Pictures

Here is a link to the pictures from the trip. I tried to label them the best I could.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=73509971503.820123495503.1197389923800&page=1

Valparaiso

Wednesday was Valparaiso day and I was sicker than a dog. However, we were able to power through and go to Valpo.

We took a taxi to the bus station and got our tickets, but the bus was leaving from a different terminal. To get there we had to walk through a mall and then down the street 4 blocks. That quick walk definitely made me forget my illness.

The bus was great and we got on our way. Shocking - we got American TV on the bus - 24 on the way out there and That 70's Show.

Valpo was adorable. It didn't remind me at all of Indiana. We took funiculars up to a few of the neighborhoods and had a lovely, long lunch overlooking the ocean and the city. We also went to another Neruda house. It was such a hike from the funicular and it was literally like 45+ degrees the entire way up. Once we got there it was in the middle of a field trip so we waited a bit until the kids cleared out. We met this guy from Costa Rica and he is going to BA for a few weeks. He studies linguistics and he answered all of our questions about the different accents and slang and what not.

We all just sat there talking and these 2 girls walked up. They had a school project where they had to do surveys for something. Anyway, the 3 of us had to answer questions about age, how long we were in Chile, if we bought stuff, what he bought, how much we spent, etc. Then we had to get pictures taken with all of them. It was kind of random and strange.

The Neruda house in Valpo is amazing and there are more fun collections. We started to walk down and took the wrong street and it was so steep. We ended up missing the whole funicular or ascensor and walked down the whole mountain.

After that we took a taxi back to the bus station. This taxi picked us up and there was already a guy inside sitting in the front. So he drove away from the bus stop and then dropped this guy off. Then he got out of the cab and fixed something on his light above. Finally he turned on the meter and we were on our way.

I would highly recommend Valpo for anyone coming to Chile. It is great.

Como Se Dice "Bear 411?"

On Tuesday night after a dinner of beer and apps we went to the main square where the crazies come out at night. We went and got a bottle of wine at the outdoor cafe and there were a lot of tourists around. We recognized an older couple from shopping earlier in the day.

So we were hanging out watching these street performers and they had no talent except that they were literally crazy. One had a tambourine and just started shouting nonsense. He was not singing, just shouting and then asked for money. The next one came in a purple satin with white tassels all over. He had a horn that he would blow that made one sound. He would walk around, blow it, shout something and continue.

So they walked around asking for money and the one was a little aggressive, but harmless. Well this man came up and decided to be our savior and get him away. Turns out it was this older man and his "friend." He was from South Carolina and his guy was from Georgia. We ended up joining them and they were so nice and funny.

They are looking to buy property down here and retire. They really liked the lake district and are looking to move there. In my mind they are opening a bed and breakfast.

As we were walking back to the hotel Ann didn't realize they were gay even though Fred, from Georgia made a comment about how "out" he is. Jeffrey, Dan - I am sure you would love to stay at the B&B.

The Virgin

We went to the top of San Cristobal mountain to see the Virgin that looks over Santiago. We met this man and his grandson and he walked us around the entire mountain showing us the different neighborhoods in Santiago and where the rich v. the poor lived. It was nice to have a native explain to us what we were seeing.

Kate - I got a few great pictures of mullets and rat tails. As soon as I can get everything up and running I will post them on the blog.

We then decided to walk around and grab some beer before heading down. 2 beers and an appetizer plate later we made one of the last cable cars down the mountain.

Pablo Neruda

We went to see Pablo Neruda's house in Santiago and it was great. Admittedly I don't know much about him, but his homes and collections are fascinating. He collected everything - ship stuff, paintings, oversized shoes, plates, art, glasses, etc.

He believed that if drinking water out of colored glasses it tasted better and if he didn't like someone they got clear glasses.... I am thinking of starting that tradition.

He also believed that every house needed at least one bar if not more.

Samantha Brown

Today we went to the craft market in Santiago. Samantha Brown of Samantha Brown Passport to Latin America did this. She made it look like it was totally in the country and it would take a miracle, a hired driver, etc to get there. Yeah it's in a suburb and you can take the subway to the bus to the village.

Anyway it was kind of fun and v. relaxing. There were indian artisans, jewelry makers, etc. all around and you could go in and out of their shops. There were also a lot of random things to buy and random people there.

