San Telmo

San Telmo is an area of Buenos Aires that was considered the first suburb of the city and was built along the river.  It was originally settle by sailors and those in the fish industry but the rich liked the area too and built big houses and mansions there.  In 1871 a Yellow Fever outbreak devestated the area, lots of people died and many more moved away from the river and into newer districts like Barrio Norte.  It wasn't long before the abandoned mansions were converted into tenement housing for the poor.  Today it is seeing a revival.  Artists, antique dealers, restoration of old homes, tango and tourism is helping to renew the whole area without taking away its charm and curtural identity.

Today, it again started out with pouring rain that cleared up in the late morning.  But because of the rain, our first stop was the Museo de Modern Arte.  Some pretty weird stuff showing.  We then wandered around for a bit and took in the San Telmo Antique Fair on Plaza Dorrego before visiting the indoor Mercado de San Telmo where we found fresh fruits & vegetables next to leather coats and antique/junk shops.  When we came out of the building, the vendors on the street had increased in number as well as the number or tourists.  

After lunch we toured El Zanjón (Spanish for creek) which is a 1840's mansion that was built by a rich family, then turned into a tenement house for 23 families then sat empty for 30 years.  When a gentleman bought the house, he was going to restore it as a home until tunnels were discovered running beneath the foundation.  These tunnels were built to cover unsanitary creeks that ran through the area and then these were used as foundations for homes.  The restoration of the house and tunnels took almost 20 years but they now have this great representation of what life was like 150 years ago.

We dined at La Cabrera, just below this apartment, then watched the Bronco's succumb to the Seahawks with the sound muted as we didn't understand the Latino talking heads.

City Center Sites

Shortly after we got up this morning the rain storms rolled over and it rained until shortly after noon.  That didn't stop us from taking off walking and exploring the city although we didn't leave the apartment until after 11 am.  It was a good morning to catch up with blogs and video chat with the grandkids.

We walked 10 blocks in rain to the closest subway stantion only to discover that it was closed for repairs.  A local said to take the bus but we opted for a $6 (60 peso) cab ride to Plaza de Mayo which is near government buildings and commemorates the Argentine liberation from Spanish rule on May 25, 1810.  We visited the La Catedral Metropolitana and entered Casa Rosada where the president holds meetings.  The reception was a gallery of photos of past Liberators of South America and Argentina.  The National Bank and Edificio la Inmobiliaria are also near the plaza.

We wondered around and made our way to the Avenida 9 de Julio, the grandest of Latin American avenues which is 12 lanes wide and takes at least two crosswalk cycles to cross.  This is where we saw El Obelisco which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the city's founding.  

Susanna and I talked the guys into touring Teatro Colon, one of the world's top opera houses.  It was completed in 1908 and refurbished in 2010 at a cost of $60 million.  This is where the locals come to see and to be seen during the opera and ballet season (April - Dec.).  Much of the architectural detail was designed by Italians using mostly Italian marble with accents of gold leaf, massive chandeliers, and stained glass domes.  The accoustics in the La Sala (auditorium) are considered perfect.

As it nears 8 pm we will walk around our neighborhood in search of a good place to eat dinner.

Buenos Aires

We left Tupengato Divino Lodge at 7 AM without any coffee!! (we think the owner overslept).  We had to fly from Mendoza, Argentina back to Santiago, Chili then to Buenos Aires, Argentina meaning lots of lines back and forth thru immigration and customs!  We also said goodbye to Jack and Mary as they headed back to the US. today.

Buenos Aires (BA) is a city of 12 million people so you can imagine the traffic at 5 pm on a Friday.  John & Susanna and John & I have rented a small apartment in the Palermo Viejo area of the city for the next six days.  It's located over the La Cabrera Restaurant one of the top 10 rated in BA. It has a small wading pool on the patio along with outdoor seating and a grill.  There are two bedrooms and baths, livingroom and kitchen.  Perfect for the four of us.

We  ventured over to the local grocery store (1/2 block away) for snack and breakfast foods then toasted our new adventure in BA.  About 8 pm we strolled around the area and settled on an Italian place for a very light dinner. There must be over 50 restaurants & bars within 3 blocks. 

