Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Ice, Wine and Chocolate

 

 

The Perito Moreno Glacier outside El Calafate, Argentina.

When we started out cruising we planned to spend time in the places we traveled to and we knew that at some point we would need to do more extensive work. As we spent longer times in Guatemala and Panama it looked like Colombia was going to be that spot. So we planned to be there a year. As we planned our year in Cartagena we had three primary objectives. The first was to see Colombia. The second was to accomplish some major refit on the boat and the third was to travel around South America.  From a North American’s perspective traveling in South America was much easier and cheaper from Cartagena than from anywhere north of Panama.

Wine tasting at the El Quirinca Winery, Maipo Valley Chile

Once we arrived in Cartagena and started trying to manage our boat work we found that the it was going to be challenging to live and work around the boat work. As we began to flesh out our work-plan we needed to interview contractors, boat yards and workers and getting those scheduled was neither easy nor timely. Also, knowing when they were actually going to show up caused the planning to drag out. Trying to do boat work in out-of-the-way places requires patience and ingenuity.

Easter eggs at Rapanui in Bariloche, Argentina

Before we left for our annual trip to the States last year we were able to get most of the work planned and under agreement as we needed material requirements to know what to buy to ship back. We did get in a short trip to the Amazon that I wrote about before and after we got back from the States we made time for a quick trip to Peru that I also wrote about before. But the rest would have to wait.

Olive trees at Laur Estancia
 

After we moved off the boat and moved it to the boat yard we had no idea when the work would be completed but we needed to try to arrange an itinerary that made sense.  We had the apartment rented until the end of March so we knew we needed the work to be done before that so we targeted early April to start. We also had a hard back end date because we had already planned a trip to Europe to meet our new Granddaughter after her expected due date. We also would need time after the boat was finished to move back on and some time between the trips to manage loose ends.

A statue from Easter Island at Vina del Mar, Chile
 

Having an idea of our time frame then we set out to pick our destinations and with all the travel constraints our itinerary took shape. While I was at the Boat Yard every day, Linda worked on planning the details of our trip. One of our concerns was that since it would be Autumn where we were going it would be getting cold. That blocked out the idea of going too far south and defined that we should do south early. It really is true that you can easily become acclimatized to where you live. Enjoying everyday with 90+ degrees makes being colder a challenge. 

The rugged beauty of the Andes

So for our final itinerary we decided we would start at Igauzu Falls since that was the closest, then go to El Calafate to see the glacier since that was the farthest point south. Then back to Buenos Aires since it was on the way to another point in Patagonia, Bariloche, then to wine country and Mendoza, With a little time left we would take the bus ride across the Andes to Santiago for our last visit and then fly home.

Santiago de Chile
 

The next struggle was booking flights and lodging in all the locations. Booking in places we’ve never been required reading reviews looking for places in proximity to what we wanted to do. Since Linda did a lot of the reviewing beforehand we were able to book things quickly. If we had started to plan earlier more lodging would have been available as well as cheaper flights. When trying to book we had difficulty using some websites so that required that we find workaround solutions.

Buenos Aires

Finally, we saw the light at the end of the work tunnel and we began to flesh out the bones of our trip. Then after moving back onto the boat and making it live able, we began preparing for our extended travel. In all, we would be gone just short of a month, but the travel turned out to be spectacular in every stop. So here is the story of our travels.

Iguazu Falls - Brazil

Located on the Iguazu River that forms part of the border between Brazil and Argentina is one of the largest water fall systems in the world. Like Niagara Falls there are vistas in two countries, Brazil and Argentina. When we did our trip planning we found it cheaper and easier to fly into Iguazu Brazil than Argentina. We left Cartagena early morning and after 3 flights we arrived in Iguazu well after midnight the same day. We cleared Brazil immigration in Sao Paolo so once we arrived we could leave the airport quickly. Igauzu and Argentina were in a time zone two hours ahead of Cartagena.

