Wine not? Mendoza wine country!

In Mendoza, we are mixing it up by staying at an AirBnB house.  We figured this would be more like a homestay that we loved so much in Guatemala.  Our bus was late (of course) so by the time we taxi'd to Mariana's house, they weren't home.  But through their open wifi, she told us they were doing an airport run and to wait at the coffee shop on the corner.  They were so sweet to even pay for our tea when they returned! Turns out Mariana has a 1 month old and two younger boys.  Her boyfriend Luciano has a younger daughter who was flying back to BsAs after visiting for Easter weekend.  Mark loved the simple Argentinian design of the home and the guitars that he played for hours.

On the first night, we sought out the 'cambio, cambio' to exchange money.  We had a lot of Chilean pesos and so ended up getting nearly the same exchange rate as if we had US dollars (and still about 25% more than the official rate).  However, it still feels shady to exchange money with some guy out of his wallet on a side street.  Just crazy.  Then we watched the Wisconsin-Duke basketball game at the local Irish pub.  We were thankful they changed the soccer game to basketball just for us!  Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't what I wanted but at least there was plenty of beer to drown our sorrows. 

On our first day, we caught up on computer stuff and planning and enjoyed a beautiful run around the giant park nearby.  So many other locals were out running and biking too!  That evening we had dinner with the brother of the friend of one of Mark's fellow snowboarding instructors, Eric.  Eric is a retired JAG officer in the Air Force and did ACSC (a military professional education school) with Gustavo who lives in Buenos Aires who said we should have dinner with his brother Xavier who is stationed in Mendoza.  Turns out Xavier is a General in the AAF and the current wing commander at the base in Mendoza!  He is 52 and has served in the AF since he was 17.  He picked us up and treated us to an outstanding dinner.  His passion for Argentina, especially the Boca Jr soccer team, is profound and we thoroughly enjoyed this unique opportunity to hear about military life from an Argentinian general!

Our second day was all about the wine!  To keep it cheap, we ditched an organized tour and train/bussed out to the Maipu region on our own.  At Mr. Hugo's bikes, we met up with Christy, our wine-loving Canadian friend who we met in Santa Cruz, Chile.  Señor Hugo was jolly and happy to join our photo.  

We then biked up to a little shop that offered us tasting of 4 local wines. The pourer was a very sweet gentlemen and gave us a free unlabeled bottled of wine each (vino supresa!).

  Then it was off to the Museo La Rural where we meandered around ancient wine-making supplies, including an big old basin made of cow's hide, and tasted a glass of delicious Sauvignon Blanc in a beautiful tasting room.

Next door was a tiny olive oil tasting room and for about $4 each, we loaded up on bread, olive oils, olive pastes, wine-themed jams, shots of homemade liquor and chocolate.  This ended up basically being our lunch too.  

We then rode a few km all the way south to Tempus Alba.  This bodega was brand-new and beautiful, with a self-guided tour and lovely tasting terazza looking over the vineyards.  Here we sampled lots of reds and enjoyed learning more about Christy's knowledge on the wine.  She is a level 2 wine pro and has working in the industry for a while.  

We meandered next to Mevi where we saw harvest in full swing.  A truckload of young grape pickers were returning their goods and wanted to pose for some pictures from me.  Little did I know the kids would pretend to drink the wine!

To avoid the main road and get to our last stop faster, we took the back roads which were mostly rocks.  After a bumpy ride, we found the cerveceria!  Beers and pizza ended this fabulous day!

 We had to hurry back as we were already past the time when the bikes were due but I was so impressed with this long line of grape delivery trucks that we had to stop for a photo.  These big trucks, full of freshly picked grapes, were lined alongside the road for about a mile.  Mark asked the two men waiting how long it would take for them to deposit their grapes at the vineyard (Trapiche) and he said they may have to wait up to two days!

Thankfully Señor Hugo wasn't upset we were late and instead, he gave Christy a free bottle of wine and even walked us to the bus stop!  Great day in wine country!

On our last day, we ran around the beautiful local park again and relaxed.  It was also Luciano's 37th birthday so we were invited to participate in their house party for him that night.  They said it would be pretty small but around 9 pm (of course, because no Thursday night party should start any earlier), the people started coming and coming.  The kitchen was overflowing with people drinking wine and eating home-made hummus and empanadas.  At the early hour of 11, the music turned on and the backyard looked like a dance club.  The many kids were still playing at 12:30 pm when I went to bed (well before most people left).

