Things I Love About Being Back in Buenos Aires

Excuse the long blog hiatus. The end of 2014 was crazy for me, and 2015 started off on the same foot. I then went back to South Africa for 4 weeks, and Brazil for a few days (more on both those trips coming…). After the break, I’m back in Buenos Aires, mi querido, with a bit of homesickness and some readjustment shock. But, I am happy to be here and to continue exploring Argentina and South America, and improve my Spanish.

My return to Buenos Aires has been a bit chaotic, very busy, and lacking in sleep (as is normal for my life here).

It hasn’t been easy at all times. There’s nothing like going home to make you remember how much you miss your family and friends. Plus the shock of going back to work after being away for 5 weeks took a while to get used to. Then one friend’s life crisis, made me examine my own life here, and future plans and decisions, which resulted in some extra stress.

But through all of that, it has been a good homecoming. Buenos Aires is an easy city to love, and being back has reminded me of why I love this place. I’ve also realised that it isn’t quite done with me yet, nor have I become satiated with it yet.

Things I love about being back in BA

My apartment. Coming home to my bed and making myself at home again was a great feeling. But it’s really the view I love the most. I arrived back at night, and walked in to the sight of the twinkling lights of the city from the windows. Since then, I have taken many moments to stand on the balcony, soaking in the sounds of the city, enjoying the familiar skyline and watching the sun sink, and the stars rise.

One small weird pleasure for me in this city is taking taxis. Inevitably I take them late at night, and my accented Spanish usually starts a conversation. Late night taxi conversations give me a great space to practice my Spanish and have involved some weird encounters and topics of conversation. I’m also just amazed at the backgrounds of drivers. When I landed back in the city, I took the Tienda Leon bus, which is a shuttle that brings you back from the airport (a good 45 minutes outside of the city centre) to their station, and has a cheap shared drop-off taxi service. This was my first real Spanish in five weeks (minus a couple of short conversations in Brazil, where I relied on my Spanish to make up for my complete lack of Portuguese). The driver was from Spain, although his parents were Argentine. He had recently moved out here and was loving the change, and sure he would never move back to Europe. Here we were, from two totally different backgrounds, drawn to the city by different reasons, chatting freely about our mutual love for the place, and our similar experiences here.

Buenos Aires is full of spontaneous moments that make it interesting. Sitting on the couch at 8pm and getting a text from a friend to try out a newly discovered wrap joint, leading to 3 bus rides and an adventure in the rain, all for the love of good food. It is a quick beer leading to an evening of Brazilian food and drinks on a friend’s balcony. Picnics in the park, listening to the Teatro Colón’s orchestra perform, while drinking wine, followed by sneaky wine drinking in Palermo’s most buzzing plaza, whilst people watching bachelorette games and drunk people, tourists and locals.

Its venturing to the park to read on a bench, surrounded by nature and birds despite being in the middle of the city. Or seeking refuge in a French café, enjoying a coffee and croissant and a book, on my own and perfectly content.

And of course, one of the best parts of returning has been reuniting with friends and rediscovering the incredible network I’ve built up here, which is the reason the city feels like home. From tacos and tequila nights, to fried chicken dinners, coffee and bagel brunches, bus rides, partying all night and watching the sun rise over the river with some crazy friends, celebrations, music festivals, conversations over wine, and evenings of games and party tricks, to those deep and meaningful conversations that you have with only your closest friends, indicating just how deeply friendships can develop in such a short time.

Life has been non-stop since I’ve been back, and doesn’t like it is slowing down anytime soon. In between it all, I’ll try to carve time to sit and write (since at the end of the day, this blog is really a space for me to keep my memories of my travels and to provide an outlet to write and regurgitate my thoughts without worrying too much about SEO, the audience, click-through rates etc etc). In the meantime, I’ll be living my life in Buenos Aires, seeking as many weird and wonderful experiences as I can in this city while I’m still here.

Cheers to 2014!

This New Year’s Eve was my quietest one in years. While I had plans to spend it with friends, I ended up being sick on the 31st, so decided to stay home. In the end, I was quite glad I did. I spent a quiet night reflecting on my year, before watching the city erupt in fireworks from my balcony.

Buenos Aires doesn’t really do one big organised fireworks display, like Sydney, or London or New York. Instead, everyone lights off their own fireworks, from their rooftops, balconies and the street. It was quite a magical sight seeing the night sky light up all over the place, including right in front of my balcony. While I do feel this is a little unsafe, and quite cruel to the thousands of dogs in the city (especially considering the fireworks last a good hour, with random ones going off for at least another 2 hours), I can’t help but get swept up by the magic of fireworks.

So as I stood watching the colourful twinkling erupt over the skyline, I took a moment to look back on my year. 2014 was packed with a number of incredible moments and learning experiences.

After accumulating too much stress and anxiety through two years of my Master’s degree, whilst juggling a few jobs, I decided on a bit of a whim to move to Buenos Aires, a city I’d been dreaming about visiting for years. My doubts were quickly eased as I slipped into life here and it quickly became home.

Along the way I’ve had the opportunity to travel within Argentina, to Uruguay and Brazil (ok, I hopped across the border for a few hours – it still counts!). I’ve made amazing friends from around the world, who have become like family. I have two Argentine families who have provided me with so much support here, making my time that much easier, and giving me the security of knowing that I have people to call in case of any emergency.

