föstudagur, janúar 25, 2008

Mendoza - traffic, trekking, and tasting (Part II)




The next day was reserved for wine tasting.
Since first I came to Argentina two years ago I have had a special relationship with Mendoza wines and with a good Argentinian beef, it is pure heaven.
We started out by going to Cavas de Don Arturo a small family run winery that only exports their wine to one place in the US and then sells locally. Of course it was excellent and we were hungry for more.
The next stop was another family-run winery, but this time it was a huge one that exports wine all over the world (unfortunately not to Iceland though). It was the Familia Zuccardi. This was our favorite family in Mendoza. :) They not only produce most of the grapes that can possibly be grown in Argentina, many of which we have never heard of but also experiment with other grapes and mixtures of wines. Their main grape (as in the rest of the Mendoza region) is the Malbec that seems to grow here even better than in it's home country, France. It was a huge place and a beautiful, and tasty experience. We got a couple of bottles from their store and they were put to good use the next few days :).
The day after it was time to do some serious trekking and "tumbling" off cliffs. It took about an hour to arrive at the abseiling place and then we trekked up and down the mountain in roasting heat for about 1 and a half hours until we got to the abseiling site. For you who do not know whar abseiling is, it is when you for some strange reason lower yourself on a rope down a vertical cliff face (see photo). We did three of them. The first was 15 meters, the second was 9 meters and last one was 45 meters. An absolute killer and not for the faint of heart. (or people who tend to faint often). After every body got down we had lunch and chilled in the hotsprings near by; which was great after being in the relentless sun for 5 hours with absolutely no chance of shade anywhere.
It was a tired but happy group that came back to Mendoza that night.
The last day we strolled in a huge Park with a lake and loads of activities for the public like golf, tennis, sailing; with restaurants and cafes, football stadium, a zoo, and a campground. Mendoza is a very nice city and I am sure we will be back some day. :)
Photos.
top: winetasting in Mendoza
middle: Abseiling in Mendoza
bottom: the hot springs

posted by Nonni @ 2:25 e.h. 3 comments

Mendoza - traffic, trekking, and tasting (Part I)

The ride to Mendoza was quite spectacular. We drove through the Andes, sometimes along sheer cliff faces making me wish i had not picked the window seat. We spent a ridiculous amount of time at the border (almost 4 hours). Argentinians and Chileans (especially the Argentinians) are known for their lack of stress sometimes bordering (pun intended) on the absurd. So even with 10 full buses, trucks and a plethora of private cars there are only 4 guys to take care of everything that is 4 on the chilean side and 2 on the Argentinian). there were maybe 10-15 gates but only 4 are active for some reason. So when you get through the Chilean side you have to wait in another line on the Argentinian side. And there they are leisurely drinking their Mate chatting with the bus drivers and greeting an occasional relative that comes by while everyone in the cue is going absolutely mental. It is funny, however, how this is completely turned on it's head when you put an Argentinian in a car. Then it is his turn to go mental. They drive like lunatics, they never stop or even slow down when you are trying to cross the road, in fact I am convinced that they speed up, thinking that they probably will make it past you before you step in front of the car. In many cross roads in big cities and towns there are no traffic lights. And I once asked a guy in Salta how it worked and he replied: "Well it works like everywhere else" (might have been just referring to everywhere in Argentina), "sometimes it is the car that comes first to the intersection or sometimes it is the bigger car that has the right away". This makes it a considerable challenge every time you want to cross a road because you have no idea...and even if their are traffic lights there is no way of telling if the cars or the pedestrians have the right away. In Cordoba I was almost run over by a mad taxi driver (well they are all mad actually) that came around a corner never even touching the breaks as I jumped one meter in the air and two meters back to avoid him. It was the first time I gave someone the finger in Argentina, as I shouted "Stupido" at the top of my lungs. Chileans are much more civilized and stop frequently and even gesture politely for you to cross.
In the Mendoza bus station we were greeted by an elderly gentleman who wanted to offer us accommodation. We had not booked, so that suited us fine. Sometimes you can be lucky and get a good price at the bus station because they are desperate for some business and sometimes (as in this case) it might actually be a decent place. We got a hotel room (2 star) for 90 pesos (US$30 or about 1800 Isk.), It was so good that we decided to stay for 5 nights. And breakfast was included. Argentinian breakfast consists normally of a cup of coffee, two small peaces of toasts w/marmalade, or medialunas(croissants) and if you were lucky, orange juice. There, we had all this + a danish and a refill of everything if you wanted. The reason why Argentinian breakfast is so small is the fact that they eat very late. We are used to have dinner between 6pm and 8pm but they hardly ever have dinner before 9pm. Some restaurants don't even open until 9pm. but then they are open until about 1am.

