the way Arn makes them)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Santiago (Wed 4/7)
Well, today's breakfast was a new experience --- room service! That is how they do it here. It is actually a nice change to sit in our own mini-apartment and enjoy breakfast and the view from our window. It has been a slow day. Arn says we should try and soak up the heat as it is not going to be this warm at home for a while.
Here was the rundown for the day....
- Breakfast & internet
- Packing (I am ready to GO HOME)
- Two workouts (his and hers) on the exercise bikes in the gym
- Showers
- More internet
- Lunch (another great salad and pizza)
- Movie: The latest Mel Gibson thrill....skip it, unless you are killing time
- Watched episodes of 24 from our DVR at home
- More internet
- Dinner...we returned to the same Italian restaurant.
Now, there is a danger in revealing this itinerary because some people ask us, "what is your typical day like?" Let me tell you, this is not our typical day. In fact, the last 3 weeks have been extremely different than our typical life experiences. At first, I think Arn went a bit crazier than me. Then, I turned into the caged animal. We have enjoyed some awesome food and great wines. However, we are lacking in physical activity. And since leaving El Chalten, we have missed the company of fellow cyclists. We are just ready to get on a plane and suffer the journey. If only one could click one's heels and be transported!
Here was the rundown for the day....
- Breakfast & internet
- Packing (I am ready to GO HOME)
- Two workouts (his and hers) on the exercise bikes in the gym
- Showers
- More internet
- Lunch (another great salad and pizza)
- Movie: The latest Mel Gibson thrill....skip it, unless you are killing time
- Watched episodes of 24 from our DVR at home
- More internet
- Dinner...we returned to the same Italian restaurant.
Now, there is a danger in revealing this itinerary because some people ask us, "what is your typical day like?" Let me tell you, this is not our typical day. In fact, the last 3 weeks have been extremely different than our typical life experiences. At first, I think Arn went a bit crazier than me. Then, I turned into the caged animal. We have enjoyed some awesome food and great wines. However, we are lacking in physical activity. And since leaving El Chalten, we have missed the company of fellow cyclists. We are just ready to get on a plane and suffer the journey. If only one could click one's heels and be transported!
Return to Santiago (Tues 4/6)
We woke up again to foggy skies. Arn's upper back is still very wrenched and he moves a bit like the tin man. After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and hung out reading. We had time to kill before getting the bus. "Packing up" is such an overstatement. Most of what we are carrying has not been opened or touched since we finished cycling. I would say that everything the two of are actually using would fit in one brown paper grocery bag. The rest of it is just heavy gear.
As an aside, I have to admit --- I have had some time in front of the television. I have to tell you about South American infomercials. While I think the ones in the U.S. can be crazy, the ones here are totally over the top. Last year, we watched this "thing" that was the super push up bra. Women were supposed to wear it in addition to their regular bra. This thing hoisted everything so high that a woman could rest her chin on her boobs. The before and after photos were comical. This year, I have watched adds for this super chopper thing. It beats the ginzu knife commerial and it total crazy. My two favorite ads have been for the shoes you wear 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. The result? Buns of steel! Abs of steel! And legs of iron! Give me a break. Then, there is the "hand massager" that you use to increase your muscle tone. I was not really sure about this..."hand massager" or "sex aid tool". I will leave that one to the customer to decide. It can be ordered everywhere from Panama to Argentina.
Today was our last bus ride and our return to Santiago. It was uneventful. Our hotel is more of a small apartment. It is in a complex next to the Marriot and a block from the super-high-end mall with tons of restaurants and a movie theatre. Our room is nice and on the 35th floor over looking the city. Now, how do we feel about being on the 35th floor after the earthquake? Well, the building is still standing. In fact, we have not seen damage as visible as along the coast. Once we checked out the hotel a little more closely, we noticed the main entrance into the Marriot is closed. The glass atrium has several panels of glass that have shattered. It looks like one giant shattered windshield about two stories over head. Good thing the area is taped off.
We checked out the nearby mall. It is a very nice mall. Clearly, there are some people in Santiago and Chile that are doing extremely well to support such high end retail. On the top floor of the mall, there is the design center. It is full of super modern furniture and accessories. I would love to have this Seattle! For lunch, we had a great salad and pizza. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in the biggest grocery store we have ever seen in South America. It was huge even for the U.S.
As luck would have it, Arn met a fellow American on the elevator. And then as luck would have it again, I ran into them as they were getting off the elevator (I was headed up). The three of us stood and talked for a while. This guy is living and working in Santiago for 2-3 years. He has been here a little over a year. He and his wife were in Santiago for the quake. For those of you have have been in a quake, you'll appreciate this. He said the shaking was so violent that it would have been impossible to walk out of their condo without falling. They decided to stay in bed. He said many people were injured in the process of trying to leave their beds. He also said their offices in Santiago were completely destroyed --- roof collapsed into the building. He felt sure people would have been killed if it occured during the work day. They have rented suites in our hotel and set up their offices. He said they checked out the fire escape and wondered if the building is really safe. There are cracks 8 to 12 inches wide in the concrete inside the stairwells. They talked with the hotel manager and he assured them a structural engineer had signed off of the safety of the building. They were still concerned and hired their own structural engineer. This guy explained that the cracks are how the building absorbs the shock. Okay. I still have not checked out the stairwell -- maybe tomorrow or maybe the day we leave so I don't have to think about too long. I did tell you we are on the 35th floor?!
After the earthquake discussion, we moved onto restaurants. This guy gave us a great tip and we took it. We enjoyed the best Italian dinner of the entire trip. Arn had a stuffed pasta with seafood and cheese. Mine was pasta stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta and a black truffle sauce. It was sinful. I hope I can get outside for some cycling when we get home...I am going to have a lot of meals to pedal off! Tonight was probably the first night ever that it was too cool to sit outside for dinner in Santiago. This and the fact it is getting dark by 7pm are two clues that fall is here. In the mall, I noticed that all the stores are showing sweaters and boots. So, we are looking forward to a return to spring. While Seattle will be much colder, the days are growing warmer and longer. Well, at least longer. The snow levels are forecasted at 500 feet for Friday. Can you imagine if we fly home into snow in the hills?!?!
As an aside, I have to admit --- I have had some time in front of the television. I have to tell you about South American infomercials. While I think the ones in the U.S. can be crazy, the ones here are totally over the top. Last year, we watched this "thing" that was the super push up bra. Women were supposed to wear it in addition to their regular bra. This thing hoisted everything so high that a woman could rest her chin on her boobs. The before and after photos were comical. This year, I have watched adds for this super chopper thing. It beats the ginzu knife commerial and it total crazy. My two favorite ads have been for the shoes you wear 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. The result? Buns of steel! Abs of steel! And legs of iron! Give me a break. Then, there is the "hand massager" that you use to increase your muscle tone. I was not really sure about this..."hand massager" or "sex aid tool". I will leave that one to the customer to decide. It can be ordered everywhere from Panama to Argentina.
Today was our last bus ride and our return to Santiago. It was uneventful. Our hotel is more of a small apartment. It is in a complex next to the Marriot and a block from the super-high-end mall with tons of restaurants and a movie theatre. Our room is nice and on the 35th floor over looking the city. Now, how do we feel about being on the 35th floor after the earthquake? Well, the building is still standing. In fact, we have not seen damage as visible as along the coast. Once we checked out the hotel a little more closely, we noticed the main entrance into the Marriot is closed. The glass atrium has several panels of glass that have shattered. It looks like one giant shattered windshield about two stories over head. Good thing the area is taped off.
We checked out the nearby mall. It is a very nice mall. Clearly, there are some people in Santiago and Chile that are doing extremely well to support such high end retail. On the top floor of the mall, there is the design center. It is full of super modern furniture and accessories. I would love to have this Seattle! For lunch, we had a great salad and pizza. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in the biggest grocery store we have ever seen in South America. It was huge even for the U.S.
As luck would have it, Arn met a fellow American on the elevator. And then as luck would have it again, I ran into them as they were getting off the elevator (I was headed up). The three of us stood and talked for a while. This guy is living and working in Santiago for 2-3 years. He has been here a little over a year. He and his wife were in Santiago for the quake. For those of you have have been in a quake, you'll appreciate this. He said the shaking was so violent that it would have been impossible to walk out of their condo without falling. They decided to stay in bed. He said many people were injured in the process of trying to leave their beds. He also said their offices in Santiago were completely destroyed --- roof collapsed into the building. He felt sure people would have been killed if it occured during the work day. They have rented suites in our hotel and set up their offices. He said they checked out the fire escape and wondered if the building is really safe. There are cracks 8 to 12 inches wide in the concrete inside the stairwells. They talked with the hotel manager and he assured them a structural engineer had signed off of the safety of the building. They were still concerned and hired their own structural engineer. This guy explained that the cracks are how the building absorbs the shock. Okay. I still have not checked out the stairwell -- maybe tomorrow or maybe the day we leave so I don't have to think about too long. I did tell you we are on the 35th floor?!
After the earthquake discussion, we moved onto restaurants. This guy gave us a great tip and we took it. We enjoyed the best Italian dinner of the entire trip. Arn had a stuffed pasta with seafood and cheese. Mine was pasta stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta and a black truffle sauce. It was sinful. I hope I can get outside for some cycling when we get home...I am going to have a lot of meals to pedal off! Tonight was probably the first night ever that it was too cool to sit outside for dinner in Santiago. This and the fact it is getting dark by 7pm are two clues that fall is here. In the mall, I noticed that all the stores are showing sweaters and boots. So, we are looking forward to a return to spring. While Seattle will be much colder, the days are growing warmer and longer. Well, at least longer. The snow levels are forecasted at 500 feet for Friday. Can you imagine if we fly home into snow in the hills?!?!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Concón (Mon 4/5)
We woke up to coastal fog, a still wrenched back and shoulder for Arn, and no internet. So, Arn will not be going for a run today. I am continuing to nurse my foot. We both agree --- I have become the herion addict that has not had a "fix" in quite a while. In other words, I am experiencing a serious withdrawl effect from the lack of endorphins. Given my foot issues, going for a run is not an option. Walking is not aerobic enough to produce the same "high". I am really missing a bike. I can't remember the last time I was off a bike this long. It certainly wasn't went I had a hysterectomy --- I was cycling on a trainer exactly two weeks after surgery. Arn can't remember the last time he didn't paddle a kayak for this long (probably before we started paddling). While I have been out of a kayak for longer than Arn, I don't miss it like he does. And, he isn't craving a bike ride like I am. He had been running.
After breakfast, the Internet returned. This is a very good thing as there is not much to do. Our Plan B is proving not to be such a good Plan B. We are thinking we should paid the fee and come home early. Or, we should have gone to Uraguay to check out the beaches. In a perfect world, the earthquake would not have happened and we would be at my favorite inn --mountain biking, running, swimming, eating and drinking. Oh well.
Our thoughts have defintely turned toward home and all that we are missing...time with friends, our bed, the hot tub, bikes, kayaks, etc. We are both feeling that we want to park ourselves in Seattle and never leave. Arn calculated that out of the last 9 months, we have only been home for 3. "Traveled out" is definitely the feeling.
We enjoyed a walk along the coastline. It felt a lot like a foggy day in Monterey or Carmel, CA. We found a place for lunch and both enjoyed great salmon. My salmon was described as coming with various vegtables including something called "dientes de dragón". This literally means dragon's teeth. While I asked, the waiter could not offer a different translation. They turned out to be bean sprouts. My Spanish food vocabulary continues to grow.
Our afternoon was spent reading, slinging some television from our DVR at home, and watching bad television locally. For dinner, we enjoyed a great dry-aged steak. It looked like something out of the Flintstones. We ordered grilled eggplant, tomatoes, and onions. For dessert, we tried something called "Toblerone". Yes, it was made from Toberlone chocolate, but is was something like a semifreddo, ganache, mousse, fudge thing. Tomorrow, we take out last bus ride --- back to Santiago. We are both hoping for a gym in the hotel. This girl needs an endorphin fix.
This afternoon, I started mapping out my bike rides for the weekend. I am thinking about riding the tulip fields north of Seattle. This month is the Tulip Festival. This, of course, assumes that 1) I can get my car battery reconnected, or 2) AAA can get it reconnected and 3) once connected, it actually starts. I created so much 'drama' in the disconnecting process that I had to call AAA and place two 'phone-a-friend' calls to our friend, Bret, for technical support. Luckily for both of us, Arn was in Ecuador and missed this whole evening of "fun". So, this is on my todo list for Friday afternoon.
After breakfast, the Internet returned. This is a very good thing as there is not much to do. Our Plan B is proving not to be such a good Plan B. We are thinking we should paid the fee and come home early. Or, we should have gone to Uraguay to check out the beaches. In a perfect world, the earthquake would not have happened and we would be at my favorite inn --mountain biking, running, swimming, eating and drinking. Oh well.
Our thoughts have defintely turned toward home and all that we are missing...time with friends, our bed, the hot tub, bikes, kayaks, etc. We are both feeling that we want to park ourselves in Seattle and never leave. Arn calculated that out of the last 9 months, we have only been home for 3. "Traveled out" is definitely the feeling.
We enjoyed a walk along the coastline. It felt a lot like a foggy day in Monterey or Carmel, CA. We found a place for lunch and both enjoyed great salmon. My salmon was described as coming with various vegtables including something called "dientes de dragón". This literally means dragon's teeth. While I asked, the waiter could not offer a different translation. They turned out to be bean sprouts. My Spanish food vocabulary continues to grow.
Our afternoon was spent reading, slinging some television from our DVR at home, and watching bad television locally. For dinner, we enjoyed a great dry-aged steak. It looked like something out of the Flintstones. We ordered grilled eggplant, tomatoes, and onions. For dessert, we tried something called "Toblerone". Yes, it was made from Toberlone chocolate, but is was something like a semifreddo, ganache, mousse, fudge thing. Tomorrow, we take out last bus ride --- back to Santiago. We are both hoping for a gym in the hotel. This girl needs an endorphin fix.
This afternoon, I started mapping out my bike rides for the weekend. I am thinking about riding the tulip fields north of Seattle. This month is the Tulip Festival. This, of course, assumes that 1) I can get my car battery reconnected, or 2) AAA can get it reconnected and 3) once connected, it actually starts. I created so much 'drama' in the disconnecting process that I had to call AAA and place two 'phone-a-friend' calls to our friend, Bret, for technical support. Luckily for both of us, Arn was in Ecuador and missed this whole evening of "fun". So, this is on my todo list for Friday afternoon.
Concón (Sun 4/4)
Well, the Chileans partied last night and we heard it all out the window. It was a long and fitfull night with car alarms, people laughing, and kids crying. Last night was also daylight savings time, so I guess people figured they had an extra hour to party. The Chilean government changed the date for the time change --- they delayed it several weeks because of the earthquake. I am not sure if or how that helped.
Arn went for a run. I decided to wait for the fitness center in our next hotel. This would turn out to be a bad decision for both of us.
Arn encountered a dog on his run. This dog followed him. Then, this dog met up with another dog. Arn turned to make sure he was not about to become dog meat. This was the moment his upper back and shoulder got wrenched. It was and is wrenched badly. He returned from his run in agony. I tried to massage it, but he had a knot over six inches long and one inch wide. That baby smacks of a keeper. He took a shower while I watched more bad television. I would have gone for a walk, but my left foot (yes, the one that required a cortisone injection) is giving me problems. While denial would be better, I am fearful of where this is headed. So, I held out for a fitness center with a bike.
We took a taxi about 13 miles north to Concon. Our next hotel is brand new and on the water. We arrived around noon, check in is not until three, and today is Easter. So, our room was not ready. We checked out the hotel. I am screwed on my desire for a nice fitness center. They are building a new fitness center. There are two bikes facing the wall in a dark corner in the bowls of the hotel. I might get that desperate tomorrow.
