A fortuitous end to our trip occurred when--for no reason we can figure--LAN transferred us to the nonstop to D.C. out of BA! Our original flight would have required a 3-hour layover in Miami. The UAL flight was leaving in an hour. We could not believe our luck! We and bags arrived at Dulles 11 hours later, seven hours sooner than planned. We're thrilled to be home--greeted by gorgeous cherry blossoms!
POSTSCRIPT
1. The Argentine people are simply great! Ours was the most delightful of vacations because they made us feel at home.
2. One should absolutely NOT travel without an iPhone and IPad. Though we switched off roaming and new data, we accessed our mail and sent photos in places with WiFi, which most hotels offer for free. I used my iPhone at other times for picture-taking, making notes on the trip, currency exchange, flashlight, crosswords and Angry Birds. I had plenty of downloaded books on my iPad, plus Bridge Baron. It's easy to download my Canon photos onto the iPad for sharing.
3. Fodor's was disappointing as a guide to Argentina generally and Patagonia specifically. Incomplete, confusing layout, bad maps.
4. It was easy for Richard to organize this trip, using Expedia, hotels.com and trip advisor. He confirmed most arrangements by email, and by phone in a couple of cases. We had no complications. Organizing activities was easy to do on site, and we got some good tips (and gave some)from other travelers.
5. Best Restaurants: La Cabrera in BA for steak, La Tablita in El Calafate for mixed grill, La Cassis in Bariloche for food, location, atmosphere, price!, Sottevocce in BA for Italian, Cafe Tortoni in BA for coffee and atmosphere. For dinner, make reservations!
6. Best Hotel: Charming, in Bariloche, for location, service, food, price, everything!
7. Best Experiences: hard to choose but we think it was our day to Upsala Glacier, organized by Estancia Cristina--$150 each and worth every penny!
8. Books on Patagonia: Chris Moss (better than Bruce Chatwin), Darwin (annotated diary noteson Beagle voyage available), W. H. Hudson, Sylvia Iparrequire, Antoine Saint-Exupery, Paul Theroux.
9. Reading on Argentina: V.S. Naipaul's The Return of Eva Peron, Francisco Goldman's New Yorker piece "Children of the Dirty War," on 3/19/12, Scott Metcalf's NYT piece in 2009 on BA bodegons, online site Good Morning Buenos Aires, online CIA World Factbook.
10. Money: you get better deals paying cash. Crisp dollars always welcome. Avoid credit because of the fees. ATMs give good rates but often have lines in small towns. Bank tellers are hard to find--hours are limited, and locals line up to use them to pay bills.
11. Best Shopping: Prices are like the U.S., but there are sales everywhere. We did not shop so much but recommend Tramando at Rodriguez Pena 1973 for very cute clothes by designer Martin Churba, Plata Nativa for silver, antiques and textiles in Galleria del Sol at 860 Florida, and the family-owned leather store right across the hall. Malls off Alvear are great. Great shoe and handbag stores are easy to find.
12. Wine was excellent almost everywhere. You can get a very nice bottle in a restaurantfor $30. Mostly, it's 100% malbec, which complements steak so well.
A fun trip!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Day 18--Last Day
Our last day in BA was classic Argentina. The Teatro Colon is one of the world's best opera houses, certainly among the most beautiful, and it's acoustics are legendary. We took a tour of it today, 18 months after a long renovation period, and really swooned over the marble, gilding, chandeliers, posh box seating. Of course, everything in it was imported, and it took 20 years to build under 3 architects, opening in 1908. The opera and concert performers were all European, as there was no such training in Argentina at that time. Not until 1925 did local companies develop. That was under President Alvear, who several years before had married--against the advice of everyone in the elite--a Brazilian Portuguese singer. Alvear cultivated the arts and the Teatro Colon, but BA never accepted his wife. In those days, women were supposed to stay home and have kids. Even widows could not show themselves for two years after their husbands' death.
It was such an elitist venue 100 years ago that when anarchists exploded a bomb in the building, which did no damage, the orchestra was instructed to play the national anthem to ease everyone's nerves--but the orchestra did not know the tune! This, 100 years after independence.
The acoustics are so good that no amplification is needed for voices or instruments. We got to sit in on an instrumental rehearsal.
Then we walked over to the Plaza de Mayo in time to see the Mothers demonstrating for the disappeared. As these old women walk around the square, they recite the names of those missing or dead during the military junta's rule in the late 1970s. Unexpectedly, a second group of marred was lending their support to a demonstration for the return of the Falkland Islands to Argentina. Concurrently, veterans of the Falklands War with Britain were demonstrating in from of Pink House demanding more attention. Interesting afternoon!
We are heading to the airport for an evening flight through Miami. That will make nine different planes for us on this trip by the time we get home tomorrow morning!
It was such an elitist venue 100 years ago that when anarchists exploded a bomb in the building, which did no damage, the orchestra was instructed to play the national anthem to ease everyone's nerves--but the orchestra did not know the tune! This, 100 years after independence.
The acoustics are so good that no amplification is needed for voices or instruments. We got to sit in on an instrumental rehearsal.
Then we walked over to the Plaza de Mayo in time to see the Mothers demonstrating for the disappeared. As these old women walk around the square, they recite the names of those missing or dead during the military junta's rule in the late 1970s. Unexpectedly, a second group of marred was lending their support to a demonstration for the return of the Falkland Islands to Argentina. Concurrently, veterans of the Falklands War with Britain were demonstrating in from of Pink House demanding more attention. Interesting afternoon!
We are heading to the airport for an evening flight through Miami. That will make nine different planes for us on this trip by the time we get home tomorrow morning!
Day 17--Buenos Aires
The primary goal today was to visit the Ethnographic Museum, near the Place de Mayo--closed for renovation when we passed through two weeks ago. Much to our dismay, it was STILL CLOSED! Hardly a substitute but still interesting was the Museum of the City around the corner, a beautiful 19th-C home furnished as it had been in 1900-- much of the furniture, fashions, toys imported, and the decor and tile art nouveau. Then we had to stop again for coffee and pastries at the wonderful Cafe Tortoni, opened by Italians in 1885 and still gorgeous with its high ceilings, wood columns, stained glass and elderly bow-tied waiters.
By 1885 Argentina had been independent of Spain for 75 years, the natives in Patagonia were being exterminated under General Roca, and European immigrants were coming in droves to settle the newly vacant land in Patagonia. BA had recovered from the yellow fever epidemic of 1870 and was growing outward from the oldest areas of San Telmo, where these museums are, and La Boca, the old port area.
Walking the cobbled streets as far as we could we finally took a cab the rest of the way to La Boca. It is the seedy part of BA, where the tango in all its beauty, sexuality and violence had its origins. We had empanadas near the water in a sidewalk cafe where a young couple
danced the tango and then passed the hat. Tourists flock to this 4-block square area in the
daytime, known also for its gaily-painted buildings. As we were leaving, four huge tour buses pulled up, disgorging their passengers into the various tango souvenir shops. A taxi back to our area passes through the saddest-looking slum I've almost ever seen,by the water and under the highway going to the airport, one flimsy tenement on top of another.
We have realized the Argentine art we've been looking for that might reveal the Argentine identity is mostly in private places-- wonderfully diverse and expressive. Cafe Tortoni, our hotel, restaurants, private galleries all have art on their walls. These artists are the ones born here, not transplants. They have lived through Peron, the dirty war, the disappearances, hyperinflation. The paintings show people, street scenes, still lifes in sensitive ways with loads of color but full of intelligence. The political art that's most noticeable is public graffiti everywhere, often critical of Cristina.
We're tired of cabs so walk to a parrilla near our hotel for dinner. The food is not as good as last night's but the place is packed. We learned today that portenos, as BA's residents are known (becuase most of their forebears arrived here by ship), don't cook at home, preferring to go out--such a contrast to their European ancestors.