The first whole day in Mendoza I went on a day trip to the Alta Montana or high mountain. Where they drive you to see well high mountain stuff such as Aconcagua 6962 meters, which is the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. We drove up to altitude of 4300 and as it was not enough for me I practically ran 500 m more up to 4800 meters. For some reason the altitude seamed to have little or no effect on me in this trip. And people were looking at me funny and asking "did u just go up there and back in 10 minutes!?" like it was something they would never have considered doing in a million years. At the top u actually stood on the borders between Chile and Argentina and there was a big statue of Christ to commemorate the friendship between the two nations. It was almost weired because normally the two nations do not communicate unless absolutely necessary. It has something to do with the Falklands war where Chile supported the UK by allowing them to use their airports for their fighter jets. The drive up and down was harrowing the road was narrow breaking up in parts and the guide was busy telling us stories about other buses that had gone of the road or were hit by falling rock...at one time as we came to a massive boulder almost on the middle of the road she said: "wow! that wasn't here yesterday!!" After that we then headed to the Puente del Inca, a natural arch that forms a bridge over the Vacas River, which runs into the Mendoza River. After a late lunch we drove back home.
Kathleen had used the day to do some shopping (she did not do the tour because she did it 2 years earlier), and we ended that day by going to a Tenedor libre (a free fork) which is a buffet place with basically everything you heart desires for a very resonable price.

Photos.
Top: Aconcagua 6962 m
Middle: High in Argentina looking over into Chile
Bottom: Puente del Inca (the Inca Bridge)

posted by Nonni @ 11:41 f.h. 0 comments

fimmtudagur, janúar 24, 2008

The Big Bangs - New year, Vina Del Mar, Chile

Vina Del Mar had two main purposes for us. One: to celebrate New Year and two: go to Valparaiso which is basically next door (10 min on the metro train) . We came there early morning and our hostel, that looked good on the internet was a total dump. There was nothing in the room except the bed and a small TV. It was right next to a busy street and you could not close the windows properly. There were two shared bathrooms & showers for about 25 people and the showers only worked occasionally. So we dumped our bags (no pun intended) and hit the town in search of another place to stay. It took awhile as it was New Year and most places were packed and/or overpriced because of the New Year. Finally however we found a 1 star hotel with private bath and breakfast included for almost the same price as Hostal TotalDump. We moved early the next morning. Not only was it much better but also very central to everything. That same day: 31st of december 2007 we went to Valparaiso to have a look around. I had been there before (see blog: jan. 2006) but it was the first time for Kathleen. We took the Metro and at the main square we met Tirone and Yasemin who we first met in Puerto Madryn, then in Ushuaia, then on the Navimag ferry and now in Valparaiso. (Hi you two if you are reading this:) . We had a very nice day walking the streets, taking the ascensores and finally ending up at the very interesting La sebastiana, the House of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). The famous Chilean poet who is considered one of the greatest and most influential poets of the 20th century. Leaving Valparaiso it was time to plan the New Year celebrations. We found a nice Restaurant that had Parilla (Grilled meat). We ordered a parrilla for two, which is usually enough for 4 persons; and got a nice bottle of red wine to go with it. The staff brought us party hats and whistles and the night was well underway. Just before midnight we walked down to the coast, found a really good spot (together with about 20 million other people, and watched the most amazing fire work display I have ever seen. Fire works cannot be bought or used by the public and the show is controlled (the 23 minutes of it, which was the longest one so far). What they do is that they have about 20-25 "stations" off shore in a row in front of Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and the two neighboring towns. On all the stations they have the exact same display impeccably synchronized. And the fireworks are big, and I mean BIG!!
I thought I had seen huge fireworks in Iceland (some legal some illegal) but these were about 10 times bigger, and it made me realize that having it controlled really makes the experience much more enjoyable not to mention safer! I know many people in Iceland that would not agree with me (that includes you Palmi;) but this display just blew me away.
After the fireworks we headed back to the restaurant that now had turned into a nightclub with live music and dancing; and of course we were the first on the dance floor, well maybe not the first, but at least the first gringos. Returning back home to our hotel we opened a bottle of bubbly and continued the celebrations into the wee hours. The next day can be summarised in 2 words: TV & TAKEWAY!
Then suddenly it was time to leave. The New Year was here, and we had people to see and places to go; and as we headed to the bus station the next morning I was excited that we were going back to Argentina and to a place I was looking forward to seeing and tasting....Mendoza.

