Our last stop in Argentina was Mendoza. Known as the best and oldest wine region in Argentina we were excited to go and taste it straight from the vineyard. While traveling there we meet two American girls that were headed in the same direction. We ended up staying at the same place and thus going to the vineyards together.
The thing to do in Mendoza is to rent bikes and ride around to all the vineyard and taste the wine. We rented these bikes that I think must have been older than me and worked about as well as me. At the bike rental place the owner gave us a glass of wine. Then we went to one vineyard and had a tour and a glass of wine. The next one was a place that made liquor and olive oil. We tried everything olives, cheeses, olive oils, absinthe, and numerous other alcohol containing beverages. After that we decided that we would go to this beer place. Not that great of an idea some of the worst beer we had ever tasted. We drank and left. Next was a vineyard far away so we trucked it down there. By this point we are thinking that maybe the bikes are not such a great idea. We make it there right as they are closing. We get a short tour and it is really cool all the rooms were used for ageing wine and have crystalized tartaric acid (a chiral molecule) on the ceilings. We tasted about 5 wines there and were not impressed by any. Really we were not that impressed by any of the wines we tried. We were planning on buying a few bottles to take back and could not find any that we liked.
When we got back to the rental place we returned our bikes and the owner gave us some wine. We sat down at some benches and one of the American girls had bought some cheese so Christina borrowed a bike and bought some bread and we had a little picnic. By the time we decided to leave we were tipsy but the other people there were wasted. We tried to leave before they did so as not to be associated with them on the way back but unfortunately we got on the same bus. They were screaming, falling on the floor and spilling wine (the owner had filled cups and water bottles with wine for them) all over the floor. As locals would leave the bus we would apologize for them. By the time we got to our stop they were so drunk it was embarrassing. This Australian couple was the worst. The guy was walking around with one shoe and taking big swigs from a thermos of wine.
At one point they were sitting on the sidewalk yelling and a police officer came over and started asking questions. Being drunk and not speaking Spanish they were getting belligerent and the police officer was getting annoyed. Everyone else had quickly crossed the street. I felt bad for them so I went over and started talking to the police officer for them. He was saying that he was going to arrest them for public drunkenness. I told him that we were taking them back to the hotel right now and that they would throw out their wine. With that he left but told me to make sure they went straight home.
After another block they said they knew how to get back to their hostel from here and left. I am pretty sure they had no idea where they were going. I hope they got back safely.
When we all got back to the room, the American girls were staying in the same room with us, we found all our stuff moved on top of the bottom beds and the comforter from the top bunk on top of it. We were freaked out and we straight for this young guy working at the front counter. He did not know what to say and we were freaking out. How could somebody go into our room and mess with our stuff. We were so mean to him. He was so flustered he called the manager and he came to see what was going on. He did not know how this happened either. We were so freaked out thinking that someone had gone through all of our stuff. Everything was moved around and stuff was taken out of bags. Nothing was missing but it was really strange. To make up for it the guy said that we did not have to pay for any of our stay and he got the cook to make us dinner for free. We told him that we would pay for our room but we would love dinner. I feel a little sorry for him because later we found out they had come in to exterminate and they had moved our stuff to protect it. The whole thing was just bizarre.
Later that night people were on a hut for cocaine. Christina and I were not part of the searchers. No luck so the guys left and one of them left his girlfriend passed out in the lobby. I know what a great guy seeing as this was not even her hostel. We dragged her into our room and put the blankets on the floor to make her a pallet. When we set her down she sat up and started to get upset but the American girl Jess who had been talking to her most of the night calmed her down and patted her head until she went back to sleep. Yes Jess was really drunk too it was really a funny site for me seeing that I was sober.
The next day we walked around the town and then came back to buy a ticket for the bus and to take a nap. I looked online for a restaurant and found this one called La Barra (I think) so we went for dinner. That was the best decision we made in Mendoza. The meat there was the best I have ever eaten in my life. Perfectly seasoned and meat in your mouth tender. Everyone was happy with dinner and we all wished that we had more time in Mendoza so that we could eat there again.