We walked into town looking for lunch and to check things out. We have been duped. While on-line we read good things about Concón, the reality is pretty disappointing. There is not a lot here other than a beautiful stretch of coastline, surfers, and an oil refinery. We did manage to find the one good restaurant in town. We both enjoyed fantastic pasta for lunch --- something stuffed with cheese and artichokes. Arn had a putanesca sauce that I could smell the anchovies in from across the table. I went with the tomato sauce (no surprise there). The restaurant is better known for their dry-aged beef. The waiter explained that they are the only restaurant in Chile to offer dry-aged beef. They have a few locations --- one in Concón and the others in Santiago. So, we booked a dinner reservation for tomorrow night.
After lunch, we were able to check into our room. It is a stunning view and perhaps the best of the trip. We are overlooking the ocean. It is a rocky coastline with crashing waves. It reminds both of us of Carmel. Our windows are close enough to the water that we could literally spit into the sea. With the windows open, it is quite spectacular in sight, sound and smell. Perched on the rocks, we can see several types of birds including black cormorants and pelicans the size of a tricycle. I am not pulling your leg --- their bills are at least a foot long and they stand as tall as my mid-thigh. While we saw lots of seals along the drive, I am glad we are not listening to them bark or smelling them. So far, I have not spotted them on the rocks in front of us. We had all the barking and putrid smells in Valpo that one needs for any trip.
The internet was out all day. So, I have watched a total of three movies --- 2 were Hugh Grant films. Clearly, it was not a highlight. Now, Mark Walberg or Christian Bale movies would be a different thing all together.
Given the Easter holiday and restaurant closures, we ate in the hotel. It was much better than expected and actually quite good. Arn had Mahi Mahi and I had a smoke salmon salad. Given that Arn had no relief from wrenched back and shoulder, we were ready for bed with the hope of recovery through sleep.
Arn went for a run. I decided to wait for the fitness center in our next hotel. This would turn out to be a bad decision for both of us.
Arn encountered a dog on his run. This dog followed him. Then, this dog met up with another dog. Arn turned to make sure he was not about to become dog meat. This was the moment his upper back and shoulder got wrenched. It was and is wrenched badly. He returned from his run in agony. I tried to massage it, but he had a knot over six inches long and one inch wide. That baby smacks of a keeper. He took a shower while I watched more bad television. I would have gone for a walk, but my left foot (yes, the one that required a cortisone injection) is giving me problems. While denial would be better, I am fearful of where this is headed. So, I held out for a fitness center with a bike.
We took a taxi about 13 miles north to Concon. Our next hotel is brand new and on the water. We arrived around noon, check in is not until three, and today is Easter. So, our room was not ready. We checked out the hotel. I am screwed on my desire for a nice fitness center. They are building a new fitness center. There are two bikes facing the wall in a dark corner in the bowls of the hotel. I might get that desperate tomorrow.
We walked into town looking for lunch and to check things out. We have been duped. While on-line we read good things about Concón, the reality is pretty disappointing. There is not a lot here other than a beautiful stretch of coastline, surfers, and an oil refinery. We did manage to find the one good restaurant in town. We both enjoyed fantastic pasta for lunch --- something stuffed with cheese and artichokes. Arn had a putanesca sauce that I could smell the anchovies in from across the table. I went with the tomato sauce (no surprise there). The restaurant is better known for their dry-aged beef. The waiter explained that they are the only restaurant in Chile to offer dry-aged beef. They have a few locations --- one in Concón and the others in Santiago. So, we booked a dinner reservation for tomorrow night.
After lunch, we were able to check into our room. It is a stunning view and perhaps the best of the trip. We are overlooking the ocean. It is a rocky coastline with crashing waves. It reminds both of us of Carmel. Our windows are close enough to the water that we could literally spit into the sea. With the windows open, it is quite spectacular in sight, sound and smell. Perched on the rocks, we can see several types of birds including black cormorants and pelicans the size of a tricycle. I am not pulling your leg --- their bills are at least a foot long and they stand as tall as my mid-thigh. While we saw lots of seals along the drive, I am glad we are not listening to them bark or smelling them. So far, I have not spotted them on the rocks in front of us. We had all the barking and putrid smells in Valpo that one needs for any trip.
The internet was out all day. So, I have watched a total of three movies --- 2 were Hugh Grant films. Clearly, it was not a highlight. Now, Mark Walberg or Christian Bale movies would be a different thing all together.
Given the Easter holiday and restaurant closures, we ate in the hotel. It was much better than expected and actually quite good. Arn had Mahi Mahi and I had a smoke salmon salad. Given that Arn had no relief from wrenched back and shoulder, we were ready for bed with the hope of recovery through sleep.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Viña Del Mar (Sat 4/3)
Well, we survived night 1 in our less than desirable hotel room. I have a bunch of bug bites to go with the experience. They must have itched a lot in the middle of the night because they were pretty raw and red this morning.
We had toast for breakfast and headed out for some exercise. Arn went for a run while I went for a walk. The morning temps were cool and very pleasant for running and walking. There were quite a few runners and walkers along the ocean this morning. There were also all the guys with their horse drawn carriages preparing for a day of tourist rides. It was like something out of Central Park in New York City times ten! Yesterday, we noticed that quite a few people actually seem to take a carriage ride. It is not for us. But then, we are the people who say, "a horse killed Superman". After our respective run/walk, we stopped at Starbucks. We both ogled the pastries in the case. It looked like home...chocolate chip muffins, raspberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and lemon cake. We left with a coffee for Arn and iced tea for me.
We found a place to drop off our laundry. It must be express service because of Easter. This is the fastest turn around time of the whole trip --- 2.5 hours. Yes, the place was more expensive, but it also probably the only place that is open near our hotel. We spent a couple of hours in the internet cafe waiting for our laundry. For lunch, I proposed Pizza Hut. We did a bit of the "El Camino" crawl and decided on Mexican food. The place was packed with Chileans. In the same way people in Argentina seemed obsessed with sushi, the people in Viña del Mar seem obsessed with Mexican food. It was actually pretty good and definitely better than Pizza Hut.
After lunch, we figured we would try another movie. On the way to the theatre, we walked a different street. We were stunned by the earthquake damage. Two high-rises were completely evacuated. In both cases, the buildings were between 10 and 12 stories. Windows were shattered throughout the buildings. In one case, rebar punched through the plaster. Both buildings had large cracks and slumps in the structures. Through the windows, it was clear that people had completely moved out. Signs were posted indicating that the buildings are inhabitable. They both appeared to have been built in the 1970s or early 80s. It is frightening to consider --- the distance from Vina del Mar to the epicenter is about the same as San Jose, CA to San Luis Obispo, CA. Luckily, the buildings are still standing and people made it out.
On a lighter note, we have noticed a big difference between Viña and Valpo. We think there is someone in Viña rounding up all the dogs and dropping them off in Valpo. The streets are clean here and we have seen way fewer stray dogs. Don´t get me wrong, we still see them, but in much fewer numbers. We have also noticed "fake dog poop" for sale along the beach. There are all kinds of stalls selling everything you can imagine --- hats, t-shirts, jewelry, and fake dog poop. We think there is some enterprising guy that drives to Valpo, carefully scoops the poop and sprays it with a special sealant. It is like the people in New Zealand that use the fur from dead possums to make houseslippers. They have a great marketing name --- "New Zealand Mink".
For dinner, we returned to the same place we ate last night. We had another good meal and another awesome wine from the Aconcagua Valley. We ordered tiramisu. We just need to wait until we are home and I make it.
P.S. Today's movie? Daybreakers. A story about vampires. Not bad and a very different twist on an old story.
P.S.S. I finished Jon Krakauer's book about the Pat Tillman story. If I had it to do over again, I think I might have read the book that Pat's mom wrote. Krakauer can't tell the story without lacing in his politically views. So, now I am reading, "Body Signs"....another medical book.
We had toast for breakfast and headed out for some exercise. Arn went for a run while I went for a walk. The morning temps were cool and very pleasant for running and walking. There were quite a few runners and walkers along the ocean this morning. There were also all the guys with their horse drawn carriages preparing for a day of tourist rides. It was like something out of Central Park in New York City times ten! Yesterday, we noticed that quite a few people actually seem to take a carriage ride. It is not for us. But then, we are the people who say, "a horse killed Superman". After our respective run/walk, we stopped at Starbucks. We both ogled the pastries in the case. It looked like home...chocolate chip muffins, raspberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and lemon cake. We left with a coffee for Arn and iced tea for me.
We found a place to drop off our laundry. It must be express service because of Easter. This is the fastest turn around time of the whole trip --- 2.5 hours. Yes, the place was more expensive, but it also probably the only place that is open near our hotel. We spent a couple of hours in the internet cafe waiting for our laundry. For lunch, I proposed Pizza Hut. We did a bit of the "El Camino" crawl and decided on Mexican food. The place was packed with Chileans. In the same way people in Argentina seemed obsessed with sushi, the people in Viña del Mar seem obsessed with Mexican food. It was actually pretty good and definitely better than Pizza Hut.
After lunch, we figured we would try another movie. On the way to the theatre, we walked a different street. We were stunned by the earthquake damage. Two high-rises were completely evacuated. In both cases, the buildings were between 10 and 12 stories. Windows were shattered throughout the buildings. In one case, rebar punched through the plaster. Both buildings had large cracks and slumps in the structures. Through the windows, it was clear that people had completely moved out. Signs were posted indicating that the buildings are inhabitable. They both appeared to have been built in the 1970s or early 80s. It is frightening to consider --- the distance from Vina del Mar to the epicenter is about the same as San Jose, CA to San Luis Obispo, CA. Luckily, the buildings are still standing and people made it out.
On a lighter note, we have noticed a big difference between Viña and Valpo. We think there is someone in Viña rounding up all the dogs and dropping them off in Valpo. The streets are clean here and we have seen way fewer stray dogs. Don´t get me wrong, we still see them, but in much fewer numbers. We have also noticed "fake dog poop" for sale along the beach. There are all kinds of stalls selling everything you can imagine --- hats, t-shirts, jewelry, and fake dog poop. We think there is some enterprising guy that drives to Valpo, carefully scoops the poop and sprays it with a special sealant. It is like the people in New Zealand that use the fur from dead possums to make houseslippers. They have a great marketing name --- "New Zealand Mink".
For dinner, we returned to the same place we ate last night. We had another good meal and another awesome wine from the Aconcagua Valley. We ordered tiramisu. We just need to wait until we are home and I make it.
P.S. Today's movie? Daybreakers. A story about vampires. Not bad and a very different twist on an old story.
P.S.S. I finished Jon Krakauer's book about the Pat Tillman story. If I had it to do over again, I think I might have read the book that Pat's mom wrote. Krakauer can't tell the story without lacing in his politically views. So, now I am reading, "Body Signs"....another medical book.
Viña Del Mar (Fri 4/2)
Stats:
- 2 people duped on a hotel...
- 2 non-beach people "beaching it"
- Too many to count ice cream extravaganzas
- 1 great dinner
Four nights in Valpo was enough to 1) see everything we were interested in seeing, and 2) get sick of the filth and dogs. So, we took a taxi about 7 miles north to Viña Del Mar. Viña is where the Chileans go when they want to go to the beach. We are not heat or beach people, but we wanted to check it out. Given that our plan A fell apart with the earthquake, we are making up a plan B. And, we had a first choice hotel in Viña, but we could only get a "smoking" room. So, we had to book into a different hotel. Let me tell you, photos can lie. Reviews on Trip Advisor can also lie. We checked into the worst hotel we have seen since we left the Carretera Austral. There is one significant difference. This is the first time we have had the "privilege" of paying $157 per night for both pink and black mold in the bathroom. Arn said something we the front desk about the contrast between the internet photos and the room. They said all the rooms look the same. Maybe they took photos of a different hotel? Anyway, they knocked $27 off the rate. It is still crazy for where we are staying.
We left our stuff and took to the streets to walk around. We walked along the beach with the thousands of people that have left Santiago and come to the beach for Easter. The temperatures are actually nice --- 70s and sunny. We left the beach and headed to the mall. There was a movie theatre in the mall. We decided to have lunch in the food court and catch a movie. It was McDonalds for lunch and "Lovely Bones" in the theatre. Did you know you cannot get a hamburger without cheese in these parts? Arn asked for a cheeseburger (for me) without the cheese. She looked puzzled. I had a kids cheeseburger --- with the cheese. The movie was very well done and we both recommend it. I had read the book, but Peter Jackson did a better job with the movie than the author did with the book. I rarely say that, but this time I think it applies.
After the movie, we walked around looking for a laundry place for tomorrow. Given the holiday, most things are closed today and will be closed for the weekend. During our stroll, we decided to get ice cream. We found the same ice cream chain that exists in Santiago. It was packed. It was toe to toe and nose to nose. They have a good system. You pay for your ice cream first. You are given a number. When they call your number, you order what you want. So, we had time to watch a lot of ice cream go by. They also have a cafe where people sit and order ice cream. I saw something I had never ever seen before. A woman built an ice cream sundae in a bowl large enough to hold a ten pound sleeping cat! I kid you not --- she scooped in at least 12 scoops of ice cream and the ice cream did not even reach the top edge of the clear glass bowl. It was an insane amount of ice cream! As we walked through the cafe, we laughed --- we only hope some of the ice cream consumed was a meal replacement strategy because huge sundaes abounded on the tables everywhere. Arn had a cone with two flavors --- raspberry and dulce de leche with chocolate chips. I had a single flavor cone with mousse chocolate. The cones were SO huge they served them upside in a plastic bowl.
We enjoyed the ice cream and the walk to our moldy room. We watched most of the movie "Titanic" before heading out for dinner. We had a great meal --- smoked salmon and a steak to share. The restaurant reviews in Viña are not great. So, we made a reservation for the same place tomorrow night. Tonight, we tried a wine from the Aconcagua Valley. It was a fantastic Camenere.
- 2 people duped on a hotel...
- 2 non-beach people "beaching it"
- Too many to count ice cream extravaganzas
- 1 great dinner
Four nights in Valpo was enough to 1) see everything we were interested in seeing, and 2) get sick of the filth and dogs. So, we took a taxi about 7 miles north to Viña Del Mar. Viña is where the Chileans go when they want to go to the beach. We are not heat or beach people, but we wanted to check it out. Given that our plan A fell apart with the earthquake, we are making up a plan B. And, we had a first choice hotel in Viña, but we could only get a "smoking" room. So, we had to book into a different hotel. Let me tell you, photos can lie. Reviews on Trip Advisor can also lie. We checked into the worst hotel we have seen since we left the Carretera Austral. There is one significant difference. This is the first time we have had the "privilege" of paying $157 per night for both pink and black mold in the bathroom. Arn said something we the front desk about the contrast between the internet photos and the room. They said all the rooms look the same. Maybe they took photos of a different hotel? Anyway, they knocked $27 off the rate. It is still crazy for where we are staying.
We left our stuff and took to the streets to walk around. We walked along the beach with the thousands of people that have left Santiago and come to the beach for Easter. The temperatures are actually nice --- 70s and sunny. We left the beach and headed to the mall. There was a movie theatre in the mall. We decided to have lunch in the food court and catch a movie. It was McDonalds for lunch and "Lovely Bones" in the theatre. Did you know you cannot get a hamburger without cheese in these parts? Arn asked for a cheeseburger (for me) without the cheese. She looked puzzled. I had a kids cheeseburger --- with the cheese. The movie was very well done and we both recommend it. I had read the book, but Peter Jackson did a better job with the movie than the author did with the book. I rarely say that, but this time I think it applies.