More Wineries

George, our unofficial guide, arranged for two cars to take us around the valley today.  We started with a visit to KDS Hecha Mano where high quality knives and scissors are hand made.  We were shown the steele plates that are cut into strips, then cut to the basic shape of the knife, fired in 1000° C kilns before being honed into a knife blade, buffed and shined.  They make their own handles from special woods or antlers.  I believe we all made a purchase or two!

The Masi Winery is an Italy company and most all of their wine is shipped to the parent company in Italy.  They grow Malbec, Torrentes and Corvina grapes.  They have a unique process called Proxximiento whereby the grapes are picked then placed on racks to reduce some of the liquid in the grape and to grow a special mold on the skin.  The corvina grapes are then placed in a tank to ferment.  Then the Malbec grapes are picked, dried and placed in with the fermented Corvina grapes to ferment again.  This double fermentation is unique to Argentina.  For this reason and because this is an Italian wine as opposed to an Argentinian wine, they are having a hard time breaking into the Argentine market.

We had lunch at the Bousquet Winery with food and their wine paired.  After all that wine and food, the girls all went back to the lodge and the guys went to the Atamisque Winery where they learned another way of producing wine.

This winery had a unique setup to the fermentation tanks that none had seen before. There was a concrete floor above each row of tanks and with the tanks a level below the crushing area. After crushing they transported the juice to the tanks using a very large cone shaped container. Their purpose was to avoid pumping the newly crushed grapes which could supposedly stress the fruit. The guys tasted a seriously good Cabernet Sauvignon here. 

Dinner was at the Blousson Bed and Breakfast in the Andean foothills.  They prepared a lamb roast that cooked 14 hours in an adobe oven.  It was wonderful.  The owner is a new vinter with 7 acres of  Malbec grapes and his first wine in 3 barrels, aging for another 2-3 months.  He explained all he had done so far and then let us tast his wine straight from the barrel.  It was very good!

Winery Tour in Uco Valley

After a late breakfast we headed on a tour of two wineries near us.  Our guide, Cecilia, informed us that these two wineries were the iconic vineyards of Uco Valley. Salentein (Sal-in-teen) is owned by a Dutch company and Andeluna, which is owned by Mr. Lays of Frito-Lay/Pepsi.  

Salentein is a very large winery with huge vineyards not only in Uco Valley but throughout the Mendoza state. Their winery was built less than 10 years ago and is all stainless steel tanks with state of art equipment.  Some of their better wines are fermented in giant oak barrels and they age a few wines in French oak barrels.  They produce some 'young' wines that are not aged as long as most wines and these are the ones that most young Argentinians drink.  Following their tasting we walked through their art museum.  

At the Andeluna winery we got a short tour before have a great lunch that paired with their wines.  Of couse, this was a long, drawn out affair with four courses so by the time we finished it was after 4 PM.  Naps, pool time, bridge and supper at 8 PM filled out the day.

Tupengato Divino

George and driver picked us up at the hotel in a 15 passenger van and then drove us toward Tupengato in the Uco Valley south of Mendoza.  This wine region is in the Andean foothills.  Much of the area appears to be desert like but with lots of water from the moutain snowmelt, they have lots of irrigation.  Almost every square mile of land is covered with vines or fruit trees.

George was able to get us into a winery tour at the Tapiz Winery which is a mid-size winery specializing in Malbec but also has several other varietals.  It was an extensive tour with tastings from vats before tasting from the final product.  Unfortunately we were not too impressed.  One interesting thing we learned though was that they fertilize their vines with llama poo.  During the fall and winter when the vines are dormant they let herds of llama graze between the rows and leave their poo to work into the soil.  During the growing season the llama feed elsewhere.  They then sheer their wool and make blankets and shawls from that wool.

Lunch was again an extended affair with wine pairings with the food.  This time we had wine from La Azul, a very small boutique winery, at their restaurant.  The food was either baked in a clay oven or grilled over an open fire.  We had  pickled chicken, a cheese and olive quesedia, a meat empanada, steak and caramel crepe.  All wonderfully paired with wine.

Our lodging is at Tupengato Divino lodge which has only 4 rooms but a well known and visited restaurant.  Each room has its own patio, there is a pool and outdoors dining with great views of vineyards and Andes mountains.  There are also 3 dogs, 8 puppies, 1 cat and a horse. Luckily they were agreeable to fixing us a very light dinner but again we ate late between 9 & 10. We watched a huge lightening storm to the south and in the middle of the night it rained hard. Considering they have about 320 sunny days a year it was a rare occurrence. 

