The Best of Argentina and Chile

Round 3 …

Buenos Aires:

• Tango in the Park – Tango is all over Buenos Aires so you won´t miss it, but there are many options for soaking up the excitement. You can see street performers in the park, go to a cena show, or watch an intimate dance at a cafe. We did them all and liked them all, but we really enjoyed the atmosphere of watching it in the park. Head to San Telmo on Sundays to catch a show.
• The Beef – It`s mouthwatering (even for non-beef eaters) and parrillas are everywhere. Our favorite cut was asado de tira and our favorite parilla was DesNivel in San Telmo (a packed locals spot that is dirt cheap and has excellent traditional food).
• San Telmo Antique Fair – Only on Sunday, but worth the wait. It`s a lively street scene that has more to do with socializing and watching the street performers than antiques. Try to catch a tango show as well.
• Futbol – Don`t miss it. It`s a blast. We heard the Boca Jrs. games are classic fun, but we went to River stadium for a national game against Bolivia. Pick up a jersey beforehand if you want to blend with the crowd and best to go with a tour agency to avoid lots of confusion and crowds.
• Olsen – For a trendy night on the town, this Palermo eatery was a little taste of NYC in BA (but at better prices!). The best part was sampling the delicious drinks. Sitting at the bar also allows you test out your Spanish skills on the bartenders…
• Shopping – You won´t be able to get enough of it. The porteños are definitely trendy and the clothes are good value so try to come with some spending cash. We liked Santa Fe street, Palermo, and Florida streets the best.

Mendoza:

• Wine tasting in Lujan de Cuyo – Most people do bike tours in Maipu, but if you`re into wine and you want to do it right, rent a car, make reservations at wineries (during the week), and do it yourself. First, go for a tasting at Vines of Mendoza and get information about the best wines and wineries. We liked the tours at Septima and Carlos Pulenta the best. (Skip the La Rural museum unless you don`t know the first thing about wine.)
• Tablao for a Lomito Completo – Did you see that picture of the lomito sandwich we posted a while back? This is where it´s from. If you don´t make it to Mendoza, get one somewhere else because they are oh so good.
• Hostel Independencia – We liked this big hostel with a central location. The breakfast was generous and the weekly bbq was also good fun and food.

Other stuff in Argentina:

• Iguazu Falls – Don`t mean to diminish this one by putting it in the “other stuff” category because it was one of our favorite sites on the trip. Give yourself 2 days to see the whole thing. Start with the Brazilian side for an overview of the falls and then go to the Argentinian side to get up close. Both sides have unique views, so its worth it for the cheap park tickets… and somehow the falls never get boring because they are just so big!
• Andesmar – Our favorite bus company in Argentina, with a good website.
• Lomo Sandwiches – A little slice of heaven stuffed between 2 pieces of bread. We actually blogged about this one earlier.

Central Chile:

• La Casa Roja – We loved this hostel in Santiago. It was big, had a beautiful kitchen, tv room, and numerous lounge areas, not to mention sparkling bathrooms and a pool with a swim-up bar!
• Valparaiso – Worth the detour from Santiago, this small coastal town is colorful and quaint and boasts some pretty cool history and really good seafood. Pick up a copy of Isabel Allende´s Daughter of Fortune before you go.
• Los Porteños – Really good local seafood spot. Famous for thier seafood soups and chowders.
• Le Filou de Montpelier – A tiny simple place between Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion, this french restaurant serves only a set daily menu. It was one of the best meals we had and at a pretty good price.
• The bus ride from Mendoza to Santiago – Do this one during the day because the views as you pass through the Andes are spectacular.

Other stuff in Chile:

• Empanadas- Sometimes more like a calzone, but usually always a really good option for a cheap meal.
• Kalabaza – Really good cafe in Puerto Montt. Take advantage of the set menu for a deal.

Patagonia:

• Torres del Paine National Park (Chile) – The highlight of Patagonia, this park boasts some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. 3-5 days (or more) is ideal here if you want time to explore and enjoy. The W features the parks most famous spots and while all the sections of it are amazingly cool, we especially loved the French Valley for its 360 degree views and interesting trail. Be prepared for extreme weather – the sun can be just as deadly as the wind.
• Erratic Rock Hostel – Probably our favorite hostel on the trip, this is place is small and cozy and a good hub for before and after trips to the park. Daily baked goods and info talk are pluses too.
• El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glaciar (Argentina) – More touristy than Puerto Natales, but the place to go for outdoor gear shopping and trips to glaciars. Perito Moreno is the most dynamic and worth staring at for a while.
• Ushuaia (Argentina) – The city at the end of the world. It´s a pretty cool town with dramatic scenery and the view from Glaciar Martial is worth the trip.
• Bodegon Fueguino – Great local restaurant in Ushuaia that features small plates and specializes in lamb.