After the movie, we walked around looking for a laundry place for tomorrow. Given the holiday, most things are closed today and will be closed for the weekend. During our stroll, we decided to get ice cream. We found the same ice cream chain that exists in Santiago. It was packed. It was toe to toe and nose to nose. They have a good system. You pay for your ice cream first. You are given a number. When they call your number, you order what you want. So, we had time to watch a lot of ice cream go by. They also have a cafe where people sit and order ice cream. I saw something I had never ever seen before. A woman built an ice cream sundae in a bowl large enough to hold a ten pound sleeping cat! I kid you not --- she scooped in at least 12 scoops of ice cream and the ice cream did not even reach the top edge of the clear glass bowl. It was an insane amount of ice cream! As we walked through the cafe, we laughed --- we only hope some of the ice cream consumed was a meal replacement strategy because huge sundaes abounded on the tables everywhere. Arn had a cone with two flavors --- raspberry and dulce de leche with chocolate chips. I had a single flavor cone with mousse chocolate. The cones were SO huge they served them upside in a plastic bowl.
We enjoyed the ice cream and the walk to our moldy room. We watched most of the movie "Titanic" before heading out for dinner. We had a great meal --- smoked salmon and a steak to share. The restaurant reviews in Viña are not great. So, we made a reservation for the same place tomorrow night. Tonight, we tried a wine from the Aconcagua Valley. It was a fantastic Camenere.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Casablanca Wine Valley (Thurs 4/1)
Today we did a tour through the Casablanca wine valley. It is about 40 minutes from Valpo and probably 45 minutes from Santiago. It sits in between the two places. It is a relatively new grape growing region as they got started in 1985. They grow mainly Savignon Blanc, Chardonay, and Pinot Noir. Our tour guide is a Brit that fell for a Chilean girl while here on a study abroad program. Now married with two kids, he is giving wine tours in the summer and ski tours in the winter. We were joined by another couple of England for the tour.
Here is the tour in a nutshell --- great tours as everything was in full swing with the harvest, crushing, bottling and packaging. We visited three wineries and one included a fantastic lunch (this chef knew how to cook the meat perfectly). The wines? Not interesting, so I won't bother with names. We love the great value Veramonte Chardonnay that comes from this region. For us, the best Chilean wine still come from Colchagua Valley.
We enjoyed a good seafood dinner overlooking the lights of Valpo. Arn had seared tuna. I had congrio (eel) wrapped in phyllo. Both were excellent.
Tomorrow, we change hotels and move about six miles north to Vina del Mar. It is where the Chileans go when they want to go to the beach. Given the holiday weekend, it is going to be crazy. We couldn't extend our stay in Valpo as our hotel is full. This is okay as three days was enough in Valpo. Our first choice place in Vina was full. So, we had go with something further down on the list. It was well reviewed on Trip Advisor, but we passed it in the van today --- it didn't look that interesting. Oh well. We move again on Sunday. We now have all of our hotels booked until we return home. Two nights in Vina, two nights a few miles further north on the beach, and then two nights in Santiago in a area we have not stayed before. I think our A Plan in the Colchagua Valley would have been a better finish to the trip, but the earthquake literally knocked out that plan. I must tell you, we are both ready to be home. We are missing our own bed, not having to ration socks and underwear, our hot tub, and a place to just hang out. I am seriously in bike withdrawl.
Here is the tour in a nutshell --- great tours as everything was in full swing with the harvest, crushing, bottling and packaging. We visited three wineries and one included a fantastic lunch (this chef knew how to cook the meat perfectly). The wines? Not interesting, so I won't bother with names. We love the great value Veramonte Chardonnay that comes from this region. For us, the best Chilean wine still come from Colchagua Valley.
We enjoyed a good seafood dinner overlooking the lights of Valpo. Arn had seared tuna. I had congrio (eel) wrapped in phyllo. Both were excellent.
Tomorrow, we change hotels and move about six miles north to Vina del Mar. It is where the Chileans go when they want to go to the beach. Given the holiday weekend, it is going to be crazy. We couldn't extend our stay in Valpo as our hotel is full. This is okay as three days was enough in Valpo. Our first choice place in Vina was full. So, we had go with something further down on the list. It was well reviewed on Trip Advisor, but we passed it in the van today --- it didn't look that interesting. Oh well. We move again on Sunday. We now have all of our hotels booked until we return home. Two nights in Vina, two nights a few miles further north on the beach, and then two nights in Santiago in a area we have not stayed before. I think our A Plan in the Colchagua Valley would have been a better finish to the trip, but the earthquake literally knocked out that plan. I must tell you, we are both ready to be home. We are missing our own bed, not having to ration socks and underwear, our hot tub, and a place to just hang out. I am seriously in bike withdrawl.
Another Day in Valpo (Wed 3/31)
Stats:
- 2 funicular rides
- 1 lost sock
- miles of walking tours
- 1 scary lunch
- best pizza for dinner
- tomatoes for dessert!
Today was another day of walking tours. We started by taking the funicular downhill to the center of downtown. This particular funicular was built over 100 years ago. They tested it after the big earthquake last month --- they loaded people in it and gave it a spin to make sure no one important was hurt. Okay, I am joking, but I am probably right. There was a funicular taken out of use after the 1985 earthquake in Valpo. I guess if it gets knocked off the foundation and they can't fix it, then it goes out of operation. These funiculars are both helpful and terrifying. They are steep and rickety. Once downtown, we dropped off our laundry. Arn had a great packing strategy. He brought all the same type of socks plus one spare sock, figuring one would get lost along the way and then he would still have matched pairs. Well, two socks have now been lost, so he is down a pair. And, he has been missing his cotton t-shirt for weeks. Enough about clothes or I am going to start talking about how I tired I am of my one pair of pants and how sick of clothes rationing we both are.
Back to the walking tours --- we started in the financial district. We went inside the Bank of London building that is now the Bank of Santiago. The stainglass domes and marble work were awesome. We then walked into the stock exchange building --- the oldest in Latin America. The trading pit stands as it was once; however, there are no traders jumping and screaming like at the Chicago Board of Trade. In fact, they had placed flat panel computer screens to follow the on-line activity. The security guard was very friendly and invited us in to see everything. He is the first person to quiz us about being married and not wearing wedding rings (for safety reasons, we left out rings at home).
Our tour then headed to the square of justice. We saw the oldest firehouse in Chile. Given the long history of earthquakes in Valpo, many countries have donated fire trucks to Valpo. They keep each set of trucks separate and maintain the "feel" of each donor country in the station that holds those trucks. We saw the American trucks and the German trucks. Really, their trucks look nothing like ours. While the fire station seemed untouched by the quake, many of the other buildings in the square had lots of busted plaster, chucks of walls and roofs were missing, and there were cracks and separations in buildings. We walked up a steep flight of stairs to enter another neighborhood. We walled along promenades over looking the city and strolled past cafes and restaurants. The problem remains --- Valpo is filthy. The dog shit is everywhere. There is trash everywhere. And , there is graffiti everywhere --- some of it is art that someone did on purpose and it looks great. Some of it is the work of derelicts that just wanted to tag someone's house with their name and date. It is both a super cool city and disgustingly filthy looking and smelling place.
As part of our walking tour, we tried to visit the old cemetaries. We were able to get into the immigrant cemetary. There were people buried that came from Europe and the U.S. The most common was Europe. The other two cemetaries were closed and blocked off because the earthquake damaged the entry way stone arches. Anyway, the cemetary of the city's well-to-do did not survive the quake as well.
We took the funicular downhill and found a place for lunch. It was a dive recommended in our book. We ordered the Chilean classic dish for lunch --- "chorillana." Here is how you can recreate this delicacy at home. First, start with a platter large enough to hold a roasted chicken (this is a dish for three people). Fill the platter with as many french fries as it will hold. Really, pile those fries high. Dice up a cooked steak and scatter the meat on the top. Now, chop and fry two onions. Yep, add those to the pile. Fry an egg and place on top of the heap. Last, melt some cheese over everything --- it is the glue that keeps it together. It is not as bad as it sounds, but it is a coronary on a plate for sure.
We hung out in an interent cafe for a couple of hours. We were the only two people not on Facebook. It is all the craze with the younger people in Chile --- same as at home. We rode the funicular back up hill to our neighborhood.
For dinner, we tried a pizza place. It was the best pizza of the trip. It did not satisfy our cravings for our favorite pizzas in Seattle, but it was good. We watched a plate of bruchetta being served to another table. It was amazing looking. The pizza was fairly small and very thin. So, Arn asked how I felt about bruchetta for dessert. Are you kidding? Tomatoes for dessert? Of course! The waiter said it was strange, but agreed bruchetta beats panna cota. The tomatoes were absolutely awesome and it was the best bruchetta ever!
- 2 funicular rides
- 1 lost sock
- miles of walking tours
- 1 scary lunch
- best pizza for dinner
- tomatoes for dessert!
Today was another day of walking tours. We started by taking the funicular downhill to the center of downtown. This particular funicular was built over 100 years ago. They tested it after the big earthquake last month --- they loaded people in it and gave it a spin to make sure no one important was hurt. Okay, I am joking, but I am probably right. There was a funicular taken out of use after the 1985 earthquake in Valpo. I guess if it gets knocked off the foundation and they can't fix it, then it goes out of operation. These funiculars are both helpful and terrifying. They are steep and rickety. Once downtown, we dropped off our laundry. Arn had a great packing strategy. He brought all the same type of socks plus one spare sock, figuring one would get lost along the way and then he would still have matched pairs. Well, two socks have now been lost, so he is down a pair. And, he has been missing his cotton t-shirt for weeks. Enough about clothes or I am going to start talking about how I tired I am of my one pair of pants and how sick of clothes rationing we both are.
Back to the walking tours --- we started in the financial district. We went inside the Bank of London building that is now the Bank of Santiago. The stainglass domes and marble work were awesome. We then walked into the stock exchange building --- the oldest in Latin America. The trading pit stands as it was once; however, there are no traders jumping and screaming like at the Chicago Board of Trade. In fact, they had placed flat panel computer screens to follow the on-line activity. The security guard was very friendly and invited us in to see everything. He is the first person to quiz us about being married and not wearing wedding rings (for safety reasons, we left out rings at home).
Our tour then headed to the square of justice. We saw the oldest firehouse in Chile. Given the long history of earthquakes in Valpo, many countries have donated fire trucks to Valpo. They keep each set of trucks separate and maintain the "feel" of each donor country in the station that holds those trucks. We saw the American trucks and the German trucks. Really, their trucks look nothing like ours. While the fire station seemed untouched by the quake, many of the other buildings in the square had lots of busted plaster, chucks of walls and roofs were missing, and there were cracks and separations in buildings. We walked up a steep flight of stairs to enter another neighborhood. We walled along promenades over looking the city and strolled past cafes and restaurants. The problem remains --- Valpo is filthy. The dog shit is everywhere. There is trash everywhere. And , there is graffiti everywhere --- some of it is art that someone did on purpose and it looks great. Some of it is the work of derelicts that just wanted to tag someone's house with their name and date. It is both a super cool city and disgustingly filthy looking and smelling place.
As part of our walking tour, we tried to visit the old cemetaries. We were able to get into the immigrant cemetary. There were people buried that came from Europe and the U.S. The most common was Europe. The other two cemetaries were closed and blocked off because the earthquake damaged the entry way stone arches. Anyway, the cemetary of the city's well-to-do did not survive the quake as well.
We took the funicular downhill and found a place for lunch. It was a dive recommended in our book. We ordered the Chilean classic dish for lunch --- "chorillana." Here is how you can recreate this delicacy at home. First, start with a platter large enough to hold a roasted chicken (this is a dish for three people). Fill the platter with as many french fries as it will hold. Really, pile those fries high. Dice up a cooked steak and scatter the meat on the top. Now, chop and fry two onions. Yep, add those to the pile. Fry an egg and place on top of the heap. Last, melt some cheese over everything --- it is the glue that keeps it together. It is not as bad as it sounds, but it is a coronary on a plate for sure.
We hung out in an interent cafe for a couple of hours. We were the only two people not on Facebook. It is all the craze with the younger people in Chile --- same as at home. We rode the funicular back up hill to our neighborhood.
For dinner, we tried a pizza place. It was the best pizza of the trip. It did not satisfy our cravings for our favorite pizzas in Seattle, but it was good. We watched a plate of bruchetta being served to another table. It was amazing looking. The pizza was fairly small and very thin. So, Arn asked how I felt about bruchetta for dessert. Are you kidding? Tomatoes for dessert? Of course! The waiter said it was strange, but agreed bruchetta beats panna cota. The tomatoes were absolutely awesome and it was the best bruchetta ever!
Walking the Streets of Valparaiso (Tues 3/30)
Stats:
- hours of walking tours
- lots of earthquake damage
- 1 town that has gone to the dogs
- 1 megastore
-1 cafeteria style lunch
- best pasta of the trip
- best dessert of the trip
We have read that the best way to see Valparaiso, Chile is by walking the streets. Arn had researched a book with over 20 miles of walking tours. So, our plan for the day was simple. Find the book, buy the book, and walk. With a street map in hand, we headed out.
Valparaiso is north of Santiago and located on the coast. It is the largest shipping port in Chile (90% of all port activity occurs through Valpo). Parts of the town were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003. Close to the water, the city is flat. In just a few blocks, it heads steeply uphill. There are in excess of 40 distinct hills. So, while you might climb up to one neighborhood, it is down and back up to get to the next area of the city. There are over a few hundred thousand people living in Valpo. If you have been to San Francisco, then you think it is probably a hilly city. By Valpo standards, San Francisco is flat! It is crazy steep. If you have been to Venice, you are familar with back alleys and narrow passages to get through the city. Well, this is like that, but vertical. The passages are crazy flights of stairs that climb 50 to 300 feet.
After a lot of up and down, we found a book store with the walking tours. Of course, the store did not open until 1pm, so we did some exploring "unguided". We took an audiotour of Neruda´s house in Valpo. Who was Neruda? Yeah, if you know, then you were not busy studying thermodynamics or linear programming like I was in school. He was a poet --- "probably the most read poet since Shakespeare". Who knew? Not me, I was too busy with math and engineering. His house was perched in the hills with commanding views of the city and ocean. His favorite chair was called the "cloud" and he kept a wooden trunk stocked with whiskey for his parties. Eventually, we picked up our guide book and continued our exploration.
Valpo is a crazy place. On the same street, there are beautiful houses. They are painted in bright shades of yellow, purple, green, blue, orange, pink, and red. Often, there is beautiful iron work on the windows, doors and fences -- painted white or black or a complimentary color to the house. Then, right next door, there is a dump....corrigated metal shack, peeling paint, broken doors, etc. The juxtiposition is crazy. In places, the city is stunning and next door it looks like a slum on the hill. Now, the city does not belong to the people. Valpo has gone to the dogs! Yes, packs and packs of stray dogs. How does one experience this? It goes like this --- "watch your step, watch your step". There is dog shit everywhere. It smells like dog shit everywhere. I really like Chile, but they need to clean this shit up. It is crazy. The dogs bark, howl and run throught the streets. It is a common sight --- laying in front of the pharmacy, 8 dogs asleep. In front of the mini-market, 6 dogs asleep. Two boxes in front of the produce stand? One dog sleeping in each box! It is nuts. The sidewalks and streets are filthy with dog excrement. Did I mention the smell? Seriously, there is more room to walk in a cat´s litter box that hasn´t been changed in a week! While you can hear the dogs during the day, the howling and barking takes on a whole new level of aggravation at night while you are trying to sleep. Last night, we turned on a fan to cool the room. I told Arn that fan will run all night, every night --- no matter the temperature. It creates white noise and you can´t hear the dogs.