I’ve celebrated birthdays, farewells, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve met so many interesting people with incredible stories. I’ve found a job that I absolutely love and that allows me to combine two of my biggest loves: travel and writing. I’ve been learning Spanish (an ongoing process), and I’m even taking lessons at long last (word of advice – unless you’re very good at picking up languages, you don’t just learn a language by osmosis. You do need to study). I’ve learnt so much more about Argentine culture and history, about the customs and cultures across the rest of South America, I’ve tried new foods, new drinks, new dance styles, listened to new music, encountered different viewpoints and lived outside my comfort zone. I’ve learnt to be be present, to appreciate each moment and to really embrace life to the fullest. Most of all, I’ve learnt to be really grateful for all I have, and the amazing people I have in my life, here, back in South Africa, and scattered around the globe (shout out to my wanderlusting friends on their own journeys in far-off places).

I can’t really put into words how wonderful and meaningful this year has been for me and how much I’ve experienced. It’s been chaotic at times and I’ve worked extremely hard, and slept very little, but it has all been worth it. I’m content and happy, and that is a beautiful thing. So thank you to 2014 for the lessons and opportunities.

2015 promises to be an exciting year as well. I’ll be going back to South Africa for a a month, before travelling to Brazil, then back to Argentina. I have a number of exciting projects lined up, and many travel plans.

To all who read my tiny corner of the internet, a very happy new year to you! May 2015 bring you all much happiness, and plenty of exciting experiences!

Iguazu Falls: A Natural Wonder of the World

Changing our scenery and climate once more, my mom and I left the desert landscapes of Mendoza for the tropical jungle: Puerto Iguazu, home to the famous Iguazu Falls, recently voted one of the World’s 7 Natural Wonders.

It was a bumpy ride there, with some turbulence (never my favourite), so I was rather overjoyed when we came in to land, with just greenery stretching as far as I could see, and the mist of the falls rising up in the distance. We were both lucky and unlucky with the weather – it was raining, in fact it had been raining for about a week solid, and would continue to do so for another week. The plus side to this, was that the temperature was lovely – not too humid, and very comfortable.

We were taken to our accommodation in town, a lovely B&B / Inn, with a relaxed feel, and plenty of tropical vegetation to remind us we were now in the jungle. Shortly after arriving, we were met by the representative of the tour company we were doing the our tours with. Sitting on the deck with a welcome Caipirinha, and some local chocolates, she talked us through the next two days’ activities. I was particularly excited about the prospect of taking a boat ride the next day that dips you right under the falls. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be on the cards for me, as I would later find out…

Tired, mom and I had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and an early night. When we woke up, our good luck for the trip ran out. Not only was it raining, mom’s flu that she’d had before she left for Argentina came back with a vengeance, and I hadn’t been cautious enough with the water, and was instantly searching for my immodium tablets…

But we weren’t about to give up the opportunity to see the incredible Iguazu Falls, so we pushed through. Thankfully the rain abated once we arrived to Iguazu Falls National Park (on the Argentine side). Plus we had a great guide, and a lovely small group with us, and everyone was relaxed, taking a slow pace around the park’s many footpaths. I got myself a gatorade and tried to coax the life back into myself, motivated by my determination to see every inch of the falls I could to make the most of this opportunity.

And so we set off, on the park’s train and then along the river walkways, moving closer to the thunder and mist. Now I’ve been lucky enough to visit Victoria Falls, so I’ve seen impressive waterfalls. While Victoria Falls boasts the longest falls, Iguazu lays claim to being the widest, with a whole 2.7km of falls, stretching between Argentina and Brazil, with some 275 individual falls. The majority of the falls are on Argentina’s side, but Brazil has the majority of the big one: Devil’s Throat. While Victoria Falls are stunning, the sheer scope of Iguazu Falls (or Cataratas del Iguazu), is on another scale entirely, and I was blown away.

The pathways on Argentina’s side take you along the top of the falls, and to the bottom of some of the smaller ones. You used to be able to walk all the way to the top of Devil’s Throat, but they had record floods earlier this year, which destroyed the walkway. The pictures are incredible, it’s difficult to believe how much water there was, especially considering while we were there, the river was pretty high because of all the rain. You could still see some of the damage from the flood. The fluctuations here in the amount of water are surreal, with the falls reduced to a mere trickle one year because of a drought, and then extreme floods another. You can tell the state of the river by the colour of the water – the browner it is, the higher the water levels, because of the additional sediment that gets washed down. At other times of the year, it is much more blue and clear.

It’s difficult to truly describe the falls. They are just awe-inspiring, in their size, and power. It was amazing to see them from so many angles, including going right up to the edge of the bottom of one, and getting completely soaked. The park itself is also a wonder of its own, with all the wildlife. We saw vultures, a toucan, plenty of other birds, an iguana and the thieving coatí. These deceivingly cute little creatures, similar to a raccoon, are clever and naughty little buggers. They know where the food is and will unabashedly steal anything unattended (or even try and grab it right from under your nose). We even saw one stick its paws (or rather, claws) into a woman’s handbag. There are signs all over the park warning visitors to not get too close to these critters, because their claws can (and have) caused serious damage to people who tried to get too friendly or between the coatí and its food. Looking at their talons, I was very wary indeed. Luckily the other animals were a bit friendlier, such as the beautiful exotic butterflies, who like to land on people, attracted by sweat.

I was so preoccupied with taking in the falls and the wildlife, that I managed to forget about how terrible I was feeling. Although, I decided not to take the boat trip, since the rapids and the dunking under the falls would have been tempting fate a bit. I was quite disappointed, since this was the once thing everyone had told me I had to do.