By 1885 Argentina had been independent of Spain for 75 years, the natives in Patagonia were being exterminated under General Roca, and European immigrants were coming in droves to settle the newly vacant land in Patagonia. BA had recovered from the yellow fever epidemic of 1870 and was growing outward from the oldest areas of San Telmo, where these museums are, and La Boca, the old port area.
Walking the cobbled streets as far as we could we finally took a cab the rest of the way to La Boca. It is the seedy part of BA, where the tango in all its beauty, sexuality and violence had its origins. We had empanadas near the water in a sidewalk cafe where a young couple
danced the tango and then passed the hat. Tourists flock to this 4-block square area in the
daytime, known also for its gaily-painted buildings. As we were leaving, four huge tour buses pulled up, disgorging their passengers into the various tango souvenir shops. A taxi back to our area passes through the saddest-looking slum I've almost ever seen,by the water and under the highway going to the airport, one flimsy tenement on top of another.
We have realized the Argentine art we've been looking for that might reveal the Argentine identity is mostly in private places-- wonderfully diverse and expressive. Cafe Tortoni, our hotel, restaurants, private galleries all have art on their walls. These artists are the ones born here, not transplants. They have lived through Peron, the dirty war, the disappearances, hyperinflation. The paintings show people, street scenes, still lifes in sensitive ways with loads of color but full of intelligence. The political art that's most noticeable is public graffiti everywhere, often critical of Cristina.
We're tired of cabs so walk to a parrilla near our hotel for dinner. The food is not as good as last night's but the place is packed. We learned today that portenos, as BA's residents are known (becuase most of their forebears arrived here by ship), don't cook at home, preferring to go out--such a contrast to their European ancestors.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Day 16--Buenos Aires again
We are back in BA where the palm trees grow and it's gotten a little cooler since we left two weeks ago. the Claridge is our 6th hotel, and while my clothes are getting a little tossed around in the suitcases, Richard pulled out a clean, pressed shirt for the city.
We are in a much busier part of town right off the main pedestrian shopping street of La Florida. Walking is the best activity, and we browse through a number of leather, shoe and clothing stores, and track down a wonderful antique store a friend has recommended. For resuscitation after that tough shopping, coffee and pastries at one of the many old-fashioned Italian cafes is an absolute must.
Dinner is not until late, so we walk to the National Museum of Fine Arts, which like everything else is open till 8:30 pm. It's disappointing--2nd-rate European art mostly, though some nice Goyas, a Rembrandt, a couple good Impressionists and several stunning 16th-17thC Gobelin and Flemish tapestries. Not much from Argentine painters. We thought we might get a handle here on the Argentine identity, but it eludes us. MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art largely from late-19th to 21st C is so much more exciting and revealing of where this continent, if not Argentina, is going.
La Cabrera is our choice for dinner tonight--a well-known steak house in Palermo Viejo that turns out to be absolutely fabulous. It's good we made reservations, because when we left At 10:30 every table was taken and there was a line outside. Lots of tourists go there, but also many locals. The atmosphere was fun, and the service, the food, and even the prices were great.
We are in a much busier part of town right off the main pedestrian shopping street of La Florida. Walking is the best activity, and we browse through a number of leather, shoe and clothing stores, and track down a wonderful antique store a friend has recommended. For resuscitation after that tough shopping, coffee and pastries at one of the many old-fashioned Italian cafes is an absolute must.
Dinner is not until late, so we walk to the National Museum of Fine Arts, which like everything else is open till 8:30 pm. It's disappointing--2nd-rate European art mostly, though some nice Goyas, a Rembrandt, a couple good Impressionists and several stunning 16th-17thC Gobelin and Flemish tapestries. Not much from Argentine painters. We thought we might get a handle here on the Argentine identity, but it eludes us. MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art largely from late-19th to 21st C is so much more exciting and revealing of where this continent, if not Argentina, is going.
La Cabrera is our choice for dinner tonight--a well-known steak house in Palermo Viejo that turns out to be absolutely fabulous. It's good we made reservations, because when we left At 10:30 every table was taken and there was a line outside. Lots of tourists go there, but also many locals. The atmosphere was fun, and the service, the food, and even the prices were great.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Day 15--Mendoza Bodegas
We chose three vineyards to visit today and hired a car and English-speaking driver to take us around. Nothing is close--each place is 10-15 mins by car from the next. The other catch is that reservations are necessary for the tastings. Our first choice, Catena, the bodega behind the growth of the Argentine wine industry, is not available. The three we visit are all bodegas whose wines are available in D.C.--Luigi Bosca, Nieto Senetiner and Achaval Ferrer.
They're all small Bodegas and gave great tours. Luigi Bosca did not charge, but the other two asked $10-15 each. There are gates and guards and no getting in unless you're expected! Most of their small production is from the malbec grape, which Argentines, Brazilians and Latin Americans like, but Americans and Europeans don't as much. So it's their blends that they export, which nevertheless can be 85% malbec. Achuval Ferrer's 2009 wines are getting raves from Robert Parker--the Altamira won an amazing 99 points. We declined buying it, at a bargain price of $1000/case. Unfortunately, they weren't offering it at the tasting either.
Choosing places to eat is tricky here, as most places look seedy with locked gates or swanky with guards. We just haven't been here long enough to figure it out. Our driver takes us to a lunch place, Casa de Caban, home of a former governor that serves traditional cold plates. Our table (in a private room) was covered with tons of tapas--goat cheeses, sausages, and a myriad of vegetables and fruits roasted or marinated in olive oil, vinegar or wine. If that weren't enough, we were then served a small bowl of spaghetti followed by a meat stew. We could hardly stand after that meal.
On our way this morning, looking for a bank, we found the town center of our area, Chacras de Coria. It is very cute, about a mile from our posada, and we ended up there for dinner at a small Italian place, Piacere. (Somehow we found the power to eat again!). We have learned that our area is where all the well-to-do people who work in Mendoza live--that this is the best place to stay because the city of Mendoza is too noisy and busy. Alas, we won't get to see Mendoza, as we are leaving in the morning for BA.
Money note: managing it is crazy. First of all, it goes quickly! One can often pay in dollars, getting change in pesos, but the more official the recipient ( say, our glacier
tours), the worse the rate. The scuttlebutt from other travelers is that you get the best rate at ATMs, which ends up covering the fee ATMs charge. We have brought lots of dollars and have only been to the bank once--usually there is a huge line!
They're all small Bodegas and gave great tours. Luigi Bosca did not charge, but the other two asked $10-15 each. There are gates and guards and no getting in unless you're expected! Most of their small production is from the malbec grape, which Argentines, Brazilians and Latin Americans like, but Americans and Europeans don't as much. So it's their blends that they export, which nevertheless can be 85% malbec. Achuval Ferrer's 2009 wines are getting raves from Robert Parker--the Altamira won an amazing 99 points. We declined buying it, at a bargain price of $1000/case. Unfortunately, they weren't offering it at the tasting either.
Choosing places to eat is tricky here, as most places look seedy with locked gates or swanky with guards. We just haven't been here long enough to figure it out. Our driver takes us to a lunch place, Casa de Caban, home of a former governor that serves traditional cold plates. Our table (in a private room) was covered with tons of tapas--goat cheeses, sausages, and a myriad of vegetables and fruits roasted or marinated in olive oil, vinegar or wine. If that weren't enough, we were then served a small bowl of spaghetti followed by a meat stew. We could hardly stand after that meal.
On our way this morning, looking for a bank, we found the town center of our area, Chacras de Coria. It is very cute, about a mile from our posada, and we ended up there for dinner at a small Italian place, Piacere. (Somehow we found the power to eat again!). We have learned that our area is where all the well-to-do people who work in Mendoza live--that this is the best place to stay because the city of Mendoza is too noisy and busy. Alas, we won't get to see Mendoza, as we are leaving in the morning for BA.
