Friday, 1 June 2012
Mendoza streets
Big wide streets, autumn leaves draping over them, five relaxing squares and a beautiful park...
Hostel Lao wine tasting 101
John the winemaker from Oregon took the time to share with us the beginners guide to wine tasting... 
Across the Andes
View from the bus - switchbacks aplenty. Happy to have three border crossings behind us...today was a breeze compared to the earlier 14 hour melee
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Flight of the Malbecs
Getting to Mendoza is a story for another day, but once we got some sleep after our epic border crossing, we tried the Malbec selection at the Vines of Mendoza...
Mmm Valparaiso
Expectations are funny things, especially when they aren't met. We left Pucon feeling a bit virtuous, we were going to night bus ten hours to Santiago, then take the first bus to Mendoza, saving a night s accommodation and time. Good plan, unless the pass across the Andes is closed. So we got the bus from Santiago to Valparaiso, touted as a quaint hilltop place of steep streets and funiculars (or ascensors) overlooking the twinkling ocean. I can't blame a town for not looking its best when the weather is hideous, especially a seaside town. It bucketed like nothing else. But, give me Cinque Terre any day.
We were lucky our hostel man was so lovely and helpful, pointed us in the direction of restaurants we would never have known about, but for me Valparaiso is going to be about the dog that followed me for 5kms and incited other dogs, and jumping at shadows at every alley way.
However, I don't want to be negative so some cool things - the poet Pablo ummm n's house (name to be completed when I google). So whimsical and what a life he must have lived in the 50s, what a cool bar and view he had. The central mercado is certainly no Borough market, but the meal we had there was some pretty good seafood for a pocket full of pounds.
The story of Brit Thomas Cochrane helping the Chileans at sea is fascinating, and even more so how they prepared his 'house' (that he never lived in) for the Queen's visit.
We rode a couple of the famous ascensions,I liked El Peral and the story that goes with it (I don't give a pear what it is called, the mayor said in the end).
I didn't bottom out however why Neil Armstrong takes his place alongside Magellan and Copernicus in the stained glass window map of the world in the Maritime Museum.
So other travellers we have met proclaimed Valpo amazing, awesome- for us it was wrong time, wrong weather, but our hostel guy did his best to help us and we gave it our best shot. I did like my chocolate caliente at cafe con letras a lot.
We were lucky our hostel man was so lovely and helpful, pointed us in the direction of restaurants we would never have known about, but for me Valparaiso is going to be about the dog that followed me for 5kms and incited other dogs, and jumping at shadows at every alley way.
However, I don't want to be negative so some cool things - the poet Pablo ummm n's house (name to be completed when I google). So whimsical and what a life he must have lived in the 50s, what a cool bar and view he had. The central mercado is certainly no Borough market, but the meal we had there was some pretty good seafood for a pocket full of pounds.
The story of Brit Thomas Cochrane helping the Chileans at sea is fascinating, and even more so how they prepared his 'house' (that he never lived in) for the Queen's visit.
We rode a couple of the famous ascensions,I liked El Peral and the story that goes with it (I don't give a pear what it is called, the mayor said in the end).
I didn't bottom out however why Neil Armstrong takes his place alongside Magellan and Copernicus in the stained glass window map of the world in the Maritime Museum.
So other travellers we have met proclaimed Valpo amazing, awesome- for us it was wrong time, wrong weather, but our hostel guy did his best to help us and we gave it our best shot. I did like my chocolate caliente at cafe con letras a lot.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Pucon activities
I liked Pucon, at the foot of the Villaricca volcano, even though continuing my theme of dogs, five of them were following us at one point.
Our hostel, La Tetera, was very good. Excellent local venison at Trawen and Chef Pato was fun. It was soo quiet around town.
One day we mountain biked around, lots of hills, passed sheep and pigs and waterfalls, the second day Chris climbed the volcano and on the third we headed out to the natural hot springs, Los Pozones.
Our hostel, La Tetera, was very good. Excellent local venison at Trawen and Chef Pato was fun. It was soo quiet around town.
One day we mountain biked around, lots of hills, passed sheep and pigs and waterfalls, the second day Chris climbed the volcano and on the third we headed out to the natural hot springs, Los Pozones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)