During our exploration, we found the center market for fruits and vegtables. Here are a few prices for you. Over two pounds of awesome tomatoes -- 40 cents. A shoe box of strawberries -- 2 bucks. The produce market was one place without dogs. Why? Because the cats have taken over! At least there was no dog or cat shit! And, the cats don´t run in crazy packs growling and howling. We found one black kitty that reminded us a lot of Bean. It was both good and bad. It was probably the first black tabby like Bean. This kitty had the same markings in her head.
For lunch we headed to what we thought was a mall. It turned out to be a super store --- something like Target ot Walmart with something like Home Depot downstairs. We ate lunch in the cafeteria. We both had a salad and shared an order of fries. If you could have seen the meat, you would have agreed with this strategy. I have not seen that many people eating jello in the same place ever. But, I have not seen that many different varieties of jello desserts in the same place either.
Now, about the earthquake, we saw more damage today than we would have anticpated or expected. We saw broken windows, buckled sides of buildings, places where the sidewalk buckled and collapsed, collapsed roofs, and lots of cracks and busted plaster. It was not on every building, but there was a fair amount of it. Many things were taped off as dangerous and we found lots of piles of debris (bricks and busted plaster).
For dinner, we enjoyed the best pasta of the trip. Arn had gnocchi with blue cheese, walnuts, mushrooms and white wine. I had pumpkin ravioli with fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese. We shared a chocolate brownie with a chocolate and cherry sauce and Dulce de leche ice cream for dessert. It was the best dessert of the trip. They actually pulled the brownie out of the oven on time --- leaving it gooey in the middle. They tend to over bake everything but the bread. We had a great Chilean wine and it was a great evening out. The only bummer --- oh come on, are you paying attention? The bummer was the dog shit dodge on the way back to our room and the ever present howling of at least a dozen dogs. Oh, and let's not forget the smell.
- hours of walking tours
- lots of earthquake damage
- 1 town that has gone to the dogs
- 1 megastore
-1 cafeteria style lunch
- best pasta of the trip
- best dessert of the trip
We have read that the best way to see Valparaiso, Chile is by walking the streets. Arn had researched a book with over 20 miles of walking tours. So, our plan for the day was simple. Find the book, buy the book, and walk. With a street map in hand, we headed out.
Valparaiso is north of Santiago and located on the coast. It is the largest shipping port in Chile (90% of all port activity occurs through Valpo). Parts of the town were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003. Close to the water, the city is flat. In just a few blocks, it heads steeply uphill. There are in excess of 40 distinct hills. So, while you might climb up to one neighborhood, it is down and back up to get to the next area of the city. There are over a few hundred thousand people living in Valpo. If you have been to San Francisco, then you think it is probably a hilly city. By Valpo standards, San Francisco is flat! It is crazy steep. If you have been to Venice, you are familar with back alleys and narrow passages to get through the city. Well, this is like that, but vertical. The passages are crazy flights of stairs that climb 50 to 300 feet.
After a lot of up and down, we found a book store with the walking tours. Of course, the store did not open until 1pm, so we did some exploring "unguided". We took an audiotour of Neruda´s house in Valpo. Who was Neruda? Yeah, if you know, then you were not busy studying thermodynamics or linear programming like I was in school. He was a poet --- "probably the most read poet since Shakespeare". Who knew? Not me, I was too busy with math and engineering. His house was perched in the hills with commanding views of the city and ocean. His favorite chair was called the "cloud" and he kept a wooden trunk stocked with whiskey for his parties. Eventually, we picked up our guide book and continued our exploration.
Valpo is a crazy place. On the same street, there are beautiful houses. They are painted in bright shades of yellow, purple, green, blue, orange, pink, and red. Often, there is beautiful iron work on the windows, doors and fences -- painted white or black or a complimentary color to the house. Then, right next door, there is a dump....corrigated metal shack, peeling paint, broken doors, etc. The juxtiposition is crazy. In places, the city is stunning and next door it looks like a slum on the hill. Now, the city does not belong to the people. Valpo has gone to the dogs! Yes, packs and packs of stray dogs. How does one experience this? It goes like this --- "watch your step, watch your step". There is dog shit everywhere. It smells like dog shit everywhere. I really like Chile, but they need to clean this shit up. It is crazy. The dogs bark, howl and run throught the streets. It is a common sight --- laying in front of the pharmacy, 8 dogs asleep. In front of the mini-market, 6 dogs asleep. Two boxes in front of the produce stand? One dog sleeping in each box! It is nuts. The sidewalks and streets are filthy with dog excrement. Did I mention the smell? Seriously, there is more room to walk in a cat´s litter box that hasn´t been changed in a week! While you can hear the dogs during the day, the howling and barking takes on a whole new level of aggravation at night while you are trying to sleep. Last night, we turned on a fan to cool the room. I told Arn that fan will run all night, every night --- no matter the temperature. It creates white noise and you can´t hear the dogs.
During our exploration, we found the center market for fruits and vegtables. Here are a few prices for you. Over two pounds of awesome tomatoes -- 40 cents. A shoe box of strawberries -- 2 bucks. The produce market was one place without dogs. Why? Because the cats have taken over! At least there was no dog or cat shit! And, the cats don´t run in crazy packs growling and howling. We found one black kitty that reminded us a lot of Bean. It was both good and bad. It was probably the first black tabby like Bean. This kitty had the same markings in her head.
For lunch we headed to what we thought was a mall. It turned out to be a super store --- something like Target ot Walmart with something like Home Depot downstairs. We ate lunch in the cafeteria. We both had a salad and shared an order of fries. If you could have seen the meat, you would have agreed with this strategy. I have not seen that many people eating jello in the same place ever. But, I have not seen that many different varieties of jello desserts in the same place either.
Now, about the earthquake, we saw more damage today than we would have anticpated or expected. We saw broken windows, buckled sides of buildings, places where the sidewalk buckled and collapsed, collapsed roofs, and lots of cracks and busted plaster. It was not on every building, but there was a fair amount of it. Many things were taped off as dangerous and we found lots of piles of debris (bricks and busted plaster).
For dinner, we enjoyed the best pasta of the trip. Arn had gnocchi with blue cheese, walnuts, mushrooms and white wine. I had pumpkin ravioli with fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese. We shared a chocolate brownie with a chocolate and cherry sauce and Dulce de leche ice cream for dessert. It was the best dessert of the trip. They actually pulled the brownie out of the oven on time --- leaving it gooey in the middle. They tend to over bake everything but the bread. We had a great Chilean wine and it was a great evening out. The only bummer --- oh come on, are you paying attention? The bummer was the dog shit dodge on the way back to our room and the ever present howling of at least a dozen dogs. Oh, and let's not forget the smell.
On The Road Again (Mon 3/29)
Stats:
- 1 long bus ride
- 1 view of Acongaua
- highest border crossing ever (for us)
Today was all about the bus. From Mendoza, we headed south before turning west. Once westbound, the landscape grew increasing desolate and yet more dramatic. The bus drove into the Andes. The mountains were extremely steep, jagged, and rocky. The largest plants were tufts of dried grass about ten inches high and a few cactus of the same stature. It was barren. The roughness of the terrain looked like the glaciers left only yesterday or that the mountains were pushed up just last night. The road followed the Mendoza River. Of course, we scouted rapids from the bus. A few days ago, we talked to a rafting company about kayaking the river. Once someone told us it was a 30 minute run, we decided it was too much overhead (van time) for such a short run. Now, having looked the river over, we confirmed that it was a good decision to not paddle. The rapids were not that interesting. Plus, to be honest, I wasn't fully sold on paddling 47 degree water in someone else's gear and no nose plugs. Our bus was a double decker and our seats were upstairs (yes, you have assigned seats like on a plane). We sat so high above the road that one could get a bit of vertigo looking down the steep drop offs.
Near the summit of the pass, we had our one view of Aconcagua. It tops out at almost 23,000 feet and is now the highest peak either of us has ever seen. Knowing the border crossing was ahead, I decided to use the bathroom on the bus. The light in the bathroom is through a window. Well, part way through my "business", the bus entered the seven kn tunnel. Lights? What lights? Now, there were lots of handrails getting through the bus and down the stairs to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, nada. I mean zip, zero, nada handrails. So, here I am hanging onto the door knob, peeing, in the dark as the bus drives through the tunnel. I managed to finish the job and wash my hands in the dark. I felt my way out of the bathroom to the handrails up the stairs. Once upstairs, I took an open seat and waited for the bus to exit the tunnel before working my way back to where our seats were.
The pass topped out at roughly 10,000 feet. To cross the border, the bus was in line with a sea of trucks. It was a bit freaky to be sitting up higher than a semi-tractor trailor truck! Between road construction and border delays, it took nearly two hours to cross. We wondered, was this factored into the seven hour estimate? I will answer that now --- no.
Once through the border check, the road turned downhill. It was a white knuckle road with 28 switchbacks. We dropped 2000 feet in the first 9 "curvas". They actual had signs posted numbering the curves. This was a very popular ski area with the Chileans. The road made several turns underneath the ski lift! Maybe this gives you a better idea of the steepness of the landscape. It was wild watching a line up of trucks and buses driving super short and tight switchbacks down a black diamond run. The road dropped down to what I can only describe as a hanging valley. The far side of the valley was a steep drop and we couldn't see the road. Once the bus reached the end of the valley, we looked down what appeared to be more of a cliff that a place to put a road. Still, the road was a set of tightly stacked turns down the cliff. Do you remeber the game Mousetrap? This looked more like a ramp for rolling marbles downhill that driving huge semi-trucks and double deck buses. On one side of the "drop", there was a small creek. It was so steep that the creek was entirely white water! Eventually, we were down the pass and into the Aconcagua Valley. It is a wine and fruit growing region in Chile. As the bus rolled into Vina del Mar, we began to see signs of the earthquake. In several buildings, windows were broken and covered with plastic. Others were wrapped in plastic police-type tape reading, "Peligro" --- danger. A few buildings lost sections of the roof. After leaving Vina del Mar, the bus headed 6 miles down the road to Valparaiso. Along the water, we passed a few old warehouses that collapsed during the quake. Once off the bus, we found a taxi to take us to our hotel. The driver seemed very surprised to see two Americans. He said all the tourists left the day after the earthquake and they have not returned. His question was, "Tiene miedo?" In other words: are you afraid? We explained that we lived in San Francisco for many years and lived through a big earthquake. Secretly, I think he thought we were a bit crazy. Valparaiso is a long way from the epicenter of the quake (several hundred miles).
Our hotel is a small inn and the rooms are mini-apartment lofts. The woman that checked us in made us pisco sours before we left to have dinner. She is a lawyer and studied at Northwestern for her last semester. She couldn't imagine growing up in the cold Chicago winters. She is from Santiago. In Chile, lawyers are required to do six months of pro-bono work before they begin their law career. She is in Valpo doing her six month stint. She said she slept through the quake, but when she turned up at the inn all the guests were in a panic. Everyone checked out that day and headed to Santiago. Let me see if I have this right --- the morning after an 8.8 quake they got in cars and buses to drive over roads in unknown conditions to reach a location closer to the epicenter. Hmm...now might not be a good time to admit what I did after the 7.2 in San Francisco.
Our dinner was close by and we both had fish. It was okay. The best restaurants are all closed on Monday night. Figures.
- 1 long bus ride
- 1 view of Acongaua
- highest border crossing ever (for us)
Today was all about the bus. From Mendoza, we headed south before turning west. Once westbound, the landscape grew increasing desolate and yet more dramatic. The bus drove into the Andes. The mountains were extremely steep, jagged, and rocky. The largest plants were tufts of dried grass about ten inches high and a few cactus of the same stature. It was barren. The roughness of the terrain looked like the glaciers left only yesterday or that the mountains were pushed up just last night. The road followed the Mendoza River. Of course, we scouted rapids from the bus. A few days ago, we talked to a rafting company about kayaking the river. Once someone told us it was a 30 minute run, we decided it was too much overhead (van time) for such a short run. Now, having looked the river over, we confirmed that it was a good decision to not paddle. The rapids were not that interesting. Plus, to be honest, I wasn't fully sold on paddling 47 degree water in someone else's gear and no nose plugs. Our bus was a double decker and our seats were upstairs (yes, you have assigned seats like on a plane). We sat so high above the road that one could get a bit of vertigo looking down the steep drop offs.
Near the summit of the pass, we had our one view of Aconcagua. It tops out at almost 23,000 feet and is now the highest peak either of us has ever seen. Knowing the border crossing was ahead, I decided to use the bathroom on the bus. The light in the bathroom is through a window. Well, part way through my "business", the bus entered the seven kn tunnel. Lights? What lights? Now, there were lots of handrails getting through the bus and down the stairs to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, nada. I mean zip, zero, nada handrails. So, here I am hanging onto the door knob, peeing, in the dark as the bus drives through the tunnel. I managed to finish the job and wash my hands in the dark. I felt my way out of the bathroom to the handrails up the stairs. Once upstairs, I took an open seat and waited for the bus to exit the tunnel before working my way back to where our seats were.
The pass topped out at roughly 10,000 feet. To cross the border, the bus was in line with a sea of trucks. It was a bit freaky to be sitting up higher than a semi-tractor trailor truck! Between road construction and border delays, it took nearly two hours to cross. We wondered, was this factored into the seven hour estimate? I will answer that now --- no.
Once through the border check, the road turned downhill. It was a white knuckle road with 28 switchbacks. We dropped 2000 feet in the first 9 "curvas". They actual had signs posted numbering the curves. This was a very popular ski area with the Chileans. The road made several turns underneath the ski lift! Maybe this gives you a better idea of the steepness of the landscape. It was wild watching a line up of trucks and buses driving super short and tight switchbacks down a black diamond run. The road dropped down to what I can only describe as a hanging valley. The far side of the valley was a steep drop and we couldn't see the road. Once the bus reached the end of the valley, we looked down what appeared to be more of a cliff that a place to put a road. Still, the road was a set of tightly stacked turns down the cliff. Do you remeber the game Mousetrap? This looked more like a ramp for rolling marbles downhill that driving huge semi-trucks and double deck buses. On one side of the "drop", there was a small creek. It was so steep that the creek was entirely white water! Eventually, we were down the pass and into the Aconcagua Valley. It is a wine and fruit growing region in Chile. As the bus rolled into Vina del Mar, we began to see signs of the earthquake. In several buildings, windows were broken and covered with plastic. Others were wrapped in plastic police-type tape reading, "Peligro" --- danger. A few buildings lost sections of the roof. After leaving Vina del Mar, the bus headed 6 miles down the road to Valparaiso. Along the water, we passed a few old warehouses that collapsed during the quake. Once off the bus, we found a taxi to take us to our hotel. The driver seemed very surprised to see two Americans. He said all the tourists left the day after the earthquake and they have not returned. His question was, "Tiene miedo?" In other words: are you afraid? We explained that we lived in San Francisco for many years and lived through a big earthquake. Secretly, I think he thought we were a bit crazy. Valparaiso is a long way from the epicenter of the quake (several hundred miles).
Our hotel is a small inn and the rooms are mini-apartment lofts. The woman that checked us in made us pisco sours before we left to have dinner. She is a lawyer and studied at Northwestern for her last semester. She couldn't imagine growing up in the cold Chicago winters. She is from Santiago. In Chile, lawyers are required to do six months of pro-bono work before they begin their law career. She is in Valpo doing her six month stint. She said she slept through the quake, but when she turned up at the inn all the guests were in a panic. Everyone checked out that day and headed to Santiago. Let me see if I have this right --- the morning after an 8.8 quake they got in cars and buses to drive over roads in unknown conditions to reach a location closer to the epicenter. Hmm...now might not be a good time to admit what I did after the 7.2 in San Francisco.
Our dinner was close by and we both had fish. It was okay. The best restaurants are all closed on Monday night. Figures.