After many hours wandering around the various areas of the park and falls, we got back to the hotel (after a winding drive to drop off two of the girls on the tour at their hotel deep in the jungle, with a driver who did not believe in taking the winding corners gently). Mom and I both crawled to our bed upstairs and slept the rest of the afternoon. Upon waking, neither of us could summon the energy (or the appetite) to go find food, so we picked at our well-stocked mini-bar and felt sorry for ourselves. Here we were in an amazing place, and we were confined to our bed! But since we had the Brazilian side waiting the next day, we tried to recover as much as we could.

We woke, still feeling fragile, and the weather still raining down on us. Luckily it was just a short hop over the border and into the Brazilian National Park. The drawcard of Brazil’s side is that you get a great view over the whole falls. The combination of the cloudy weather and the amount of mist from the very powerful falls meant that the view was slightly obscured, making photographs a bit difficult. But we still got an incredible sense of the size of the falls, fully appreciating their width for the first time.

On the Brazilian side, the park’s walking paths are much shorter, winding down from the panoramic lookout point, meandering towards the pinnacle of the falls: Devil’s Throat. Here you can venture out on a walkway which takes you to the bottom of one part of the falls, while standing above another, and looking right into the throat of Devil’s Throat. Not for the faint hearted since you’re at the top and bottom edge of two separate falls, surrounded by a couple of thousand cubic tonnes of thundering water. Needless to say, it was a pretty thorough soaking, but an exhilarating experience to be surrounded by so much natural power.

Overall, I’d say that to get a proper sense of the falls, you should visit both sides of the falls. But, I enjoyed Argentina’s side more, just because it is a more complete experience, with more to see and do. Of course, we were there on a Friday when it was quieter, whereas Brazil on a Saturday morning was packed with people. It’s also a much quicker experience, as you only spend roughly two hours in the park. Argentina’s side also hosts more activities, such as boat rides to the falls, and jeep trails and jungle safaris in the large park.

Back to the hotel for a quick change, we both finally felt up for some food, so we wandered into town to grab a meal before our flight. While I was looking forward to being back in my own bed (even though I was starting to feel much better at this point), I was reluctant to leave, since arriving back to Buenos Aires meant that our holiday was at an end and mom would be returning to South Africa three days later.

Unable to stop time, we arrived back to Buenos Aires to more bad weather, bringing the rain with us. Which, despite all the things I had wanted to do with mom on that last Sunday, worked out well, since she was still feeling sick, and we could have a relaxed day, recovering and bonding. Considering how much we’d packed in during our two weeks travelling, I think the scaled back pace was much needed, especially since it was back to work for me on Monday!

It was an incredible vacation, and so varied, going from alpine mountains and lakes, to desert and winelands, to the jungle. Along the way, we managed to tick off many must-do Argentine foods and drinks, as well as experiences. Hopefully mom left feeling like she knew my adopted country a little bit better. As for me, I had the perfect excuse to do more travelling and spend time with my mom, so needless to say, I was very happy indeed!

Wine Tasting in Mendoza

While Mendoza has many things to offer, from its dramatic mountains to its winding river with rafting opportunities, its incredible gastronomic scene (which mom and I delved into very hungrily), and beautiful green city in the midst of a desert landscape, there is still one drawcard that trumps all others: Wine.

Ask anyone who knows me, I love my wine. Studying in the heart of South Africa’s wine route, plus working on a wine farm, has just entrenched this love. And Argentina feeds it. Wine is ridiculously cheap in this country, and you can get a nice bottle for next to nothing. So when we put Mendoza on the itinerary, wine tasting was a priority.

The day after our Andes adventure, we took an easy morning strolling around the main park of the city before being picked up for our wine tour. This classic wine tour took us to Maipu, one of the main wine regions in the area, and the closest one to the city. As we drove out to the first winery, I was very glad we had gone for the tour option for day one, since our lovely guide filled us in on the history and characteristics of Mendoza’s main varietal – Malbec. I’ve certainly consumed enough of it since I’ve been here, but it was great to learn a bit more about it. For example, the reason it thrives here and not so much elsewhere is because of the unique conditions: Mendoza’s varying temperatures – it gets very hot in the day and then cools down dramatically at night – the high altitude, and the right soil conditions (I would attempt to explain this further but I am no viticulturist).

I digress. The first stop was to a large winery, Lopez. Big, commercial, and very popular with tour buses, my mom and I lucked out big time by being the only English speakers, thus getting a private tour of the cellars, separate to the hoards of other tourists. It was quite special wandering around just the two of us and our winery guide, with her showing us the various areas. I was quite astounded at the scale of things on the farm. I have never seen so many tanks of wine in one place, stretching from floor to high ceiling in a huge underground cellar. And let’s not forget about the bottling, labeling and packing production line, which moves thousands of bottles per day. A far cry from the smaller wine cellars where I learnt about how wine was made. The tour around the cellars was topped off by a private tasting, where we picked up a delicious crisp bottle of white wine for our trip to Iguazu Falls.

Continuing on, the tour took us to an olive farm, another big crop in this area. Again, we got a private tour in English. I had no real knowledge before about the process of making olive oil, and the differences between normal and virgin and cold-pressed etc. After a comprehensive tasting (they had everything from unfiltered to flavoured olive oils and tapenades), I walked away with a bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, which I’m quickly running out of as I use it very liberally on my salads (can you tell I’m trying to eat healthy after this trip?). Stomachs lined a bit, we went to the final farm, which was exactly the opposite of the first one.