So you could buy parrots, doves, roosters, chickens and peacocks. Wait until you guys see my new pet. The peacock is great and will totally match my living room. You will love him. You could also buy huge pieces of furniture, pots, clothes, etc. It was so random. Some of it was great and some was total shit.

Then there were some strange people all around. There was this family - we think they were from San Diego/Orange County or Florida because they had money and were tan, but super trashy (no offense Christian). They also didn't have the Texas accent. So the mom and dad were being lead around by this native woman. Then we finally saw the son and his Chilean bride or girlfriend and we pieced together that it was the couple and each of their parents. I am telling you the girl was wearing one hell of an outfit to be walking around an artisan village with dirt walkways. It was these little tight brown pants and a brown lace top. However instead of wearing a cami or tank under it she opted for the bra only. Then she had the heels to top off the entire outfit. They were a piece of work going into store after store deciding what looked cheap and what looked nice... We also saw a few Asian tourists which was surprising because we haven't seen many yet.

Santiago

So we went for a walk last night and when we looked at our book we realized that we saw everything already....It is all very nice though, but not as charming as BA. However, the main square is amazing. There are people everywhere. In the middle is a huge hugh fake christmas tree decorated with the coca-cola logo. It is beautiful and really captures the spirit of the season. I think I am going to redecorate in coca-cola. Then there are street performers, a place for fortune tellers, artists, etc. It is pretty great to walk around.

Then there is a street that is blocks and blocks of mall. You can walk from one end to the other and only go outside when crossing the street because you are in a series of malls the whole time. The malls also have CRAP. One of the most popular stores is Pasion. It is like dirty Victoria´s Secret.

We also had a hard time finding an ATM that worked. We realized it has to say red bank in order for an international card to work. So we tried those and it turns out some only take visa and some only take mastercard. It was a bit of a process.

Our hotel is interesting. It is nice enough and kind of dated. Our bathroom is straight out of a horror movie. I call it our hostel bathroom because the florecent light blinks and buzzes until it settles into its eerie hum and bad lighting. However the tv is funny - they were showing the movie Love Potion Number 9. We had breakfast today and it was like a school cafeteria where there was food out and you got your tray and piled it with what you wanted. There were the following to choose from
Overcooked brocolli and cauliflower
Fruit salad
Orange, Pear and red juice
Rolls
A plate with one piece of ham
A plate with one piece of cheese
Instant coffee or tea

So strange and the overcooked veggies really gave it an interesting scent.

OK off to the craft village like Samantha Brown Passport to Latin America. Tomorrow is Valparaiso and then the trip is almost over :-(

Los Andes

One aside before I get started - Mendoza had the most international crowd - Americans, Canadians, Ice Land(ians or ers), Saudi Arabians (she looked irish though and was kind of scary on our wine tour), Australians, Italians, Spaniards, etc. It was a little surprising.

Anyway..

It was time for another 7 hour bus ride over the Andes. I was a little worried about getting sick, but it turned out to be a great trip. Ann used her new copper wrist bands and I guess those worked out too.

We left Mendoza a little late and grandpa behind us was getting v. impatient wanting to know when we would be on our way. There were also a lot of soldiers on the bus. They were old soldiers, not cute ones. We each got coffee which I thought was going to be an utter disaster. We got our cups and then the man came down the aisle with the kool-aid style pitcher of hot coffee with no lids. I thought for sure he was going to spill it. But he ´was good and not a drop spilled.

We then got a movie - Die Hard 4.0 dubbed in Spanish. Being that I havent seen any of the other ones, it was hard to want to watch this.

We then met this surfer from Oregon whose mom owns a farm-bodega in northern Mendoza and he was nice enough but a little strange. I still wasnt quite sure what his deal was, but he helped us at customs.

The mountains on the Argentina side were gorgeous. They were very desert like and there were dried river beds, a ton of colors, etc. Every one in a while there would be the higher mountains with snow on them.

On the way up, I couldn´t hold it any longer and had to go to the bathroom. I took my tissues and purel and made my way to the back of the bus. I am shocked I didnt pee all over myself. The bus was twisting and turning and I was holding on to anything for dear life. However I made it and was v. sanitary and grabbed a soldier but made it back to my seat ok.

We dropped the soldiers off in the middle of the mountains at some base or something and then made it to the border.