Last Day in Mendoza (Sun 3/28)
Stats:
- 1 "tv festival"
- 2 workouts (1 each)
- farewell dinner in Argentina
Well, perhaps it was all the meat for dinner or perhaps it was all the Malbec drinking that caught up with us, but Arn slept until 9:15am! I slept until 9:30am!! It was totally crazy. We had a late breakfast and went for a workout. Arn gave up in the gym and suffered a run in the heat. Having "survived" my first round of weight lifting, I went back for round two.
We headed back to the internet cafe. Arn did research on Valparaiso while I researched lodging options for a future visit to Santa Barbara with our friends, Doug and Marjorie. Lunch was enjoyed at Subway. See --- I wasn't kidding. After all the meat last night, we went of the Jared diet for lunch. We do this all the time in Seattle. If either of us feels like the numbers on the scale have gone bad, we declare "Subway diet" and we eat lunches at Subway. We are big believers in no starchy carbs for dinner, Subway for lunch, and exerise as the strategy for lower the numbers on the scale.
Our afternoon was a "television fesitval". Using our iTouch, wifi, and our Slingbox in Seattle, we enjoyed several hours of tv from our DVR at home. We watched episodes of 24 and Two and Half Men.
Our last dinner in Argentina was enjoyed at a place called, "Anna's Bistro". We sat outside in a garden so lush that one would have thought we were in the tropicals. There were banana trees (confirmed by the presense of bananas), hybiscus in full bloom, and palm trees. Given that tomorrow we return to Chile, we decided to enjoy one last Argentian dinner. Arn had another steak. I had pork tenderloin with a raspberry sauce and grilled fruit. And of course, we tried another new malbec. On the way back to hotel, Arn stopped for an ice cream cone --- Dulce de leche con brownies. It was a sweet ending to a good time in Mendoza. It is a bit sad to know we are leaving Argentina. This year was our second visit to Argentina. We are leaving having seen everything that held curiousity for us. We are feeling satisfied and satiated with out experience. So tomorrow, we will be back to enjoying seafood and Chilean wines.
- 1 "tv festival"
- 2 workouts (1 each)
- farewell dinner in Argentina
Well, perhaps it was all the meat for dinner or perhaps it was all the Malbec drinking that caught up with us, but Arn slept until 9:15am! I slept until 9:30am!! It was totally crazy. We had a late breakfast and went for a workout. Arn gave up in the gym and suffered a run in the heat. Having "survived" my first round of weight lifting, I went back for round two.
We headed back to the internet cafe. Arn did research on Valparaiso while I researched lodging options for a future visit to Santa Barbara with our friends, Doug and Marjorie. Lunch was enjoyed at Subway. See --- I wasn't kidding. After all the meat last night, we went of the Jared diet for lunch. We do this all the time in Seattle. If either of us feels like the numbers on the scale have gone bad, we declare "Subway diet" and we eat lunches at Subway. We are big believers in no starchy carbs for dinner, Subway for lunch, and exerise as the strategy for lower the numbers on the scale.
Our afternoon was a "television fesitval". Using our iTouch, wifi, and our Slingbox in Seattle, we enjoyed several hours of tv from our DVR at home. We watched episodes of 24 and Two and Half Men.
Our last dinner in Argentina was enjoyed at a place called, "Anna's Bistro". We sat outside in a garden so lush that one would have thought we were in the tropicals. There were banana trees (confirmed by the presense of bananas), hybiscus in full bloom, and palm trees. Given that tomorrow we return to Chile, we decided to enjoy one last Argentian dinner. Arn had another steak. I had pork tenderloin with a raspberry sauce and grilled fruit. And of course, we tried another new malbec. On the way back to hotel, Arn stopped for an ice cream cone --- Dulce de leche con brownies. It was a sweet ending to a good time in Mendoza. It is a bit sad to know we are leaving Argentina. This year was our second visit to Argentina. We are leaving having seen everything that held curiousity for us. We are feeling satisfied and satiated with out experience. So tomorrow, we will be back to enjoying seafood and Chilean wines.
Overdosing on Meat (Sat 3/27)
Stats:
- 2 quick workouts
- 1 trip to the bus station
- 1 visit to the Internet cafe
- 1 Malbec wine flight tasting
- 1 "asado" (BBQ) dinner with 4 steaks!
Today's goal? Make a plan for what we do next. The backpacking in the Andes near Mendoza is out. Further long bus rides in Argentina are out. Flying is out. All flights lead back to Buenes Aires. And, this would be the domestic airport. We would then have to switch to the international airport to fly anywhere in Chile. This is too much hassle and would involve two days of travel. So, we are leaving by bus.
We walked to the bus terminal. It is nearly as big as the airport and there are more buses companies than airlines and certainly more destinations. You need to understand something about bus travel --- it is how people getting around in South America. It is not like the U.S. where we hop flights between every two cities. Here, in every country, all the flights lead back to the main city and then head out again. In Argentina, everything runs through Buenes Aires. In Chile, it runs through Santiago. Yeah, okay --- there are a few exceptions to this, but for the most part the flight patterns are hub and spoke. As a result, the buses can be quite nice. For example, "Semi-cama" bus means seats like a first class flight. They recline with a full leg rest. The bus plays movies. They offer snacks and hot coffee. "Royal cama" means the seats lay completely flat and have privacy curtains around them. The "royal" service includes hot meals, champange or wine (by the bottle), pillow and blankets, and your own flat panel television for movie viewing. While bad buses (like our 12 hour ride without a bathroom) are possible, high-end rides are more likely on a long distance bus.
So, we walked the bus terminal and checked out the various companies and options. Our best bet still looks like heading to the coast of Chile. We bought two tickets to Valparaiso, Chile for Monday morning. It will be a 7 hour ride on a semi-cama bus. The route will cross the Andes and we may get a peak at the highest mountain in South America, Aconcagua.
We left the bus terminal and headed to an internet cafe. We needed to find a place to stay. We booked four nights at a new looking hotel. The rooms are mini-apartments. The town of Valparaiso has been declared a World Heritage site. It is supposed to be interesting with lots of steep hills and interesting buildings. Arn found nearly 20 miles of walking tours and there are 3 old cemetaries. So, we will see what we see.
Later in the afternoon, we checked out a wine tasting bar in town. We enjoyed a flight of Malbecs and a great cheese plate. It included a hard goat cheese that was awesome. We discovered two very good Malbecs. One was from a place called, "Flor" something. The family behind the wine is very wealthy. One of the brothers is in the business of selling Porsches. He decided to make wine as a hobby. He figured he would put of few cases of wine in the trunk of every Porsche as a gift. Well, the wine turned out to be better than expected and the hobby morphed into a business. The other wine was from a place called, "Flecha de Los Andes".
We returned to our hotel and hung out reading and using the Internet. For dinner, we did something we rarely do. We ate dinner at an inclusive buffet in a hotel. The Park Hyatt (high end $350 a night hotel) has an "asado" on Saturday. For $23, there was a salad and starter table, the BBQ, and dessert table. Everything was awesome. The salads and grilled vegtables were fantasic. The marinated and grilled eggplant was a highlight. There was a wide selection of meat. I tried the pork ribs, two bites of chorizo, and a steak. Arn tried the pork ribs, two bites of chorizo, and two different steaks (two types of meat). The meats were cooked perfectly. They had been slow roasted over open coals and the outsides had carmelized slowly. It was excellent. Arn's dessert was a third steak. Mine was chocolate mousse. Tomorrow, we start the "Subway" diet.
- 2 quick workouts
- 1 trip to the bus station
- 1 visit to the Internet cafe
- 1 Malbec wine flight tasting
- 1 "asado" (BBQ) dinner with 4 steaks!
Today's goal? Make a plan for what we do next. The backpacking in the Andes near Mendoza is out. Further long bus rides in Argentina are out. Flying is out. All flights lead back to Buenes Aires. And, this would be the domestic airport. We would then have to switch to the international airport to fly anywhere in Chile. This is too much hassle and would involve two days of travel. So, we are leaving by bus.
We walked to the bus terminal. It is nearly as big as the airport and there are more buses companies than airlines and certainly more destinations. You need to understand something about bus travel --- it is how people getting around in South America. It is not like the U.S. where we hop flights between every two cities. Here, in every country, all the flights lead back to the main city and then head out again. In Argentina, everything runs through Buenes Aires. In Chile, it runs through Santiago. Yeah, okay --- there are a few exceptions to this, but for the most part the flight patterns are hub and spoke. As a result, the buses can be quite nice. For example, "Semi-cama" bus means seats like a first class flight. They recline with a full leg rest. The bus plays movies. They offer snacks and hot coffee. "Royal cama" means the seats lay completely flat and have privacy curtains around them. The "royal" service includes hot meals, champange or wine (by the bottle), pillow and blankets, and your own flat panel television for movie viewing. While bad buses (like our 12 hour ride without a bathroom) are possible, high-end rides are more likely on a long distance bus.
So, we walked the bus terminal and checked out the various companies and options. Our best bet still looks like heading to the coast of Chile. We bought two tickets to Valparaiso, Chile for Monday morning. It will be a 7 hour ride on a semi-cama bus. The route will cross the Andes and we may get a peak at the highest mountain in South America, Aconcagua.
We left the bus terminal and headed to an internet cafe. We needed to find a place to stay. We booked four nights at a new looking hotel. The rooms are mini-apartments. The town of Valparaiso has been declared a World Heritage site. It is supposed to be interesting with lots of steep hills and interesting buildings. Arn found nearly 20 miles of walking tours and there are 3 old cemetaries. So, we will see what we see.
Later in the afternoon, we checked out a wine tasting bar in town. We enjoyed a flight of Malbecs and a great cheese plate. It included a hard goat cheese that was awesome. We discovered two very good Malbecs. One was from a place called, "Flor" something. The family behind the wine is very wealthy. One of the brothers is in the business of selling Porsches. He decided to make wine as a hobby. He figured he would put of few cases of wine in the trunk of every Porsche as a gift. Well, the wine turned out to be better than expected and the hobby morphed into a business. The other wine was from a place called, "Flecha de Los Andes".
We returned to our hotel and hung out reading and using the Internet. For dinner, we did something we rarely do. We ate dinner at an inclusive buffet in a hotel. The Park Hyatt (high end $350 a night hotel) has an "asado" on Saturday. For $23, there was a salad and starter table, the BBQ, and dessert table. Everything was awesome. The salads and grilled vegtables were fantasic. The marinated and grilled eggplant was a highlight. There was a wide selection of meat. I tried the pork ribs, two bites of chorizo, and a steak. Arn tried the pork ribs, two bites of chorizo, and two different steaks (two types of meat). The meats were cooked perfectly. They had been slow roasted over open coals and the outsides had carmelized slowly. It was excellent. Arn's dessert was a third steak. Mine was chocolate mousse. Tomorrow, we start the "Subway" diet.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Into The Mountains (Fri 3/26)
Stats:
- 1 hike...climbed 2800 feet
- curiousity about mountains? answered!
- worst trail surface ever
- awesome dinner
From Mendoza, we can see the Andes. They are tall, steep and impressive. And, it is very clear that there is little in the way of vegetation. Think desert and you have the right idea. The mountains just top out alnost 23,000 feet and we are sitting at about 3,000 feet. So, they are huge. We have been curious to get into the mountains. We have the option of backpacking in the Andes for a few days. We have wanted to get closer and size things up to evaluate if this is something we want to do. Mendoza itself is this little oasis in the middle of the desert. The city streets are lined with beautiful and huge trees. The trees provide fantastic shade and comfort from the sun and heat. The streets are also lined with canals. There are "gates" at various points in the canals. These gates are opened and closed and used to control the water flow. The water is used to irrigate the trees, parks and gardens. Without the canals, the city would be scortched earth --- like we see in the distance. So, our goal is really to check out what things look like in the distance.
We found a company that does day hikes. Their fee is not that different than the price of a car rental and it is much easier for someone else to do the driving. People here drive like maniacs, so driving is an experience we don´t need. A van picked us up. Inside the van, there were several people going horseback riding for the day. There was a couple doing a 1/2 hike. We were the only two doing a "full day" hike. The van drove out to a ranch where the various groups headed off, each with a guide.
Now, I before I tell you about the hiking, I need to catch you up on something. You'll remember the weight lifting? Yes, today it caught up with me. Every muscle hurts to move. On the one hand, laying stone still for three days might hurt less. On the other hand, once I get moving I know the lactic acid will start to process out and things will feel better --- until I stop again or sit in a van for another 45 minute ride. I feel like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz. Alright, back to the story.
Our guide, Mati, was a nice guy. He gave us two options. We chose the hike with more climbing that reached something called, "Black Mountain". The vegation was short and scrubby. Much of it had nasty thorns that left plenty of marks below the bottoms of my capris (so glad I zipped off my convertible pants). As we climbed, we started to see more and more cactus. My hope was that we could reach the top and be treated to awesome views into the next valley. I was convinced the snow capped mountains would seem very close once we got to the top. Getting to the top was no easy task. The trail sucked. In Arn´s words, "This is the worst trail surface I have ever hiked for the full duration of the hike". It was terrible. It was either a sand pit, loose rock, or medium sized rock. And, it was really steep. The higher we went, the worse the surface and the steeper the pitch. The whole time, I thought of only one thing --- this is REALLY going to suck on the way down. In total, we think we climbed about 2800 feet. From the top, the views did not improve. Everywhere you looked --- more scorched earth. It was a totaly desolate landscape. It went on forever and forever and was the same. Mati said that in the valley where people backpack, it is even drier and nothing grows. I looked at Arn and asked, "What do you think of backpacking?" It was funny. I already knew his answer and it was going to match mine --- "no way". It is not our landscape and the temps were well into the 80´s.
At the top, we ate our packed lunches and Arn took the "obligatory photo". Yes, this is how he referred to it. Before we left the top, I zipped the bottoms back onto my capris. I figured there was no need to draw blood a second time with all the thorns. Then, I made my final preparations. I used my Buff to wrap my left hand. I used my long sleeve shirt (which had been stashed away in the backpack) to wrap up my right hand. Here was my thinking. I figured there was no way I was getting down from this summit without either falling or engaging in some five points of contact hiking. In either case, padding up my hands as protection from the rocks and cactus seemed like a good strategy. What is "five points of contact hiking"? Well, count them --- it is hiking when you sit on your butt and spider crawl down --- two feet, two hands, one butt. The downhill sucked, but admittedly it was not as bad as I feared. There were plenty of slips had by all three of us, but we all managed to stay on our feet. Funny --- cactus the size of basketballs is good incentive to remain upright.
So, today's hike was clariying. We will not be headed out for a backpacking trip or another day hike. It is not our landscape. And those trail surfaces, will leave me crippled and limping. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the bus terminal and figure out where we are headed. We did a bit of looking online after returning to the hotel. A last minute cruise is out (there are no trips running on the right dates). Heading north in Argentina to Salta (desert) is out. It is an 18 hour bus ride. So, we are going to check the other bus options, but it looks like Chile and most likely Valparaiso or Santiago.
For dinner, we returned to Azafran. We had a great meal there earlier in the week. While Arn enjoyed his meal, I considered my dinner one of the best of the trip. It was a filet steak topped with blue cheese, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and all wrapped with phyllo dough and served with eggplant mashed potatoes and grilled onions.
- 1 hike...climbed 2800 feet
- curiousity about mountains? answered!
- worst trail surface ever
- awesome dinner
From Mendoza, we can see the Andes. They are tall, steep and impressive. And, it is very clear that there is little in the way of vegetation. Think desert and you have the right idea. The mountains just top out alnost 23,000 feet and we are sitting at about 3,000 feet. So, they are huge. We have been curious to get into the mountains. We have the option of backpacking in the Andes for a few days. We have wanted to get closer and size things up to evaluate if this is something we want to do. Mendoza itself is this little oasis in the middle of the desert. The city streets are lined with beautiful and huge trees. The trees provide fantastic shade and comfort from the sun and heat. The streets are also lined with canals. There are "gates" at various points in the canals. These gates are opened and closed and used to control the water flow. The water is used to irrigate the trees, parks and gardens. Without the canals, the city would be scortched earth --- like we see in the distance. So, our goal is really to check out what things look like in the distance.
