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 – 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

FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 3

February 28, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 3 

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

Day 24 – Friday, February 22 – Mendoza, Argentina – sunny, high clouds, 90’sMendoza, Argentina 22

  • 7:30 – wake up – hot coffee w/ hot milk
  • 9:30 – breakfast is typical – fruit, toast, cereal, yogurt, ham & cheese w/assorted breads
  • 9:45 – arranged for car & driver to take us into Andes
  • A – drive through wine country on way
  • 10:00 – start winding up the mountains – no trees just short scrub brush, grasses & bushes
  • A – you can see snow on the tallest peaks
  • A – colors range from sandy beige, terra cotta, gray, brown & volcanic flat black
Mendoza, Argentina 19

Aconcagua

  • A – drive past big Potrerillos lake (from a distance you can see Tupungato volcano which we saw from the plane on the way in)
  • C –1:00 – arrive @ Aconcagua – take a short walk – Chris is pretty sore from the fall
  • 3:00 – lunch @ Estancia de Elias, in only town on the way – more Argentinean beef – meet couple from Chile who drive here because” it is the best” – tells us to order beef de chorizo, get 2 mixed salads, fried potatoes & local beer Isenbeck – only $30 & VG
  • 5:00 – drive thru Parque General San Martín on way back
  • 6:00 – arrive B & B
  • 9:30 – dinner next door @ Florentina – 4 dipping sauces w/bread & seafood risotto – just so-so
  • 11:30 – so tired, hit the bed since I had no time for room R & R or siesta

FF– (FUN-fact) – Aconcagua is the tallest peak in all of the Americas at 6962 meters.
Not so FF – You can’t see the Andes from Santiago because of all the smog.

Mendoza, Argentina 31

Parque General San Martín

FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 2

February 27, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 2 

Mendoza, Argentina 3

Plaza España

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

Day 23 – Thursday, February 21 – Mendoza, Argentina – overcast, high clouds, cool morning turns clear – low 80’s

  • 7:30 – wake up – sleep fitful even w/very quiet room
  • 12:00 – walk through town – lots of trees shade the streets & keep you cool – 4 small plazas are equal distance from the grand main plaza
  • 1st   Plaza Italia – fountain & playground
  • 2nd Plaza España – colorful tiled mural walls & used as accents on walkway
  • 3rd Plaza San Martin – big statue & water feature
  • 4th Plaza Chile – playground
  • 5th Plaza Independencia – 4 times the size of the others
  • 1:30 – lunch Tomaso Trattoria – mixed salad w/tuna, egg, carrots, tomatoes, onion & putanesca pizza – supposed to be spicy & not
  • B – just so-so

    Mendoza, Argentina 4

    Plaza San Martin

  • 2:45 – gelato break – best in town @ Sopellsa, corner of Sarmiento & Belgrano – incredible amount of flavors & options
  • A – 3:15 – The Vines of Mendoza – wine tasting bar – 20% off w/the map from TI @ airport – nice Malbec (forgot to write it down)
  • 4:00 – room R & R siesta
  • 6:30 – Chris takes off to find store for snacks & water
  • B – “Mendoza Moment” – Chris tripped @ fell – smacked his knee hard & busted his lip
  • C – 8:45 taxi to dinner @ 1884 to eat w/cruise buddies Don & Steve – beautiful outside seating on patio – definitely a meat place, they had rib eye & filet VG – we ordered eggplant cannelloni & not VG

Lesson Learned – the sidewalks are uneven & broken up so you have to be very careful walking.

FF – (FUN-fact) – The colonial city of Mendoza was destroyed by earthquakes and was rebuilt and expanded by settlers from Italy and Germany who gave it the airy plazas.

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