Mendoza Centro

During breakfast I read up on things to do in Mendoza and then we decided how we were going to travel the next few days.  It was decided to return the rental car and take up the services of George whom John J made contact with upon recommendation of the lodge we are going to tomorrow.  He will get us a van and driver.  

Our morning stroll took us through Independence Plaza in the center of Mendoza.  There are four other parks at the four corners off the square that commorate the various peoples who occupy Mendoza.  A pleasant pedestrian shopping area found the girls trying on leather jackets and other shopping while the men walked and waited.  My tour book highly recommend a wine bar that has wine paring under the tutalage of a sommlier who selects the wine from their cellar rather than a menu.  We were seated at a round table made from an old wine press in a small room where all four walls held wine racks. Our lunch at Azafán took almost three hours but was a wonderful experience and great food.  Naps were necessary after that big lunch!

The custom in most of South America and especially in Argentina is to have lunch between 1 and 2 pm and then dinner after 8 PM  In fact, most restaurants don't open for dinner until 8 or 8:30.  But since we had such a large lunch we found a place where we had wine and tapas plates.  Even then it was near midnight before we fell into bed.

Travel Day

We spent most of the day on airplanes. 5 hours back to Santiago then a short flight to Mendoza. An hour getting through immigration and customs then trying to figure out how many Pesos to get from the ATM.

The last obstacle was the rental car. They just don't have large vehicles in South America. So to get from the airport to the hotel we rented a cab to drive three of us while the luggage and other three followed in the van. We didn't get lost and have a car to travel around. Our next stop will be in Uco Valley so we will have to find a way to get our suitcases delivered to the inn.  Arrived at hotel 6:30 pm. 

Restaurants don't even open until 8 or 8:30 pm so we had a very late (as in 10pm) but very good steak dinner.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

Our itinerary said we should take the 12:30 catamaran across Lago Pehoe and then we would be picked up by a driver who would have all our luggage we had left at the Hotel Las Torres. So we had a whole morning to kill. We were all tired of hiking so we read, played bridge, played spades and napped. We waited.

The catamaran ride was short but when we arrived at the little loading area there was no one there to meet us.  The lady at the cafe spoke enough English that she was able to radio the hotel who then called the local travel agent who then got all the mess straightened out.  We waited.

Our driver came around 6:30 pm but did not come inside the cafe where we had again played cards, napped, and read while waiting.  When we got really tired of waiting, Jack walked around the parking lot and found our luggage in the back of the van.  We were all a bit miffed that the driver waited outside for he next catamaran, thinking we would be on it.

It was a long 5 hour drive to Punta Arenas.  After 3 1/2 hours we needed a baño (bathroom) but there was nothing open in the little town where he stopped at 10:30 at night.  The driver saw two women and a young girl walking and asked directions (we think as he spoke only Spanish).  They directed him to their home and invited us inside to use their toilet.  The young girl was so excited to have this happen in her home!  We tried to pay but they wouldn't accept anything and instead they gave Susanna a decorative coaster as a gift. What gracious, friendly people!

We got to our hotel at midnight.

Gray Glacier

Last night's dinner was less than mediocre and this mornings breakfast was just as bad and the lunch was questionable. I think we have been very spoiled by all of our previous stays.

Late yesterday Mary pulled a muscle in her right leg. Not badly but she didn't want to stress it any more so only John & Susanna and John & I hiked up the valley to see Gray Glacier.  It was quite a hike as the infamous winds of Patagonia were blowing at gale force all day!  We had to lean into the wind going up the valley. There were a few protected areas where it wasn't  too bad but otherwise we walked in the wind for the whole 9 km, 5.4 miles. But it was worth it. 

When we reached Gray Lake we spotted several iceburgs floating along the shore line. At the Glacier Mirador (view point) we had a great view of the blue ice of a huge glacier!  But what got everyone's attention was the extreme wind blowing off the snow, across the lake and up the cliff face.  John suggest that John J. could jump off the cliff and the wind would blow him back!! Ha! We then got pushed all the way back down the valley.