We found a company that does day hikes. Their fee is not that different than the price of a car rental and it is much easier for someone else to do the driving. People here drive like maniacs, so driving is an experience we don´t need. A van picked us up. Inside the van, there were several people going horseback riding for the day. There was a couple doing a 1/2 hike. We were the only two doing a "full day" hike. The van drove out to a ranch where the various groups headed off, each with a guide.
Now, I before I tell you about the hiking, I need to catch you up on something. You'll remember the weight lifting? Yes, today it caught up with me. Every muscle hurts to move. On the one hand, laying stone still for three days might hurt less. On the other hand, once I get moving I know the lactic acid will start to process out and things will feel better --- until I stop again or sit in a van for another 45 minute ride. I feel like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz. Alright, back to the story.
Our guide, Mati, was a nice guy. He gave us two options. We chose the hike with more climbing that reached something called, "Black Mountain". The vegation was short and scrubby. Much of it had nasty thorns that left plenty of marks below the bottoms of my capris (so glad I zipped off my convertible pants). As we climbed, we started to see more and more cactus. My hope was that we could reach the top and be treated to awesome views into the next valley. I was convinced the snow capped mountains would seem very close once we got to the top. Getting to the top was no easy task. The trail sucked. In Arn´s words, "This is the worst trail surface I have ever hiked for the full duration of the hike". It was terrible. It was either a sand pit, loose rock, or medium sized rock. And, it was really steep. The higher we went, the worse the surface and the steeper the pitch. The whole time, I thought of only one thing --- this is REALLY going to suck on the way down. In total, we think we climbed about 2800 feet. From the top, the views did not improve. Everywhere you looked --- more scorched earth. It was a totaly desolate landscape. It went on forever and forever and was the same. Mati said that in the valley where people backpack, it is even drier and nothing grows. I looked at Arn and asked, "What do you think of backpacking?" It was funny. I already knew his answer and it was going to match mine --- "no way". It is not our landscape and the temps were well into the 80´s.
At the top, we ate our packed lunches and Arn took the "obligatory photo". Yes, this is how he referred to it. Before we left the top, I zipped the bottoms back onto my capris. I figured there was no need to draw blood a second time with all the thorns. Then, I made my final preparations. I used my Buff to wrap my left hand. I used my long sleeve shirt (which had been stashed away in the backpack) to wrap up my right hand. Here was my thinking. I figured there was no way I was getting down from this summit without either falling or engaging in some five points of contact hiking. In either case, padding up my hands as protection from the rocks and cactus seemed like a good strategy. What is "five points of contact hiking"? Well, count them --- it is hiking when you sit on your butt and spider crawl down --- two feet, two hands, one butt. The downhill sucked, but admittedly it was not as bad as I feared. There were plenty of slips had by all three of us, but we all managed to stay on our feet. Funny --- cactus the size of basketballs is good incentive to remain upright.
So, today's hike was clariying. We will not be headed out for a backpacking trip or another day hike. It is not our landscape. And those trail surfaces, will leave me crippled and limping. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the bus terminal and figure out where we are headed. We did a bit of looking online after returning to the hotel. A last minute cruise is out (there are no trips running on the right dates). Heading north in Argentina to Salta (desert) is out. It is an 18 hour bus ride. So, we are going to check the other bus options, but it looks like Chile and most likely Valparaiso or Santiago.
For dinner, we returned to Azafran. We had a great meal there earlier in the week. While Arn enjoyed his meal, I considered my dinner one of the best of the trip. It was a filet steak topped with blue cheese, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and all wrapped with phyllo dough and served with eggplant mashed potatoes and grilled onions.
A Slow Day in Mendoza (Thurs 3/25)
Stats:
- 1 run for the gringo
- 1 more round of weight lifting for the gringa
- 1 "overdose" on cough syrup
Again, Arn took advantage of the cool temps in the morning and went for a run. I figured my upper body survived the weight lifting, so I returned for a lower body workout. I know this is going to come back to bite me. It has been too many months since I have done squats to not pay for this. After the weight room, I decided to take advantage of the stairwell. With 20 floors in our building, I figured I could use his as my stairmaster. After my first lap up and back down, my stomach went really south. It happened quickly and I dashed up the stairs to our room. More specifically --- the bathroom. It wasn't pretty. Now, perhaps what got my goat was the blood sausage from last night. I don't think so. See, I have continued to hack my head off with this cough and I have been hitting the cough syrup regularly. The bottle indicates that it contains sorbitol, an artifical sweetner. It also indicates that it can cause stomach upset and rapid evacuation of everything in your guts. Okay, that is not the direct translation BUT it is an accurate description of what really happens. It was the sorbitol and not last night's dinner. So, note to self --- take less cough syrup.
The rest of our day was pretty low key. We have booked ourselves for a hike tomorrow. More on that tomorrow. We are trying to figure out where we go from here and when we leave. The hiking tomorrow will help us decide if there is more hiking we want to do.
We enjoyed dinner in a lovely Italian restaurant. The tables were set up under a huge tent inside of a large garden. The temps were perfect for sitting outside. Arn had pasta with seafood. I had fish. We enjoyed a break from the Malbecs and ordered a white wine.
Today, I finished the book on brain surgery. If you ever need a brain surgeon, I have a good referral. It is sad, but I have more than one friend that needed this type of help. I have a lot more insight into the battles with brain tumors than I did before. Turns out the blood brain barrier is a really big deal in this war. So, I have started a new book. It is the Pat Tillman story. He played professional football, enlisted in the service, served in Afganistan, and was killed. Maybe you have ideas for some "lighter" reading material???
- 1 run for the gringo
- 1 more round of weight lifting for the gringa
- 1 "overdose" on cough syrup
Again, Arn took advantage of the cool temps in the morning and went for a run. I figured my upper body survived the weight lifting, so I returned for a lower body workout. I know this is going to come back to bite me. It has been too many months since I have done squats to not pay for this. After the weight room, I decided to take advantage of the stairwell. With 20 floors in our building, I figured I could use his as my stairmaster. After my first lap up and back down, my stomach went really south. It happened quickly and I dashed up the stairs to our room. More specifically --- the bathroom. It wasn't pretty. Now, perhaps what got my goat was the blood sausage from last night. I don't think so. See, I have continued to hack my head off with this cough and I have been hitting the cough syrup regularly. The bottle indicates that it contains sorbitol, an artifical sweetner. It also indicates that it can cause stomach upset and rapid evacuation of everything in your guts. Okay, that is not the direct translation BUT it is an accurate description of what really happens. It was the sorbitol and not last night's dinner. So, note to self --- take less cough syrup.
The rest of our day was pretty low key. We have booked ourselves for a hike tomorrow. More on that tomorrow. We are trying to figure out where we go from here and when we leave. The hiking tomorrow will help us decide if there is more hiking we want to do.
We enjoyed dinner in a lovely Italian restaurant. The tables were set up under a huge tent inside of a large garden. The temps were perfect for sitting outside. Arn had pasta with seafood. I had fish. We enjoyed a break from the Malbecs and ordered a white wine.
Today, I finished the book on brain surgery. If you ever need a brain surgeon, I have a good referral. It is sad, but I have more than one friend that needed this type of help. I have a lot more insight into the battles with brain tumors than I did before. Turns out the blood brain barrier is a really big deal in this war. So, I have started a new book. It is the Pat Tillman story. He played professional football, enlisted in the service, served in Afganistan, and was killed. Maybe you have ideas for some "lighter" reading material???
A Day In Town (Wed 3/24)
Stats:
- 1 run for the gringo
- 1 gym workout for the gringa
- a totally different dining experience
The temps in Mendoza are very comfortable. In the morning, it is mid 60´s and Arn has been enjoying morning runs. Today was no exception. He headed out early while I slept in still in a drug stupor from more Benedryl for my cough. Once I woke up, I finished reading the "Safe Patient, Smart Hospital" book. I am glad that one is over. Clenching my jaw while reading is not my idea of a good time. After Arn returned and showered, we had breakfast, packed up, and caught a cab --- 6 blocks to our new hotel! Luckily, our room was ready.
We checked out everything in the new hotel --- gym, computers, pool, wine bar, and breakfast area. We killed some time on the internet before heading to lunch. Lunch? McDonald´s. Again, Arn tried the "local burger" special; however, he substituted fries for the empanadas and a diet coke for the wine. I stuck with a kids´ hamburger.
After lunch, I spent a couple of hours in the gym. I am sure to pay for this in the coming days. It was the first workout with weights since I went to Borrego Springs on Jan 1st. So, this is going to hurt.
We did a lot of chilling today. We have decided to stay in Mendoza until next Monday. We don´t know where we are headed come Monday and we may decide to just stay here longer. Time will tell. But for now, we are reading, walking, interneting, eating, drinking, running, and using the gym. Mendoza is a wonderful city for just chilling. However, we are not good at chilling, so we will see what happens.
Now, dinner --- we must talk about dinner. Arn booked us in the number one rated best place for dinner in Mendoza. It is called, "Los Chocos". Let me explain these terms better. "Booked" in this case refers to an exchange of emails followed up by a message in our hotel and a live phone call. All of this was necessary to establish the date for dinner and to provide the directions. "Number one best rated" refers to what Arn learned on Trip Advisor. And "Place", this is the tricky one. The place is in two guys´ apartment. Yes, the two guys are together -- a couple. We later learned they share the same first name. "Hello, my name is Martin and this is my partner, Martin. Yes, we are Martin and Martin". How often do you think they say that?? Anyway, we were given an address and a time. We were told to wait downstairs on the street and someone would come downstairs to get us. So, 10 minutes before 9pm (the appointed time), we were waiting downstairs. It was basically a narrow outdoor alcove. On one side, there was a DVD rental and sales store. At the back of the alcove, there was the entrance to an old time pool hall. It was full of all these old guys shooting pool. The other side of the alcove was a locked door into a non-descript apartment building. At 9:05pm, someone entered the building and told us we wanted the 4th floor, apartment #12. He clearly was not the guy sent to meet us. He was a well intended neighbor of Martin & Martin. Once we entered the building, we could see a list of names on the apartments and the neighbor´s directions seemed to be correct.
Luckily, we got on the elevator with another couple because this was an old time elevator where the doors are operated manually. They knew how to work the elevator. We all went to the 4th floor. They went to their apartment. We knocked on the door for #12. There was no answer and no sound. We waited. We knocked again. Nothing. Then, the lights in the hallway went out and everything was completely black. The lights were on a motion sensor. Once we moved enough to trip the sensor, we had lights again. This is a pretty common set up with the lights in hallways and bathrooms. Yes, I have had a public bathroom go black in less time than it takes to pee. Anyway, we figured it was best to return to the street level and see what happened.
We stepped outside and waited. It was about 5 minutes past the appointed time. In a few more minutes, a young guy came downstairs and was clearly looking for two people. It was Martin #1. He introduced himself and led us back up to the 4th floor, apartment #12. Once inside, it was obvious that they never heard our knocking. The apartment had a huge entry area. The living room was well beyond the front door and music was playing in the living room. Okay, here is the deal. Martin & Martin used to run a catering business. They got tired of cooking for 200+ people. So, they decided to open a restaurant in their living and dining room. They cook for up to 8 people per night. They have one large table and everyone sits together. The living room and dining room are one large room. Tonight, we are the only two guests for dinner. We sit down in the living room and Martin #1 pours us wine -- a Mablec Rose. It is not our first choice in wine, but they are actually pretty good and not too sweet. Martin #1 heads to the kitchen where Martin #2 is fast at work. We are left alone with the music.
Martin and Martin have taken great care in their interior decorating and design. We both like their use of color. They have painted two of the walls orange. They have decorated the walls with fabric panels that have been framed. They have created different corkboard designs with wine and champagne corks. They have so many throw pillows that we have to reposition them just to sit down. They have created beaded wiring around the windows and have draped strings of beads around all the light fixtures. Everything is done in orange, rust, black, cream, and with lots of floral patterns. They have carefully placed objects on the tables --- stacks of old books, antique keys, giant serving spoons holding rocks, and candles.
Now that you have the scene, let´s move onto the food. Martin #2 served each course and described everything in great detail. He sources everything local and his goal is to showcase the food of Mendoza. The first course was a goat pate on crostini with a chickory leaf and some type of jam on top. The second course was the best carne (beef) empanadas I have ever eaten. They were made in phyllo dough and served with chimichurri sauce. The third course was goat cheese and tomato jam on a bread base (something called a sopapilla -- fried dough). For the next course, we moved to the dining table and changed wines --- a very nice Malbec. The fourth course was a blood sausage pudding with sweet potatoes and vegtables. Blood sausage sounds less scary in Spanish, but it is not at the top of our list. Still, it was interesting to try. The main dish was baby goat that was slow cooked for 6 hours. This is pretty traditional in Mendoza. Again, it was good to try and it actually tasted pretty good. The dessert was served with sparkling wine. The dessert is best described as a spice cake. Martin #2 buys these things that look like beans. He dries them, roasts them, and then grinds them to create the flour for this cake. The result is something very earthy and rich. All in all, it was a great experience and a really good dinner.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Another Day in the Vineyards (Tues 3/23)
Stats:
- 4 nice wine tastings
- 1 great lunch (prepared by a vegetarian)
- Aced on our "A Plan" for dinner
Today we took another wine tour. Again, the van was on time. This time, our fellow tasters were from the U.S. and Italy. The first winery was Terrazas. They did a great tour and even talked about the difference between American and French Oak. It all has to do with the speed at which the trees grow. French Oak grows slower, giving the wood smaller pores. This means the barrels are slower to impart the flavors into the wine and the barrels can be used a bit longer (one more year I think). So, you can guess the American story --- trees grow faster, pores are bigger, flavors are imparted more quickly, and are used one year less than the French barrel. Now, pricing --- the American barrels are much lower priced. I always throught the Americans were quicker than the French. Interesting to learn that our trees are quicker too!
Anyway, at Terrazas, the tour guide presented the wines and the "essences" of the wine. For example, if a wine had aromas of vanilla and caramel, she had vanilla beans in a glass and caramels in another glass. We could compare the wine to the actual things. In some cases, she had oils of essence (for prunes, pears, rose, etc). It was pretty interesting to smell the various scents and compare them to the wine. It was also interesting to experience how the smells changed over the time and we tried more wines.
Our second stop was at Renacer. In Spanish, "renacer" means to be reborn. Again, we had a very interesting approach to the tasting. We were given pours of 3 different malbecs --- one from a low elevation, one from 100 meters higher, and another from still 100 meters higher. We were able to taste the differences. Then, we were given a measuring cup and allowed to "blend" the three "component" malbecs to create a final product. It was very interesting to smell and taste the difference of altitude on the same grape. We both preferred the wine from the highest elevation and Arn declared any blend with the lowest elevation wine to be inferior. We also tasted other wines from Renacer. They are working with a winery in Italy (one that we quite like - Allegrini) to produce an Amarone style wine. To make this type of wine, the grapes are actually dried in the sun before the wine making process begins. In Italy, they dry 100% of the grapes. Here, they are drying 20%. The grapes are tested during the drying process for sugar content. When they hit the right level, production begins.