Photos.
Top: 10 past 8 in Vina Del Mar
middle: An ascensor orFunicular in Valparaiso
Bottom: Happy New Year!



posted by Nonni @ 4:10 e.h. 0 comments

þriðjudagur, janúar 22, 2008

Temuco

After only a 3 hour bus trip to the City of Temuco, we found a hostel (a total dump) just next to the bus station and went looking for the information center. The plan was to do a tour to Conguillio national park next to the volcano Llaima, and then take the train to Santiago. This, however, was not possible. The tours had not really started yet because the high season had not really started yet and the only tour we could get on would have cost us the equivalent of a week in a five star hotel in Iceland. The train also for some strange reason did not start to run until the 20 of January. Rats! Well only one thing to to then: Leave! And that is what we did. That night we got on the night bus to Vina Del mar. Were we would spend New Year....Three days later the Volcan Llaima started erupting!


Next: New Year with a bang!

posted by Nonni @ 2:17 e.h. 1 comments

Christmas in Pucon

At this point we were not exactly thinking much about Christmas, other than we decided to find a nice spot to relax over the holidays. That place was Pucón. Although it is a bit touristy, it is an extremely lovely place and it was not as touristy as it was when I last visited (the season was just about to start). It has a lot to offer in the form of tours, spectacular scenery, treks, hot springs, adventure sports, water sports and a lake where you can lie on the beach and jump in the water if you feel like it. The lake lies in the front of the village and behind it rises the constantly smoking, 2847m high volcán Villarica. Since 1558 there have been recorded 61 eruptions and the last on was in 1985. According to the locals a new big one is due any minute. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending how much of a volcano fan you are) nothing happened while we were there. One morning (boxing day) Kathleen went up to the top. I had been there before (see blog: January 2006) and as it was very expensive (not to mention pretty hard) I had a sleep in while she got up at 4 in the morning climbed up to the 200m wide crater at the top and slid back down in the snow. (see Kathleen's blog with photos HERE.) She was back around 13:00 where I met her with a rose to congratulate her on her achievement, a mayor achievement if I may say so. Well done Kathleen! :)

The Chilean people celebrate Christmas differently than us. Maybe it would be accurate to say: less obviously. While we decorate everything short of the family cat, they are more modest. If you were travelling on your own with no-one to remind you of Christmas it might actually pass you by unnoticed. The Chileans go to church though; not like us just at Christmas, maybe Easter and special occasions but all the time and, they being Catholic like most of south America, their churches are very spectacular. Many places before Christmas you see the very common nativity scene (baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, an angel, shepards and the three wise men in the stable.) You do however not see Jesus in the crib until the 25. of December, simply because he isn't born yet. This we found out in Puerto Varas and thought maybe someone had stolen it or it had fallen out of the crib.