Luciano's niece and nephew played with the hamsters until the party kicked off.

              

    

It was very fun to be part of Luciano's birthday party and see how serious Argentinians are about their late night eating and partying!  Our early morning flight might be rough...

Art and history in Valpo: Part 1

Valparaiso is a historic port city 1 1/2 hours from Santiago. We arrived in the late afternoon and chose to take a taxi to the hostel since the city is known for its cerros (hills) and confusing labyrinth of streets. After a few pricey nights in wine country, we were going cheap in a 7 bed room for $13 a night. I don't particularly enjoy the loss of privacy, but the upside is that you can always meet new folks. Since it was Easter weekend (and we presumed things would be closed), we enjoyed a town known for pretty views and diverse street art. Still tired from the bus ride and getting settled, we only walked around Cerro Concepcion that first evening.

Sunset and full moon over Valpo.  The mural in the bottom center is one of the most famous.  The artist is INTI and it spans three buildings.  It includes two of his popular trademarks: an open-mouthed clown-life face and three bullets on a necklace.  He always includes symbols of Latin American culture too. 

A bit of some GI issues kept us from getting a late start on the first day but we eventually made it to the afternoon walking tour. From our gracious local guide, we learned a lot about Valpo's colorful past. It was hugely popular in the mid to late 1800s as the big port city on the way to the gold rush in California. This brought many European immigrants and wealth to the city.  And many firsts to all of South America (first post office, newspaper, firestation, etc.).

Original fire stations were each from a different country, including this German one that still functions (e.g. Feuerwehr). All firefighters in Valpo are volunteer (and very proud of that status).  With as many fires as they are prone to, it is very important work!  

Fishing in the harbor with just a line!  Try that pops! 

The main plaza.  The hideous blue modern top to a historic building is hated by locals but allowed because the port offices threatened to move all port activity to San Antonio so they got what they wanted!

The old port neighborhood is full of beautiful and ornate buildings...that are now falling apart. The golden age started to end following a massive terremoto (earthquake) in 1906 that killed 4,000 people and injured 20,000 (and I can't imagine there were more than 100,000-150,000 people living there at the time) and basically officially ended when the Panama Canal opened in 1914.  

The theater before 1906

The theater after the earthquake.  Crazy!

 Valpo almost fell off the map in the mid 1900's but soon artists and writers moved in and the city is now known for its artistic contributions to Chilean history. The port still functions but it's not even the biggest in Chile (San Antonio about an hour south carries that distinction). Parts of the town were designated UNESCO World Heritage status in 2003 so tourism is now one of the big draws. The colorful houses actually have a functional purpose too. Many of the original homes were built with adobe but it didn't handle the weather well so homeowners used leftover ship metal (ballast) to cover and protect their walls. But those were prone to rust so they painted the metal with weather resistant boat paint.  Thus, the colorful Valpo was born.

Painted metal, street art, crazy electrical wires and graffiti.  Sums up just about every block in Valpo.

Also, the streets up and down the hills are very confusing so people were able to tell others where to go based on different house colors which soon also included big murals. Graffiti is actually illegal (though everywhere) but street art is allowed if the home owner invites the artist to paint. I really only enjoyed the beautiful murals as the graffiti is actually quite hideous. Anyhow, the tour was great.

A working pay phone!  Found it while waiting to ride the funicular. 

One of the dozen or so still running funiculars that whisk people up the steep hills at the base of town.

Our guide and the two street dogs who followed us all day.  They are named David Bowie (for her crazy looking eyes) and Boyfriend of David Bowie (because they are always together).

Music and art on one of the many staircases around town.

We finished the tour in this amazing old port building.  With the marble staircases, intricate door work and beautiful ceilings that used to house stained glass, you can imagine how beautiful this building was back in the late 1800's!

Riding another funicular that has been running since 1887!

One of my favorite murals, right by our hostel.

Since our tummies were mostly healed, we did try a local favorite: chorrillo. This is really nothing more than french fries, meat, fried onions and a fried egg. I think I'm over all this fried and meaty food!  We didn't get a photo but you can imagine what it looked like I'm sure.