Mendoza

Wine country is certainly the correct name for this area.  The land is arid and nothing would grow here if they did not have an extensive irrigation system.  The Mendoza river is dry below the two dams as all the water is diverted for human use or irrigation.  They never get flash floods so all you see in the river near town is mounds of rock.

Our tour of the wineries included three different wineries.  I picked to visit Norton and Lugi Bosco because they are wines sold in Canada.  Both of these wineries only allow visits by booking a time and there is a cost involved.  At the Norton winery we started with a sparkling wine at 9:30 in the morning.

The Norton Bodega was very interesting we saw the new stainless steel fermenting tanks and got to taste the wine at this stage.  This wine was very green and not a lot of body.  Then we saw the older tanks made of tile and located underground.  Next we moved to the oak barrels that can only be used three time (French and American Oak).  The first use is for the best wine, second use is for the reserve and the last time the barrel is used is for their cheapest line of wine.  At this stage our guide syphoned out some wine that was barrel aged. This wine had more character but was still not the best.  The wine is then bottled and stored in the caves.  Our last tasting was the finished product and it was the Norton Malbec Reserva and was much better.  The price for this bottle was $100 peso's ($10 US).

Here we are tasting wine aged in French oak barrels.

At Lugi Bosco the tour was more formal with less access to the actual working winery.  Again there was a brief history about the founding of the winery and the current owners.  We sampled a few different wines.  What we tasted were new wines just released a dry Riesling, red blend and a very good Malbec from their ICON line.  Will have to check to see if we have this high end wine.  I have tried the reserve at home.

 Due to the daily earthquake tremors in Mendoza at this winery the barrels not stored directly on top of each other but supported with metal racks.

Storage of Wine Barrels Five High

The last winery we would have lunch.  This is a new winery called Bodega Ruca Malen and is well know for their chef: Lucas Busto.  After a brief tour we had lunch.  Lunch was a set menu that included a wine paring with each course.
Appetizer - was a quinoa salad with green apple and fresh herbs the wine was a Yauquen Chardonhay 2012.

Second Course - Cured Tupugato trout with crunchy sweet potatoes paired with a Yauquen Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.  This was an excellent pairing as the smokiness of the fish and wine were excellent together.

Third Course - wheat porridge and pine mushroom truffles. Roasted beetroot cream and grilled vegetables with goats cheese.  Paired with the Ruca Melan Merlot 2011.  Bill really enjoyed the Merlot.

Fourth Course - Grilled tenderloin steak served with potatoes, pumpkin, and eggplant.  The steak was wonderful and they served two wines with this course.  The Ruca Malen Reserva de Bodga and Kinien Cabernet Sauvignon 2008.  Bill was starting to feel the wine and drank the Cabernet Sauvignon as he was finished.  Not bad for someone who prefers a beer.  Maybe he is starting to appreciate wine.

Our fifth course - desert was not serve with wine.  What a great way to end our wine tour in Mendoza!

We had a free day so decided to take a tour to see Mount Aconcagua the tallest peak outside of the Himalayas.  This tour took us through the town of Uspallata on the way to the boarder between Chile and Argentina.  Parque Provincial Aconcagua is within a few Km of the boarder.  Here we walked a 2 Km route to see Lake Horcones and Mount Aconcagua.  What a spectacular day as the weather allowed us to see the top of the peak.

Laguna Los Horcones and Cerro Aconcagua

After seeing the mountain we stopped at the Inca Bridge.  This is a naturally formed bridge over a ravine.  At one time the area had a hotel and hot springs pool.  Now only the indigenous people are allowed to use the hot springs.

Puente Del Inca

What a great day.

What an awesome adventure through Argentina!

Transportation in Argentina

Getting around Argentina can be very challenging especially if you do not speak Spanish.  We have encounter several challenges.  In Bueno Aires remember that there are two different airports.  The international airport EZE is located out of the city and requires a long commute to get to downtown.  You can take a commuter bus, taxi or hire a Remise which is a private driver who can speak a little English.  The cost for a remise s about $150 pesos one way.