 

The lower falls

The main Falls from Brazil.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We planned to go to Igauzu first because it was closest. But, it became our only stop in Brazil after looking at more stops. We also did it first because in a few days after we were going to be there Brazil was imposing a new Visa rule for Americans and Canadians.   


Views closer to the Falls


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because we arrived late it limited our options of where we could stay because we needed someplace with late night access and many AirBNB’s don’t offer that and many hotels close their desks at a certain time. So we found a hotel, JL Hotel by Bourbon, that had a desk open all night, included breakfast with the rooms and was convenient in downtown.

A scarlet Ibis

                   A Flamingo interested in his own reflection.


 One of the species of Toucan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a quick night’s sleep and breakfast we took an Uber out to the Brazil side of the Falls and walked around the Falls. Iguacu National Park on the Brazil side is much smaller than the one on the Argentine side. Access on the Brazil side only goes to the Falls and along the water. On the Argentina side it goes above the Falls. Water level was lower since rainy season was over but still very scenic.

The Harpy Eagle

                                Two Parrots sitting on a perch.


 A Blue Maccaw posing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We bought our tickets and rode the bus to the beginning of the access to the Falls. There were many trails in the Park that offered long hikes and camping. There was even a hotel in the park. We did a walk along the common access to the Falls and went as close as we could from all the vantage points.

A butterfly garden in the Bird Park.
 

After the Falls we walked across the road the Parque de Aves (Bird Park). The bird Park was incredible with many species of tropical birds including a Harpy Eagle which is very elusive and rare.

Writing about the Falls is insufficient to describe them so I’m posting lots of pictures. 




 Iguazu Falls – Argentina

Tourism in Iguazu Falls has apparently been going on for decades. The communities on both sides of the River are very large and there’s even a City across the Parana River in Paraguay, Ciudad del este, so it’s no wonder there are 2 large international airports to serve the region. To get from our hotel in Brazil to our AirBNB in Argentina we required a special taxi that was licensed to go across the border. Our hotel arranged for a driver and he did a great job helping us through the two border crossings and to our AirBNB.


    Sunset views from our Happy Hour


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our AirBNB was in the upstairs and back of a small commercial building but very quaint and charming. The owner was there personally to welcome us, give us the keys and was very helpful in offering local knowledge. After we unpacked we spent the rest of the day walking around the town. The town was quite developed with many hotels, hostels, and apartment complexes of all sort and variety. For a happy hour that night we went to the rooftop bar of the O2 Hotel that gave us a beautiful sunset over the 3 countries. 

A Plush Crested Jaybird. These were common around the Falls.

Head waters above the Falls.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we took the municipal bus to the Park. Forecast was for rain but we had our rain jackets anyway to walk near the Falls. Actually the weather was pleasant as it was a bright overcast which kept it cooler than it might have been otherwise.


The extended walkway out to the Devil's Throat.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once in the Park we rode the narrow gauge railroad that runs to the Falls. Like the Park in Brazil there are many trails and places to go. But, we weren’t there to camp or spend many days so we went off for the money shots. Some people spend weeks in the Iguazu area. The towns on both sides had a resort feel to them.


Some of the smaller falls along the path
 

A side view of the Falls that we saw from Brazil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The walk started by the top of some of the Falls and wound its way to the top of the largest Falls. The view from the Brazil side was impressive but from Argentina we were right up at the top of the Falls. Again, pictures don’t do it justice. 


View at the top of the Falls


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After several hours we worked our way back to the train and out of the Park. We took the bus back into town. After freshening up we went out to dinner to a pizza restaurant that was supposed to be good. While there, the power went out. Something we’ve come to expect from our years living in Central and South America. After awhile their generator came on so we had lights and we got our pizza. The power was still off when we got back to our apartment but came back on 30 minutes later. We were concerned because our flight out was that night. 

The main event.



