ARGENTINA - CHILE 2009
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Thu, 29 Jan: We departed for Santiago late this evening. For us it was a first… flying on an international trip in tourist class. It’s amazing how close those rows are together in the back of the bus. Thankfully, the seats recline only a few inches so you are insured that no one is in your lap. Of course, it also means you sleep pretty much sitting up. Anyway, we survived and the 9.5 hour flight passed as quickly as it could. Trust us, coach travel isn’t nearly as much fun as being in business class, especially where lots of personal room, service, spirits and wine are the norm.
Fri, 30 Jan: After clearing customs, we caught a TransVip shuttle to the Radisson Empersarial, our home for the next two nights. Although it was early, the hotel staff members were very gracious in accommodating us. After quickly settling into our room, we took the hotel shuttle to Parque Arauco, one of our favorite shopping malls in Santiago. We spent the afternoon there and managed to stay awake so that we could get on schedule.
Sun, 1 Feb: Again, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and morning. Then, we transferred back to the Santiago airport for an afternoon flight to Mendoza. We were able to enjoy the hospitality at the LAN Club for several hours; always a great treat! After a flight over the incredible Andes Range, we arrived in Mendoza. Unfortunately, the ATM at the airport wasn’t working. So, we had to negotiate a taxi fare in US Dollars. Not too tough a feat but it did require reconfirming pricing and a change of cab when our first driver tried to raise the price. Oh well! We finally got to the hotel at 7:00PM. We took a walk through the neighborhood, stopping in at a local market. We finally had dinner at about 10:00PM (early by Argentine standards) and called in a night.
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The
beautiful Andes Mountains, |
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Another view - WOW! |
Mon, 2 Feb: We awoke late and enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the hotel. In the afternoon we took a wine tour. We began at Cavas de Weinert. It had two huge caves where wines were aged and stored. After a nice tasting of various wines, we purchased a Caracal to enjoy one night in Mendoza. Our next stop was at Carmine Granata. It was a small, upscale winery but it was a bit pricey for our budget, especially since we’re not keen on Malbecs. We next went to Laur Olivicola, a producer of olives and olive oil. We enjoyed a tour and then tasted oils and olives. We purchased a 1KG jug of delicious green olives to enjoy throughout our time in Argentina. Our final stop of the day was at a local liquor producer. We returned to the hotel at 8:30PM after enjoying a very full day.
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Ed in front
of one of the many |
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A glimpse into the cavas at
Cavas de Weinert |
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More barrels - this time at Carmine Granite |
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Bottle aging at Carmine Granite |
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Arrival at Laur Olivicola, a producer of olives and olive oil |
Tue, 3 Feb: Today we relaxed and enjoyed walking along the beautiful, tree-lined streets of Mendoza. Mendoza is a truly beautiful mid-sized city at the foot of the Andes. We had an early evening as we had a very full day planned for Wednesday.
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One of the
many beautiful tree-lined streets |
Wed, 4 Feb: We were picked up at the hotel at 7:30AM for an all-day “High Mountain” tour. We boarded a small bus with about 15 other travelers (all but two individuals and us being from Argentina). We left the Mendoza area and began our trek into the Andes. Our first glimpse of these beautiful snow-capped mountains was followed by many, many more. Our first stop was at a lake where the Rio Mendoza is damned to provide a year-round water supply to the area. We then continued on and stopped alongside a beautiful mountain stream. About mid-day, we reached a viewpoint for Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. We had a spectacular view thanks to a beautiful, clear day. Afterwards, we continued onward and eventually made it to an 8KM dirt switchback road which we used to access the Argentina/Chile border. There we enjoyed great views as well as the Cristo Redentor, a statute of Christ which sets exactly on the border with his left hand in Chile and his right hand in Argentina. Afterwards, we returned back to Mendoza via our original route. We arrived back at our hotel at 7:30PM after a very full, enjoyable day out of town.
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Our initial views as we approach the Andes |
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A beautiful stream in an otherwise dry setting |
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A view of a high plateau |
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Mineralization due to hot
springs along a creek bed (For size reference, the large boulder in the middle of the creek is bigger than a truck.) |
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A glimpse of the Mt.
Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, at 22,841 feet (FYI, Denali is 20,320 feet) |
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We're standing (barely,
however, due to the wind) at the Argentina/Chile border at an elevation of more than 12,000 feet |
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The Christ Redentor Note the two flags - Argentina on the left; Chile on the right. The center of the statute sits on the border. |
Thu, 5 Feb: We had another leisurely morning including a late breakfast. We spent today once again on the streets of Mendoza doing some shopping and window shopping. We returned to the hotel and enjoyed the late afternoon tea/coffee service (including wonderful sweets) which was served from 4:00PM-6:00PM. Afterwards, we spent the balance of the evening at the hotel.
Fri, 6 Feb: Today we once again stayed in the downtown area near our hotel. We visited Plaza Independencia which honors Mendoza’s history. It is in the center of Mendoza in an area which is bounded by four large boulevards. Within several blocks of Plaza Independencia in each direction (north, south, east, west) there are four smaller parks (plazas). Our favorite, Plaza Italia, is located opposite our hotel.
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Plaza Independencia |
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A frieze honoring the initials settlers of this region |
Sat, 7 Feb: We spent our final day in Mendoza in the area of the Central Mercado. The Mercado was founded in 1883 and continues to offer a variety of fresh meats, poultry, fish and fruit stands. It was packed given it was a Saturday. It was interesting that the Mercado, as well as many other shops, still observe the siesta. They close at 1:00PM and do not reopen until 4:00PM. However, things are changing with the introduction of large supermarkets (Carresfour) as well as a Super WalMart located on the outskirts of Mendoza.
Sun, 8 Feb: This was a travel day for us. We left Mendoza; flew to Santiago; and returned to Cordoba, Argentina to enjoy a few days in the original capital of Argentina. We once again enjoyed the LAN Club in Santiago while we were in transit back to Argentina and had some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon (Chilean, of course) that we’ve ever tasted. In was served gratis in the Club and you help yourself. Lindy and I enjoyed a whole bottle! We arrived in Cordoba and transferred to the Sheraton for the first of our three final nights in Argentina.
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A
spectacular glacier in the Andes |
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Several more beautiful
glaciers in the Andes again seen from our airplane window |
Mon, 9 Feb: We decided to talk a walk into the city center. Unfortunately, Lindy read the map wrong and we ended up walking an hour in the other direction. Given it was warm and humid, we returned to the hotel and cooled off for an hour before heading to the city center in the correct direction. We arrived there in about 20 minutes and enjoyed the incredible historical area. There were numerous Jesuit churches and monasteries as well as a Convent founded in the late 1600’s. The buildings remain intact but no visitors are allowed inside. Then, the Cordoba Cathedral is absolutely stunning. Also, we enjoyed the colonial buildings, most of which are now government buildings. It truly was a great place to explore on foot as there are numerous pedways. We returned back to the hotel about 5:00PM and called it a day.
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Teatro Municipal |
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The towers of Iglesia de Compania de Jesus, finished in 1654, now one of the Jesuit World Heritage Sites
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The
Cathedral of Cordoba which was founded in 1613 |
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The interior of the Cathedral |
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A painting on the ceiling of the Cathedral |
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The Palace of Justice |
Tue, 10 Feb: We awoke to a very cloudy day and before we finished breakfast is was pouring rain. We opted to stay indoors until it cleared a bit. One attractive feature of the Sheraton is that it is located next to the Nuevocentro Mall, a huge and modern mall with lots of interesting stores. So, once the weather cleared, we enjoyed strolling through its facilities. We returned back to the hotel in anticipation of our next travel day.
Wed, 11 Feb: After enjoying breakfast we returned to the Cordoba airport. The taxi driver, Dante, who originally drove us to the Sheraton had given us his number so we called him to take us back to the airport. We returned to Santiago on a noon flight. After clearing immigration and customs, we once again used TransVip to reach the airport hotel.
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We enjoyed our time in Santiago, Mendoza and Cordoba. It was just what we needed – relaxing with great vistas, great wines and beautiful settings. It was the perfect way to unwind and enjoy the hospitality of these two countries.