FUN-photos: South America – Mendoza & Easter Island – 2013

April 19, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: South America – Mendoza & Easter Island – 2013 

We started the second part of our trip with two days at the beach in Viña del Mar, Chile. We then flew to Mendoza, Argentina for four days to drink some wine and chill out. From there we flew to Easter Island, Chile for another four days before heading back to Buenos Aires for the start of our Silversea cruise.

If you click on the first picture it will allow you to create a slide show. And it turns out they are in ascending order (in other words, the first is actually the last) Enjoy!

FUN-travel: Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 1

March 7, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 1 

The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Easter Island, Chile 205

Easter Island

  • B – 5 am wakeup
  • 6:00 – taxi to airport in town $16
  • 6:20 – arrive for 8:45 flight
  • B – more hurry up & wait
  • A – chartered flight on time
  • B – no hot food – just crackers & chocolate covered wafers – should have gotten something @ airport
  • 12:10 – arrive to blue skies, high clouds & snow capped mountains
  • A – small easy airport
  • A – spectacularly beautiful day
  • 1:00 – lunch – bus to Patagonia Mia – empanadas – carrot, potato, tomato salad – BBQ goat – Santelmo wine
  • 3:00 – arrive ship
  • C – upgraded to bigger cabin (refurbishing in progress)
  • 3:15 – walk into town for souvenirs
  • 4:00 – make nail & massage appts
  • C – 2 washer/dryers – do laundry
  • 6:45 – sail away on outside deck 6
  • 7:30 – dinner – only 1 dining room – order from menu – food & wine just so-so – had greater expectation
  • C – 9:30 – Panorama bar – Alfredo on piano VG

FF – (FUN-fact) – Puerto Williams is the southernmost town in the world.

u Puerto Williams, Argentina 8

Puerto Williams

 

 

 

FUN-travel: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina

March 7, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina 

The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Easter Island, Chile 197

Tehai Area

  • 7:15 – wakeup to full sun w/clouds over the Andes
  • A – good coffee
  • 11:00 – shuttle to airport
  • 1:35 – flight departs
  • Air Canada is code share w/LAN – Star Alliance member – United card gets us into lounge
  • B – plane late so we hurry & wait
  • C – get upgrades to biz class
  • A – only 2 hr flight
  • 3:30 arrive – only takes 75 mins to get through customs
  • Taxi takes 1 hr to downtown – flat rate $40 outside of terminal (more expensive inside)
  • A – 5:45 – back to Urban Recoleta Suites & taxi driver knows where it is
  • 8:00 – dinner back to Fervor – white salmon, creamed spinach, grilled mushrooms VG

FF – (FUN-fact) – 90% of all volcanic activity on earth occurs in the ocean. It is estimated to contain some 10,000 volcanoes, of which at least 1,133 are active, and concentrated in a tiny patch of the South Pacific, not much bigger than New York State.

Easter Island, Chile 85

Rano Raraku

 

FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina to Easter Island, Chile

March 1, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina to Easter Island, Chile 

The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Day 26 – Sunday, February 24 – Mendoza, Argentina to Easter Island, Chile – cloudy & cool morning – balmy, humid, thick clouds, warm 80’s afternoon

Mendoza, Argentina 65

Javier, Me, Mercedes & Tito

  • 6:00 – wake up
  • A – 7:00 hot coffee an hour early!
  • 7:30 – taxi to airport
  • A – Mercedes has gotten up to wish us well on our trip (she goes to bed very late)