Laura
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Buenos Aires and Camera Theives
Ah Buenos Aires, even though I got my camera stolen and saw countless other robberies I still love this city. It is a very modern European style city. There is tango in the streets and either a bakery, meat grill, or pizza joint on every corner. Like I said I love this city. We were staying in the San Telmo neighborhood. This part of town is famous for its antique stores and every weekend its streets become overrun with antique vendors and transforms into a huge outdoor antique market. We spent hours walking through all the stalls.
We visited quite a few of the other neighborhoods as well. We went to Puerto Madera, the old port area of town that is now the hot new area to live. It has become the most expensive part of the city apart from the famous Recoleta neighborhood. There is a huge park in Puerto Madera that the locals bike and run in. We rented bikes and went for a long ride in the park. I was surprised with how active the park was with runners, bike riders, birders, and just people strolling about. It was nice to see the people so active in their city. Just outside of the park is a stand selling Choripan. It is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of bread stuffed with freshly grilled chorizo. Delicious!
In the Recoleta neighborhood we walked around all the shops that were too expensive to even entertain the idea of entering. The window displays were pretty and we did some good window shopping. We went into the famous Recoleta graveyard and took a free tour. It is fascinating all the people that are buried there and the vast array of tombs from simpler ones to ultra-modern ones and then the really old ones and then the over the top ones belonging to the city’s ultra-wealthy. We stopped by Eva Peron’s grave and were rather unimpressed by her simple tomb compared to all the other tombs we had already seen. We also visited the art museum in Recoleta which had a very impressive collection of classic art and modern art and was completely free. I couldn’t believe that such a nice museum was free. We spent hours walking through looking at all the art.
As far as the food goes, there was an endless supply of things to try. We tried a pizza in the Cuartito called a fugazetta. It is a thick crust slice covered in a very creamy soft cheese then covered with onions then covered with mozzarella. Oh my God! Some of the best pizza I have ever had. It is an Argentinian creation. I’ll be back for another slice someday. Then the meat, Oh what can I say about the meat. We ate at La Brigada and when the waiter brought our steaks out he cut them with a spoon and served it to us. With a spoon! Then there are all the empanadas, steak sandwiches, and sweet treats, but I could talk endlessly about the food we ate.
On our last day in Buenos Aires we decided to go to La Boca and see a contemporary art museum that I really wanted to see. We went against our better judgment since La Boca is one of the worst areas in Buenos Aires. We went to the museum then after walked around the colorful buildings nearby. The buildings are all painted bright colors and have these funny figures in the windows. We walked to the end of one of the streets and I took my camera out to take one last photo before we turned back to the main strip to eat at a restaurant and watch a tango show. I was framing the photo when all the sudden my camera was ripped out of my hand. I had no idea what just happened. I looked up to see a man running down the street with my camera. We took up running after him but he already had a pretty good lead. We chased him for about four city blocks but couldn’t catch him. The whole time I was yelling in Spanish, please help me he stole my camera please someone stop him. No one did anything. They just watched him go by. He even ran into a man that was much bigger than him and he just stepped aside. I was so mad. We found a policeman and he took us around in his car trying to spot him but I knew there was nothing we could do at this point. So we went to the station and filed a report and headed back to our hostel. The only comically ironic thing about it is that he stole a broken camera. I had cracked the screen that morning while on our bike ride. Also a lot of the functions weren’t working anymore. That makes me laugh but the fact that I lost all of my photos sucks. So this is why the last few post and the next few won’t have any photos.
Christina
We visited quite a few of the other neighborhoods as well. We went to Puerto Madera, the old port area of town that is now the hot new area to live. It has become the most expensive part of the city apart from the famous Recoleta neighborhood. There is a huge park in Puerto Madera that the locals bike and run in. We rented bikes and went for a long ride in the park. I was surprised with how active the park was with runners, bike riders, birders, and just people strolling about. It was nice to see the people so active in their city. Just outside of the park is a stand selling Choripan. It is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of bread stuffed with freshly grilled chorizo. Delicious!