The border was a process. First we got sandwiches and orange pop. Grandpa couldn´t figure out how to get his open. It was kind of cute and the Oregon guy helped him. Then we had to get out and bring our visas and passports and stand in this one line. Then we had to go to another line to get our tax free purchases stamped. Then we had to go to another line to get another stamp. Then we could change money, go to the bathroom, get drinks, etc. but had to stay on the Argentian side of the breezeway.

After that we all had to get on the bus and then drive 20 feet to the middle of the breeze way. We then had to take all of our stuff off and go stand in a line while our stowed luggage was xrayed and smelled by a drug-fruit-veggie dog. The bus then had to be smelled by the dog - storage, engine, seats, etc. Finally our stuff had to be smelled by the dog and then we had to put it through an xray machine. We were then able to get back on the bus and go down the mountains.

The chilean side of the andes is GORGEOUS and much steaper and more difficult to navigate than the Argentinian side. We also saw these people biking up it. That would be my idea of hell. UGH.

We then made it to Santiago in one piece, got our stuff and made it to the hotel.

Ann´s Diet

So Ann has really embraced the culture of meat and wanted me to let you know about her diet now

Wednesday dinner - huge steak and meat empanadas
Thursday dinner at a seafood restauarant - Steak and potatoes
Friday lunch - ropa vieja
Saturday lunch - pork sandwich
Saturday dinner - meat and corn empanadas (different ones) and steak and potatoes
Sunday lunch - bodega - meat empanadas, thymus, sausage, steak
Sunday dinner - steak and veggies

It is only now in Chile that she is not eating red meat as much. I am sure any iron deficiencies she may have had before are all now gone.

I want a Bodega for Christmas

If anyone wants to get me a present and needs to know what to get, I would like a Bodega in the Mendoza province.

This morning we started our wine tour at 9am. I guess it is never to early to drink wine. Our hotel arranged a tour for us and we were the only 2 on the tour the entire day. We had a huge van, a driver - Paladio, and a guide - Paula. They drove us to Maipu where we went to 4 vineyards. We had to go past the Walmart to get there so if you are ever lost - just go past the Walmart.

First here is what we learned. Mendoza is a desert. They have canals built throughout the city and the vineyards and use melted snow to irrigate the city and the vineyards. Every street has huge trees to provide shade everywhere. It is lovely. So in the vineyards they build series of canals to irrigate the grapes and the olive trees.

The first vineyard was Carinae. It is a small botique vineyard that is owned by a French couple. They started the vineyard a few years ago and it was great. They export Carinae and El Galgo.

The second was Cave de Don Arturo. Their property was gorgeous and their wine caves were pretty cool, but the wine was not as good. Here we met up with the other tour and recognized a bunch of people from our hotel. They were on a budget tour that only went to 2 vineyards. They export and it's called Cave Don Arturo.

The third stop was to La Rural. They are a huge winery with 4 different brands. They also have a wine museum with artifacts about wine making from the very start of the vineyards in South America. Our guide was hot and did a good job of explaining everything. The wine there was also really good. They make Ruffini if you go to Sams or Binnys

Finally we went to lunch - me, Ann and Paula. We went to Familia Zucchari which is one of the biggest vineyards in the country. They make St. Julia brand. Omg, we had the craziest lunch.

First we got white wine and bread and all of the different olive oils they made. Then they brought empanadas - cheese, meat and onion. It was fantastic. Then it was time for the grilled vegetables and salad. Don't worry - the wine was refilled and refilled. Then it was time for the BBQ. We got red wine and meat. The first meat course was 2 types of sausages and this thing... So I thought it was real meat, but it tasted kind of strange. At first I thought it was just fatty, but it wasn't. Paula also really couldn't translate. The waiter then helped us and turns out we were eating some kind organ found near the heart.... yeah...

Then it was time for round 2 of meat. We had steak. It was delicious. And the red wine was flowing. Then he came around and asked us if we wanted round 3 of meat - ribs, chicken and pork (I think). By this point we were stuffed and did not want anymore meat, but these old ladies at the table near us got all 3 rounds...

Finally it was time for the dessert wine and the creme brule and vanilla ice cream. It was so so so good, but seriously it was the biggest lunch ever.

It was a great tour and worth every penny. I have brochures if people want them and everything is so gorgeous. There are vineyards and then the Andes as a backdrop.

Again, I would love a Bodega for Christmas (hint hint)

Aconcagua

Our hotel is really nice and it is called The Aconcagua. While we have great water pressure, turn down service, cable tv, etc. we do not have wireless and so I am using the computer on our executive floor.