We originally had a flight to El Calafate scheduled for mid-morning the next day but a few weeks before we left we were advised by Aerolieas Argentinas that our connecting flight in Buenos Aires now left before we arrived. There was a flight from Iguazu that left an hour earlier and would have worked out, but the Airline failed to redo our flights that we booked through Priceline. I called Priceline and they were absolutely no help in trying to fix our connection. After 2-3 weeks of trying to fix it we finally canceled the flight and rebooked the flight but now we were leaving Iguazu at 0335 in the morning. 

The Devil's Throat
 

Our AirBNB host had given us the number for an airport shuttle service and we arranged a pickup at 12:30 so we speed-napped and packed in time to catch our shuttle. Surprisingly, the shuttle was full and there were many flights working at the airport and we were off to El Calafate.

El Calafate-Argentina

El Calafate is located in the southern part of Patagonia. Patagonia is a large area of the southern Andes in Argentina and Chile that are well-known popular outdoor recreation areas where people come from all over the world to see the spectacular scenery. Now it was our turn. We had just come from a sub-tropical climate and now were in an autumn Alpine climate. Located about 50 degrees south latitude we were in a cold climate and it was getting colder. 


The Patagonia landscape from the plane. 

 

 

 

 

                                                            Santa Cruz River


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been several years since we experienced Fall, but the unmistakable smell of dried leaves, pine, smoke and nippy air was quite familiar. El Calafate on the banks of Lake Argentina was like a town out of a storybook. Tree-lined streets of turning colors with rows of alpine-type houses and small but very permanent-looking shops on every street.

View from our hotel.

Street scenes in El Calafate.

                                                 Our hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our excitement overcame our exhaustion that had been slightly abetted with naps on the planes. Both flights were several hours so we had time to catch some naps. The distance from Iguazu to El Calafate is about 2,000 miles. After leaving in the middle of the night we arrived in time to catch the end of lunch that was so generous it provided more than enough food for the rest of the day. We then did a walk down the main street just enthralled by the beauty.



The glacier from a distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day was the main event for El Calafate but by no means the only one. It was a tour of the Perito Moreno Glacier. We had booked a tour that picked us up at our hotel and took us to the Park. Once there we took a boat tour that took us right up to the glacier where we could feel the cold and see calves that had already broken off. From there we went to the head of the glacier where we hiked down to the miradors where we could watch the glacier calving and water flow around the Bays and into the Lake.



The glacier closer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we hiked we came back to the Lodge where we would meet our bus back. We had intermittent internet while there but full-service was restored and I got a text from my son that his daughter had been born a few minutes before. We began texting back and forth and he sent me pictures. Imagine being in such an awesome place and then receive such awesome news. 



Views from above.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night we went to dinner at an artisan restaurant next door to our hotel, Pura Vida for a truly remarkable dinner. We shared a bottle of wine to celebrate Emma’s birth. Our 11th grandchild. 

Granddaughter Emma and Mom.

The next day we spent walking around the town shopping and enjoying hot chocolate. Later that day we took a tour to some local caves to see prehistoric markings and a wonderful dinner in a cave. The dinner was lamb stew and a pumpkin soup. Linda had a vegetable curry. Our final full day in El Calafate we walked through a nature reserve and then around town.

Lake Argentina from the peak overlooking the cave. 

Hard to see in the picture but prehistoric drawings on the cave.

Our cave dinner venue.

The next day, Sunday, we had an early morning flight back to Buenos Aires where the weather was much warmer. 

The El Calafate Nature Preserve

Buenos Aires

We got to Buenos Aires a little after noon but our AirBNB wouldn’t allow us in until after 3. So rather than find a place to chill with our bags we went to an airport restaurant and had lunch and waited until time to Uber to our AirBNB. Our AirBNB was in the Palermo neighborhood which was very nice and modern. However, the elevator looked like something from the 1800’s. We had a hard time fitting in it without our bags. It had a weight limit of 150kg or about 330 lbs. With our bags we were well over the limit but it made it up anyway. The doors operated manually and it reminded me of elevator operators from when I was a kid growing up. 