In the Recoleta neighborhood we walked around all the shops that were too expensive to even entertain the idea of entering. The window displays were pretty and we did some good window shopping. We went into the famous Recoleta graveyard and took a free tour. It is fascinating all the people that are buried there and the vast array of tombs from simpler ones to ultra-modern ones and then the really old ones and then the over the top ones belonging to the city’s ultra-wealthy. We stopped by Eva Peron’s grave and were rather unimpressed by her simple tomb compared to all the other tombs we had already seen. We also visited the art museum in Recoleta which had a very impressive collection of classic art and modern art and was completely free. I couldn’t believe that such a nice museum was free. We spent hours walking through looking at all the art.
As far as the food goes, there was an endless supply of things to try. We tried a pizza in the Cuartito called a fugazetta. It is a thick crust slice covered in a very creamy soft cheese then covered with onions then covered with mozzarella. Oh my God! Some of the best pizza I have ever had. It is an Argentinian creation. I’ll be back for another slice someday. Then the meat, Oh what can I say about the meat. We ate at La Brigada and when the waiter brought our steaks out he cut them with a spoon and served it to us. With a spoon! Then there are all the empanadas, steak sandwiches, and sweet treats, but I could talk endlessly about the food we ate.
On our last day in Buenos Aires we decided to go to La Boca and see a contemporary art museum that I really wanted to see. We went against our better judgment since La Boca is one of the worst areas in Buenos Aires. We went to the museum then after walked around the colorful buildings nearby. The buildings are all painted bright colors and have these funny figures in the windows. We walked to the end of one of the streets and I took my camera out to take one last photo before we turned back to the main strip to eat at a restaurant and watch a tango show. I was framing the photo when all the sudden my camera was ripped out of my hand. I had no idea what just happened. I looked up to see a man running down the street with my camera. We took up running after him but he already had a pretty good lead. We chased him for about four city blocks but couldn’t catch him. The whole time I was yelling in Spanish, please help me he stole my camera please someone stop him. No one did anything. They just watched him go by. He even ran into a man that was much bigger than him and he just stepped aside. I was so mad. We found a policeman and he took us around in his car trying to spot him but I knew there was nothing we could do at this point. So we went to the station and filed a report and headed back to our hostel. The only comically ironic thing about it is that he stole a broken camera. I had cracked the screen that morning while on our bike ride. Also a lot of the functions weren’t working anymore. That makes me laugh but the fact that I lost all of my photos sucks. So this is why the last few post and the next few won’t have any photos.
Christina
Friday, November 5, 2010
Horseback in Salta
We had heard of this place while we were in Bolivia and we knew we had to go. A girl from Colorado described it as a place of overflowing wine and never ending meat. It did not hurt that she said it was some of the best meat she had ever had. So even though it was not a planned stop, not that we plan, we changed course and headed to Salta to find out if Sayta was as great as she said.
We arrived in Salta at night and the next day Enrique the owner sent a car to pick us up from the hostel. There were also two guys from the states and Australia that joined us in the car. We arrived to tea on the porch and a very friendly Enrique. He was such a good host and welcomed us to his home with open arms literally a bear hug from a man who reminded me of an Argentinian Santa Claus.
After tea we went on a horseback ride with a guide. It was a nice calm ride with some galloping but mainly walking and taking in the landscape of pastures rising to meet mountains in the distance. It was really amazing but no room on the horse for a camera so no pictures. Oh by the way the guide was really cute, more than cute even handsome.
When we got back to Enrique’s he had the grill going. We washed up and then he poured us one glass of water followed by one extremely large glass of wine. I say one because he never let my glass go empty. When it started to get low he would fill it back up to the rim. I know that throughout the day we drank at least 14 bottles of wine and there were 5 people.
Once the food was done the table was filled with salads: lentils, white beans, grilled eggplant, potatoes, grilled onions, roasted pumpkin, and more things that I cannot remember. Everything was so delicious but the meat was still to come. He came by and served us sausage and fillet. I think that it was the most tender and juicy piece of meat that I have ever eaten. He bought half a kilo of meat for each person. (For the Americans reading about a pound and a half of meat) All washed down with wine. It just keeps coming.