The wind is still blowing hard as I write this. We witnessed water spouts on Lago Pehoe (pronounced 'pay way') in front of the lodge. It's been fun making new friends. We met a young couple from Chile, a single woman from France traveling by herself, a photographer of Taiwanese descent who has lived in northern Chile for 17 years, a group of 6 from Alberta, Canada, and a group of 7 men from NY.

On To Refugio Paine Grande

I guess it rained last night because everyone is talking about it but I slept through it all.

We had a nice hot breakfast then headed on down the trail towards Italian Refugio and then on to Paine Grande. We should have hiked up French Valley as part of the 'W' but that would have been too long of a day for us.  As it was we traveled 13.1 km or about 7 miles in 5 hours. We had some beautiful scenery to keep us entertained and the hike was not overly strenuous so we did some talking.

Jack noted that Mary would like some more bridges across the streams and bogs and that John was hoping his broken sunglasses would hold out until we got back to civilization. At a little past the half way mark we had been using more foot bridges and John found a pair of lost sunglasses laying on a rock.  Jacks comment then was they both got their wishes but he was having a hard time thinking of something to wish for himself!

Pain Grande Lodge is a grand looking building but all the rooms have  bunk beds for six people so the Sedalia Six are sharing the same room for two nights. Should be interesting sleeping with numerous snorers including John and I.  There is only one restroom with showers for the women and one for the men.  All the rooms are labeled with Spanish names, our room is Espada and the restrooms are Mujeres (women) and Hombres (men).  After drinking a couple of beers the men decided to shower then meet in the bar before supper.  John J. confessed that he doesn't know Spanish very well so when he came out of the shower and saw no urinals and one lady standing at the sinks he said, "This isn't the men's room, is it? No!"  We all howled with laughter and his wife, Susanna, just kept shaking her head!  Later that evening we heard that another guest had done the same thing.  

Cuernos Refugio

After reshuffling all our gear from suitcases to backpacks so that we had what we would need for the next four days we took off on the third leg of the 'W' hike. Our suitcases will be held in secure storage until Saturday morning when our driver will pick them up before getting us.  This is actually a connecting route to the second half of the 'W'. We had concerns about the air temperature today because the mountain was covered with new snow this morning!

Today's route paralleled Lago Nordenskjold (a long, teal blue, quiet lake) on the left and mountains on the right. Cuernos Este and Cuernos Central  were the dominant peaks.  We hiked 11 km today and made it to the refugio in about 5 hours. We walked with a horse group at first but soon out distanced them.  The route was up and down over tall cliffs, through saddles, across and into streams and one bog, and over hills. The scenery was always captivating and we found several flowering bushes, berry ladened shrubs and trees we had never seen before. It was a very strenuous hike as we were constantly going up & down, and some of the hills were very steep. Luckily it was not windy today which keep us from getting cold. 

Cuernos Refugio is a group of two person huts and a lodge surrounded by campsites. Each hut has a wood burning stove which we are using tonight. Our hut is next to a big waterfall.  The views from our hut are magnificent as we have a skylight looking up at the huge mountain!  Dinner was in the lodge and everyone has the same meal. Luckily they have some nice wine for sale. We are glad we are not tent camping as the wind is blowing in some rain clouds and the temps are dropping.

Day 2 on the 'W' in Torres del Paine

The second day of hiking was much shorter but I cannot say it was easier. Elevation change was 1800 meters up 3+ miles and back down 3+ miles. The map said 11 km.  And, even though we had no wind today, we did have rain and clouds and sleet!  This tickled our friends as they know how much John hates snow!

Our turnaround was at a refugio where we could have purchases a hot meal or hot chocolate but we ate our cold lunches at picnic tables in a shed with lots of other hikers. This must be a favorite route for day hikers and for those spending some nights in the mountains as it was a very busy trail. 

We were off the trail by about 2:30, so had a beer and played some bridge before doing laundry in the sink in preparation for the next 4 days of hiking refugio to Refugio with our small backpacks.  

We Are In Patagonia!

Yesterday was a long day of travel. We left Santiago at 9 am and landed in Punta Arenas at 1:30 pm. Then we were immediately hustled into a van and driven to Las Torres Hotel in The Torres del Paine National Park arriving at 7 pm - a 5 1/2 hour ride.  The only food we ate all day was a breakfast sandwich, airplane snacks and a candy bar purchased in Puerto Natales.  We spotted several unusual animals along our route - emu or rhea (not sure which), flamingos, llamas, and black necked swans. And possibly a condor.  The last leg of the trip we endured a 90 minute drive on a gravel road inside the park with dust billowing into the van thru the floor.  