Money note: managing it is crazy. First of all, it goes quickly! One can often pay in dollars, getting change in pesos, but the more official the recipient ( say, our glacier
tours), the worse the rate. The scuttlebutt from other travelers is that you get the best rate at ATMs, which ends up covering the fee ATMs charge. We have brought lots of dollars and have only been to the bank once--usually there is a huge line!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Day 14--Mendoza
Our posada is charming and quiet, only 8 rooms, surrounded by trees and birds, and there is a delightful buffet breakfast (as usual in our hotels) of homemade breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese, ham, cereals, jam and the obligatory dulce de leche (caramel--featured everywhere, in candy, ice cream, sauces, puddings). And the coffee, always wonderful, but this morning we get cappuccinos, as many as we like. The vineyards are mostly closed today, and Richard's head cold is slowing him down, so today is a day of rest.
Unlike Patagonia, Mendoza is flat. A couple-mile walk reveals we are in a nice area of "haves"--one nice low bungalow after another, often with pool and tennis court, sometimes with grape vines, behind hedges, walls, concertina wire and barking dogs. We experienced the dogs on our horse ride in Bariloche as well--fierce and scary, even from the back of a horse. Each house has several--cheaper than a security system, we guess. When they are not behind fences, dogs are wandering around docile and sweet, never leashed. The exception has been in BA, where as in NYC hired hands walk the dogs. One walker we saw had nine dogs at once of all sizes. The dogs walk in formation without getting all twisted up on the narrow sidewalks--how is it possible?
The posada finds me a bike and I toodle around for a couple hours on flat, straight, tree-shaded roads, trying not to get lost or run into. There are few sidewalks and of course no bike lanes on these narrow rural roads, and it seems safer to ride with the traffic than
against it. Intersections are fascinating--there are no stop signs. In Ushuaia we figured
out that the cars going up and down the mountain have the right of way over those traveling parallel to it--but here the protocol is not clear! I discover some fancy vineyards, a couple of restaurants, a gated community going up with 2-story brick homes, two schools, and a little town center, but it's pretty quiet. There is an impressive open-air grill on my way home, and people are lined up to get some, so I do, too. Lamb on a cross-type skewer so it's marinated by its natural juices, and beef, beef innards, blood sausage, whole chickens, roast vegetables, all on an open-fire grill. Plus packaged pies, salads, olives--this is Sunday
lunch in Argentina! It's all take-out, so I wheel home with an enormous bag of goodies to surprise Richard with a midday feast, and it is delicious.
There is only one other couple staying here and we have the lap pool and courtyard to ourselves. Tiring of the new-age music the're playing here over and over, Richard talks them into putting on his Hawaiian slack-key guitar, which the staff of two like a lot. We both finish our books, have a pizza and empanadas for dinner, some cribbage, and bed!
Unlike Patagonia, Mendoza is flat. A couple-mile walk reveals we are in a nice area of "haves"--one nice low bungalow after another, often with pool and tennis court, sometimes with grape vines, behind hedges, walls, concertina wire and barking dogs. We experienced the dogs on our horse ride in Bariloche as well--fierce and scary, even from the back of a horse. Each house has several--cheaper than a security system, we guess. When they are not behind fences, dogs are wandering around docile and sweet, never leashed. The exception has been in BA, where as in NYC hired hands walk the dogs. One walker we saw had nine dogs at once of all sizes. The dogs walk in formation without getting all twisted up on the narrow sidewalks--how is it possible?
The posada finds me a bike and I toodle around for a couple hours on flat, straight, tree-shaded roads, trying not to get lost or run into. There are few sidewalks and of course no bike lanes on these narrow rural roads, and it seems safer to ride with the traffic than
against it. Intersections are fascinating--there are no stop signs. In Ushuaia we figured
out that the cars going up and down the mountain have the right of way over those traveling parallel to it--but here the protocol is not clear! I discover some fancy vineyards, a couple of restaurants, a gated community going up with 2-story brick homes, two schools, and a little town center, but it's pretty quiet. There is an impressive open-air grill on my way home, and people are lined up to get some, so I do, too. Lamb on a cross-type skewer so it's marinated by its natural juices, and beef, beef innards, blood sausage, whole chickens, roast vegetables, all on an open-fire grill. Plus packaged pies, salads, olives--this is Sunday
lunch in Argentina! It's all take-out, so I wheel home with an enormous bag of goodies to surprise Richard with a midday feast, and it is delicious.
There is only one other couple staying here and we have the lap pool and courtyard to ourselves. Tiring of the new-age music the're playing here over and over, Richard talks them into putting on his Hawaiian slack-key guitar, which the staff of two like a lot. We both finish our books, have a pizza and empanadas for dinner, some cribbage, and bed!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Day 13--Mendoza
We have short-changed Ushuaia in time, but it will stay with us. It has a magnetic effect, as remote and environmentally unfriendly as it is. Did I say that it was settled, like Australia, with convicts, who provided labor for logging and other enterprises in the last century? It has rained all night, then as we rise the sun comes out, and finally as we board ur plane it begins to snow, briefly. Overnight, it has snowed in the mountains and clouds have set in, as has cold weather. On the waynto the airport we see wild rheas, or Patagonians ostriches, in the distance. These were food staples once, hunted by the gauchos with their bolladeras.
To get to Mendoza, the wine country, due west of Buenos Aires, we have to fly to BA and change planes, so it takes us 6 hours. When we land in Mendoza it is hot, and I realize once again that I packed for fall weather. We are north of Patagonia now, back in the present, concerned about what's happening here and now-- but it's hard to shake the silent voices of Patagonia. The empty spaces, the bones of animals we found on the steppes, the memory of native peoples, the fossils of prehistory, the timelessness of mountains and ice--it is eery how these make such a deep impression.
We are staying in a small posada or inn which Richard found, about 20 mins from Mendoza town. It has an open courtyard with a small pool and very peaceful. The drive from the airport reminds us a lot of San Francisco. We settle in--Richard is nursing a cold. Over dinner we share a lovely cab. Wine has been a great part of this whole trip--we've tried a lot of different wines that will never be imported into the U.S. Wine-making has spread to the south and north, but Argentinians are still consuming more than they're exporting, unlike Chile!
To get to Mendoza, the wine country, due west of Buenos Aires, we have to fly to BA and change planes, so it takes us 6 hours. When we land in Mendoza it is hot, and I realize once again that I packed for fall weather. We are north of Patagonia now, back in the present, concerned about what's happening here and now-- but it's hard to shake the silent voices of Patagonia. The empty spaces, the bones of animals we found on the steppes, the memory of native peoples, the fossils of prehistory, the timelessness of mountains and ice--it is eery how these make such a deep impression.
We are staying in a small posada or inn which Richard found, about 20 mins from Mendoza town. It has an open courtyard with a small pool and very peaceful. The drive from the airport reminds us a lot of San Francisco. We settle in--Richard is nursing a cold. Over dinner we share a lovely cab. Wine has been a great part of this whole trip--we've tried a lot of different wines that will never be imported into the U.S. Wine-making has spread to the south and north, but Argentinians are still consuming more than they're exporting, unlike Chile!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Day 12--Patagonia/Ushuaia
Disaster yesterday--I left my electrical adaptor behind somewhere, and iPad and iPhone have been about dead, camera batteries hanging on for dear life. We tried find one in Ushuaia today but stores open late and then close midday for 3 hours, so I´ve been out of luck. Our proprientor is obliging me tonight with charger and house computer.
We awoke to sunrise with only a rough plan of what to do, but the day turned out fabulously again. We spent the morning in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, hiking the woods, initially in sunshine, then in some drizzle. We found rather than hiring a car and driver that we could take a "combi," or group van, to the trailheads in the park and then get picked up again from the tourist info lodge later., where we found wonderful empanadas and a good museum on the local flora, flauna, and natives that were so thoroughly rubbed out by 1900.