This is great, except the keyboard is super confusing. I have no idea how to use the at sign. See I can't even begin to type it because all morning I tried and tried. When I finally had to copy and paste an email address, the power went out in the room - hence no postings for awhile.

However, there are fun things like the ñ and
¿Que?

The weather is fantastic and today were were able to lay out by the pool which is on the third floor. I love it and wish we could stay here a litle while longer.

Oh and the cable is nice - we have Gossip Girls, Legally Blonde, Glitter (yes it was on this morning and I was laughing so hard). Also the singer, Mika is HUGE down here. Everywhere we go - bars, restaurants, cars, buses, clubs, stores, the mall, etc. they are playing Mika. Even on VH1.

Mendoza

I wish we had more time in Mendoza - it is the most adorable town. We walked around it after resting, sunning and showering on Saturday. It has the cutest squares and the most gorgeous weather.

After the bus ride, the sun and walking around, we were exhausted, but we went to a great dinner. It was so nice to sit outside and hang out. It makes me wish that it was warmer in Chicago so we could eat outside....aah summer.

Mendoza is surprisingly international. Outside at dinner there were Americans, British, Italians, Australians, etc. I guess everyone comes here for the wine and the hiking. I would highly recommend it.

Most Interesting Thing

Michael wanted to know the most interesting or surprising thing - for me it's that so many people down here have mullets and rat tails. No joke. I am shocked and we see it everywhere

Oops!

We missed our bus on Friday in BA. Ann and I both forgot to print out the information. We thought the bus left at 8:45, but it left at 7:45. I was not a happy camper, but we talked to the people and were able to get on a bus leaving later that night. However, it messed up our reservations in Mendoza for the wine tours.

So we are stuck in this sketchy bus station with later tickets. We ate a little and they told us there would be minimal food for 16 hours. Not knowing if we stopped or what, we stocked up on water and cereal bars.

The luggage is checked and we get in the first class. It was not that bad. The seats reclined most of the way back and then a foot thing came down so that you could kind of lay down. We pulled out around 10:30 knowing we wouldn't be to Mendoza until 3 the next day. And that is 3pm, not am.

We went through a shanty town on the way out of BA and then stopped almost right away. We realized that is how the bus ride was going to be the entire time. Oh well.

Here are some things about the bus
1. Movies. In first class we got movies. First was The Hot Chick in spanish. Who knew Rachel Adams was in that? Then we got a Steven Segal movie - Shadow Man - in english. It was the first Steven Segal movie I've seen and I don't think I need to see another. Then was this movie called Walking Tall or something like that, but it was a sequel. I didn't even know there was a first one. That was in english as well. Finally it was Fun with Dick and Jane in Spanish.... v. strange choices. No wonder people think Americans are freaks.

2. The bathroom was the most disgusting thing ever. Enough said.

3. There were stray dogs at each bus stop without fail.

4. We went to the bathroom at a stop and the bus started to leave without us. We had to run after it.

5. When you buy a sandwich off of a random woman it tastes really good especially if you don't think about it being pork that has probably been in the danger zone for hours.

All in all, after all of the stress of missing the bus, the trip across the country was not that bad. I probably slept about 9 hours....Ann slept about 3. However we made it to Mendoza in one piece and were able to check into our lovely hotel.

The Black Eye

We met this woman, Fiona, who is British and an editor at Elle in the UK. She is staying at our hotel and passing through BA on her way home from trekking and camping throughout Patagonia. We all went out last night.

First we went to this out of the way, very local seafood restaurant which was amazing. Then we decided to go out in our neighborhood. We went to this club, but it wasn't quite a club. The main floor was a little lame, but you could go upstairs and it there was a rooftop bar and lounge area with a mini dance floor. The bar was covered and then the seating was half covered, half outside.

We got some cocktails and found a seat. There was this local couple sitting near us and they got what we thought was bottle service and Speed. Speed is the local equivalent to Red Bull. They finished one bottle and ordered another. I could not believe how much vodka they were drinking. We even commented to the guys sitting near us that we couldn't believe it. One was British and the other Finnish. So we all were curious about the drink and finally asked them.

Turns out the drink was white wine and Speed. So of course we had to start talking to them about the drink and they gave us a glass to share. It was the MOST disgusting drink I've ever had in my life. There isn't a name for it except vino blanco y speed, so we called it The Black Eye because the woman had the biggest black eye. I guess if you drink too much of that bad things happen.