But it was all worth it!  Our deluxe room in the 84 room hotel has a hot tub and huge bay windows that  face Monte Almirante Nieto with the spikes of Ventisquero Torres peaking from behind. Both have snow covered peaks with ever present clouds hovering overhead. The weather is unpredictable. Temps are in the mid-50's to mid-60's during the day but the wind blows almost constantly.  During today's hike it was anywhere from a gentle breeze to gale force. On top of that it sprinkled rain all day even though the sun was out enough to need sunglasses.  The meals are elegant buffets and we have box lunches to take on our hikes.  

Today we hiked the first leg of the 'W' which is a five day hike into the wilderness between peaks and hills. We will hike the second leg tomorrow then on Wednesday we hike to a Refugio (mountain hostels) from where we will hike the other two legs of the 'W'.  We did not hike the whole leg but still got in about 8 miles today.  It was a mostly gentle up-hill grade thru forest with lots of mud and creek crossings.  Horses grazing along the path were the only animals we spotted today. Panoramic views of surrounding valleys and hills were breath takingly beautiful. 

The sun sets about 10 pm.

Back in Santiago

Well, not in Santiago but at the Santiago Airport at the Holiday Inn across one road from where we will check in to start our next adventure. 

We left Tumunan Lodge at noon after a leisurely morning and had lunch at a very elegant French restaurant called Entre Rio. It was recommended by Will and right on the highway.  We felt very under dressed in our shorts and tennis shoes but they seemed not to notice. 

One wrong turn and three times past the drop off area and we finally got the car returned to Avis and our luggage in our room.  We thought we were being smart to check into our flight this morning on the computer but it messed up our seating on the plane.  So we all walked over to the ticket area to get that straightened out. An hour and half later some seats were corrected but ours was not. I get to deal with that when we check in tomorrow. 

Please note that we may not have any type of internet while in Patagonia at Torres del Paine (pronounced 'pine') National Park.  We fly to Punta Arenas in the morning then will ride in a van for 5 hours to the park. The next five days will be spent on day hikes in the park while staying at various hotels and refugios (hikers lodging).  I promise full details when we return to civilization. 

Colchagua Valley and Chilean History

Since we have a car we decided to drive to Santa Cruz to check out a recommended museum and do some wine tasting. Santa Cruz is only about an hour drive from here.

Museo Colchagua was opened in 1995 and has over 4,000 pieces. We saw pre-historic and pre-Columbian exhibits, Incan and Conquistadors, war and modern eras, horse and farm, buggy, car and steam vehicles and Andes jewels next to Darwin's room.  They also had a moving exhibit about the 33 miners stuck underground for 30 days back in 2010. Very impressive displays.  But no photography allowed so no pictures to share. 

After a stroll around the town square we had lunch at an Italian restaurant served by a young lady from Seattle trying to learn Spanish.  What we thought would be a short walk to the winery next door turned out to be a long walk so John drove the car around while the rest of us walked. We had tasted one of the wines from Laura Hartwig Winery earlier this week but the ones we tasted today were not very good.  We then stopped at the Estampa Winery and tasted some more wine. Mary drove us back to Tumunan.

We have truly enjoyed our stay with Will and Carolina at the Tumunan Lodge.  They have been wonderful hosts and have served great meals. We could not have asked for a more relaxed time. If anyone is interested in visiting Colchagua Valley in Chile we would highly recommend you stay here.

Tumunan Lodge web site:  www.tumunanlodge.com

Down Day

Today we chose not to do a lot of things like sight seeing or wine tasting. Instead we took a 5 or 6 mile hike up the valley to see a waterfall then drove to Shangra La for lunch.  

Lunch was an adventure as no employees spoke English. The waitress wrote the menu on her pad then asked her son and several other diners if they spoke English. Between them and our limited understanding of Spanish we placed our order for what we thought would be pork ribs or beef steak with salad and French fries. We interpreted correctly and had a lovely lunch. 

The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent in the pool or hot tub, reading or playing cards.  Dinner was a grilled steak and good wine.