Our main objective here was to get on a boat through the Beagle Canal. We have been reading lots in anticipation--including Darwin´s diaries of his voyage on the Beagle in this area. We had to sort through more than half a dozen boat tours on the waterfront, but thanks to our previous boat experience in Bariloche and El Calafate, we decided on a bigger, more stable catamaran, considering the potentail for a storm and rough waters, and a 5 1/2-ride out the canal toward the Atlantic (Argentine rather than Chilean waters). Why so long, you might ask. To see the penguins, of course!!
And see them we did! Three different kinds, all cute little fellows, many who will be leaving for Brazil once the weather gets cold. The boat slides right up on the beach of this particular island some three hours out of Ushuaia, and we were stunned to see literally 1000s of penguins. They walk right up to the boat, so curious, so we get loads of pictures during our 30 minutes or so of oogling. We do not disembark, nor do we talk much so as not to disturb them.
We also idle by islands filled with fur seals and sea lions, and loads of sea birds, including three types of albatross: All along we keep thinking about Darwin, and of all the earlier explorers who came here, and their crews who died here, and of the various native peoples who lived subsistence lives here before the Europeans arrived, wearing next to nothing, living in huts, hunting down whatever they could to eat, which wasn-t much here. Chris Moss writes well of these precursors on this land, improving on Vruce Chatwick´s book on same. The wind blows strong, there´s intermiteent drizzle, and the sea is choppy and once again we wear every bit of cold.weather clothing we have brought, and are thankful to have a stable boat. The boat is only half full so there is plenty of room, it is very comfortable, the guide is great, and the tea plentiful.
We´ve packed the day full because we leave tomorrow for Mendoza. So arriving back in port at 9-30 pm we head for a fish restaurant we´ve heard of and dine on the local delicacy of king crab. The main street of Ushuaia is hopping--full of high end stores selling souvenirs and everything else from camping equipment to European toilets. And of course chocolate. It doesn´t feel like the end of the world, and noone here that we talk to seems unhappy to live here. Ushuaia has had its troubles in the past with get'rich'quickers, but it´s now attracting people who like the wilderness and the pace of life here--and who can handle the weather!
We awoke to sunrise with only a rough plan of what to do, but the day turned out fabulously again. We spent the morning in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, hiking the woods, initially in sunshine, then in some drizzle. We found rather than hiring a car and driver that we could take a "combi," or group van, to the trailheads in the park and then get picked up again from the tourist info lodge later., where we found wonderful empanadas and a good museum on the local flora, flauna, and natives that were so thoroughly rubbed out by 1900.
Our main objective here was to get on a boat through the Beagle Canal. We have been reading lots in anticipation--including Darwin´s diaries of his voyage on the Beagle in this area. We had to sort through more than half a dozen boat tours on the waterfront, but thanks to our previous boat experience in Bariloche and El Calafate, we decided on a bigger, more stable catamaran, considering the potentail for a storm and rough waters, and a 5 1/2-ride out the canal toward the Atlantic (Argentine rather than Chilean waters). Why so long, you might ask. To see the penguins, of course!!
And see them we did! Three different kinds, all cute little fellows, many who will be leaving for Brazil once the weather gets cold. The boat slides right up on the beach of this particular island some three hours out of Ushuaia, and we were stunned to see literally 1000s of penguins. They walk right up to the boat, so curious, so we get loads of pictures during our 30 minutes or so of oogling. We do not disembark, nor do we talk much so as not to disturb them.
We also idle by islands filled with fur seals and sea lions, and loads of sea birds, including three types of albatross: All along we keep thinking about Darwin, and of all the earlier explorers who came here, and their crews who died here, and of the various native peoples who lived subsistence lives here before the Europeans arrived, wearing next to nothing, living in huts, hunting down whatever they could to eat, which wasn-t much here. Chris Moss writes well of these precursors on this land, improving on Vruce Chatwick´s book on same. The wind blows strong, there´s intermiteent drizzle, and the sea is choppy and once again we wear every bit of cold.weather clothing we have brought, and are thankful to have a stable boat. The boat is only half full so there is plenty of room, it is very comfortable, the guide is great, and the tea plentiful.
We´ve packed the day full because we leave tomorrow for Mendoza. So arriving back in port at 9-30 pm we head for a fish restaurant we´ve heard of and dine on the local delicacy of king crab. The main street of Ushuaia is hopping--full of high end stores selling souvenirs and everything else from camping equipment to European toilets. And of course chocolate. It doesn´t feel like the end of the world, and noone here that we talk to seems unhappy to live here. Ushuaia has had its troubles in the past with get'rich'quickers, but it´s now attracting people who like the wilderness and the pace of life here--and who can handle the weather!
Day 11--Patagonia/El Calafate
Today, our last day in El Calafate, we decided on another horseback ride. We hired some locals to take us on a five.hour ride that included lunch, to get us back in time for our evening flight out of town. Our group consisted of seven riders-- from Australia, New Zealand and France and ourselves--plus two guides and seven dogs. We had a wonderful ride over the scrubland outside of town and down to the lake,and on the way home the dogs caught two hares, which our top guide tied onto his saddle and was looking forward to having for dinner. Hunting is what happens out here, and there are bones around to prove it. We haven't seen any pumas but are told they are around, looking for colts and lambs too weak or slow to defend themselves.
It was another fabulous day, but the wind was in our faces going out and the sun was hot so we were whipped. We got to the airport the requisite two hours ahead, to find the plane to Ushuaia delayed an hour. Blessedly, once it did take off we were fed on the plane, and after an hour´s flight we landed at the most remote destination of our trip, Ushuaia..the southernmost city of the planet! And.our bags arrived with us. A cab took us to our chalet hotel, the Patagonian Jarke, once again a hotel cantilevered down a hill. This time we are overlooking Darwin´s Beagle Channel!! It is a city on Tierra del
Fuego, a large island that points to Antarctica 500 miles away. Cape Horn is in the vicinity, too--in Chile, a bit south of here. We are amazed to be here.
Ushuaia is all lights along the shore till the mountains abruptly stop the sprawl. We are amazed to see anyone living here, so far south, on waters legendary for their storms and hostility to human and animal life. But the weather at 10 pm feels milder than we
expected. We have to remind ourselves that we are at 55 degrees south--which allows for roughly the same climate as Northern Ireland at 55 degrees north!
Important factoid: During the California gold rush, it was faster and safer to get there on a boat around Cape Horn (100-200 days) than to go on land by wagon (5 months) and risknlosing a scalp. This explains why the McGowans in our family chose the sea route to go to San Francisco and ultimately Portland O in the 19th C.
It was another fabulous day, but the wind was in our faces going out and the sun was hot so we were whipped. We got to the airport the requisite two hours ahead, to find the plane to Ushuaia delayed an hour. Blessedly, once it did take off we were fed on the plane, and after an hour´s flight we landed at the most remote destination of our trip, Ushuaia..the southernmost city of the planet! And.our bags arrived with us. A cab took us to our chalet hotel, the Patagonian Jarke, once again a hotel cantilevered down a hill. This time we are overlooking Darwin´s Beagle Channel!! It is a city on Tierra del
Fuego, a large island that points to Antarctica 500 miles away. Cape Horn is in the vicinity, too--in Chile, a bit south of here. We are amazed to be here.
Ushuaia is all lights along the shore till the mountains abruptly stop the sprawl. We are amazed to see anyone living here, so far south, on waters legendary for their storms and hostility to human and animal life. But the weather at 10 pm feels milder than we
expected. We have to remind ourselves that we are at 55 degrees south--which allows for roughly the same climate as Northern Ireland at 55 degrees north!