Street scenes in Buenos Aires


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our dinner venue, Amores Tintos, Love Red Wine.

 

That night we went to dinner at a nice local place where the food was really good, prices were reasonable and the wine was very good.In fact we ate there twice.

Our first Argentina wine tasting

The next day we did a wine tasting with some very incredible wines by a local expert at Wine Discovery who explained all about the wine regions in Argentina, the types of wines they grow, the history and he paired each wine with a local dish that his wife made from traditional family recipes. Walking through the neighborhood was just enchanting. Buenos Aires is a bustling town. Busy with traffic, bakeries everywhere. Cafes of every type line the streets. So many places to explore.

San Pedro Cathedral in San Telmo
 

The following day we took an Uber to the San Telmo market that is a historic place in a very historic neighborhood. We thought we would find something to eat but we decided to walk to the famous Guerrin’s for pizza. There seemed to be more pizza places in Brazil and Argentina than anything else. The other big one was Parrillas (Grills) that featured beef and lamb. 


Scenes from the San Telmo Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked along the main streets to Guerrin’s pizza that was in the theater district. Unbeknownst to us there was a very large district with theaters and playhouses. I would venture to say Buenos Aires is a major cultural center in South America judging from the number of venues.


Images of Central Buenos Aires
Tradtionally known as the Evita Building the image and name have been changed It is now the Ministry of Health. Now known as the Building of the Lady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Guerrins pizzeria is historic and huge with several large dining rooms and several kitchens. They had a large menu but we weren’t impressed with what we ordered. After downing a small pizza that was bigger than what we thought we were getting we headed around the corner for some really good ice cream and from there Ubered back to our AirBNB.

Our final full day in Buenos Aires we walked around the Japanese Garden that is supposedly the largest one outside of Asia and then through the Botanical Gardens nearby.



Scenes from the Japanese Garden


                                                    The Botanical Garden
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we had to be out of our AirBNB at 10 in the morning but our flight to Bariloche wasn’t until later in the day. There was a large mall across the street where we went and hung out at the Food Court and then headed to our flight to Bariloche. It's amazing how vibrant and modern the malls in South America are when they are dying in the US.

Bariloche

We arrived in Buenos Aires during Semana Santa or Holy Week. In Spanish Countries Semana Santa is vacation time. Some people go away for the week but pretty much everyone takes off from Thursday until Monday. So all week places were busy and flights were full. We got into Bariloche late Thursday night due to a flight delay. We rented a car and arranged with our host so we could get into our AirBNB. 

San Carmen de Bariloche
 

In Bariloche we rented a car because we wanted to be able to explore the area on our own. Since we initially hadn’t planned on a car we didn’t have a spot in the building so we had to find another garage for the night. The next morning we got up late because we had arrived so late and went next door to a café for an excellent breakfast. We began to get a sense of how busy the town was going to be.

The view from our hotel room.

Scenes driving out of town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we drove out of town to our first hike. Traffic was heavy going and even heavier coming back. Unbeknownst to us the town had a huge celebration for kids going on in the town center. Traffic was bumper to bumper.



Scenes from our first day's hike to Lake Escondido

 Sunset from our hotel room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bariloche is a popular resort town for Argentinians and foreigners alike. The raw scenic beauty is truly awesome. The town is very alpine like built on the sides of mountains. It looks like it could be in the Alps or Colorado, not South America. The town is filled with incredible eateries. Restaurants, chocolateries, cafes and.great scenery made this a wonderful stop. A friend suggested the chocolate at Rapanui and it did not disappoint. After our first taste we had to go back for more.

Lunch at Alto El Fuego. We were early.