Apart from Kathleen climbing the Volcano and us taking it easy for the most of the holidays, we went to a hot spring one night. It was nice enough but for me they were more like the "luke warm springs". We did though have a great view of a sunset over the volcano. The funniest thing for me was taking a shower afterwards as there was no hot water in the showers!! In this area there are about 7 or 8 hot springs around the volcano but the water in the showers is cold...weird if you ask me.

On our last night a strange thing happened: Every day at 12 noon there was a test of the warning system a siren that would tell everybody to evacuate in case of an eruption. (it was funny to be downtown at noon and watch all the tourist who had just arrived looking with great concern up towards the volcano) Anyway, on our last night, about 11:15 the siren sounded!..I must admit that something like that has the tendency to send shivers down your spine. I of course rushed out and looked up but there was nothing unusual. Then it stopped. The locals did not seem to be too concerned. So I went back to the room hoping that it was just a technical failure and it probably happened all the time...but I hardly slept a wink that night...believe you me.

posted by Nonni @ 1:33 e.h. 0 comments

þriðjudagur, janúar 15, 2008

Chile - The Lake district

A short status:

When this is written, we are in Salta, Argentina(north). It is hot, we are beeing eaten alive by mozzies (well me at least) and the trip to South-America is coming to an end. We have four days here, and then we go back to Buenos Aires to fly to London and from there to Cape Town, South Africa where we will be on the 22. january. There we are taking a 41 day trip to Nairobi travelling thru: South Africa, Nambia, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. We especially look forward to Kenya as it is supposed to be a very "exciting" country to travel thru at the moment ;).
To tell the truth, we have heard nothing from our tour company about how they are going to handle the situation or if they have any alternatives planned. My gut feeling is that Kenya will probably be dropped and ppl. given some money back or a different route will be taken.
Well, back to the travel story:
We stayed in Puerto Varas 3 nights and would have liked to stay longer. Not because there was so much to do there but because it was a nice place to just take time of and relax; sit outside at a café-bar and sip Café con leche (which is not so much coffee with milk but rather coffee in milk) or a nice beer. Having said that, I must admit that Chileans don't really seem to have mastered the art of making beer. It is not bad, don't get me wrong...I will still drink it. But it is missing that last "aaaahhhh que bueno" if you know what I mean. They can though be very proud of their wine and we made sure that the average wine intake per person per year went up at least one percent.
Puerto Varas looks like a town in Switzerland. Founded by Germans "back in the days" ( a good sentence to use if you have no idea when or can't be bothered to look it up). It has an abundance of old houses that many of which are in dire need of restoration. It is located on the shore of the Lake Llanquihue, one of the largest natural lakes in South America. And from the lakefront you can clearly see the snow capped cone of Volcan Osorno. On the second day of our stay we rented a car with our swiss friends Pierre and Anna and drove around the lake. Stopping at a hot springs on the way. We had to cross a river to reach the hotsprings so a local woman Shella, about 70 years old rowed us across the river. The current was pretty strong but Shella was in full control. The hot springs were just by the river and there was no-one else there. They were muddy so we had to rinse off in the icecold river afterwards(iiiks!). To get back we had to call the old woman´s name across the valley and after about 15 minutes 2 young men appeared. The young man who was rowing us back seemed to be struggling a bit but made it in the end (hats off to Shella). We drove up to the volcano and hiked up a to crater in the side of the mountain (at the snowline) which also provided us with some wonderful views. The rest of the way we stopped mostly to take pictures and get refreshments. Had some wonderful Kucken (German cheesecake) at Puerto Octay. Our next stop was Valdívia. A big town close to the pacific coast. We took a bus to a place called Niebla from where we took a boat to see an old Spanish fortress. The next day, after walking around the town we observed the fishmarket on the banks of the river Calle-Calle. It was the most amazing sight as there were sealions, comerants and seagulls fighing for the fish scraps that the fish mongers threw in the river. And some of the sealions were huge.

Next we were going to Pucon, one of the most touristic places in Chile and one of my big favorites since last time I was there. Christmas was coming and we decided to take a break for the holidays...

