A step back...getting to Las Lenas

We toured vineyards in the Valle de Ucu located 1.5 hours south of Mendoza last Saturday. Our amazing driver Genarano spent the better part of the day shuttling us between vineyards and lunch.

Our first stop was Andeluna Cellars where we enjoyed a wonderful tour, good (not great) wine that was very unique and chatted with Jessica our Mendozian host. When we realized that we were late for lunch we departed to Bodega Azul.

We soon became friends with Mario the owner of Bodega Azul. Mario has a small winery where he does the majority of the work. He even uses a hand press to smash the grapes! Mario gave us the tour of his 30x60 building where everything happens except for bottling. When the wine is ready to be bottled he rents a truck that bottles in the driveway! During our last excursion to wine country we learned that our driver prefers Cab's so Mario donated a bottle to Genarano for driving us around town for the day.

After Azul we departed for a touristy bodega named Salentein. It had a cool art museum, but a bad chef. Skip lunch at Salentein if you ever make it to Mendoza. You can enjoy the view and the art without eating.

After lunch the plan was to head to another small town to catch the bus that travels between Mendoza and Las Lenas. Upon arrival to the bus station we learned that the bus was full! We were told the day prior that if we wanted to purchase tickets from the small town we could not do it from Mendoza. We should have spent the ext $0.60 and bought full fare tickets from Mendoza and jumped on the bus mid-way.

Genarano came to the rescue and drove us all the way to Las Lenas. We felt very bad for him because he ended up working a 17 hour day, but he did get to keep 30% of the fair. Along the way he said that he ususally drives people to Las Lenas a few times each winter and feels lucky to get each trip because of the large fare. It made us feel better, but we still felt bad when he had to turn around for a 5 hour drive home at 8:30pm. We gave him a sweet tip, wished him well and told him that we would be in touch when we returned to the city when we needed a few more rides.

Las Lenas

We arrived in Las Lenas on Sunday morning for 2 days of skiing. The area has not recieved a ton of snow, but with man made down low and natural up high the skiing is good. The ski area generally recieves a lot of wind and a bunch of the snow is wind affected.

More to come later - time to hit the high speed poma lift.

Lack of Change

Argentina has a lack of change (coins and small bills). Almost every transaction is rounded and occasionally people will add another item to your order so that they don't have to make change. If you are buying a few pieces of small candy you might end up with an extra piece and the seller will round up to the nearest peso.

This has been true in Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Bariloche. It is an added bonus when you receive an extra pastry or sweet.

Internet Power

We just moved into a new apartment/hotel with WiFi. I requested to have a cable connection in the room so that I could use Vonage (it does not work with wifi). The 1 apartment with a cable connection is full until Friday so they just ran a cord from the router across the breeze-way. I like the level of ingenuity!

IP Phones - Skype vs.Vonage

I have become an expert with IP phones, especially Skype and Vonage. Surprisingly, Skype seems to break up less with a low bandwidth connection but calls do get dropped occasionally. However, with a good connection Vonage is more reliable and calls never get dropped. In summary, it is best to have both.

The best part about Vonage is that it displays a US caller ID so people don't know where you are calling from (Argentina for example).

Housing in Mendoza

We have had a difficult time finding housing in Mendoza. The problem started when we decided not to plan ahead and book an apartment in advance. Being the winter holiday period for Brazil and Argentina apartments were non-existent. We had no idea it was the holiday season until it was too late to find a pad.

We have spent the last week in 2 hotels, but tomorrow we are moving to an apartment for the next 7-10 days. The building has wireless Internet and the manager said that they would run a cable through the window so that I can use my Vonage line. It sounds a bit crazy, but I hope it works. Either way we will have a small kitchen and be able to cook our own food!

The Internet at our current hotel crashed last Thursday afternoon and they have not been able to restore service to a portion of the rooms. After much frustration the front desk staff moved us to another floor where the Internet functions and I can work at a desk in a quiet room. I think they were sick of having me sit in the lobby using the wireless for 6 hours each day while talking on Skype! The good news is that the new room is much larger and has a solid wall of windows looking at the Andes.

If you are in Mendoza the Park Suites is a good place to stay -- but be prepared for possible Internet downtime. Also, the front desk staff appears to work 24/7 -- I don't know when they sleep. Generally the pace of life is a bit slower in Argentina so I think it took the staff a few days to realize how important an internet connection is when a person is working remotely.

More Tasting in Mendoza

Wine Tasting

Last Saturday we visited 3 vineyards and tasted numerous wines. We hired a taxi to shuttle us around the valley, and ended the day by enjoying a 5 course lunch paired with wine grown at the vineyard where we dinned.

The tasting was great and we met up with a group of 4 other women who visited the same

bodegas. It was a day with the ladies! The best wine was found at Achaval Ferrer. No surprise because the bottles sell for $30-$100 USD. Guess which bottle we liked best? At AF we tasted wine directly from the barrel. It needed to age a few years longer so the wine in the bottle was better.