Bodegas Cavas de Don Arturo is a small, family-run estate, in the category of a boutique winery. They only produce red wine, and their wine is only available at the farm itself and for a small overseas market where they import. The contrast between the first farm and this one was vast. On another private tour of the estate, given to us by the owner’s wife, accompanied by her daughter, we were taken through the much smaller cellar with its more traditional methods and old-school processes.  The family has quite an interesting story. When they were looking at the farm, which used to operate as a wine farm but had been untouched for years, and they pushed open the barn doors they found these huge wine barrels, imported from Europe. They are no longer usable, since the wood when left dry cracks, but they decided to keep them as an ode to the farm’s history, and so they stand, representing long traditions of wine making and adding to the farm’s authentic feel. Instead, the wine is now aged in the typical smaller barrels in a dark and dusty (and magically rustic) underground cellar. She told us more about their more traditional methods of making wine (in comparison to the huge modern operation at Lopez) before giving us a great personalised tasting. It was topped off by the main man himself, her father-in-law giving us a sneaky tasting of one of the more expensive and exclusive malbecs. Finishing before the rest of the group, mom and I stood outside on the estate in the late afternoon sunshine, looking out over the mountains and vineyards, listening to the sound of the parrots (a common feature in Mendoza, and in Buenos Aires as well), soaking up the bodega’s atmosphere. All in all, a great introduction to wine in this area.

Not satisfied with just one day of wine tasting, the next day we set off again, this time to do the most quintessential wine tour: a bike tour of the vineyards. We hopped on a local bus to the centre of Maipu, and it dawned on us that this was going to be a very warm day, and I was starting to regret wearing jeans. Undeterred, We hopped off in front of Mr Hugo Bikes (the famous Mr Hugo, this is probably the most popular bike rental place around, even though there is no shortage of bike hires around here). After chatting to one of the ladies working there, with her explaining which wineries we could visit on the map and how long it would take to get there, the friendly Mr Hugo himself matched us to bikes and took the time to adjust everything until we were comfortable. Then we were off!

It was quite an amusing start, since mom hadn’t been cycling in years (probably not since our family cycling holiday in France cerca 2002), and I was a tad rusty myself. It didn’t help that the first part of the cycle was along a busy road (although it had a cycle path, except for one bumpy section later on). Luckily it was only a few kilometers before we turned down a quieter tree-lined lane. We had a plan to visit three places on the map, but along the way, a different farm caught our attention and we stopped (a reminder that the best travel experiences end up being the unplanned ones). Tempus Alba winery was a surprising tuscan style bodega that looked very intriguing. We slotted our bikes into the allocated “bike parking” and ventured inside. The farm has an interesting self-guided tour with sign boards pointing you to the next one, like a treasure hunt with the prize being the tasting room. This very modern looking winery is steeped in family history, founded by, and still owned and run by an Italian family. Reaching the wine tasting room, we were very pleased at our decision to stop here. There was a beautiful terrace looking out over the vineyards and mountains. We decided to share a tasting (they really don’t skimp on the tastings here, and mom was not keen to attempt all that wine and then get on her bike!). Good decision indeed. All the wine was delicious, including some interesting wines that I hadn’t tasted yet. Enjoying the idyllic atmosphere too much, we decided to stay here for lunch as well, which came with another pleasant surprise: a free bottle of wine. I added this to my backpack, to enjoy at a later stage.

Very full, and lethargic after mid-day drinking, we got back on our bikes with difficulty and cycled the 20 or so metres to the boutique wine farm on the other side of the road, Viña el Cerno. Walking inside the tasting room of this much more rustic farm, I immediately heard an accent that sounded way too familiar. Would you believe it, the only other couple in the tasting room was from South Africa! We had a great chat to these two, in the country for a wedding, before they headed off and we attempted tasting number 2. Since mom was going slow, the drinking fell mainly on my head until I decided that anymore wine would be detrimental to my ability to cycle back. I should mention there were only 2 tastings here, but again, very generous servings. The wine here was very different, but good, and I even liked their really unique chardonnay (not my favourite wine in general). We contemplated cycling on to another farm but then decided for our own safety, given we had had a fair amount of wine, and had done a fair amount of exercise in the heat, that we were ready to return. So we headed back to Mr Hugo, with me having to concentrate a bit harder on balancing my bike than on the way to the farms. Luckily Mr Hugo was ready to greet us with some lemonade in the shade before we caught the bus back to the city.

Interestingly, that night as we sat having dinner on the sidewalk of a restaurant, who walked past us? The South African couple again! They had managed to make it to 4 wine farms, admitting that it was quite the challenge to cycle back. It was such a lovely chance encounter. My favourite moments from travel are always the interesting encounters with people, whether they are fellow Capetonians, an American wine marketer living in Mendoza who we shared a glass of champagne with, a hotel manager and an artist with all the insider tips to art galleries in Buenos Aires, the hotel chef (and owner) with his interesting life story and love of food, art and wine, or our taxi driver who whom I had a long conversation in Spanglish on the way to the airport about the problems in Argentina and South Africa and why I love living here.

All in all, Mendoza was a place of indulgence for mom and I. Two days of great wine tasting (officially), many delicious meals including a private dinner at our hotel, cooked by the owner and chef, including a scrumptious bottle of Malbec, perfectly cooked steak and pasta, and the dessert from heaven: pears poached in Malbec. Oh, and there was that meal at a French café, with risotto and red wine, topped by what we thought would be a refreshing dessert of ice cream with a touch of vodka and fruit, but turned out to be very heavy on the vodka, resulted in much giggling on our walk home. Not so good for my waistline, but certainly great for my mind, spirit, tastebuds and belly!

