Tamara and Dan's South America Trip: Los padres de Tamara nos visitan en Mendoza.

Bodega Salentein

On May 9th Tamara’s parents came to Mendoza for a two week visit. We did our best to host. Before they arrived, we found them a nice apartment on Pazoletta Ponce (little plaza Ponce). It had a large living area, included a full kitchen and wine glasses (it was perfect). It also featured, across the street, a small café, which, according to them, was a highlight of their stay.

When they first got here we were not sure how tired they would be after the long trip, but as it turned out they had a great flight, “the best plane ride we have ever had” (with LAN airlines if you are interested). The time difference worked out for them as well. California is currently four hours behind Mendoza, but most things happen about 4 hours later in Argentina, such as Dinner at 10pm. So the whole time they were here they did things 4 hours later on the clock but it was still roughly the same time they would do them in California. I doubt they had much trouble acclimating on the return trip either.

Coffee outside Bodega Andeluna

Night one, we took them to our favorite wine bar, The Vines of Mendoza. Once a week they host a different local wine maker who comes and gives a presentation on their bodega (winery) and their wines. They describe three of their featured wines as you sample them and snack on fine cheeses. It is interesting to hear the winemaking process from the winemakers themselves, who are so invested and passionate about what they do. The winemakers mostly speak Spanish but they have a very talented employee who does an amazing job translating to English.

Just another five course meal in Mendoza wine country.

Winery Visits. There are three main wine areas near Mendoza: Maipu (see previous blog about
riding bikes) which is the most accessible; Chacras De Coria, which is a little further, a little more upscale and probably has the most wineries; and finally Valle De Uco, the “Napa” of Mendoza, with amazing architecture and art museums, view of the Andes, and restaurants that serve you five-course lunches. Our winery visits spanned tours of the facilities from the winemakers themselves, to large scale operations with a designated tourism department. Valle De Uco probably had to be our favorite. It was peaceful, away from the city, with the vines turning red against the backdrop of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas.

Tastings are generous here.

A closed-door restaurant? A “closed-door restaurant,” as we found out, is a private home where the owner entertains as a private chef prepares an eight-course meal. We discovered this establishment through the local wine magazine and were not sure what to expect. When pulling up to the restaurant we had our reservations as we passed by the scantily clad dressed “women” (who were actually men) so we asked our driver to wait until we knew for sure that we were in the right place. When I rang the doorbell, I heard a killer dog bark and then the door opens to a large man named Gonzalo who greeted me in English, “Who is Tamara? I thought you were going to be Argentine from the perfect Spanish in your email” (Tamara was very flattered). The interior of the house was, in sharp contrast to the exterior, tastefully decorated and with three tables set and music playing through a stereo connected to a cell phone. The host sat with us and told us his story about why we were eating in his house, we talked about our travels, politics of his

country and his experiences. His dog Tete (TT in English) was highly entertaining. As we sat in chairs and sofas around a coffee table, we were served wine and the first small (but delicious) courses. As the night progressed, we were invited to sit at the table where we enjoyed the main course, filet mignon (It is always steak here). After we went back to the living area, we enjoyed two courses of dessert and a glass of sparkling wine. Though we had some doubts in the beginning, after leaving we all agreed that this was an incredible experience and we were glad we took the risk.

View of Andes as we passed through them

Valparaiso, Chile. Jim really wanted to visit Chile and Tamara and Dan needed to renew our visas (you need to leave the country after 90 days or you will be fined) so we decided to take a trip to Valparaiso, Chile. The 1st class bus ride lasted about 7 hours and featured amazing views as you pass up and over the Andes mountain range. We spent three nights and two full days in Valparaiso where we had a great time exploring the city. It is one of the most interesting cities We have ever been to. “Valpo” was a major port city before the Panama Canal was built and there was a large influx of European influence who saw Valpo and thought, “Forget San Francisco, I’m staying here.” In fact it has a lot of similarities to San Francisco, but grittier. When the Panama Canal was built, the money left Valpo and the city was left in shambles. But it’s coming back now. The whole city is built on steep hills, so no matter where you go, you get a spectacular view of the whole city and the ocean below. Throughout the city are funiculars, or elevators, to take you from the seaside flats to the neighborhoods above. Unfortunately, due to the economy these are slowly closing one by one.

Going up?

It appears as though the city was created haphazardly, because every street you go down has a tiny staircase or alleyway that connects to another street. The best way to see the city is just take whichever one appeals to you and get lost. Street art has also become common-place. Every wall that does not have a mural on it just gets graffiti-ed. Some of the graffiti is artistic and impressive, but some are just scribbles. Some of the locals have combated this problem with murals. If there is art on the wall, the taggers leave it alone. If you do not have art on the walls, you are committed to painting your building once a week to keep it all one color. However, you have to be careful looking at and taking pictures of all the art, because street dogs and cats are rampant, and so are their little presents.

View from our hotel

While in Valpo we got to tour the house of the poet Pablo Neruda, which was really impressive. Every piece of furniture, every wall, had significance. Not to mention the great view there. We also toured the Open-air Museum, or Museo Abierto. There were as series of murals hidden amongst the maze of alleys and walkways. To see an impressive event of Valparaiso culture, there is an urban downhill bike race every year, down the small alleyways and stairs, dodging street dogs, for a small money prize.

After crossing back into Argentina, Tamara’s parents packed up to leave for their next adventure: Buenos Aires!