Town Hall and the Plaza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Semana Santa the town had a huge celebration in the town square that included Easter Bunnies and decorations. When we were making reservations we found many places booked and the crowds around the town reflected it.

Taken from a bridge on the way to our hike to Mirador Brazo Tristeza
 

Easter Sunday we drove out to Mirador Brazo Tristeza. On the way we saw beautiful vistas and the hike to the overlook was a little challenging but the views were worth it. On Sunday, there was far fewer people around.

From the hike to the Mirador


The spectacular panorama from the Mirador


Views from the Mirador
You can see the glacier on the top of the mountain in the center of the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we had an early flight to Mendoza. Our last stop in Argentina.

Mendoza

When we went to our airline to check in, we were surprised to find that they had changed our connecting flight. Without any notice they decided our connection time of an hour in Buenos Aires wasn't enough so they moved us to a later flight. As a result we got into Mendoza much later than we expected and moved into our AirBNB and settled for dinner.

Mendoza is the heart of the Argentinian wine country so our activities focused on wine 

Waiting for lunch at Fogon

The Lagarde Bodega where Fogon is located.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main event for our first day was lunch at Fogon on the Lagarde Bodega. We took an Uber out to the winery for our lunch. The grounds of the winery were beautiful. We got there a little early and the host offered us a glass of wine and escorted us to the garden to await our seating. A few minutes later a hostess met us and showed us to our table. The tables were surrounded by grape vines and beautiful trees in their autumn splendor. Fogon is a Michelin rated restaurant that featured several options for lunch. They included a 7 course, a 4 course or an ala carte menu. Each course came with a selected wine to go with the food offering. On the ala carte menu you chose the wine to go with the food of your choice. We chose the 4 course menu because we couldn't imagine eating all 7 courses and as it was we took food home. But the food and wines were excellent. Our lunch started at 1230 and ended after 4. The wines were so good we bought several to bring back to the boat. 

Tupungato in the Uca Valley
Statue of Christ blessing the valley

The Andes in the distance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we arranged for a driver who took us further out of town to Tupungato and the Uca Valley. Our first stop was at Domaine Bousquet that had beautiful grounds where they grow organic wines. We were impressed and bought several bottles there. Then we went to Cundo winery for lunch where we once again had an excellent lunch seated out by the grape vines with a wine so choice of course we had to buy a bottle. Our lunch there was at 130 and we again left after 4. Being late in the day we headed back to Mendoza about an hour drive.

Our first tasting room where we enjoyed tastes of 4 wines and brought 2 home with us.

Our lunch spot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our third and final full day we Ubered to the Laur Olive Oil factory for an olive oil tour and tasting. Having toured the Aguilar olive oil factory in Spain we had a good idea of the process but seeing it on a different continent and their story was interesting. They also had a bodega making balsamic vinegars. After touring the factory and the bodega where the balsamic vinegars were made we had a tasting of several of the oils and vinegars paired with snacks and a wine. All were excellent and we decided they would make excellent gifts. It was still early so we walked across the street to the Camenere winery for an unscheduled tasting. The winery was small but welcomed us in. After getting us several snacks and a cheese board they began providing us with 4 very wonderful wines. Although we were getting near our airline bag limit we did buy a bottle of one very nice but expensive bottle of wine to take home to enjoy.

The Laur Olive Oil Bodega

The original olive grove

The oil centrafuges
The old presses
An olive tree loaded with olives

 The bodega of balsamic vinegar aging

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In our 3 days in Mendoza we experienced 4 wineries and an Olive Oil factory. We learned a lot and enjoyed more. We also had many leftovers in our fridge from several meals. We were warned when we first arrived in Calafate that meals would be enough for two people. Some meals we shared but usually from the leftovers we got an additional 2 or 3 meals out of the one. It meant we got to enjoy the wonderful food for several days.