Important factoid: During the California gold rush, it was faster and safer to get there on a boat around Cape Horn (100-200 days) than to go on land by wagon (5 months) and risknlosing a scalp. This explains why the McGowans in our family chose the sea route to go to San Francisco and ultimately Portland O in the 19th C.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Day 10--Upsala Glacier/El Calafate
We were on the road before the sun came up for what was to be a fabulous 12-hour day outdoors to see one of Argentina's most active glaciers--booked through Estancia Cristina. We took a bus 40 mins into the vacant brown plains of Patagonia, past 100s of grazing sheep, cattle and horses, to a dock on Lake Argentino--it's Argentina's biggest lake which is fed by 7 major glaciers and is a lovely milky turquoise color as a result. We are in the national park now. After 2 1/2 hours by boat in a ride thrilling its beauty--snow-covered mountains on either side, condors overhead--we come into major icebergs calved from Upsala Glacier, all around us. We get as close to the glacier as safety warrants--the wind kicks up and the icebergs get denser. The glacier is actually three flowing into one. It advances 30 feet a day! But because the lake arm is so deep here(2400 feet), the glacier calves a lot and so actually retreats on an annual basis.
We turn around and beach some 20 mins away--the boats they use just slide up on the sand. From there it is a 2 1/2 hour trek to the glacier's land vantage point--an absolutely glorious hike under sunny blue skies across a rocky Patagonian peninsula surrounded by snowy peaks, ponds, flora, with Lake Argentino in the kdistance. reaching the overlook, we are still only 500 feet above sea level, so no oxygen problems! We picnicked with an absolutely stunning view of the glacier, with a panorama of mountains around us. Then we hiked two hours back to the boat, seeing several wild horses and an eagle on the way. Another 20 mins on the boat, and we landed at the site of the former Estancia Cristina, a working sheep ranch for 100 years whose only access to markets was by boat. Now part of the park, it's a place for tourists to stay overnight and ride horses into the mountains.
We return home by boat and bus, barely able to stay awake over a steak and wine dinner. This was the best day yet! The weather continues to be spectacular, and we have a day of horseback riding planned for tomorrow before flying in the evening to Ushuaia!
We turn around and beach some 20 mins away--the boats they use just slide up on the sand. From there it is a 2 1/2 hour trek to the glacier's land vantage point--an absolutely glorious hike under sunny blue skies across a rocky Patagonian peninsula surrounded by snowy peaks, ponds, flora, with Lake Argentino in the kdistance. reaching the overlook, we are still only 500 feet above sea level, so no oxygen problems! We picnicked with an absolutely stunning view of the glacier, with a panorama of mountains around us. Then we hiked two hours back to the boat, seeing several wild horses and an eagle on the way. Another 20 mins on the boat, and we landed at the site of the former Estancia Cristina, a working sheep ranch for 100 years whose only access to markets was by boat. Now part of the park, it's a place for tourists to stay overnight and ride horses into the mountains.
We return home by boat and bus, barely able to stay awake over a steak and wine dinner. This was the best day yet! The weather continues to be spectacular, and we have a day of horseback riding planned for tomorrow before flying in the evening to Ushuaia!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Day 9--Patagonia/El Calafate
Today was spectacular weather--blue sky, and we could see the snow-covered Andes across the brown steppe. We hung out in town and found the tourist offices, finally--municipal, provincial, and national park--all within four blocks of our hotel. And we discovered there was a public bus out the the Glaciarium, a museum some 15 mins drive ouside of town. There is NoTHING else out there, just a broad expanse of plain, Lake Argentino, and the distant mountains. The museum is of course devoted to glaciers, and because it's only 8 years old it's displays are hi-tech and in English as well as Spanish. So we learned a lot, and bought their message that global warming is going to melt the glaciers and kill the planet. Then it was time to try out the Glaciobar, opened only five months ago--a bar in the basement built out of ice. We and 15 rollicking locals were dressed in silver capes and gloves lined with fur and let loose in the bar, where stool, tables, the bar itself, as well as the walls were all ice. The music was loud and throbbing, and the free drinks flowed-- we'd paid to get in, after all--but we had to drink quickly because if was so COLD. It felt like we were in a meat locker with a loose kaleidoscope. We finally realized we could open the meat locker door ourselves and leave, and we did.
Back in El Calafate, Richard read and walked the golf course, while I walked to the Nature Preserve, some 7 blocks from the hotel, created in a marsh on the banks of Lake Argentino. The place is totally fabulous, loaded with all kinds of birds, the stars for me being the pink flamingos, white ibis, and black-necked swans. The well-marked path meandered around the very large marsh to the lake, but as it turned out part of the path had been flooded out, thanks to Perito Moreno Glacier. As I said yesterday, the glacier is advancing and creates an ice bridge to the land periodically. That creates a dam, and one arm of Lake Argentino rises higher and finally breaks down the ice dam, which makes huge news around Argentina and is an amazing spectacle. (In 2004 when the dam crashed, it was allegedly heard in El Calafate 80 km
away.) The dam rebuilt itself and then crashed again in 2008. And then last week it crashed again just before we got here (people told us about it in BA, sondisappointed that it happened at 4am when noone was there to see it). So after the crash, the water is able to flow back into the lake which causes the lake level to rise everywhere for several weeks--hence the marsh flooding!
By the way, between the preserve and the hotel I passed the get-away home of President Kirshner and her husband, who is from here--a grand house of brick, across from a park. For three blocks around it, however, there is clear poverty. We've been struck by the contrast between the haves and have-nots, here and in Bariloche, and often the two are living side by side. El Calafate is hugely expensive, like any resort town, but it feels less like Vail here than Leadville, and we suspect locals are having a hard time.
Tomorrow, off to Upsala Glaciar!
Back in El Calafate, Richard read and walked the golf course, while I walked to the Nature Preserve, some 7 blocks from the hotel, created in a marsh on the banks of Lake Argentino. The place is totally fabulous, loaded with all kinds of birds, the stars for me being the pink flamingos, white ibis, and black-necked swans. The well-marked path meandered around the very large marsh to the lake, but as it turned out part of the path had been flooded out, thanks to Perito Moreno Glacier. As I said yesterday, the glacier is advancing and creates an ice bridge to the land periodically. That creates a dam, and one arm of Lake Argentino rises higher and finally breaks down the ice dam, which makes huge news around Argentina and is an amazing spectacle. (In 2004 when the dam crashed, it was allegedly heard in El Calafate 80 km
away.) The dam rebuilt itself and then crashed again in 2008. And then last week it crashed again just before we got here (people told us about it in BA, sondisappointed that it happened at 4am when noone was there to see it). So after the crash, the water is able to flow back into the lake which causes the lake level to rise everywhere for several weeks--hence the marsh flooding!
By the way, between the preserve and the hotel I passed the get-away home of President Kirshner and her husband, who is from here--a grand house of brick, across from a park. For three blocks around it, however, there is clear poverty. We've been struck by the contrast between the haves and have-nots, here and in Bariloche, and often the two are living side by side. El Calafate is hugely expensive, like any resort town, but it feels less like Vail here than Leadville, and we suspect locals are having a hard time.
Tomorrow, off to Upsala Glaciar!
Day 8--Ice Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier!
What a day we spent, exploring Perito Moreno glacier! The days was grey but the rain was finished. One drives about 1 1/2 hours from El Calafate into a national park, and the first view of the glacier is arresting. It is 20 mi long to its mountain source and 7 mi wide at its narrowest, and unlike most of the world's glaciers this one is growing! Unfortunately, I only brought my Canon so can't email a picture, but it is massive and living, advancing 3-10 ft a day across the glacial lake toward the system of catwalks on land which you first view it from. Of course, we explored all the viewpoints for about two hours. The glacier constantly groans and cracks like thunder, and now and then huge sections of ice break off with an explosive crack, sending icebergs and waves across the lake. The glacier looks like Superman's home on Krypton (did you see the movie?), all jagged points and crevasses and startling colors of blue, from refracted light. The temperature had dropped, and I was glad to have lugged the cold- weather gear all this way--just right with a shirt, vest, down jacket, rain jacket with hood, scarf, fleece hat and gloves.