    Easter Island, Chile 6

    Puku Vai Hotel

  • B – arrive airport 7:50 for 10:00 flight – rescheduled for 10:55 (taxi in cost $10 & return $12)
  • B – cappuccino @ airport is $5
  • A – next flight to Easter Island isn’t until 1:35 so we should have plenty of time
  • C – airport security is great – shoes, laptops, liquids no problema
  • C – no baggage police or baggage nazi’s @ LAN in Mendoza or Santiago (unike Ecuador & Peru last year)
  • A – on time & arrive @ noon
  • B – have to pick up bags & recheck because it’s international
  • C – no long lines for customs!
  • B – have to pay $160 reciprocity fee
  • A – 12:30 up to departure gate & breeze through security – arrive gate at 12:50
  • C – got exit row & plane is not full – 5 hr flight in “no class” is “no FUN”
  • A –arrive 5:00 – gained 2 hrs
  • A – hotel transfer comes w/beautiful fragrant yellow & purple leis
  • 6:00 – arrive Puku Vai Hotel (only 5 mins from airport)
Mendoza, Argentina 63

Does This Look Like Dessert?

  • 7:30 – dinner – walk to town takes 15 mins – hotel recommended Kanahau – salad greens w/shrimp, avocado, hearts of palm – fresh Tuna Easter Island, Chile 48w/seaweed, green onions, mushrooms served on sweet potato mash & sea sauce & Errazuriz Carménère – $100
  • A – Oscar’s on TV
  • B – terrible reception
  • B – Spanish voice over makes it impossible to understand
  • C – Lurene DVR’d it for me at home
  • A – big, bright full moon peaks through thick clouds

FF – (FUN-fact) – Javier, Mercedes, Tito & the staff made us feel so welcome and like family in their home. It made Mendoza very special! The B & B is rated #2 on Trip Advisor and costs $143.00 per day including tips.  There are 5 rooms total but not all have the bathroom in the room. We stayed in Mercedes original bedroom which is the biggest and very nice. I booked this in May 2012.

FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 4

March 1, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 4 

The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Day 25 – Saturday, February 23 – Mendoza, Argentina – sunny w/high clouds, 90’s

Mendoza, Argentina 51

Domaine St. Diego

  • B – 7:30 wake up – still not sleeping good & no coffee until 8:00Mendoza, Argentina 53
  • A – 9:00 excursion begins – “The Malbec Effect” Wine Tour (Javier @ B&B Plaza Italia is driver/guide) –  $163 pp
  • B – 9:15 pick up couple from Diplomat Hotel (thought we would be alone)
  • A – they’re “aussies” and FUN!
  • 9:45 – 1st stop – Domaine St. Diego – very boutique winery – family owned – only 5000 cases a year – only sold there – complete tour of vineyards & olive trees – learn about irrigation system – all water is controlled & released @ limited times through various canals
  • C – tasting 3 wines – sparkling rose, 2 malbecs, one aged in oak – VG
  • 12:00 – off to 2nd stop @ Vistalba – one of the brothers who owned Trapiche built new winery
  • B – arrive 12:30 – have to listen to more  of how to produce wine ( we’ve been to so many wineries around the world that it’s boring because it’s repetitious)
  • B – wines just so-so
  • A – 1:40 – head to Ruca Malén for 5 course food & wine pairing overlooking the vineyard

C – 1st course – goat cheese truffle, dried chili peppers & greens – 2011 Yauquén Torrontés
2nd course –roasted beet terrine on smoked butternut squash cream – 2011 Yauquén  Bonarda
3rd course – quartirolo cheese, crisp sausage & roasted carrots salad – 2006 Ruca Malén Malbec
4th course – grilled steak w/potatoes, tomatoes & onions roasted w/rosemary –raisin chimichurri, black olives & black pepper butter – 2010 Ruca Malén Reserva & 2008 Kinién Cabernet Sauvignon
5th course – slices of seasonal fruit w/raspberry sorbet scented w/black pepper

  • 4th stop – boutique winery & totally forgot to write down the name – think I had too much wine? – buy bottle for the room $13

Mendoza, Argentina 62

  • 6:00 – arrive back to B & B
  • C – gift – bottle of Yauquén Bonarda wine from Javier
  • A – still full from lunch so no dinner
  • pack, visit w/other guests & drink more wine before bed

FF – (FUN-fact) – The settlers from Italy and Germany planted the first grape vines and produced the wines that have made this the wine capital of Argentina.

Mendoza, Argentina 43

Water Canal System

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