I could definitely have spent more time here, visiting more of the surrounding areas, including the other wine districts, especially Uco Valley, but one must always leave a place wanting more. And besides, Iguazu Falls was waiting for us.

The barrel room in Bodega Lopez

The huge wine tanks in Lopez Winery

The only way to get a sense of scale of these tanks is by standing next to them.

Some of the winery’s grape varietals.

Looking out to the vineyards at Don Arturo

Private tour: shadows in the vineyards

Visiting the church that withstood Mendoza’s worst earthquake.

A beautiful day in Mendoza as we walk to thus bus to Mr Hugo’s.

Parking our bikes at Tempus Alba

Mom at Tempus Alba

Enjoying wine on the terrace at Tempus Alba

Wine farm number 2

Bikes, vineyards and wine.

Viña el Cerno, another boutique winery

Tasting at Viña el Cerno

Mama bear on her bicycle

The faint sight of snow-capped mountains in the background

Adventures in the Andes [In Pictures]

Mendoza: The Land of Mountains and Wine

After enduring a 20-hour bus journey overnight from Bariloche (the least impressive one I’ve taken so far in Bariloche thanks to winding mountain passes and a dirty onboard toilet), mom and I arrived in Mendoza. Unable to find our pick-up service initially in the rather big bus station, we did what we do best together: drank coffee. As the caffeine fix starting kicking in, our driver arrived and took us to our lovely B&B/boutique hotel.

The whole trip here was fraught with good luck and amazing little gems that made the stay that much better. And the hotel was one of those jewels. Booked by an old student of mine (the perks of teaching travel agents), Bohemia Hotel was the perfect choice for mom, as the small hotel, situated on a quiet and leafy street, is an art lover’s paradise, with beautiful and interesting art works decorating the place. Not to mention the friendly staff who pointed us in the direction of many great places.

After taking a much needed shower, we set off to explore the city and find lunch. Mendoza city is testament to remarkable city planning. Despite being in a desert region, every street is lined with trees making for a shady, green city. This is made possible by the canals that run alongside each street, carrying water from the Mendoza River, which then waters the trees, and creates a peaceful background soundtrack as you walk down the streets or sit in any of the central plazas, adorned with water features. This all serves a particular purpose. Because of the region and climate, temperatures soar high in summer, although the city doesn’t have the high humidity you find in Buenos Aires. Since it is a dry heat, the shade created by the thousands upon thousands of trees in the city provide much needed relief from the scorching heat, keeping the Mendocinos cool.

Reaching the central plaza, we were pleased to see a fair of some sorts was on. We headed straight for the fresh fruit juice stand, suffering a bit with the sun and heat after a week of cold in Patagonia. Shortly after, I found wine, and had a quick wine tasting with the owner of a local boutique wine farm. I knew I’d like Mendoza when it took me all of 5 minutes to start wine tasting! We then found a very eclectic and colourful restaurant for lunch, complete with pictures of hitler in a cage, doll legs stuck against the wall and a shrine of sorts to some beacons of peace, including Nelson Mandela and Ghandi. After a satisfying meal, more so after 20 hours of bus food, it was time to make as the locals do, and have a siesta. I’m always surprised when I leave Buenos Aires that the rest of the country does the typical siesta, with everything closing in the afternoon, only to reopen around 5pm. It certainly makes for a laid back atmosphere, and is something I love while I’m on holiday. We emerged, refreshed and ready to eat again (I feel like our travels truly revolved around food, which, frankly, is what made it so wonderful, although not for squeezing into my jeans). A brief meander into the hotel’s garden on our way to a restaurant turned out to be a good plan. The hotel manager and the hotel’s neighbour were sitting in the garden and offered us tea, which eventually turned into champagne. It was a wonderfully interesting conversation, since the manager is also an artist (good for mom) and the neighbour is an American guy working in wine marketing in Mendoza (good for me). It really is these moments in travelling, meeting all sorts of interesting people from around the world that make it so memorable. The people stick with you just as much, if not more, than the landscapes and incredible sights.

Since my memories in Mendoza are so marked by our meals, it is worth mentioning we managed to drag ourselves out of the hotel garden eventually (once the champagne was finished) to go have dinner at a lovely place just two blocks away. A delicious healthy beef and vegetable stir fry and red wine (I swear we’re not alcoholics, but when in Mendoza…) and yet another lovely evening spent in the company of my mom – have I mentioned yet how incredibly lucky I am to have such a good relationship with my mom? Living here in Argentina has certainly made me even more appreciative of my family. Family ties are incredibly important in Latin American culture, something I think a lot of other places could learn from.

First Wine Tasting in Mendoza

The main plaza in Mendoza

Tree lined avenues in Mendoza

Every few blocks you reach another beautiful plaza with statues and trees.

Beautiful architecture, trees, and old tram cables

A few of the many eclectic touches at our first lunch spot

Enjoying a cold Andes beer to cool off

You can order just about every part of a cow in Argentina.