The third vineyard was Maipul. They were in the midst of bottling. The "bottling truck" is rented and parked outside. The wine was pumped through a hose to the bottling truck. It was interesting to watch. We were surprised by how the filled bottles were stacked on pallets and wrapped in plastic wrap. We quickly calculated the weight and it did not seem like the right warehousing strategy. We had lunch at Maipul. Lunch needs two statements to summarize it. First, the meat was dreadful --- over cooked to leather. There was a pork salad. The pork was like leather. The entree included a steak. It was also, cooked to leather on everyone´s plate but one. Now, everything but the meat was totally awesome. The chilled tomato and watermelon soup, the beet and goat cheese salad, the asian slaw, the roasted vegtables, and the dessert were all fantastic. So, I think the chef doesn´t eat meat. I have no other explanation for how a kitchen does such a beautiful job with fruits, vegatables and grains and misses it so badly on meat.
Our last wine stop was at Alta Vista. This was an all Malbec stop. The tour was interesting as we saw a winery that stores wine in concrete tanks. They don´t use metal or stainless tanks. They are concrete lined with epoxy. While this seems pretty old school, it sounds like places are actually building new set ups like this. Our day ended with a glass of champagne.
Having had a big lunch, we wanted a "little something" for dinner. We headed to a wine bar with a tapas menu. We figured we could get a couple of small plates and call it good. Well, it could have been good, but we were aced. They were closed for a private party. So, we strolled the streets looking for "Plan B". We picked a place based on what we saw on people´s plates and we were duped. Arn said, "You know, on the Carretera Austral, we would have thought this meal was great". Still, I don´t expect to cut into a piece of beef in Argentina and find myself asking, "Really, this is beef? It looks more like a pork chop".
Sorting Things Out In Mendoza (Mon 3/22)
Stats:
- lots of time on the phone with Delta Airlines
- checking out the options
- finding a new place to stay
- and ANOTHER trip to the pharmacy
Okay, our return flight is scheduled for April 8th out of Santiago. Our original plans were to return to my favorite place in Chile. We figured we could chill out in the wine country in Chile --- Arn would go for runs, I would have a mountain bike (that belongs to the winery), we would enjoy swimming in the pool, reading, interneting, etc. The earthquake eliminated this option. Given this and the situation in Chile, we decided to check our flight options. Initially, it appeared we could fly home early for no change fee. We tried to do this on-line, but at the 1 yard line, we were denied --- "Cannot complete this transaction on-line". Turns out that this transaction cannot be completed on the phone either. Delta gives a different story on the phone and the fact we booked through Expedia makes the problem worse. So, while we initially thought about returning home a week early, that plan did not work out. Or, at least we were not willing to pony up the change fee. And yes, we even called Expedia and they were totally useless. Booking through them increased the change fee by $50 and they offered no help.
We spent much of the day strolling around Mendoza checking out our options --- rental bikes, hiking, kayaking, etc. We have heard about a few interesting bike ride options; however, the bikes are dreadful. With respect to hiking, it seems the best answer might be to rent a car and do it on our own. We will see what happens. As part of our "stroll", we checked out a different hotel. Our reservation ends and we will need to move on Wednesday. This is not going to be a hardship. We found a much nicer place with great ammenities including a pool and well equiped gym. So, while Arn enjoys his morning run, I can enjoy a weight room with reasonable cardio equipment. They even have pilates and spin classes.
On this trip, we have made many pilmagrages to the local pharmacy. Arn has gone looking only for toothpaste and dental floss. I seem to be on the "frequent shopper" program. Today, we went in search of cough medicine. I hacked my head off last night and did not fall asleep until after 4am. As the baby who slept through the night -- the first night home from the hospital -- this kind of thing leaves me totally rummy. Arn likes to say that his best night of sleep would leave me wiped out and grumpy. He is right about that.
Back to the pharmacy, you can´t look at shelves filled with things for coughs and colds. It is ALL behind the counter and requires a conversation with the pharmacist. Imagine what this would do to the cost of drugs in the U.S.? Oh well, after a discussion, the woman presented two bottles. Arn looked them over and picked the one she said works better. We also restocked on Advil --- 10 pills!!! Okay, they are double the dose in the U.S., so it is more like 20. And yes, I know the mg dose in Advil. You´ll remember my feet. Let´s hope the cough syrup works. If not, Arn is "suggesting" a trip to the doctor. Don´t worry, I´ll be calling American Express to help me out with this one if it comes to it. They have this service that helps you find an English speaking doctor (and preferrably someone trained in the U.S.). Let´s hope it doesn´t come to that! I have had to do this in Aruba and Switzerland. I would prefer to skip it in Argentina.
The highlight of the day was probably dinner. The weather is great for eating outside and we took advantage of it. We shared a goat cheese and roasted beet salad along with a sampler of cheese and house smoked meats. This is more variety of cheese that we have seen since we left the U.S. It was awesome. Arn had seared tuna for dinner for grilled shrimp. I had tuna tartare with smoked salmon and avocado. For dessert, we shared a "volcano chocolate cake" --- not as good as my molten chocolate dessert, but it was tasty.
Welcome to Wine Country (Sun 3/21)
Stats:
- Dessert for breakfast
- 3 winery tours and tastings
- 1 winery lunch that included 11 courses
- Ice cream for dinner
Can you believe this? Today was the first day we did not eat dinner! Who could eat dinner when lunch did not end until after 4:30pm!
We had to set an alarm this morning. After arriving so late last night, neither of us could get to sleep right away. My issue is partly my fault. I am reading a book about "patient safety" in healthcare. It is so offensive to the whole science of industrial and process engineering that I cannot turn my mind off. I go from feeling shocked, to outraged, to pissed, and to pity for the medical community. Then, I remember, "Hey, I am a consumer of the community and then I start with the shock and outrage all over again. To help, I have started a second book for when I need to "take my mind off the first book". The second book is about brain surgery. My last two books were about the dynamics of communications. Last year in South America, I read the whole Twlight series. It might be time for some "lighter reading".
Anyway, we were slow to stir this morning, but we had to move. We had an 8:30am pick up for a day of wine tours. Breakfast was another festival of cakes and cookies. Dulce de leche was a featured ingredient. At least fruit was an option this morning. The van was on time. We were joined by another couple staying in our hotel. They are from Greece, living in London. On our way out of town, we picked up another couple (Canadians) and a man from the UK. We headed to the wine valley the furtherest outside of Mendoza. It is interesting in several regards. First, it is at the highest elevation of the growing areas around Mendoza. The elevations range from 3000ft to 4000ft. Second, it the newest growing region. And third, most of the investment in this region is from overseas. It is called the Uco Valley.
The drive to the valley took about 1 1/2 hours. The Andes have returned to our landscape. While we had a great time in Buenes Aires, I must admit --- I missed the Andes. Here, there is a bit of snow left from last winter. Included in the mountains was a stellar volcano standing at over 21,500 feet and covered in snow. It now ranks as the tallest peak either of us has ever seen! The winery person said, "But don´t worry, it is not active". I had to reply, "Yeah, they said that about Mount St. Helens". Another peak topped out near 20,000 feet. So, the mountains are TALL. We cannot see Aconcagua from our location. We have been told we need to be one valley further over in the mountain range.
Our first winery was Andeluna. Their mid-range Malbec and top-end blend were great. The top end wine, about $50 a bottle, was truly stunning. But really, shouldn´t anyone be able to produce a great wine for that price? The place was a joint venture between an Argentina family and "Mr. Lay". Yes, I mean Mr. Lay of Frito Lay potato chips. And you know what Arn had to ask while tasting wine ... "Where are the chips?"
The second winery was a place called Salentein. The woman gave a great tour and showed us everything. She kept referring to the "young" wines meaning their "entry level wines". In Argentina, they pronouce "y" like "j" in English. So, rather than "young", we kept hearing "jung" or "junk" wines. It was pretty funny. Their pinot noir and malbec were both good. They can actually grow pinot noir because they are located at the higher elevations where it is cool enough to grow the grapes.
The third stop was at another winery to eat lunch. The lunch started with about 8 rounds of starters served in either individual tablespoons or as small bites. The food was excellent. It was the first time Arn both ate and praised braised meat. I think lunch started around 2pm and ended around 4:30pm.
The day included a lot of wine, tasting grapes right off the vine, enjoying views of the Andes, and a lot of good food. We were returned to our hotel around 6pm and neither of us wanted dinner. We chilled in the hotel and headed out around 8:30pm to go for a walk around town. Town was hopping! We were stunned by the number of people in the park, eating outside, enjoying ice cream, and roaming the craft market. We were also blown away by the amount of retail in town. And, we were really shocked by two McDonalds that offer a combo meal --- some kind of burger, two empanadas, and a small bottle of wine!
We stopped for ice cream and shared three different flavors. The temperatures were perfect for a stroll wearing capris, t-shirt, and sandals while eating ice cream.
Tomorrow, we need to make a plan --- figure out how long we are going to stay in Mendoza. So, we will be figuring out the hiking and biking options. We can only do one more day of wine tours and that is scheduled for Tuesday. Really, we cannot drink and eat like this for too long!
Reruns and Delays (Sat 3/20)
Stats:
- 60 minutes wasted with Delta Airlines
- 1 last visit to Kitty Park
- a 1 in 13 million chance encounter
- 1 repeat on lunch
- a return to the movies
- 3 hours of delay!!
Today we headed to Mendoza. After breakfast, Arn did some checking on our return flights to the U.S. On-line, we have been given the option to make changes for free. In reality, they will let you get to the one yard line and then say, "Sorry, you can't complete this transaction online". It also turns out the you can't complete this transaction on the phone within 45 minutes either. More on this another day.
We returned to the kitty park on our way to the movies. While checking out the kitties, we hear, "Hey! I know you!" It was the woman that gave the underground tour yesterday. She recognized us (just as a clue, we were wearing the same clothes). She, her daughter, and a few friends manage an effort to help the cats --- adoptions, vet care, spay/neuter program, food, and kitten care. She said they found 6 new kittens today and have homes for three of them already. She said the hardest kitties to place are black cats. They have to be very careful with finding them homes. Given superstitions, they exercise care. The second hardest kitties are those with tortise markings. The easiest are all white cats. With 13 million people living in BA, what were the odds of ever running into someone we had met?
We returned to the food court in the mall for lunch. Arn ordered some "local" burger from McDonalds. I decided to try out the McCafe and made lunch out of a slice of pie. After trying "Pirineos", we both agree --- this should be brought to the U.S. From the bottom up, it is a brownie crust, followed by a layer of Dulce de leche, followed by another layer of something similar to cheesecake, and topped with a sticky, marshmallow like merguine that has been carmelized on the very top and drizzled with chocolate. Really, I wish I could tell you to look for this in a McCafe near you.
Today's movie was Shutter Island. It was not what we expected, but we still enjoyed it. After the movie, we hopped in a cab, picked up our collection of a backpack and three duffle bags, and headed to the airport. The cab driver revealed that all the cabs are run on natural gas. The large tank in the trunk explained why our bags were stashed in the front seat. He said that the buses, trucks, and many people have switched to natural gas. It is much cheaper than gasoline.
We were told to get to the airport 90 minutes before our flight. We were running ahead of schedule and arrived two hours ahead only to learn the flight was delayed THREE hours. This sucked. Rather than our nice dinner in Mendonza sitting outside somewhere, we ate an airport dinner (worse than a Carretera Austral dinner). And in case you don't know, we aren't good at waiting.
We arrived in Mendoza at nearly 11pm. After getting bags and a taxi, it was practically midnight by the time we were taking showers and going to bed. Arn said it right, "Traveling sucks. Being there is great, but the getting there sucks".
- 60 minutes wasted with Delta Airlines
- 1 last visit to Kitty Park
- a 1 in 13 million chance encounter
- 1 repeat on lunch
- a return to the movies
- 3 hours of delay!!
Today we headed to Mendoza. After breakfast, Arn did some checking on our return flights to the U.S. On-line, we have been given the option to make changes for free. In reality, they will let you get to the one yard line and then say, "Sorry, you can't complete this transaction online". It also turns out the you can't complete this transaction on the phone within 45 minutes either. More on this another day.
We returned to the kitty park on our way to the movies. While checking out the kitties, we hear, "Hey! I know you!" It was the woman that gave the underground tour yesterday. She recognized us (just as a clue, we were wearing the same clothes). She, her daughter, and a few friends manage an effort to help the cats --- adoptions, vet care, spay/neuter program, food, and kitten care. She said they found 6 new kittens today and have homes for three of them already. She said the hardest kitties to place are black cats. They have to be very careful with finding them homes. Given superstitions, they exercise care. The second hardest kitties are those with tortise markings. The easiest are all white cats. With 13 million people living in BA, what were the odds of ever running into someone we had met?
We returned to the food court in the mall for lunch. Arn ordered some "local" burger from McDonalds. I decided to try out the McCafe and made lunch out of a slice of pie. After trying "Pirineos", we both agree --- this should be brought to the U.S. From the bottom up, it is a brownie crust, followed by a layer of Dulce de leche, followed by another layer of something similar to cheesecake, and topped with a sticky, marshmallow like merguine that has been carmelized on the very top and drizzled with chocolate. Really, I wish I could tell you to look for this in a McCafe near you.
Today's movie was Shutter Island. It was not what we expected, but we still enjoyed it. After the movie, we hopped in a cab, picked up our collection of a backpack and three duffle bags, and headed to the airport. The cab driver revealed that all the cabs are run on natural gas. The large tank in the trunk explained why our bags were stashed in the front seat. He said that the buses, trucks, and many people have switched to natural gas. It is much cheaper than gasoline.
We were told to get to the airport 90 minutes before our flight. We were running ahead of schedule and arrived two hours ahead only to learn the flight was delayed THREE hours. This sucked. Rather than our nice dinner in Mendonza sitting outside somewhere, we ate an airport dinner (worse than a Carretera Austral dinner). And in case you don't know, we aren't good at waiting.
We arrived in Mendoza at nearly 11pm. After getting bags and a taxi, it was practically midnight by the time we were taking showers and going to bed. Arn said it right, "Traveling sucks. Being there is great, but the getting there sucks".
Monday, March 22, 2010
Crawling the Streets of Buenos Aires (Fri 3/19)
Stats:
- 1 run
- 1 sick puppy sleeps until construction starts
- 1 aborted subway ride
- 1 cup of coffee at McCafe
- 1 awesome pizza, but only 1/2 with cheese (there was also only 1/2 with anchovies)
- 1 below ground tour
- 2 gringos and a cab driver NEARLY smashed
- 1 fantastic Italian dinner selected by 1 sick gringa now wearing one of the last remaining "Breath Right Strips" belonging to the gringo (I argued that he should wear it as I am taking Benedryl, so it will be okay that I can't breathe as I try to fall asleep).
Okay, before we went to bed last night, I dipped into the "medicine chest" (or arsenal --- depending on your point of view). After the ripio riding, you need to get the right image in your mind. First, most of the reddish coating on the Advil is gone. It has been bounced off. Second, Aleve is a much lighter shade of blue. And everything, I repeat EVERYTHING is covered in the dust of Vicodin and aspirin (I started carrying these after a Cardiologist said they were good to take or administer if someone had the symptoms of a heart attack. I met this guy on our cruise, with our parents, to the Panama Canal --- seemed like a good idea to add them to the "kit"). What does this mean? Think!!! People, think!!!! Everything out of my med kit has a bitter and fowl coating!! It must be swallowed quickly and with a strong tasting fluid.
So Arn went for a run this morning. Being sick, I was sleeping hard and never heard him leave and only barely moved when he returned. After he showered, we had breakfast and headed out for the day. We decided to take the subway across the city to check out an "underground tour". After four or five stops on the subway line, we had to get off. Arn was melting down in the heat, humidity, and crowd on the train. I have had this experience in Santiago and you think you are going to die. It is a horrible feeling. So, with 5 stops left, we decided to walk. It was a long, long walk. However, it was not without it's rewards. First, we gained a better sense of the massive size of Buenes Aires. At one square, I am guessing I could count 50 buses within my field of vision. The road held at least 16 lanes of traffic. As a pedesterian, it was a sea of humanity over flowing with activity. The noise was incredible --- buses, motorcycles, taxis by the hundreds, people walking by the thousands. Don't get me wrong, I grew up just outside of Chicago, I've been to New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London, yet this seems almost oppressive. Maybe the heat and humidty have something to do with it.