Our last stop at Camenere winery where we spent the afternoon after Laur enjoying great wines, great chacuterie and beautiful scenery.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday rolled around and it was time to move on. We had bought bus tickets from Mendoza to Santiago, Chile. Not a far distance but the trip would take 6-7 hours through the Andes. As much as I enjoyed the wineries and everything we did I must say I was really anticipating this bus trip across the Andes. 

Our wine tasting at Carmenere

As far back as I can remember I've heard about the Andes and always wanted to see them. We've already seen them in Ecuador and Peru. But, the idea of crossing the whole range in the south is intriguing. So with great anticipation we got an Uber to the bus station for what we thought was to be a 0730 departure. But, the 730 was Chilean time which was an hour behind Argentina so the bus actually left at 0830. Traveling is full of surprises.

Santiago de Chile

Shortly after leaving Mendoza the bus turned west and began a long journey up through the various ranges of the Andes. Unlike routes in other places, the road wound slowly upward and around the peaks. Along the road was a railroad that had followed the Mendoza river providing what was once the means of travel between the two cities. Along the railroad were the ruins of fueling stations for the steam railroad that once made this trip. The road passed through tunnels and over bridges until we finally came to one long tunnel. When we emerged from the other side the road turned down. We had crossed the Continental Divide and were in Chile. 


Views approaching the Andes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we started down we could see a huge structure below that was the Chile entry station built on a high plateau. As we approached there was a line of cars waiting to go through the process. Our bus snaked its way into a bus lane that took us in ahead of hundreds of cars. 



These were scenes going up the Argentina side taken from the bus. Each pass yielded more spectacular pictures.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chile is serious about protecting its agriculture. Central Chile is like an island. Protected by the Alcama Desert to the North, the Andes to the East, the Pacific to the West and Antarctica to the South it is protected from pests and they endeavor to protect their agriculture which after minerals is their biggest export. Agents thoroughly inspect everything brought across the border. 

The Chilean entrance station after crossing the Continental Divide at about 11,000 ft.
 

After the formalities it was all downhill. As we approached Santiago we got on an express highway that took us almost all the way to the bus station that was on a back street near the Presidential Palace. We arrived, took an Uber to our Hotel and here we were.  


Heading down into Chile



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valparaiso

When we first started planning our trip I knew that Valparaiso was someplace I wanted to see. Having heard about this port town since I was young it stuck out as a place to visit. Valparaiso was probably the most important port on the west coast of South America for several centuries. Until the Panama Canal was built it was the prime stop for ships rounding the horn. After the Canal opened Valparaiso lost its significance. Valparaiso suffered years of decline, but, it has seen a renaissance as an artist community and a resurgence from tourism. 

 



Scenes from Vina del Mar
This clock was a gift from Switzerland when they won the World Cup in Valparaiso.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjacent to Valparaiso is a town Vina del Mar which has become an enclave for rich Chileans and foreigners alike. The town was originally a vineyard named "vineyard by the sea". It is now full of large residential complexes, hotels, casinos and exclusive shops. The day we went to Valparaiso our first stop was in Vina del Mar.    

Inside the Valparaiso Fish Market
                    The Beach at Valparaiso
Sea Lions by the Fish Market.

Some street scenes in Valparaiso


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a quick stop in Vina del Mar we walked through the fish market in Valparaiso and then walked around the Cerro Alegre neighborhood of Valparaiso. Cerro Alegre, literally happy hill, is a very artsy neighborhood full of murals and brightly decorated homes. Because Valparaiso is built on several hills, much like San Francisco, in the late 19th Century they built several Funiculars to ferry building materials and people up the hills. The Funiculars are inclined railroads that operate in pairs. As one side goes up the other side goes down based on the inherent weight of the car. There are only a few still working and we got to ride one. 

A view from lunch
                                                One of the Funiculars

Cityscape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did a lunch on Cerro Alegre in one of many restaurants with spectacular views of the water and the City. After lunch we did some more walking and then our tour took us to an organic winery for a quick tasting in the Casablanca Valley that is between Santiago and Valparaiso. We weren't impressed by the wines. But, there are many more wineries there to try.