Also, AF is the only vineyard in Argentina to heat the wine during the fermentation process. The traditional belief is that heat will cause the wine to spoil so most places cool the liquid during the fermentation process. Either way, it works out well for AF because they have great wine.

Stuck in BA

On Sunday we flew to Mendoza with a planned 2 hour layover in BA. To our dismay the 2 hours slipped to 7. We are sick of the domestic airport in BA. After much frustration our plane took off late and we arrived late at night in Mendoza. We are very thankful this is our last flight on Aerolinas Argentina and our last stop at the domestic airport.

In 2 trips through the airport we had 5 meals. I suggest that you avoid Aerolinas Argentina.

More to come on Mendoza shortly.

Fries

Before leaving Bariloche we had a meal at the best steak house in town. This was a side order of fries!

The sausage shown is the common type of beef sausage in Argentina. You can find these in every city and on grills throughout the streets.

1 Pieces

Bariloche is flooded with tourists from Brazil. Because they come from a warm climate they do not own winter gear so they rent 1 pieces for the week. Seriously, they look just like the picture and they wear them all over town: dinner, walking outside, breakfast, lunch, shopping. The streets are backed with families in matching 1-pieces. Its is a crazy sight.

And now the topper -- the other half of tourists are high school seniors from Buenos Aires who arrive on a tour bus. These groups also rent winter clothes and the entire bus rents from the same store so they too have a matching uniform. Not always a 1 piece, but usually a bright orange or yellow jacket and pants.

Most of the uniform wearing people make a trek to the ski hill. However, no one skis --- they all "play" in the snow. When you disembark from the bus a crowd of 1 piece wearing families and high school kids are running in the parking lot and jumping off snowbanks. It's an amazing site.

And the next topper -- 1 ski lift is dedicated to having these people ride up 400 feet to play in the snow and walk down. The actual ski runs are empty and lift lines don't exist except for the line for the chairlift for non-skiers. This line grows to 100 yards long.

Kiva Update

I received an email today saying that my first Kiva loan has been paid back! Congratulations to Maria Paula Martin Espadas Noh!

Skiing with no power (luz)

The power gods of Argentina struck again on Friday. We were expecting to have a good day of powder but after the 2nd run we ended up stuck on the lift for 1 hour. It is not a good feeling when the lift stops and you glance around the mountain and notice that all lifts have stopped.

During the next 1 hour other lifts were slowly unloaded but we were still stranded high and cold. We had a few stop and starts with some reverse action but not much progress. After 60 minutes the mountain manager found some power and our chair was slowly unloaded.

Argentina is currently going through a large energy crisis due to the cold winter and drought (lack of water in reservoirs) last year. The majority of power is generated by hydro so this leads to power outages. The government is asking people to conserve, but after 4 weeks we have only seen 1 example of conservation. This was at the supermarket today when only 1/2 of the lights were being used.

According to the ski area the power came back on so we decided to take a few more powder runs. This was a mistake because the power cut again. When the e-brake slammed on the chair dropped 10 feet and made some crazy noises. 10 minutes later we skied down for good and decided to avoid the slopes on Saturday.

Sin Vino y Cafe

Today is a day without Espresso and Vino. Only a few more hours to go because it's currently 6pm.

The Luck Changed

Last Thursday we grabbed a bus for the 45 minute drive to the ski mountain -- a whopping 75 cents each for the journey. We jumped on the lift around 10am and found the hill to be empty. After we arrived at the top and looked around confused amongst a 30 mph wind, sideways snow and a partial whiteout a Mountain Host walked in our direction. Our new guide ended up showing us around the ski hill for 3 hours and we found some boot deep powder runs on South facing slopes.

The ski area was really empty, we would only see 4-5 people skiing down during a 5-10 minute lift ride. It was strange, but the weather was aweful so I guess most people stayed away.

The snow in Bariloche is wet, similar to the Cascades. This was not cowboy powder but we still enjoyed a number of great runs. We ended up meeting another gringo from NYC on the lift who joined our guided ski excursion and this guys entire family lives in Victor, ID. What a small world.

After a hard day of skiing windblown snow we retreated to town and enjoyed a Margarita and a Mexican dinner.

So it snowed

It snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time since 1918 on Monday night. No big deal except that we planned on flying to Bariloche on Tuesday at 11am. Our 2 hour flight was delayed 10 hours. Apparently they do not have de-icer in most cities in Argentina and the planes were grounded on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.

We sat on the floor of the airport for 10 hours and were astonished that our plane left. It was a crazy place to be, people everywhere.

Upon arrival we learned that Bariloche had a major power outage and all of the city was without lights. We had a candle light breakfeast on Wed. before the power was restored at 9am. Shortly after we jumped on the bus to the ski hill but most lifts were closed due to lack of power.

What a crazy couple of days.

Winter Mix

Today is the first day of "real winter" in Buenos Aires. It is currently a wintry mix of rain and snow. Very similar to a cold/wet/overcast day in Seattle.