The next day we were up bright and early for our Alta Montaña, or High Mountain, Day Tour. Booked through Argentina4u, (you can read the official review here), this full day tour took us into the Andes mountains to the border with Chile. I am still struggling to put into words the immense and dramatic beauty of this mountain pass (even as someone who has spent her life surrounded by spectacular mountains). It was truly breathtaking. I’ll let my descriptions remain brief and dedicate a post to pictures of it, but I’ll give a quick overview. The tour winds from the city into the pre-Andes (the Andes are divided into three sections, indicating the lower range you encounter first, followed by the central range and peaking on the frontier with the highest mountains). Along the way, we passed by Mendoza’s other big industry: petroleum. It’s quite a contrast between the iconic green vineyards with a backdrop of snow capped mountains, to the decidedly less pretty refineries, even if they’re a distance away from the city and wineries. I always forget about Argentina’s mining industry. In fact, the last time I was in Mendoza province, back in April, I remember learning for the first time how much fracking was taking place here, something quite controversial back in SA at the moment. Anyway, I digress, back to beautiful and natural things…

Our tour took the National Route 7, or Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, the highway to the border with Chile. It follows the Mendoza River, the life source of all Mendoza’s industry and agriculture, and the old Andean train line, which is no longer running, but adds to the drama of the pass with its broken and abandoned tracks following us all the way.

Some highlights along the tour were an old stone bridge built by the Spaniards for their messengers crossing between Argentina and Chile, an old fort, as well as two modern military bases, serving as a reminder of the tension between the two countries (if you look at a map and glance at the size of the respective countries, it makes a lot of sense. Of course, the Andes do form a natural border, so in some ways it makes perfect sense for the line to be drawn there, but in doing so, Argentina gained really important natural resources, including many glaciers, and rich water sources, not to mention much more agricultural land than Chile. The more I learn about the border disputes, the more I understand the seemingly mutual animosity between the countries, amplified by other historical events like the Malvinas war. But that’s a political discussion for another time).

We also went to a ski resort along the way, although no one in our group opted to take the ski lift to the top, since the temperature was dropping sharply. We found out why soon enough, as we got to the lookout point to Aconcagua, the highest peak in the americas, to find it was largely concealed by ominous looking clouds. And sure enough, it started snowing. Something that I found incredibly exciting. I’ve been in snow many times before, but this was the first time I experienced actual snow falling. As we got to our lunch spot on the frontier, I was one of the few people to be prancing about outdoors (along with some Brazilians who also hadn’t been in snow before). Unfortunately due to the weather, we couldn’t do the trip to the giant Christ the Redeemer of the Andes statue, something I had been looking forward to, but the snow made it all worthwhile. We did stop off at the Puente del Inca (Inca bridge) on the way back. This is an incredible feat of nature, as a natural bridge was created by the river and sediment. It’s also an eery sight. There are natural hotsprings here, which naturally led to a hotel being built. But this luxury hotel was decimated by an avalanche, with the only things left standing being the bridge, the tunnels to the springs and the church (perfectly intact, although now rather desolate as the lone structure). The hotel was never rebuilt since it was deemed too dangerous.

The stark beauty of this desert landscape is a little unreal, with its towering mountains which are shaded in everything from multihued facades (a big feature of mountains in central and northern argentina), sandy brown rock faces and dark volcanic like slopes, eventually peaking in white mountain tops surrounded by notoriously unpredictable clouds and snowstorms. The scenery was so different to Bariloche, yet just as beautiful in its own way. There is something about those mountains that has a calming effect on me. It’s no surprise that there are a number of spiritual retreats in these mountains. I may not be very spiritual myself, but I get it when people say there is an energy here.

It’s a sight that no words or descriptions or photographs can truly do justice to. You need to witness it for yourself.

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With Spring comes new adventures and new ventures. To make my blog a little bit more accessible across all platforms, I’m now on Bloglovin as well. For those of you who prefer to do your blog reading on Bloglovin:

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Roses blooming in El Rosedal

Bariloche Part 3: Beer, Chocolate & Hippies

Next up on our Bariloche adventure was a tour, booked through the company I work for, Argentina4u, to El Bolsón, the notorious hippy town outside of Bariloche. A full day tour meant another early start, but this time Lucas, the owner of the cabin we were renting, offered us a ride into town. After learning he is a mountain guide who leads treks in Bariloche, I was resolved to return to Bariloche in the summer to do some hiking in the mountains here.

Another tour in Spanish meant I had another day of translating ahead of me. We had the most wonderful guide though, who I ended up having great conversations with since he had been to South Africa during the last world cup and had lots to talk about. He even told me about a tourist attraction in SA I had never even heard of: the zipline in Sun City, stretching 2km and reaching up to 120km an hour. This is definitely on my agenda for when I return home!

Waiting for the bus into town

The tour to El Bolsón ended up being one of my highlights of the trip, not even for the town itself but the other places we stopped along the way. Driving the opposite way to the previous day, we passed more spectacular lakes and scenery. We attempted, without much luck, to adequately capture the scenery from the mini-bus, but again it was a sight to be experienced rather than photographed. Our first stop was at a trout farm, something this region is famous for. It was quite interesting to wander through the ponds seeing the fish at different stages, culminating in a tasting, of course. I may not be the biggest fan of fish in general, but give me some fresh or smoked trout or salmon and I’m a happy camper. Then we headed to another big money spinner in this part of the world – jams. We visited a big fruit farm specialising in fruit. I was quite grateful for this talk because walking around the different plants and seeing the names in English and Spanish, I was finally able to figure out the proper Spanish names for all the berries! Plus getting to taste all the delicious fruity jams (and a bit of dulce de leche!) was fun and delicious and I put a fair few on my list of things to buy back home in Buenos Aires.