The other airport is just off the Atlantic Ocean near the harbour.  This airport is in town and goes by two names Newbery and Aeroparque so make sure you are clear which airport you need to fly from.  The Domestic terminal also has international flights.

We chose to fly some of our trip with Aerolineas Airline which we now know why they have a bad reputation.  The first flight was excellent to El Cafaten.  But leaving was another adventure.  Our flight to leave was at 2:00 pm.  At 12:20 pm the hotel staff informed us that the transfer agency had called to say our flight was cancelled and we need to make new arrangements.  The hotel staff were very helpful and told us we should go to the office in town to change our flight that it would be better than the airport.  The office closes on Friday at 12:30 so we had 10 minutes.  They suggest taking a Taxi.  We did arrive the four blocks in time but Taxis are challenging.  We got our flights changed to 3:30 pm to the International airport (EZE) and then we would have to take our luggage and get to the domestic terminal in Bueno Aires for the 9:30 pm flight to Mendoza.  We were happy that the issue was easy to solve.  We got our transfer to the airport at 1:30 pm. 

The airport was so lined up they only had four girls working.  We needed to drop off our luggage but all the flights were delayed and people where trying to get changes for the flight that was cancelled.  I kept checking but no one would let us drop off our luggage we just had to stand in line.  Our flight was delayed an hour but we still had not dropped off our luggage and the plane was boarding.  We did deposit our bags and when going through security they were paging us for the flight.  We were the third last group to board the plane.  They airline needs to do a better job of problem solving when there are issues.  So many frustrated people and nothing that you could do.

Now the flight was late 1 hour and we did not know if we could make it between the two terminals on Friday night.  We already had the experience of rushing between the terminal when we were flying with LAN to Puerto Iguazu.

As we landed at the airport in Bueno Aires we were both surprised to see the Atlantic Ocean and the downtown buildings.  The plane landed at the domestic terminal not the international terminal EZE that our baggage had been labeled.  This was great news for us as we would not have made our connection.  We only had 1 hour before our flight.  Once be checked our baggage for Mendoza we went through security we only had 30 minutes.  When it was time to board we discovered the plane was delayed 30 minutes which became an 1 hour in the end.  We did not eat because we thought we would be boarding and did not have enough time.  Finally we boarded and arrived in Mendoza at midnight.  By the time we got to our hotel after 1 pm and the restaurants were closed.  What a way to lose weight they only give you cookies on the flight with something to drink. I am so glad that we always have a granola bar in our pack.   At least we made it to Mendoza for our tour the next morning.

Taxi's in any country seem to be an issue.  They do not speak English and will drive you around to make more money.  Even when you have someone tell them were you want to go they take you twice as far as you need to go.  When we were trying to get to the airline office quickly the hotel told the driver.  He drove as far as he could to the edge of the main street before coming back and showing us the office.  When we finished at the office we walked back to the hotel and it only took us 10 minutes up hill.  We could have walked downhill faster if we had known where the office was located, faster than our 5 minute taxi ride for $30 peso's.  We had a similar experience in Buenos Aires getting to our hotel from the domestic airport.  The cost was double the night we arrived than the next morning going back to the terminal.

When planning a trip just remember that things don't always going as planned.  We hope our next flight from Mendoza to Santiago Chile at 6 am goes smoothly.

El Calafate

El Calafate is located in Patagonia in southern Argentina .  The government encouraged immigrants to move to this area because they were worried about the number of people from Chile that were settling in the area.  The Europeans were told that there was gold in the area so they moved to southern Argentina to discover that there was no gold.  This area has a large Italian and some British heritage and the settlers were given large areas of arid land that became ranches and estancias.  Most of the immigrants brought sheep that grazed on the native grasses, which grows very slowly, so they need a lot of land.  The sheep produce the merino wool and today is exported to China and Italy. 

The largest lake in Argentina is Lago Argentino which the town is located.  Few people live in the town during the winter but the population booms in the summer as many tourists both foreigners and Argentinians visit Calafate.  Most people visit the Perito Moreno Glaciar.