After lunch we talked for a while, Enrique is just such a funny guy that we chatted till the guys had to leave. Then he asked us what we wanted for dinner. Not that we were hungry at all but Salta was the empanda capital of the world so why not. It was not until 10 pm that we ate dinner but even then I was still so full that I could only have three small empandas. I went to bed full and slept the best I have slept in 3 months.
The next day was about the same except we went for a ride in the afternoon and that day for lunch there was a large tour group there. They went for a ride in the morning and we went with Enrique into town to buy some traditional Argentinian country shoes known in the states as Tom’s. We stopped at the local fruit stand and talked with the owners who are good friends of Enriques. They let us try mate and a local dessert turron which is different than the Spanish version. We got back and some of his family came in from out of town. Lunch was served and though I had less wine this time I still had more than normal. Everything was just as good as yesterday with a few changes. We had pork that melted in your mouth it was so good, ribs, fillet, blood sausage (I had two pieces and I do not usually like it), and pork sausage. It was a feast and though I loved it I was ready for a light meal after this. Two days eating like that and you don’t need to eat for a month.
After lunch we went on a ride with an Israeli family that showed up during lunch. It was a nice ride similar to the one we did the day before, relaxing and beautiful. When we got back we talked to Enrique for a while and he offered us a job as translators and we could stay on the farm and live for free. I would have loved to do it but there is still a lot to see and I am not ready to stop looking.
Laura
We arrived in Salta at night and the next day Enrique the owner sent a car to pick us up from the hostel. There were also two guys from the states and Australia that joined us in the car. We arrived to tea on the porch and a very friendly Enrique. He was such a good host and welcomed us to his home with open arms literally a bear hug from a man who reminded me of an Argentinian Santa Claus.
After tea we went on a horseback ride with a guide. It was a nice calm ride with some galloping but mainly walking and taking in the landscape of pastures rising to meet mountains in the distance. It was really amazing but no room on the horse for a camera so no pictures. Oh by the way the guide was really cute, more than cute even handsome.
When we got back to Enrique’s he had the grill going. We washed up and then he poured us one glass of water followed by one extremely large glass of wine. I say one because he never let my glass go empty. When it started to get low he would fill it back up to the rim. I know that throughout the day we drank at least 14 bottles of wine and there were 5 people.
Once the food was done the table was filled with salads: lentils, white beans, grilled eggplant, potatoes, grilled onions, roasted pumpkin, and more things that I cannot remember. Everything was so delicious but the meat was still to come. He came by and served us sausage and fillet. I think that it was the most tender and juicy piece of meat that I have ever eaten. He bought half a kilo of meat for each person. (For the Americans reading about a pound and a half of meat) All washed down with wine. It just keeps coming.
After lunch we talked for a while, Enrique is just such a funny guy that we chatted till the guys had to leave. Then he asked us what we wanted for dinner. Not that we were hungry at all but Salta was the empanda capital of the world so why not. It was not until 10 pm that we ate dinner but even then I was still so full that I could only have three small empandas. I went to bed full and slept the best I have slept in 3 months.
The next day was about the same except we went for a ride in the afternoon and that day for lunch there was a large tour group there. They went for a ride in the morning and we went with Enrique into town to buy some traditional Argentinian country shoes known in the states as Tom’s. We stopped at the local fruit stand and talked with the owners who are good friends of Enriques. They let us try mate and a local dessert turron which is different than the Spanish version. We got back and some of his family came in from out of town. Lunch was served and though I had less wine this time I still had more than normal. Everything was just as good as yesterday with a few changes. We had pork that melted in your mouth it was so good, ribs, fillet, blood sausage (I had two pieces and I do not usually like it), and pork sausage. It was a feast and though I loved it I was ready for a light meal after this. Two days eating like that and you don’t need to eat for a month.
After lunch we went on a ride with an Israeli family that showed up during lunch. It was a nice ride similar to the one we did the day before, relaxing and beautiful. When we got back we talked to Enrique for a while and he offered us a job as translators and we could stay on the farm and live for free. I would have loved to do it but there is still a lot to see and I am not ready to stop looking.