We passed through El Bolsón but didn’t stop yet, instead carried on in to the next province to Lago Puelo. This, undoubtedly, was one of my favourite places of the trip. We were the only people in the park when we arrived, and we had a chance to walk on the pebbled beach of the lake, with a moody sky above us, and there was this wonderful sense of tranquil alienation, and unspoilt nature. After failing miserably at skipping stones on the lake, we walked to the forest on the lake’s edge for a magical walk surrounded by thick trees, the occasional arrayanes trees (myrtle, I believe is the English translation). This amazing orangey-brown trees are something out of a fairytale, and are said to have been the inspiration behind a few disney movie forests, including Bambi. The rest of the trees also had this magical quality to them, and the stroll through the quiet woods had my imagination firing up with my favourite childhood stories of fairies and magical forests.

On Lago Puelo

The empty beach of Lago Puelo

Lago Puelo’s pebble beach

On the beach of Lago Puelo

Trout farm on the way to El Bolson

Finally we retreated back to El Bolsón. First a German settlement, this town got famous in the 70s when a whole bunch of hippies moved out here, to make handicrafts and horticulture (or to be less pc, grow some weed in the mountains…). A picturesque town, sandwiched between two mountains, there is a big feria (handicrafts market) a few times a week. We wandered around, looked at the crafts, I managed to find a really nice handcrafted ring, we watched some dreadlocked hippies play some music, and then attempted to eat our home-made lunch on the stairs in the central plaza, only to be watched intently by the local pack of stray dogs. While I managed to gulf mine down quiet quickly, mom was a bit more put off by the dogs watching here, and I don’t think she got much pleasure from the meal! So to make up for it, we made a stop at Jauja, a famous ice cream shop that started here but now has branches all over the country. On the way home, we made a final pit stop at a beer factory – El Bolsón, like Bariloche, is famous for its craft beers.

The hippy town of El Bolsón

The beautiful mountains surrounding El Bolsón

Wooden statue in El Bolsón

Stray dog putting on his best puppy-dog eyes while we were eating lunch.

Library in El Bolsón

One of the things that made the tour interesting, besides the beautiful sights, was the people. Our tour group was all Argentina, making a change from the previous tours majority of Brazilians. Some lovely people were patient with their Spanish, allowing us to chat about a variety of things from rugby, Invictus, and heated discussions about football! Among the interesting people was a young lawyer from Buenos Aires who is studying Mandarin. It never ceases to amaze me the connections that we’re able to draw across vastly different cultures and languages, and this remains the beauty of travel for me.

The magical forest at Lago Puelo

Walking through the forest at Lago Puelo

Reflections in the forest

The forest by Lago Puelo

Wandering through the forest

Posing next to an Arrayanes Tree (myrtle tree)

Returning to the city, after an amusing drive through the back end of Bariloche and the Chilean district in the throes of celebrating independence, and a stop to chat to a local ski instructor who told us some under the belt jokes, we took a stroll to downtown once again to see the St. Bernard puppies (literally my obsession on this trip). After debating where to eat, we settled on Blest Brewery, a craft beer brewery and restaurant just 2km from our cabin. Unfortunately I realised at this point that I’d forgotten the bus card at the house that morning. So we began a wild goose chase around the town to find a place to buy another card – which as it turns out is not so simple. Finally one shop owner gave us detailed (and correct) instructions of where to go, and we were quite relieved to get on to the bus and on our way to food and warmth after our very cold walk all over town.

Arriving at Blest at last, we escaped into the warmth of the brewery with sheer joy as dark fell. If I had imagined my ideal, German-style beer bar, this would have exceeded my expectations. A warm, cosy place, everything in wood, and eclectically decorated with the beer mats / place-holders of patrons who had signed them and stuck them on the wall. Not only did we enjoy a delicious beer (which was hard to choose from the menu, as all their locally crafted brews looked delicious), we managed to tick off another big to-do off our list: eat Patagonian lamb. Mom had a shephard’s pie and I had lamb ravioli, and boy, did these delicious and hearty meals warm us up, inside and out. Definitely something that should be on your list if you’re headed to Bariloche! Unfortunately we had to trundle back into the drizzle and cold – the temperature was dropping quickly to zero – to get our bus and to endure the walk to the cabin. I’ve never been so relieved to walk into our heated place and to dive straight under a blanket with a cup of tea!

The bar at Blest

Blest’s cosy interior

A delicious craft beer at Blest!

On our final full day in Bariloche, we woke up to the continuing cold and a steady rain. We took the opportunity to have a lazy morning, catching up on some washing, and enjoying some bonding time indoors. Finally we braved the outdoors, as the sun started shining through, to go in search of some chocolate.

The first stop on the chocolate adventure was the Havanna factory. Havanna is a pretty famous brand here – not only is it a chain of coffee shops, but they are the makers of the best alfajores in the country. We took a tour of their chocolate factory which was fascinating for me to see the entire process of making chocolate – especially the odd fruit it comes from. The tour also showed the history of chocolate – from it’s early origins in Mexico, where it was primarily made into a drink, then travelling to Spain, where drinking it hot, and dipping churros into it, became the fashion, spreading next across Europe. There was even a chart tracking the opening of the world’s chocolate factories and the experimentation with different types of chocolate. We also saw some incredible chocolate sculptures, weighing upwards of 120kg! As beautiful and realistic as the penguins, sheep, pumas, llamas etc were, I couldn’t help thinking – what a waste of chocolate!

Chocolate creations at a chocolate shop in Bariloche

It’s hard to choose with all this choice!

The view from Havanna’s Chocolate Museum in Bariloche

After enjoying a coffee in their café and purchasing some alfajores for mom to take home, we went in search of more chocolate! We found another artisanal chocolate factory and after hemming and hawing for a while over the decision, eventually purchased a selection to nibble one. We took a last stroll in town, soaking in the beautiful scenery, quaint architecture, cute puppies (yes, again!), and just general laid-back atmosphere. We had a late lunch, and I had a chance to try another local speciality, deer, dried in a form kind of similar to biltong. A last shop, to put together a tapas style spread for dinner, and to stock up on snacks for the next day’s bus journey, and we were on our way back to the cabin for the last night.