Next: Christmas in Chile
photos:
Top: Puerto Varas & Volcan Osorno
Bottom: Valdívia with it's fishmarket

posted by Nonni @ 4:07 e.h. 2 comments

sunnudagur, janúar 06, 2008

The Navimag. Puerto Natales - Puerto Montt

The navimag trip is a bit like a cruise with all the amenities that go with it. We had guides that let us know where we were and when there was something to see...which was not too often I am sad to say because it was more or less cloudy most of the way. There was breakfast, lunch and dinner included and we had bunk beds in the cheapest section allthough somewhat private as our salesperson at the Navimag office, Oscar, found us a semi private bunkbeds. There was also movies, informative meetings or "chats" as they called it in english (charla in spanish) and most important: a bar. So now it was just to sit back and relax. We quickly made friends with other ppl and spent time reading, playing chess, scrabble, looking at the scenery and drinking wine...(one of our favourite activities). One night we even got a clear sky for an hour or so and James from England gave us a star tour. It was all good and well, except for the part where the ship goes into the "open water". Not protected from the fjords of southern chile, and forced to sail on the Pacific Ocean for 12 hours, and let me tell you, the Pacific Ocean is all but pacific!
I have never been seasick and was not about to add that to things I have done, so I took a seasick pill just in case. We went through the roughest part in the night so for the most of it we could manage to sleep. I remember barely manging to fall asleep around 1 in the morning just to wake up an hour later when I was sliding back and fourth in my bed (fortunately not sideways as I was in the top bunk). I must admit it was not a very enjoyable feeling but somehow about an hour & a half I managed to fall asleep again. When I woke up in the morning the ocean was a bit calmer and just around lunch that day we were back into the relative calm of the fjords. A map of the route can be found HERE.
We arrived in Puerto Montt at noon on the fourth day...and as our Navimag salesperson and tourist information employee, Oscar had suggested, we gave Puerto Montt a miss and headed straight to Puerto Varas only 30 minute drive away. And...we did not regret that.


Photos:
Top: Saying goodbye to Puerto Natales
middle: A shipwrek in the fjords
bottom: Sunset



posted by Nonni @ 9:53 e.h. 1 comments

föstudagur, janúar 04, 2008

Torres del Paine revisited (Part II)

...And then the wind continued through the night occasionally waking me up when the tent hit me in the face. The next morning the storm was not as strong. We managed to pack the tent relatively easy and after making some oatmeal for breakfast, we headed off to the next adventure. In the beginning Kathleen thought we were on the wrong trail because it was marked for horses. It was a bit weird I admit but I had seen ppl. coming from there with backpacks the day before so we pushed on, hoping for the best. It turned out to be the right way luckily and as the morning continued the weather seemed to be getting better. It was raining when we started off and we had our rain gear on but that only meant that we got wet from the inside out instead of the outside in. Things were going well and at the cross roads where the path leads up the mountain to the torres or down to the refugio, we decided to have lunch and rest before the big push up the mountain. However, as we were about to finish lunch a cold breeze swooped in and soon after it started to rain. We had a decision to make. Over the Torres, black rainclouds hovered and over by the refugio it seemed nice and dry. So it was not a hard decision to make. We had already done the walk up to the Torres before and saw them both at sundown and sunrise so we took the easy way out and headed to the refugio. The closer we got the more it rained and the more we knew we had made the right choice. We met a couple from the UK coming down who had turned back two hours from the Torres as the weather was terrible with fierce winds and torrential rain (no pun intendend). We were getting soaked and were extremely happy to get on the next bus back to Puerto Natales. There were lots of other people trying to get back and some were panicking when trying to get on the bus...thinking it might fill up and they would get left behind. Scary stuff...but we were pretty calm after our encounter with the pumas two days earlier...JUST KIDDING ;). There are pumas in the park and you do get advice on how to behave if you bump into one, but they are rarely seen.
Back in Puerto Natales, we went to our favorite fish restaurant. It was also where we went on our first date:) , and it was still as great as the first time. The next day we walked down to the Navimag office and booked a 4 day boat trip to Puerto Montt.

posted by Nonni @ 9:43 e.h. 0 comments