Along the way, we decided to stop in McDonalds for a break. Despite the heat, Arn was able to enjoy a cup of coffee from the McCafe. I found the bathroom and discovered a "first ever seen" in McDonalds --- an Internet kiosk with computers for rent! We continued walking and found ourselves in the neighborhood for dentists. Arn was fascinated and I was creeped out. There were all these store fronts showing the lastest dental equipment --- tools, drills, chairs, etc. I couldn't look too closely, but it went on and on for several blocks. There were even places to go in for treatment. The chairs faced the street so everyone could watch you having your teeth cleaned or whitened. Weird!!!
We also walked through the financial district. The taller buildings provided better shade from the sun. On many streets, the pedesterians took over. They filled the sidewalks and street. While cars were still 'allowed', they didn't dare to attempt it. It was like watching water that overflowed the river bank and just spread everywhere. The people overflowed the sidewalks and filled the street.
Eventually, we reached the location for the tour. We pressed a call button and talked over the intercom. The tour was scheduled to start in 90 minutes. So, we made a reservation and went off in search of lunch. We found a great looking pizza place with a real brick oven. The pizza was awesome and our Coke Zero was served in glasses bottles. My 1/2 of the pizza included tomato sauce, cheese and fresh tomatoes. Arn's 1/2 was tomato sauce, garlic and anchovies. He merged the best of his slices with the best of my slices and enjoyed the combination he had expected.
Our underground tour was a cool look into the past of Buenes Aires. This guy bought this run down, condemned property for very little money in the mid 80's. His plan was to build a restaurant and art gallery. As restoration work commenced, the history of the place started to be revealed. At the lowest level, they found three small houses built in the 1700's. In the mid 1800's, a wealthy family built a large property right ontop of the older houses. This house included rooms for servants. They found the cisterns used to collect and hold water. From 1880 to 1965, the house was used as a boarding house for immigrants from Europe. The most interesting feature was the fact at one time a river ran under the house. It ran under most of the buildings in the neighborhood. People built over the river and those that could afford it, built tunnels to enclose the river. The rivers were used as the sewage system and smelled terrible.
So, rather than building a restaurant and art gallery, the owner decided to restore this piece of history. On the tour, we walked through the old courtyards and tunnels. The river was diverted to run under the street and these tunnels are now dry. We could see the old walls from the original house, the house as it was built in the 1800's, and the tunnels. It was a very interesting look into the past.
Given our long walk in the morning, we decided to catch a taxi. Yes, the subway would be both cheaper and faster, but neither of us were up for the sardine in a can in 80 degrees with 100% humidity. It was actually interesting to experience the traffic of BA from inside of a cab. First, the people cycling (yes, there were a few), were insane. Several rode "no hands" and without helmets. It looked like a death wish to me. Second, the motorcyclists were also crazy --- wearing helmets but most not strapped on and tipped slighty off their heads. They wove through traffic like bees navigating through flower beds. For all the traffic, the painted lines on the road marking the lanes were merely there to suggest which direction traffic should be headed. No one drove within the lines. They bobbed and weaved like the motorcycles. It was one huge game of chicken --- who would touch the brake first. Of course, this was all played out at high speed with little respect for red or green lights. At one point, our taxi driver slammed the brakes, locked up the wheels, and the taxi started sliding and twisting. We thought for sure we were headed into the car in front of us. Once it looked like we might stop in time, I looked back expecting to see another car headed for us. Luckily, there was no one there. And seatbelts? What, there were no accessible seatbelts in the back of this taxi!
For dinner, we stayed close to our hotel and tried a great Italian place. We sat outside and made good use of the warm weather. We shared an eggplant parmasean thing to start. For dinner, Arn had a steak dish with Rosemary potatoes and garlic spinach and I had some kind of fish with tomatoes, eggplant and asparagus and a cheese soufflé. We passed on dessert. Arn said he wants my tiramisu and that will certainly not be what he gets. After we paid the bill, the waiter offered and brought us two glasses of champagne. It was a nice ending to our last in Buenes Aires.
- 1 run
- 1 sick puppy sleeps until construction starts
- 1 aborted subway ride
- 1 cup of coffee at McCafe
- 1 awesome pizza, but only 1/2 with cheese (there was also only 1/2 with anchovies)
- 1 below ground tour
- 2 gringos and a cab driver NEARLY smashed
- 1 fantastic Italian dinner selected by 1 sick gringa now wearing one of the last remaining "Breath Right Strips" belonging to the gringo (I argued that he should wear it as I am taking Benedryl, so it will be okay that I can't breathe as I try to fall asleep).
Okay, before we went to bed last night, I dipped into the "medicine chest" (or arsenal --- depending on your point of view). After the ripio riding, you need to get the right image in your mind. First, most of the reddish coating on the Advil is gone. It has been bounced off. Second, Aleve is a much lighter shade of blue. And everything, I repeat EVERYTHING is covered in the dust of Vicodin and aspirin (I started carrying these after a Cardiologist said they were good to take or administer if someone had the symptoms of a heart attack. I met this guy on our cruise, with our parents, to the Panama Canal --- seemed like a good idea to add them to the "kit"). What does this mean? Think!!! People, think!!!! Everything out of my med kit has a bitter and fowl coating!! It must be swallowed quickly and with a strong tasting fluid.
So Arn went for a run this morning. Being sick, I was sleeping hard and never heard him leave and only barely moved when he returned. After he showered, we had breakfast and headed out for the day. We decided to take the subway across the city to check out an "underground tour". After four or five stops on the subway line, we had to get off. Arn was melting down in the heat, humidity, and crowd on the train. I have had this experience in Santiago and you think you are going to die. It is a horrible feeling. So, with 5 stops left, we decided to walk. It was a long, long walk. However, it was not without it's rewards. First, we gained a better sense of the massive size of Buenes Aires. At one square, I am guessing I could count 50 buses within my field of vision. The road held at least 16 lanes of traffic. As a pedesterian, it was a sea of humanity over flowing with activity. The noise was incredible --- buses, motorcycles, taxis by the hundreds, people walking by the thousands. Don't get me wrong, I grew up just outside of Chicago, I've been to New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London, yet this seems almost oppressive. Maybe the heat and humidty have something to do with it.
Along the way, we decided to stop in McDonalds for a break. Despite the heat, Arn was able to enjoy a cup of coffee from the McCafe. I found the bathroom and discovered a "first ever seen" in McDonalds --- an Internet kiosk with computers for rent! We continued walking and found ourselves in the neighborhood for dentists. Arn was fascinated and I was creeped out. There were all these store fronts showing the lastest dental equipment --- tools, drills, chairs, etc. I couldn't look too closely, but it went on and on for several blocks. There were even places to go in for treatment. The chairs faced the street so everyone could watch you having your teeth cleaned or whitened. Weird!!!
We also walked through the financial district. The taller buildings provided better shade from the sun. On many streets, the pedesterians took over. They filled the sidewalks and street. While cars were still 'allowed', they didn't dare to attempt it. It was like watching water that overflowed the river bank and just spread everywhere. The people overflowed the sidewalks and filled the street.
Eventually, we reached the location for the tour. We pressed a call button and talked over the intercom. The tour was scheduled to start in 90 minutes. So, we made a reservation and went off in search of lunch. We found a great looking pizza place with a real brick oven. The pizza was awesome and our Coke Zero was served in glasses bottles. My 1/2 of the pizza included tomato sauce, cheese and fresh tomatoes. Arn's 1/2 was tomato sauce, garlic and anchovies. He merged the best of his slices with the best of my slices and enjoyed the combination he had expected.
Our underground tour was a cool look into the past of Buenes Aires. This guy bought this run down, condemned property for very little money in the mid 80's. His plan was to build a restaurant and art gallery. As restoration work commenced, the history of the place started to be revealed. At the lowest level, they found three small houses built in the 1700's. In the mid 1800's, a wealthy family built a large property right ontop of the older houses. This house included rooms for servants. They found the cisterns used to collect and hold water. From 1880 to 1965, the house was used as a boarding house for immigrants from Europe. The most interesting feature was the fact at one time a river ran under the house. It ran under most of the buildings in the neighborhood. People built over the river and those that could afford it, built tunnels to enclose the river. The rivers were used as the sewage system and smelled terrible.
So, rather than building a restaurant and art gallery, the owner decided to restore this piece of history. On the tour, we walked through the old courtyards and tunnels. The river was diverted to run under the street and these tunnels are now dry. We could see the old walls from the original house, the house as it was built in the 1800's, and the tunnels. It was a very interesting look into the past.
Given our long walk in the morning, we decided to catch a taxi. Yes, the subway would be both cheaper and faster, but neither of us were up for the sardine in a can in 80 degrees with 100% humidity. It was actually interesting to experience the traffic of BA from inside of a cab. First, the people cycling (yes, there were a few), were insane. Several rode "no hands" and without helmets. It looked like a death wish to me. Second, the motorcyclists were also crazy --- wearing helmets but most not strapped on and tipped slighty off their heads. They wove through traffic like bees navigating through flower beds. For all the traffic, the painted lines on the road marking the lanes were merely there to suggest which direction traffic should be headed. No one drove within the lines. They bobbed and weaved like the motorcycles. It was one huge game of chicken --- who would touch the brake first. Of course, this was all played out at high speed with little respect for red or green lights. At one point, our taxi driver slammed the brakes, locked up the wheels, and the taxi started sliding and twisting. We thought for sure we were headed into the car in front of us. Once it looked like we might stop in time, I looked back expecting to see another car headed for us. Luckily, there was no one there. And seatbelts? What, there were no accessible seatbelts in the back of this taxi!
For dinner, we stayed close to our hotel and tried a great Italian place. We sat outside and made good use of the warm weather. We shared an eggplant parmasean thing to start. For dinner, Arn had a steak dish with Rosemary potatoes and garlic spinach and I had some kind of fish with tomatoes, eggplant and asparagus and a cheese soufflé. We passed on dessert. Arn said he wants my tiramisu and that will certainly not be what he gets. After we paid the bill, the waiter offered and brought us two glasses of champagne. It was a nice ending to our last in Buenes Aires.
Behaving Like Gringos (Thurs 3/18)
Stats:
- 65+ kitties
- 1 movie in English
- lunch in the food court
- dinner around the corner
- 1 sick person
I am sure there are those of you that will find our judgment today to be lacking. What, with all the musuems, galleries, yadah yadah yadah, in Buenes Aires, we chose to do what we have done. Well, in our defense I have two things to offer. First, there are a few key things that Arn and I share in common: we both hate horseback riding, we both love cemetary crawls, we both love factory tours (seeing how stuff is made), and we both have a sub-12 minute attention span for musuems. Second, you can take the American outside of the U.S., but you can't take the American out of me. Today, we decided to just enjoy a few favorite things.
We returned to the Kitty Park. Okay, it is the Botanical Garden, but we will forever call it Kitty Park. We were interested in checking out the conditions of the kitties after the massive rain storm. Unlike yesterday, the cats were gathered in huge prides like something off of Animal Planet. The first "pride" included 17 cats stretched out on the lawn next to a sign that read, "Please Stay Off The Grass". The next pride, about 10 cats, claimed a statue and the surrounding stone work. Tails and paws hung leisurely off the edges as they enjoyed sleeping in the emerging sun. The final pride, perhaps 21 members, took over a patio area that had become storage for supplies and building materials. Cats were tucked into corners, between stacks of lumber, stretched out on tables and sitting in the sun.
After a visit with the felines, we went to see the movie, "The Hurt Locker". It was nice to just do something we enjoy doing at home. Afterward, we checked out the nearby shopping mall. It was new, huge and filled with all kinds of high-end retail. We surveyed the food court and had choripan (sausage on bread) for lunch. It was good, but I should have gone with my original idea --- ordering dessert instead of lunch.
We returned to the hotel. I was pretty wiped out with a cold. I sound exactly like the chica on the plane from a couple of days ago. So, for dinner we decided to check out the Japanese/Peruvian restaurant around the corner from our hotel. Now, you might wonder --- how do they put Japanese and Peruvian food together. It is pretty easy as both cultures like raw fish. One is sushi or sashimi and the other is ceviche. So, we ate some of it all. Our conclusion was 1) it was good, but not as good as at home (the place we tried was highly rated and reviewed), and 2) the people in BA are obsessed with Japanese food. It seems to be the new "new thing".
A note about restaurant reservations --- we have made a few interesting discoveries. Some places only take reservations for the eariliest seating which is 8:30pm. So, if you are willing to eat "early", you are guaranteed your table. After that, all bets are off. The place we tried today for dinner had a different policy. They took reservations. If you arrived without one (like we did), they will tell you if they hav a table and if they do, they will tell you how long you can have it. For example, we arrived a few minutes after 8pm and we could have the table until 9:30pm. It worked perfect for us and the people who had the table reserved for 9:30pm. I like this policy.
- 65+ kitties
- 1 movie in English
- lunch in the food court
- dinner around the corner
- 1 sick person
I am sure there are those of you that will find our judgment today to be lacking. What, with all the musuems, galleries, yadah yadah yadah, in Buenes Aires, we chose to do what we have done. Well, in our defense I have two things to offer. First, there are a few key things that Arn and I share in common: we both hate horseback riding, we both love cemetary crawls, we both love factory tours (seeing how stuff is made), and we both have a sub-12 minute attention span for musuems. Second, you can take the American outside of the U.S., but you can't take the American out of me. Today, we decided to just enjoy a few favorite things.
We returned to the Kitty Park. Okay, it is the Botanical Garden, but we will forever call it Kitty Park. We were interested in checking out the conditions of the kitties after the massive rain storm. Unlike yesterday, the cats were gathered in huge prides like something off of Animal Planet. The first "pride" included 17 cats stretched out on the lawn next to a sign that read, "Please Stay Off The Grass". The next pride, about 10 cats, claimed a statue and the surrounding stone work. Tails and paws hung leisurely off the edges as they enjoyed sleeping in the emerging sun. The final pride, perhaps 21 members, took over a patio area that had become storage for supplies and building materials. Cats were tucked into corners, between stacks of lumber, stretched out on tables and sitting in the sun.
After a visit with the felines, we went to see the movie, "The Hurt Locker". It was nice to just do something we enjoy doing at home. Afterward, we checked out the nearby shopping mall. It was new, huge and filled with all kinds of high-end retail. We surveyed the food court and had choripan (sausage on bread) for lunch. It was good, but I should have gone with my original idea --- ordering dessert instead of lunch.
We returned to the hotel. I was pretty wiped out with a cold. I sound exactly like the chica on the plane from a couple of days ago. So, for dinner we decided to check out the Japanese/Peruvian restaurant around the corner from our hotel. Now, you might wonder --- how do they put Japanese and Peruvian food together. It is pretty easy as both cultures like raw fish. One is sushi or sashimi and the other is ceviche. So, we ate some of it all. Our conclusion was 1) it was good, but not as good as at home (the place we tried was highly rated and reviewed), and 2) the people in BA are obsessed with Japanese food. It seems to be the new "new thing".
A note about restaurant reservations --- we have made a few interesting discoveries. Some places only take reservations for the eariliest seating which is 8:30pm. So, if you are willing to eat "early", you are guaranteed your table. After that, all bets are off. The place we tried today for dinner had a different policy. They took reservations. If you arrived without one (like we did), they will tell you if they hav a table and if they do, they will tell you how long you can have it. For example, we arrived a few minutes after 8pm and we could have the table until 9:30pm. It worked perfect for us and the people who had the table reserved for 9:30pm. I like this policy.
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