We then got back to the hotel, got our bottles of water and started talking to Javier who was working the front desk. He was telling us how delicious vino blanco y speed is and how everyone drinks it. I couldn't believe it. We then tried to tell him not to order it in the US porque speed es una droga ;-)

Protest!

Yesterday Ann and I went to the Plaza Mayo - pronounced Platha Majjo down here - and there was another protest. I think there are a few each day. This one was complete with loud booming noises.

We then went to see the mothers who have marched each Thursday for 30 years in protest of their children being taken away. It is a sad story of 30 years ago when a huge group of young people who were against the government were kidnapped and never seen or heard from again.

Also we learned that many people think there could be a military coup next year because of the incoming president. Most do not like this woman and see her as another Evita. They speak of coups like it's no big deal...

Happy...

...Thanksgiving!!

Happy Birthday Sara!!!

Let us know if there are any good "Black Friday" deals!!

Abuela y Abuela

Tonight we were total grandmas (no offense Mom and Dad and other readers) and went to a Tango show. It was a "espectaculo" complete with dinner and a show. We wanted to go tonight and this is one that was playing that Agostina recommended.

We got their late because our taxi let us off in the wrong spot. We gave him the streets, but it was wrong and about 10 blocks away. Oh well! Then I guess you were supposed to have reservations, but we didn't. So we got there late without reservations, but we were able to get in if we were willing to share a table. We didn't care so we paid and went in. We ended up sharing a table with John and Dee, a retired couple from the States who've lived in Mexico for the past 7 years, but speak no Spanish. They travel and rent apartments in various countries for a month at a time. So they are about to finish their month down here. By the end of the dinner we had their contact info and an invitation to Guatelajara.

The tango show dancing and music were great. It makes me want to learn how to dance. However, there was singing.... It was interesting to say the least. My favorite is Ricardo - the Phantom of the Tango. Enjoy!

Agostina

We met our personal shopper, Agostina today. We met at a mall somewhere in BA. We had to take a subway and it was kind of on the outskirts of town where not a lot of tourists go. We had some time before meeting her and the neighborhood is all about tango. You can buy tango shoes, dresses, etc.

Agostina was so funny and told us how if you don't have a boyfriend in Argentina it is customary to dress like a whore. She also told us how the Europeans she takes around like the stores that sell "trashy whore" clothes. It made us laugh.

Turns out she is a teacher in the inner city schools and they are not allowed to wear jewelry to teach in since the kids don't have much. She also took us to different neighborhoods and made sure everyone gave us the tax free stuff.

We shopped for about 3 hours and she is going to call around and send us an email with suggestions for tango shows tonight that won't be too much of a rip off. She is also going to give us lists of stores that sell good jewelry and bags.

If you ever come to BA I would highly recommend getting in touch with Agostina and going shopping.

Cemetery Characters

We went to the cemetery today and it was really interesting. We were given a map and started walking around. There were some v. interesting tourists and feral cats in there.

We first ran into this older, hippy American woman who was so confused. She was so intent on following her map and one grave was mismarked and you would have thought she was lost in the middle of a city with no money and no clue how to get home. She approached us and asked if we spoke English. So we answered her, looked at the map and pointed out that while grave 104 did not match up, the grave next to it did and she was on the right track. Then we saw this grave and she proceeded to tell us how it was a grave of a girl who was in a coma and died, but then ended up being buried alive and clawed at the glass. Somewhere she had read about this... Anyway the date then said the girl died in 1970 and she convinced herself outloud that it was not the right grave because in 1970 they would know if someone was dead or alive...

We found the graves of the Duarte family and Evita. It's a super narrow path and we had to wait in line and then people took pictures and what not. Well there was this woman who walked right up to the front and just kind of stood there. So when people would line up the pictures she would shift and no one could take pictures. It was kind of funny. She may have been with the German/Dutch crowd.

Finally we were getting a little too much sun so we stopped by a grave to put on some more sunscreen. This Swiss tourist complete with hat, walking shorts, hiking boots, backpack, camera, and across the body wallet stops by. He proceeded to tell us all about how he got bug bites everywhere and showed us his arms and legs. I think he thought our spray sunscreen was bug spray. He probably thought we were rude because we didn't offer him any.