Perito Moreno Glaciar is spectacular.  It is one of the few glaciers that is not receding.  Every few years the glacier actually touches the moraine across the stream which creates an ice dam 60 meters high.  The water in the lake behind the ice dam builds up pressure and creates a cave which gradually causes the wall to fall sending the water rushing down stream to Lake Argentino.

If you have come to see the glaciers then you need to do the boat trip up to see the Upsala Glacier with a visit to Estancia Christina.  This is a full day trip which starts with a boat trip up to see the receding glacier in Braso Upsala.  The icebergs seen in Lake Argentino come from this glacier.

When you visit the Estancia you can take a truck 9 km to see the glacier from above to understand how the glacier is receding.  The icefields run along the top of the Andes between Chile and Argentina and it is easiest to reach the glaciers from the Argentine side.  the area parallel to the Andes is a national park and the country is protecting this area. 

The park wardens in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares are very helpful.  The entrance fee is currently 130,00 pesos per person which goes toward improving the park infrastructure.  This area is definitely a bucket list location just remember that it is an area that is still developing their travel industry and don't expect North American standards everywhere.

The trekking capital is located in El Chalten.  This town is very new and was established in 1953.  It is well known in Argentina for hiking and climbing.  The town is full of young backpackers who arrive daily by bus. El Chalten is about 213 km from El Cafaten.  This area reminds us of the Rocky Mountains National Parks in Alberta about 50 years ago.  Sidewalks are few but the main roads in town are paved.  The town has a lot of hostels and companies to take you into the mountains.  The mountains in this area of the Andes are only about 900 M above sea level.  On the drive up to El Chalten the common stopping place is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid homesteaded for a few years.  You can see the partially restored homestead and have a coffee.

In El Calafate there are a variety of restaurants to choose from so you don't have to eat grilled meat every night.  For inexpensive and large servings of food go to Pura Vida, they do not take reservations so go early or be prepared to wait.

In town we were surprised by the number of dogs just wandering around.  At night we could frequently hear dogs barking like there were running and fighting for food.  This is so different from our culture.

If you like birds be sure to walk down to lake Argentino to see the flamingos, white swans and a variety of other birds.  You can also visit Laguna Nimez a natural reserve for a small fee.  They provide information about the different birds in the area.  To walk around this area is about 2 km. of trails.

The town is not very large so it  is easy to walk if you don't mind a few hills.

Yacutinga Lodge

Yacutinga Lodge, Argentina 2014

What a great experience in the rainforest near Iguaza Falls.  After connecting with our lodge transfer in the town of Iguaza we had a two hour ride. The lodge is located on the Panu river and is a secondary forest that is a restored rainforest area.  This ecolodge has been around for 15 years and is in an area that was logged.  After arriving to the lodge we had time to rest and then had a presentation on the area and the ecological concerns in Argentina.  Dinner was excellent and we were off to bed for the 6:30 am wakeup .knock on the door.  We stayed in the Yanti building and this was separate from the other accommodations.  Definitely luxury in the jungle as we had a king size bed, sitting area and a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. 

The second day was a kayak trip down the river.  This was a spectacular experience as there is no development allowed in this area and no motor boats on the river.  Once we got coordinated in the paddling things got easier.  After about 1 1/2 hours on the water we started our walk back to the lodge.

Along the way we saw the garden and were introduced to a variety of plants.  We also say some brown capuchino monkeys.  At the lodge their are numerous birds feeding.  every time we returned to the room today we had a shower.  The heat and humidity was unbelievable.

After lunch it was time to rest before heading out for another walk along on of the trails.  We saw a Toucan, a few other birds and then the monkeys.  This was a very muddy hike as it had rained after lunch.  Before dinner the children from the local tribe sang for us by the fire.  At dinner we had a vegetarian dish which was very satisfying. 