It was with mixed feelings that we boarded the bus the next day. On one hand, we were both looking forward to the next leg of our journey, Mendoza, but on the other hand, it was incredibly difficult to leave Bariloche. Something about the combination of the breathtaking scenery, the refreshing clean air, the tranquility and the atmosphere just creeps into your heart, and pulls you back to this gorgeous part of Patagonia. So instead of bidding it goodbye, I’ll be saying nos vemos Bariloche, until I see you again!

3 Life Lessons that Tango Taught Me

Tango dancers at Tango Porteño

My Life in Buenos Aires has been marked in many ways by tango. I’ve had the good fortune to attend 3 tango shows and I’ve also taken a few tango lessons. At the same time, tango has been teaching me. I wrote about these lessons over on Pink Pangea. Here is a snippet from my piece:

Buenos Aires is synonymous with tango. Tango permeates the city on every level, from the superficial tourist traps of La Boca, where you can pose with tango dancers on El Caminito, to the touts on Florida Street selling tickets to the city’s many tango shows. But the real spirit of tango can be found in the dimly lit milongas (tango salons) where beginners, tango fanatics and professionals mix, moving sensually across the dance floor to the moving backdrop of accordions and violins emanating passionately from live tango bands.

 

Naturally, no trip to Argentina is complete without experiencing a bit of this tango culture. This tango culture, I might add, is not the overdramatic tango of Hollywood movies, but rather the original, authentic Argentine brand of tango, which smolders quietly in its intimacy. While I highly recommend attending a tango show for the grand venues, historical journeys, endearing cheesiness and spectacular dancing, the best way to really get to know tango is to take lessons in one of the city’s many milongas.

 

Read the rest of the article on Pink Pangea.

Passionate dancers at Esquina Carlos Gardel

Bariloche Part 2: A Day Trip To Villa La Angostura

We planned our time in Bariloche considerably well, if I may say so myself. One day of organised tours, followed by our own free day to explore, another full-day tour and then more free time. After checking the weather report for the week, we decided that our free day on Wednesday had to be spent on an outing to Villa la Angostura, the town on the other side of Nahuel Huapi Lake that everyone has told me is one of the most stunning places in the Lake District.

So on considerably the warmest day of our time in Patagonia, we set off for the bus station to catch a bus to Villa la Angostura, roughly an hour away. I was amazed during the drive how quickly the landscapes here changes, as when you move away from the lakes the green changes to stark, desert-like vegetation, and the dusty roads wind along the mountainous area. Yet every now and then you get a glimpse of the deep blue waters of the lakes shimmering in the distance, between mountains and sparse landscapes. Finally we reached Villa la Angostura and immediately I understood the hype. A small little town, concentrated on one main road, every building is wooden, rustic and charming. It seems a little unreal, almost like it should be in a Disney movie, with Heidi skipping along the street (except in Spanish, obviously). After stopping at the Tourist Information Centre to get hold of a map and the route to the lakeside, we decided that no more adventuring could take place before a coffee stop. We found a lovely little coffee shop and settled in a sunny spot for a bit of a caffeine fix. This turned out to be a good idea because we had a walk ahead of us. As its a small town, the local buses aren’t regular, so rather than waiting for a bus, we decided to walk the 3km down to the lake front. We didn’t factor in the heat. Dressed for cold, given that we’d been in snow the previous day, the walk in the sun saw us shedding layers at a very quick rate and by the time we reached our destination, with a stray dog in tow, I was more than a little sweaty and a little hungry.

But the view that awaited us made it all worth while. As we reached the small harbour – and entry point to the famous Arrayanes Forest, which we hadn’t left ourselves enough time for – we wandered between two buildings down to the beach and were literally gobsmacked. Stretching immediately before us was the most glorious, azure water, absolutely pristine, glittering in the sunlight. Stretched out from there was a wooden jetty leading into the deeper blue waters, surround by impressive rugged mountains. It’s not a sight my words can do justice to, nor my camera.

We took our time taking in the sight and wandering to the next little bay, until we could ignore our hunger no more. This little jut of a peninsula was quiet given low season had just started, but there was one bustling Italian restaurant, manned by the chef/owner. He was a wonderfully friendly and funny guy, who could sense not only our hunger but also our urgency since we had only an hour before we had to catch the bus back, in order to catch the other bus back to Bariloche. So he served us our scrumptious neapolitan pizza with enough time for me to demolish most of it and for mom to tick it off her list of foods to try in Argentina, and for us both to rest up a little from the first bit of exercise we’d done on the trip. After reluctantly leaving this slice of heaven, we managed to catch the local bus in time, leaving us with enough of a window for a last wander around the gorgeous Villa la Angostura before heading back to Bariloche, for a peaceful evening spent in our favourite cabin.

Typical architecture in Villa la Angostura

The main road of Villa la Angostura – not picture does it justice.

On our walk to the harbour

The first sight of the lake and beach

The tranquil waterfront

A blissful scene on the waterfront

The stray dog we picked up found a spot he liked on the beach.

Stunning scenery

Breathtaking views of the lake

Me showing off the views from the jetty

The crystal clear lake water

Mom in Villa la Angostura!

Chocolate and ice cream…

Typical architecture (and a-typical car in building)

The town sign at the bus station