Our group of 20 English-speakers then took a boat to the other end of the glacier--affording additional mesmerizing views--and hiked to a comfort hut. There we got fitted for crampons, and very carefully hiked the glacier for an hour and a half. Very tricky--lots of ice holes to fall into. The glacial surface was like crushed ice, and we had to press our crampons hard into the ice to get traction. Going down was especially challenging.
Our fabulous young and agile guides kept us in order and were also well-informed. The mountain that feeds the glacier is about 10,000 ft high and gets snow 300 days of the year, some 20 feet a day. The simple story is that the snow compacts over time, creating the ice. Two-thirds of the glacier is below the surface of Lake Argentino!
A lovely surprise waited at the end of our glacier trek--Irish whiskey poured over glacial ice. Richard,who gave up scotch for Lent, was given a papal dispensation to partake. After the return hike, boat ride and bus, we were home about 6. This was a super trip, organized by Hielo y Aventura.
From home Richard had reserved a table at La Tablita, the best restaurant for parilladas, or mixed grill, in town, and we devoured the Patagonian lamb, beef and chorizo with a salad of tomatoes and local mozarella cheese.
Our group of 20 English-speakers then took a boat to the other end of the glacier--affording additional mesmerizing views--and hiked to a comfort hut. There we got fitted for crampons, and very carefully hiked the glacier for an hour and a half. Very tricky--lots of ice holes to fall into. The glacial surface was like crushed ice, and we had to press our crampons hard into the ice to get traction. Going down was especially challenging.
Our fabulous young and agile guides kept us in order and were also well-informed. The mountain that feeds the glacier is about 10,000 ft high and gets snow 300 days of the year, some 20 feet a day. The simple story is that the snow compacts over time, creating the ice. Two-thirds of the glacier is below the surface of Lake Argentino!
A lovely surprise waited at the end of our glacier trek--Irish whiskey poured over glacial ice. Richard,who gave up scotch for Lent, was given a papal dispensation to partake. After the return hike, boat ride and bus, we were home about 6. This was a super trip, organized by Hielo y Aventura.
From home Richard had reserved a table at La Tablita, the best restaurant for parilladas, or mixed grill, in town, and we devoured the Patagonian lamb, beef and chorizo with a salad of tomatoes and local mozarella cheese.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Day 7--Patagonis/El Calafate
So now we are an hour closer to Anarctica--actually below the latitude od New Zealand, we think, except we can't find proper maps to verify. However, here in El Calafate it is still mild, requiring only a long-sleeve shirt and maybe a light jacket. As in Bariloche,
we took a bus from the airport (one-third the taxi price and delivered right to our door). For 20 mins, we drove through tundra that ressembled Utah or maybe Eastern Turkey, flat brown earth with intermittent yellow weeds. El Calafate appears like an old mining town, low and sprawling, with a lake in the distance. There is little sign of wealth, until we get to the main street, which has all the familiar outdoor stores and outfitters like Patagonia (!), Columbia, Timberland plus tour agencies, supermarkets,restaurants, and a casino! Our hotel--Posados les Alamos-- has some 100 rooms, a golf course, spa, pool, gym, and a really nice restaurant. It was recommended by a friend, and the price is right.
But it starts to rain hard, and continues to for the rest of the day and night. So we make plans for tomorrow, read, have a cribbage tournament, discover a wine tasting across the street, have pizza and empanadas for dinner, and hope for the promise of a sunny day tomorrow, when we hit the glacier Perito Moreno.
Regarding food, we are amazed at the number of wonderful fresh ingredients the Argentines use in their food. We have had wonderful fruits, vegetables and salads, in addition to beef, chicken, venison and lamb, and there is much mention here in Patagonia of the importance of organic production. The growing season is not long here, but greenhouses pick up the slack. We feel so well fed-- last night at Cassis we had the most wonderful lamb strudel, for instance. They use basil a lot, and we've had our share of edible flowers. This is a bit of a contrast to the gaucho approach of roasted meats, but all these dishes have found a place.
The things that to me seem the most out of place are the pastas and pizza on most menus brought in by the Italians, and the chocolate for sale everywhere in Patagonia, introduced by the Swiss and Germans. Like the introduction of trout to the streams, they seemed to fill a need for the immigrants and took hold.
I have to remark, too, on the plethora of lavender and rose bushes that are just flourishing in Patagonia. Roses of every color! Beautiful yet unexpected. Imports again.
Square that image wirh one of a massive ice glacier just two hours away! We will be hiking it tomorrow! We were told in BA that the ice bridge from the glacier Perito Moreno collapsed last week, but there will be much else to see.
we took a bus from the airport (one-third the taxi price and delivered right to our door). For 20 mins, we drove through tundra that ressembled Utah or maybe Eastern Turkey, flat brown earth with intermittent yellow weeds. El Calafate appears like an old mining town, low and sprawling, with a lake in the distance. There is little sign of wealth, until we get to the main street, which has all the familiar outdoor stores and outfitters like Patagonia (!), Columbia, Timberland plus tour agencies, supermarkets,restaurants, and a casino! Our hotel--Posados les Alamos-- has some 100 rooms, a golf course, spa, pool, gym, and a really nice restaurant. It was recommended by a friend, and the price is right.
But it starts to rain hard, and continues to for the rest of the day and night. So we make plans for tomorrow, read, have a cribbage tournament, discover a wine tasting across the street, have pizza and empanadas for dinner, and hope for the promise of a sunny day tomorrow, when we hit the glacier Perito Moreno.
Regarding food, we are amazed at the number of wonderful fresh ingredients the Argentines use in their food. We have had wonderful fruits, vegetables and salads, in addition to beef, chicken, venison and lamb, and there is much mention here in Patagonia of the importance of organic production. The growing season is not long here, but greenhouses pick up the slack. We feel so well fed-- last night at Cassis we had the most wonderful lamb strudel, for instance. They use basil a lot, and we've had our share of edible flowers. This is a bit of a contrast to the gaucho approach of roasted meats, but all these dishes have found a place.
The things that to me seem the most out of place are the pastas and pizza on most menus brought in by the Italians, and the chocolate for sale everywhere in Patagonia, introduced by the Swiss and Germans. Like the introduction of trout to the streams, they seemed to fill a need for the immigrants and took hold.
I have to remark, too, on the plethora of lavender and rose bushes that are just flourishing in Patagonia. Roses of every color! Beautiful yet unexpected. Imports again.
Square that image wirh one of a massive ice glacier just two hours away! We will be hiking it tomorrow! We were told in BA that the ice bridge from the glacier Perito Moreno collapsed last week, but there will be much else to see.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Day 6--Patagonia/Bariloche
We wake to a beautiful clear, calm day. Unseasonably warm, they say. The ski season normally starts in June, but it may be late this year. The weird weather patterns and volcano ash have taken a toll on Bariloche's economy.
Our hotel has only 18 rooms, and there are two other American couples here. But otherwise we're not noticing many gringos--mostly Argentine and Chilean tourists. The Argentines are just lovely people. We have not en countered any abrasiveness or rudeness; in fact, people just seem cheerful and kind by nature. Richard's rudimentary Spanish has helped us, but we havent lacked for help in English if we need it.
We did just hear that Ted Turner is fly-fishing at his ranch 70 miles from here, and his pilots have just checked in to our hotel. There are 42 lake in the 2 million acres of national parks here, and fly-fishing is a big draw, like skiing these Andes mountains.