At 9:30 pm was the start of the night walk.  Bill did this walk and say a frog, tarantula, and bats.  Elaine was happy to stay back and not have to wade through the mud.  We were up early again and this time went to the observation tower where Bill spotted four Toucans.  One male and three females.  This toucan has a yellow beak and a red strip across the chest.  Later in the morning the humming birds starting feeding.  We also had a chance to rescue some orchards.  The monkeys will take an orchard and eat one bulb or the insects off the roots and the discard the plant.  When they are thrown away the plants do not survive on the ground so we tied them back onto  a tree.  They do not grow on the Palm or the umbrella tree, we had to find the right type of tree that would support their growth.

The lodge was an interesting experience and we enjoyed the early morning bird watching.

Buenos Aires

Visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina

 January 2014

Getting on or flight to Argentina was a bit of a challenge in LAX.  Aeromexico staff would not let us board without the reciprocity fee payment and we could not find the documentation.  We are always so organized so this through us into a bit of a mess.  We had to connect to the internet and try to figure out how to get new documentation and print the information.  We managed to get what we needed 30 minutes before our flight left.  In Mexico City the man in the first class lounge told us he could have done it for us.  By this time we had already paid a second time to enter the country.  The flight from Mexico City was eight hours and the first class tickets were well worth the extra points.  We were able to lay down and sleep for part of the flight.  By the time we arrived in Buenos Aires we had been in transit for about 27 hours.

Traveling can be challenging at times.  Being in a new place without being able to speak the language is always exciting.  People are very helpful and a lot of people speak English.  Pointing on a map is also very helpful.  On the day we arrived we had an hours rest and then off for a walk.  We probably walked 3-4 kilometers getting orientated to the area around the hotel.  It was Friday evening so the downtown core was very busy as people left for the weekend[EF1] .

The next two days the city centre was quiet except for the demonstration on Plaza de Mayo.  We are not familiar with riot police and streets blocked by metal barricades that are over seven feet tall.  It was the drum beating that could easily excite a crowd of people.  This plaza is where Evita and other presidents would address the people in the square from the balcony of the Palace Rosa which is the president’s palace.  This building is only used as offices today.

On Saturday we walked toward the area where there is lots of green space which was once closed to the public and accessible to the dictator.  The area has several public parks, a Japanese Gardens, and Zoo.  We spent time in the Japanese Gardens.  The park area was very busy as people got outside from there apartments.  The art gallery that we visited was MALPA and houses a collection of modern Argentinians art.  This was very different.  We probably walked 6 km. today.  We also visited the cemetery and found Evita’s grave before returning to our hotel to a quick visit to the pool.

The evening was spent at the Argentine Experience.    We began the evening by learning how to mix cocktails from wine.  Bill did an excellent job mixing his cocktail that contained raspberries, blush wine and a splash of gin.  Then upstairs to make the empanadas.  Bill was worried that he would not be able to be successful with this activity but we both had a great time.  The pasty was already prepared so all be needed to do was fill the pastry fold in half and crimp the edge.  This was an excellent introduction to empanadas.  Can hardly wait to get home and try this out.  The rest of the dinner was wonderful and our wine glass was never empty of malbec wine.  Bill has never drank so much wine.  It was a good thing that we had paid for a private car to pick us up and return to the hotel. 

On Sunday we rode the subway to the San Telmo district to see the antique market.  The subway is not very clean but it is an inexpensive way to get around.  Coming home was more challenging as we had wanted to go to a different district.  When we were trying to figure out which line and were to be I noticed these two men following us.  They also changed direction when we did and ducked around corners.   We finally figured out which direction to go for the platform that we wanted and they were following another grey haired couple that had just gotten off another train.  While waiting for our train there was an announcement in Spanish.  Had no idea what was happening.  Then finally someone tried to tell us that the trains had been cancelled.  So we started all over trying to figure out which platform to get us back to our hotel.  When we got to the blue line we saw our two men again that had followed us before.  Bill was starting to be more conscious about his surroundings by this time.  When we finally got to our destination it was a relief to be out of the subway tunnels and above ground.  You only pay $3.50 pesos and you can ride the subway all day as we long as you stay underground. 