General tips…

• We forgot this one in past summaries, but wanted to send a notice to future SA travellers that most places down here take their weekends seriously. Everything is usually closed on Sundays and in many places closed early on Saturday as well. That goes for restaurants, stores, wineries, museums, churches, sometimes tours, etc. Try to avoid making your only day to visit a town Sunday (if you plan on visiting any sights) and be sure to check hours before heading anywhere on the weekends because it will likely be closed. (Internet cafes are usually an exception, even on Christmas!)
• To add to the inconvenience, the Argentine schedule is classic craziness. They take their siestas seriously, often shutting down between 1-4 everyday and they love their nightlife. The prime dinner rush is at 10:30, meaning many restaurants are still not open by 7pm. Clubbing starts between 1-2am, so bring some sleeping pills because you will definitely need to adjust your internal clock here! (Some exceptions in tourist locations during high season, but just be prepared).
• Reservations in high season a must. Although you can usually always find a place to stay, the best places will be booked. Book buses and flights at least a little bit in advance if you want to stick to your schedule.
• Prices for flights vary a lot here unlike the states. If you don´t like a price, just keep checking because it may change daily or hourly.
• Ahh the buses. Heaven after Bolivia. These things are equiped and the cama class is really quite comfortable. For the long journeys, definitely enjoy the luxury.

So that´s the spiel on Argentina and Chile. Hope that helps. As always, drop us a line if you have more questions…

Happy Holidays from Ushuaia

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Eventhough we couldn`t be home to celebrate with you all, we had a relaxing time drinking lots of wine and watching cheesy 90s movies with some friends of ours in Puerto Natales, Chile. The gorgeous Patagonia mountain backdrop definitely made for a memorable Christmas location.

We are now in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. It`s a cute little harbor town with mountains all around. Although it`s a bit touristy as many cruise ships pass through, it still has an Argentine feel.

We set sail today on the Marco Polo to Antarctica…

Happy Holidays to all and we`ll be back online in a week…

5 days in Torres del Paine

So, once we were geared up it was time to head outdoors and into one of the world’s most revered trekking destinations, Torres del Paine. Towering rock formations, glaciers all over the place, ever changing weather, 100kmph+ winds, a harsh blazing sun (no ozone down here), long beautiful sunsets, and the list goes on. We had 5 days set to enjoy the park and here’s what we did …

The most trekked route in Torres del Paine is called the W based on the shape of the route and that’s basically what we did, however we did a shortened W in 3 days just via day hikes rather than the full trekking. So on Day 1 we came into the park and set out on our first hike along Grey lake to the Grey Glacier …

On day 2 it was a long haul up into the French Valley which offered a wonderful view where you are surrounded by mountains and glaciers all around you. Along the way you have some great views of the various flora in Torres del Paine as well as some of the best views of the “cueros” (horns). I’ll try and stitch a photo together for a panoramic view, but i don’t have the time/tools right now …

Day 3 the weather turned a little bit worse and we lost our beautiful sun and blue skies, but none the less we had a great day for our hike up to the torres (towers) …

After 3 days of hiking we decided it would be good to switch gears and try seeing Patagonia in a different way so we setup a 2 day overnight kayaking trip down the river Serrano at the southern boarder of the park. The wind proved to be a bit of a challenge for the kayaking and made it a bit more difficult than we had envisioned, but none the less it was great fun and we had some amazing views of the park from a distance on day 4 …

At this point we were beat and ready for some R&R, but we have no time to waste, so it’s off to El Calafate to check out the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the world’s largest and still advancing glaciers. More about that in a couple days.

Merry Christmas everyone, we are off to a good old fashioned Chilean Christmas BBQ. yum!

Getting to Patagonia

Sorry for not updating this in a while, things have been happening quickly the past couple weeks and we’ve spent most of that time in places without internet access, so here’s a big update to start to get you caught up.

After leaving Mendoza we moved into Chile to spend a little time checking out Santiago and Valparaiso. Truth be told we weren’t even sure we were going to go to Santiago at all since it has the reputation of being one of the more uneventful cities in South America. That basically proved to be true so we spent only a short time in Santiago before heading just a little further west to Valparaiso. Similar to Santiago there isn’t particularly a lot to say about Valpo other than the fact that it is known for having some colorful and vibrant neighborhoods, in a kind of hippie or bohemian way. So we spent only about a day and a half in Valpo before it was time to make our way into Patagonia. Here’s a couple pics from Santiago and Valpo …

From Valparaiso we took an overnight bus down to Puerto Montt which was really our official launch pad into Patagonia. From Puerto Montt we took a 3 day ferry ride through the glacial fjords on the western coast of Chile which eventually brought us down to Puerto Natales, one of the main towns in the heart of Patagonia. Aboard the Navimag (the name of the ferry) we basically just relaxed and made friends, watched some amazing scenery stream by day after day, drank quite a bit, and at one point got a little sea sick where the boat passed into some rough waters in the Pacific ocean.

Once we got to Puerto Natales we had a day to gear up before it was time to see the wilder side of Patagonia in Torres del Paine National Park …