Laura
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Cholitas and Salt
 |
| the mess that is La Paz |
La Paz is a beautiful constellation of city lights by night and an overcrowded, loud, hectic city by day. We arrived at night and from the top of the mountains we overlooked a valley full of lights. Unfortunately the next morning we saw how ugly the city was in the light of day. We had no desire to stay for very long.
Our English friend, Vernon, was determined to make it into the San Pedro prison. This is the prison that the book, Marching Powder, was written about. It is a community within a city. Apparently when you enter as a prisoner you have to buy your cell. If you can’t afford one you sleep in the floor. So in order to make money a whole community has developed. They have little stores, restaurants, bars, and drug trafficking. They also take stupid tourists for tours through the prison for a small fee of $400 bolivianos, which is equivalent to about $60 US. We went with him to wait outside the prison. How it works is you wait outside for one of the prisoners to send you a message, usually by one of their wives or girlfriends. Vernon managed to get a message scribbled on a scrap of paper. It said, “Hi this is Luis from South Africa if you want to meet me and see our way of life please call this number.” Vernon called and arranged everything with the prisoner. He was to get $400 bolivianos and put them in an envelope and give Luis his name and passport number so he could put him on the guest list for the day. Well we waited for a couple of hours and nothing seemed to be happening so we left to see some of the city. Unfortunately for Vernon, he never ended up making it in.
One night we went to see the Cholitas. These are the women Lucha Libre wrestlers who fight in traditional dress. La Paz is famous for them. We had front row seats and popcorn ready for the show. First the men fought, it was so staged it was funny. After a few matches the first Cholita match began. We were under the impression the fights were between two women, but in fact they were between one women and a man. It was still staged but the fights were rather brutal to the women. In the end the women always won, but it was after a severely humiliating and brutal beating from the men.
 |
| death by smelly shoe |
 |
| classic spin move |
 |
| a kid was having his birthday party at the cholitas match |
The next day we left for Uyuni. This was our starting point for the salt flats. We arrived around 6am after an all-night bus and started our tour at 10am. We were in an SUV with two other couples from France and Spain. They were all very nice and we had a fun time with them on the tour.
We started the tour at the train graveyard. They have lots of old trains sitting in the middle of the dessert just rusting away. We looked around a bit, climbed on the trains, and snapped a few pictures then headed out for the salt flats. I didn’t know what to expect, but when we got there I was blown away, and the further we went in to the salt flats the better it got. It was flat and stark white for as far as you could see. We went to a spot where they refined salt. They make piles of salt and let them dry then send that to be refined further. I was surprised when I asked our guide if they exported the salt and his reply was no. Here we are on the biggest salt flat in the world and they don’t export any salt out of their country. Under the salt is also the largest lithium (used to make batteries) reserve in the world and they don’t exploit any of it. It is the country with the most natural resources in South America but it is also the poorest. It makes you wonder why they can’t capitalize on any of their resources.
 |
| old steam engines |
 |
| drying salt |
That night we stayed in a hotel made entirely of salt. Everything from the walls to the bed to the floors and tables and chairs were made from salt. In the morning we headed out and visited a pre-Incan archaeological site where there were lots of mummies. They lived in these little cocoon/caves made in the rocks. Their homes became their graves when they died, so all the homes contained bones and pots. It was one of the best archeological sites we visited. We also visited a few lagoons that were inhabited by thousands of pink flamingos. We saw a white lagoon, a green one, a red one, and a couple that where blue.
 |
| honeycomb pattern of dried salt |
 |
| view from on top of a small island of rocks and cactus |
 |
| the road though the salt flats |
On the last day we drove through the dessert in between the mountains and volcanoes. It was beautiful. We stopped at a sulfur field in the morning and the steam rising from the crags created a foggy mystical setting. It felt like we were on another planet. One that smells kind of bad. We also saw a dessert full of large strangely shaped rocks. They called it the Salvador Dali dessert because it looked just like one of his paintings. We passed one rock in the shape of a tree. It was creatively named “tree rock.” All in all the salt flats were amazing. I have never seen so many landscapes so different than those I am accustomed to.
 |
| two thousand year old cactus |
Christina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)