During the past 2 weeks the weather has been great, 50-70 degrees and mostly sunny. Today is a bit different. Tomorrow will be even colder because we are flying to Bariloche to ski and spend time in Northern Patagonia.

Grill

Grill
Originally uploaded by krughb

People in Argentina take grilling seriously. We came across this grill at a local market today. It is topped with various cuts of beef, chicken and sausage. I would estimate the size of the grill to be about 15 square feet.

Did you notice that the coals sit upon the road?

More Beef

After chowing a large steak the other night I decided to step it up and eat a massive steak on Saturday. It was a NY Strip stuffed with Jamon and Cheese and grilled to perfection.

On Saturday we took a day trip to the river delta outside of Buenos Aires. This area lies about 45 minutes outside of the city and is similar to a rural Venice. The city runs boats to shuttle people through the delta and rowing clubs line the banks of the main town Tigre. The area is loaded with 2nd homes but maintains a rural feel. Tucked into the delta after a 45 minute boat ride is a great restaurant where I enjoyed the massive steak.

Anyway, I'm done with steak for the next week.

Rental Shop

On the 4th of July we boarded a ferry to Uruguay and spent the day wandering around Colonia. The port city is a world heritage site complete with a town wall, draw bridge and many colonial era buildings. In the afternoon we rented bikes to ride along the beaches and ended up riding 2.5 miles to a golf course. The course was on the grounds of a Sheraton Hotel and a new second home development. Lots along the course start at $50,000 -- a large amount of cash for this part of the world. Speaking of cash, the course was not cheap but the most expensive part were the golf balls. It was US $10 for a pack of 3. In local terms US $10 buys a steak dinner with a glass of wine.

One other interesting point -- check out the cars at Thrifty! They rent bikes, motos and golf carts but no cars!

Lines

People in Argentina do not mind waiting in long lines. Last night we tried to eat at a hip restaurant in the city but were told the wait was 1-1.5 hours for a table. Outside the door about 25 people were hanging out waiting for a table. The restaurant does not take reservations and it seemed normal to stand around outside at 11pm for 1 hour to wait for a table.

We decided that we would not be able to wait this long and headed to another steak house for dinner. After passing a local establishment we decided to head to a funny tourist type place. It was owned by a Texan with a "State of Texas" belt buckle who has a problem with dating his help and occupied by a number of guests including big and ugly Britt football fans all of whom were pounding whiskey. After looking past the crazy environment we enjoyed one of the best steaks of our lives. The steak was larger then a softball, cooked to perfection for an American (med-rare). Don't judge a book by its cover.

Tango Time

On Tuesday night we followed the hoards of tourist to a Tango Show. It starts with a 3 course dinner which is the most expensive meal you can buy in the city. $75 per couple includes a bottle of cheap wine and a bad meal. The place is a tourist trap -- we have all been caught in these before. The dinner left low expectations for the show.

Much to our surprise the show was excellent. They played a variety of music, danced, sang and talked for 2 hours. The performers had a never ending supply of energy and the entire crowd cheered on the crew for 2 hours.

If you travel to Argentina I strongly encourage the show, but skip the dinner. You can spend the $75 per couple on a truly amazing fine dining experience at another restaurant. Seriously, in a city where a NY Strip Steak costs $6 you can make $75 go a long way.

Noise - Revisited

We are growing used to life in the city and the noise bothers us less every day. I came to the realization yesterday that we live about 2 blocks from the equivalent of Times Square and noise is part of the allure. City life has been growing on us.

Also, I figured out that our bedroom window has a wooden screen which lowers outside over the window and helps reduce the sounds of cars during the night. When I was looking out of the window yesterday I noticed that the majority of windows across the street had wooden screens pulled down at 7am. I quickly found the retracted screen on our window along with the controls which were hidden in a small cabinet adjacent to the window.

This is our second time renting an apartment in a foreign county in the past 12 months. The property manager never explains all of the details and the renter is left to discover these small items individually.

A few examples are required. In Spain they did not show us how to use the dead bolt which was a major problem for our neighbors. In Argentina we were told that the "trash goes outside". It took a few nights to understand this -- trash is placed on the sidewalk, poor people come around between 9-11pm and collect bottles from the trash to sell to the recycling plant, and the trash truck picks up random piles of trash bags all night long. There are no trash bins, just random piles of bags (less the bottles) lying everywhere that disappear by the morning.

Gacho

This past weekend we caught a bus to the countryside and enjoyed a weekend at an estancia in the pamaps. We spent time sitting around the fire reading, riding horses, looking at the stars and riding bikes around the countryside.

Anyway, we watched a gacho horse show complete with suave looking gachos smoking while riding.

Delivery

In Buenos Aires many local cafes deliver espresso and food to apartments and office buildings. The sidewalks contain waiters walking quickly around people with trays of drinks and food on their way to make a delivery. I don't know why, but its funny to see a man walking down the street delivering two shots of espresso to an office building.