Sunday in Santiago

We didn't have any plans for our last Sunday on our trip so we decided to relax, sleep late and later go for a walk. We walked over to the Metropolitan Park and rode the Teleferico, Cable Car up to the top of the highest peak in Santiago. The view was spectacular although it would have been better earlier in the day before the haze built up. At the top of the hill was a sanctuary with a walk of 7 crosses and on the very top of the hill was a large statue of Mary.



Views from the top of the Park


 

After our sightseeing we walked around a little more and found a large mall just a few blocks from our hotel. Like other South American malls we've been in, they are usually extremely busy unlike malls in the US which are closing down.

                The Teleferico (Caable Car)
The Statue of Mary

 

 The Chapel at the top of the Mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We retreated to our room and enjoyed some cheese, fruit and a bottle of wine.

Trip to the Maipo Valley

Our last full day of our trip was a long one. We took a tour of the Maipo Valley which is one of the major wine producing regions in Chile. We did 4 wineries. Tastings only at 3 of them and lunch with wine at a 4th. 

Our first tasting of the day. Having a Chilean breakfast.
                            A device to insert corks in bottles.
                                        The Bodega
            An old grape press and clay pot.
                                    The grounds.

 

 

 The late harvest still on the vines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first winery,  La Quirinca, was also an organic winery. We were given a tour of the estancia and the bodega and the nature of how the winery ran in an organic manner. The organic wineries have animals that they use to support the winery. They have chickens to eat bugs and fertilize the grounds and other animals like cows or llamas to eat the weeds and fertilize the ground. After our tour we went into the bodega where they explained their wine-making process. Since it was a small winery they do a lot of their tasks by hand like corking, sealing and labeling. After that we went into the tasting with some very good wines and some snacks. We  bought some wine there.


Second Stop Santa Ema

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next winery, Santa Ema was just a quick tasting. Their wines were very good but mindful of our space limits for flying back we passed on buying wine there. The vineyard and the estancia was beautiful.

Next we moved on to lunch at a vineyard ironically named, Zinfandel. The food was incredible and very reasonably priced. I had the filet, french fries and a glass of wine. Linda had salmon mascapone  ravioli and a glass of wine. The food was excellent.

Zinfandel. I regret not taking pictures of the food because it was spectacular.
 

Next we moved to the Undurraga winery. Undurraga is one of the oldest wineries in Chile. We were unable to book a tour and tastings at this winery so we booked the tour because it was going there. When we checked into the hotel we got a nice bottle of Undurraga wine as a welcome gift and were so impressed we wanted to see the winery. Being a march larger commercial winery their estancia was incredibly gorgeous and their bodega very large with multiple lines being processed at the same time. Then we did the tasting. All the wines were excellent. In their store we found the wine the hotel had given us and the bottle cost less than a glass of wine in the US. When we got back to Cartagena I looked in the grocery store and the wines from this manufacturer were 5 times the price of what we paid. If only we could have brought more back.



The grounds of the Undurraga Bodega

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end of this tour meant the end of our visit to Chile and Argentina. We went back to our room and packed. We did not have an early flight the next day so we took it leisurely and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The flight from Santiago was about 6 hours to Bogota and then the short flight back to Cartagena.  

Draining wine from one tank to remove it below the hat and adding to another tank above the hat. The hat is the solids that float to the top of the tank before filtering.

The caves at Undurraga


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This trip was just beyond expectations. Everything we saw was truly awesome. The glaciers, the mountains, the food, the wineries and the cities. The entire time we didn't feel like we were in South America. Having been living in South America for a year and traveled in other countries here it felt like anyplace but South America. Maybe that's the wine and chocolate talking. In El Calafate they say if you eat the Calafate berries it means you will come back. We ate some Calafate berries. We're already talking about our next trip. It was that good.