Today was fantastic--a six-hour horseback ride, just the two of us and a guide. Can you believe this was Richard's idea? The outfit was Tom Wesley, started after WWII. The family has connections to Argentina going back generations, but was originally British. We met Wesley's son, who is now running the place. The ride took us through woods, across streams,
by another pristine lake--Lake Moreno--across a river, and then to the top of the mountain
above, Mt. Campanario We had taken a cable car up that same mountain two days ago--horseback
was certainly more fun. What views! For lunch we had the traditional asados, or barbecue, of
chorizo, beef, and chicken with chimichurri sauce and a salad--the best meat yet!
Richard napped, and I tried out the lake and the hot and cold sauna, before we took our first dinner out of our Charming hotel at the restaurant Cassis. Cassis was utterly elegant and creative and delicious--a husband and wife operation--and its location on yet another lake supremely romantic.
We leave tomorrow for El Calafate and the glaciers!
Our hotel has only 18 rooms, and there are two other American couples here. But otherwise we're not noticing many gringos--mostly Argentine and Chilean tourists. The Argentines are just lovely people. We have not en countered any abrasiveness or rudeness; in fact, people just seem cheerful and kind by nature. Richard's rudimentary Spanish has helped us, but we havent lacked for help in English if we need it.
We did just hear that Ted Turner is fly-fishing at his ranch 70 miles from here, and his pilots have just checked in to our hotel. There are 42 lake in the 2 million acres of national parks here, and fly-fishing is a big draw, like skiing these Andes mountains.
Today was fantastic--a six-hour horseback ride, just the two of us and a guide. Can you believe this was Richard's idea? The outfit was Tom Wesley, started after WWII. The family has connections to Argentina going back generations, but was originally British. We met Wesley's son, who is now running the place. The ride took us through woods, across streams,
by another pristine lake--Lake Moreno--across a river, and then to the top of the mountain
above, Mt. Campanario We had taken a cable car up that same mountain two days ago--horseback
was certainly more fun. What views! For lunch we had the traditional asados, or barbecue, of
chorizo, beef, and chicken with chimichurri sauce and a salad--the best meat yet!
Richard napped, and I tried out the lake and the hot and cold sauna, before we took our first dinner out of our Charming hotel at the restaurant Cassis. Cassis was utterly elegant and creative and delicious--a husband and wife operation--and its location on yet another lake supremely romantic.
We leave tomorrow for El Calafate and the glaciers!
Day 5--Patagonia/Bariloche
Another beautiful clear, warm day, starting with a fantastic sunrise. We gape at the unbelievable view from our deck of the lake below surrounded by mountains upon mountains into the distance.
We spent all day exploring a part of this massive lake, taking a boat an hour and a quarter toward Chile as far as we could go. That arm of the lake becomes ever narrower like a fjiord and steep slopes plunge down on either side. We debark at Puerto Blest, a 100-year-old hotel, hike several miles on wonderful trails through the forests, then return to the hotel for lunch of trout from the local waters. After lunch a bus takes us a few km to a glacial lake, anto another boat that takes us to within 3 km of Chile--one of the three major crossing points, in fact.In contrast to the deep blue and azure waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi, Lake Frias is a creamy turquoise from all the minerals washed down from the glacier on Mt. Tronador (Thunder Mt) towering above us at 3450 meters. We keep an eye out for condors and Richard spied one. We saw or heard a ton of other birds, and lots of different tree types--arayaanes (rare local Myrtle), beeches, cedar, local bamboo--some of the trees 500 years old! We hike a couple miles more, and then take our boat home from Puerto Blest. The Jacuzzi and sauna await!
While there is a breeze on the lakes, the air is warm and at midday we are down to short sleeves. By the time we are home at 7 pm the wind is causing white caps. No kayaks on the lake now, but we do see half a dozen sailboats off in the distance. It's a full moon tonight!
We spent all day exploring a part of this massive lake, taking a boat an hour and a quarter toward Chile as far as we could go. That arm of the lake becomes ever narrower like a fjiord and steep slopes plunge down on either side. We debark at Puerto Blest, a 100-year-old hotel, hike several miles on wonderful trails through the forests, then return to the hotel for lunch of trout from the local waters. After lunch a bus takes us a few km to a glacial lake, anto another boat that takes us to within 3 km of Chile--one of the three major crossing points, in fact.In contrast to the deep blue and azure waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi, Lake Frias is a creamy turquoise from all the minerals washed down from the glacier on Mt. Tronador (Thunder Mt) towering above us at 3450 meters. We keep an eye out for condors and Richard spied one. We saw or heard a ton of other birds, and lots of different tree types--arayaanes (rare local Myrtle), beeches, cedar, local bamboo--some of the trees 500 years old! We hike a couple miles more, and then take our boat home from Puerto Blest. The Jacuzzi and sauna await!
While there is a breeze on the lakes, the air is warm and at midday we are down to short sleeves. By the time we are home at 7 pm the wind is causing white caps. No kayaks on the lake now, but we do see half a dozen sailboats off in the distance. It's a full moon tonight!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Day 4--Patagonia/Bariloche
Our beef dinner last night in BA at Cabanas Las Lilas was great, but did not meet our extremely high expectations for melt-in-your-mouth steak--spoiled by all the good steak in D.C., I guess. We will have to continue our research! Nevertheless, The place was beautiful, on the water, open kitchen, good service. And did I say? Sottevocce was the Italian place our first nice-- absolutely great food.
Also, the tango place was Esquina Carlos Gardel, a place from the 1930s. It has the rep of being one of the best, and the dancing was tops.
Quirks of Argentina so far: (1) As we fly into BA on LAN Argentina, the pilot announces she will be spraying the cabin with insecticide. We never noticed how he did it, as there was no obvious smell or gas. They're worried here about the transmission of dengue fever and malaria, which seems to be a problem in parts of the north. (2) Nothing opens before 11 am and museums don't open till at least 12. Normally we would have had two meals by then, but we're adjusting and now sleep late, eat breakfast at 9:30, lunch at 2, and dinner at 8:30. (3) We have thought it best to drink only bottled water, worried that much of the city may still have 500-year-old plumbing. (4) WiFi is not readily available, and the one computer our hotel has for guests has a 15-min limit. (5) One cannot find a bank to change money. Instead, we pay with dollars and gets pesos in change. (We don't like ATMs or credit because of the charges attached.) (6) in the bathrooms there are bidets and drains in the floor but no kleenex or washcloths. (7) Our BA hotel is called Unique Luxury Park Plaza Hotel. While it was not unique, we liked it a lot. ( Unique turns out to be a chain of 4 hotels.) Our hotel in Bariloche is named Charming Luxury Lodge and Spa.
And we are now in Bariloche! While BA is close to the Atlantic, Bariloche is in the lake country 2 1/2 hours further south and west, near the Chilean border. The town is ramshackle, but our hotel--which Richard found thru Expedia--is another 20 mins drive beyond, set on a cliff overlooking magnificent and huge Lake Nahuel Huapi. The hotel is just 2 years old so is immaculate, and in our room we have a jakuzzi, a dry sauna, a wet sauna, a balcony and 2 picture windows overlooking the lake. Below our room is a heated pool and a beautiful private beach. People are kayaking, but we discovered the water temp of the lake is freezing! All around the lake and as far as our eyes can see are mountains, and islands, and other lakes. It reminds us of Lake Tahoe. There are 42 lakes in this region, and the mountains are a huge draw in the winter. No snow evident yet.
And by the way, we feel lucky to be here. From June thru December, the airport was more or less closed because of ash from a Chilean volcano. People like our friends the Reuters either gave up their reservations or flew into another airport 100 km south and bussed in. We had lovely skies today, and as long as the winds don't blow from the northwest all will be well here.