Later in the day we walked over to the Puerto Madero area.  This was the old dock area but has exclusive hotels, condos and restaurants today.  From this area there is an ecological area so we strolled along the walk way and into the reserve.  It was interesting to see the parrots flying around and we say an owl sleeping.  There was a lot of people so very difficult to see much.  Great area for families to be on a sunny Sunday in January.

Sunday night was another fantastic evening.  We had booked a Tango show with dinner.  The driver picked us up at 8:20 and drove us all around the city centre before arriving at the theatre.  From our balcony table we had an exceptional view of the stage.  Dinner was better than I expected and again the wine flowed freely all evening.  We both became mesmerized by the tango performance.  The orchestra was located above the dancers.  It was interesting to see the old accordions push boxes being played.  After the performance the driver was waiting to take us back to the hotel.

Monday is our last full day in Buenos Aires.  We walked to the Opera House – Teatro Colon and had a tour of the interior.  This building was built in 1908 and restoration was completed in 2010.  Walking along Avenue de Julio, which is a major roadway is truly an interesting experience.  Crossing the road is a major event.  You start by crossing two lanes of traffic going the same direction.  The next five lanes are going the same direction.  Then you get the centre of the road there are eight lanes of busses going both direction so you need to watch the crosswalk light carefully.  Now that you are half way across you still have the five lands and two lanes of traffic going the opposite direction than what you previously crossed.  It took us two or three crossing lights to cross the street.  This street has the Obelisco and the building with the Evita Perron mural.

On the last day we went for a drink in the Fena Hotel check this place out on line.  The  Puerto Madero area is certainly an upscale area with expensive restaurants, hotels and condos.  We ate at Osaka this restaurant prepares Asian fusion food.  This experience was our most expensive meal so far.  We had three different ceviche, sushi, main course and Bill enjoyed a chocolate molten lava cake with ice cream.  We decided to walk back to our hotel to help digest dinner.  

Buenos Aires is a busy city with lots of nightlife.  Get out and enjoy yourself in the evening.  Must people do not eat dinner until 9:00 pm.  It is easy to get use to eating later.

 

 

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Iguazu Falls

The falls are spectacular.  When you visit the Argentine side you are able to get closer to a greater number of the falls.  There are over two hundred different falls in total.  The park has been kept as natural as possible with excellent walkways to keep everyone off the vegetation.  You can only access twenty percent of the park as the rest is ecological reserve.  There are several different walking paths and you can view the falls from below and above the falls.

There is a large volume of water flowing over the falls that the spray comes up and everyone looks like they have just walked out of the shower.  The noise from the roar of the water makes it difficult to talk to another person.  Spend the whole day walking around the falls enjoying the wild life, people watching and the falls is an exceptional experience.

If you have the opportunity do visit the Brazilian side.  Check to see if you need a visa.  If you have not done this before you arrive it takes 72 hours.  When you go across the board you can see Paraguay from the bridge.  The three countries boarders meet just up river from the bridge.  On the Brazil side you can see the spray from the falls 15 Km away.  On this side of the falls you can only visit 10% of the park the rest is ecological reserve.  To access the park you ride an open double-decker bus that runs on battery power. 

The walk way is one direction and everyone slowly progresses down the switchback path with occasional views of the Argentine side.  This side gives you an excellent perspective of the actual size of the falls.  Near the end of the path everyone starts to put on cheap ponchos to walk out to the devils throat and get drenched by the spray.  The volume of water passing is incredible. When you look down to the bottom of the falls you see a beautiful rainbow that has formed from the spray droplets.  Walking to the end of the walk way you can take an elevator to the top or walk up the 119 stairs.

The falls will be something we will never forget and have enjoyed our time at Iguazu Falls.  Next we are off to the jungle lodge to view life in the rainforest of Argentina.

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Argentina 2014

Just about ready to leave.  Most of the packing is done and we are just finishing off with the last few things.  First flight leaves tomorrow at 6:30 am.