We had lunch at the Llao Llao Hotel, a wonderful place that opened in 1938 just after the region was declared national parkland. It reminded us of the WPA hotels in the US, in a stunning lake-side setting. A remise, or taxi for hire, then took us on a 3-hour drive with hikes and a chair lift, to view the fabulous scenery of lakes and mountains. At day's end we are pooped!
Also, the tango place was Esquina Carlos Gardel, a place from the 1930s. It has the rep of being one of the best, and the dancing was tops.
Quirks of Argentina so far: (1) As we fly into BA on LAN Argentina, the pilot announces she will be spraying the cabin with insecticide. We never noticed how he did it, as there was no obvious smell or gas. They're worried here about the transmission of dengue fever and malaria, which seems to be a problem in parts of the north. (2) Nothing opens before 11 am and museums don't open till at least 12. Normally we would have had two meals by then, but we're adjusting and now sleep late, eat breakfast at 9:30, lunch at 2, and dinner at 8:30. (3) We have thought it best to drink only bottled water, worried that much of the city may still have 500-year-old plumbing. (4) WiFi is not readily available, and the one computer our hotel has for guests has a 15-min limit. (5) One cannot find a bank to change money. Instead, we pay with dollars and gets pesos in change. (We don't like ATMs or credit because of the charges attached.) (6) in the bathrooms there are bidets and drains in the floor but no kleenex or washcloths. (7) Our BA hotel is called Unique Luxury Park Plaza Hotel. While it was not unique, we liked it a lot. ( Unique turns out to be a chain of 4 hotels.) Our hotel in Bariloche is named Charming Luxury Lodge and Spa.
And we are now in Bariloche! While BA is close to the Atlantic, Bariloche is in the lake country 2 1/2 hours further south and west, near the Chilean border. The town is ramshackle, but our hotel--which Richard found thru Expedia--is another 20 mins drive beyond, set on a cliff overlooking magnificent and huge Lake Nahuel Huapi. The hotel is just 2 years old so is immaculate, and in our room we have a jakuzzi, a dry sauna, a wet sauna, a balcony and 2 picture windows overlooking the lake. Below our room is a heated pool and a beautiful private beach. People are kayaking, but we discovered the water temp of the lake is freezing! All around the lake and as far as our eyes can see are mountains, and islands, and other lakes. It reminds us of Lake Tahoe. There are 42 lakes in this region, and the mountains are a huge draw in the winter. No snow evident yet.
And by the way, we feel lucky to be here. From June thru December, the airport was more or less closed because of ash from a Chilean volcano. People like our friends the Reuters either gave up their reservations or flew into another airport 100 km south and bussed in. We had lovely skies today, and as long as the winds don't blow from the northwest all will be well here.
We had lunch at the Llao Llao Hotel, a wonderful place that opened in 1938 just after the region was declared national parkland. It reminded us of the WPA hotels in the US, in a stunning lake-side setting. A remise, or taxi for hire, then took us on a 3-hour drive with hikes and a chair lift, to view the fabulous scenery of lakes and mountains. At day's end we are pooped!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Day 3 in Buenos Aires
Such familiarity here--people look so European and the beautiful 19th C buildings with ironwork and shutters evoke France or Spain. But off the main streets it´s faded grandeur. We toured El Zanjon in San Telmos today, a 19th C home that an individual bought in 1985 to renovate for a restaurant--and in the process found two layers of homes beneath it as well as tunnels to divert streams, the oldest part going back 500 years when the Spanish first came. San Telmo was the first suburb of BA (pronounce Bu-ay-nos Ah-ee-raze!), and when yellow fever broke out the rich fled to Recoleta. San Telmos has cobbled streets, site of the Plaza de Mayo where the widows gather each week and other demonstrations take place. The oldest colonial building in the city, the Cabildo, sits on the plaza, with a wonderful little museum. Tha´s where the vote for independence from Spanish rule took place.At the other end of the plaza is the Pink House, where President Cristina Kirchner has her offices.
We wandered throughout the old district, savoring the Avenida Defensa with all its antique stores, and when our feet gave out took a cab (they´re so cheap!) to MALBA, a terrific modern museum devoted to Latin American art.
The tango event was fun, at a place recommended in the Wash Post--every kind of tango you can imagine for all ages, sizes and economic classes. It was on stage, following a nice dinner--we did not have to try it ourselves!!
Tonight we´re heading out to a beef restaurant recommended by two friends. Supposed to have the best in BA. Then tomorrow, off to Bariloche!
We wandered throughout the old district, savoring the Avenida Defensa with all its antique stores, and when our feet gave out took a cab (they´re so cheap!) to MALBA, a terrific modern museum devoted to Latin American art.
The tango event was fun, at a place recommended in the Wash Post--every kind of tango you can imagine for all ages, sizes and economic classes. It was on stage, following a nice dinner--we did not have to try it ourselves!!
Tonight we´re heading out to a beef restaurant recommended by two friends. Supposed to have the best in BA. Then tomorrow, off to Bariloche!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Day 2--Buenos Aires
Today we felt rested and took on the city. We started with a tour of the U.S. Ambassador´s residence which Richard had arranged through the State Department before we left. The house was built 1917-1927 by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Bosch, who was married to Eliza d Alvear (hers a hugely important family in Argentina--her grandfather was one of the generals responsible for Independence), and designed by French architect Rene Sergent. Robert Woods Bliss (of Harvard and Dunbarton Oaks) was ambassador here and talked Bosch into selling the house to him. One story is he won it at a card game. Bosch's wife was furious at him for years--everything in the house, marble, paintings, Louis XIV furniture, silk on the walls, gilded moulding--had been imported, and it all transferred with the house. It is a stunning house, and the gardens are beautiful as well.
We later toured a home of the same vintage designed by the same Frenchman which belonged to Alvear´s sister and is now the National Museum of Decorative Arts. This family was unbelievably wealthy like so many of European descent from that period. The house is loaded with 17th C and earlier European art--the whole thing was sold to the Argentine government on the couple´s death.
The final stop was the Evita Museum. We now want to read up on Eva Peron! The cafe here is absolutely delightful, too.
I have been shopping while Richard slept. Tonight we are off to a Tango show!
We later toured a home of the same vintage designed by the same Frenchman which belonged to Alvear´s sister and is now the National Museum of Decorative Arts. This family was unbelievably wealthy like so many of European descent from that period. The house is loaded with 17th C and earlier European art--the whole thing was sold to the Argentine government on the couple´s death.
The final stop was the Evita Museum. We now want to read up on Eva Peron! The cafe here is absolutely delightful, too.
I have been shopping while Richard slept. Tonight we are off to a Tango show!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Day 1 in Argentina
We are safely in Buenos Aires, though it took forever to get here. Who knew that the flight here from Miami would take 8 1/2 hours--4300 miles--which is almost as long and far as Hawaii from the East Coast! We are way below the equator of course. And then there was the shock of 85-degree temps--the end of the Argentine summer as Washington´s winter near its end.
BA might as well be Paris--everyone European in appearance with only the slight hint of something else. Architecture, roads, clothes, shops all very European in feel. It is clear that properity visited here--and maybe hasn´t departed for good. Our hotel is in Recoleta, a swanky part of town, but our hotel is more like a boutique type, and somewhat faded at that. Still we are comfortable and the room is a nice size. We are still not sure if the tap water is drinkable--the hotel and restaurants .have been giving us bottled water.
Before a nap, we took a long walk through the massive Recoleta cemetery filled with mausalea dedicated to big shots buried here since it was founded in the early 19th C. Eva Peron.is one such. Nobody eats dinner till at least 8 PM so we filled our post-nap time shopping--fascinating leather shops appealing both to the fashion-conscious and the polo set, with neat gaucho silver, stirrups, saddles, etc. Suddenly the rains hit and continued through our dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant recommended to us. Off to bed!
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