Tag: Argentina

Argentina Adventure Post 2

New Year’s Eve 2012

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 We left Cafayate mid morning for our drive to Salta. The drive was once again amazing – like being punched in the stomach – your breath is taken away at every turn (and there are lots of turns on the road). Pictures can not do the countryside justice; colours so rich, so numerous – multiple shades of rusts, browns, and greens……red clay soil – rocky, sandy….cacti….brush…….

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We arrived in Salta looking for the Alamo dealer downtown to drop off the car. Salta is a city full of one way streets. We almost missed the dealer and needed to back up – very challenging, and apparently if you want to make a turn to the left on a one way, you still stop in the right lane before turning (??) – confusing. The rep proceeded to give Todd shit in Spanish because we did not pull over to the right (even though he knew we did not speak it). Then he gave us shit in English so we could understand……

We asked the man at Alamo to call a taxi for us, but he said it would be much quicker to go out to the street and flag one down….he went out to the street and did just that…..

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KKala – where we are staying is a boutique hotel on the hillside just outside the city centre (about a 30 minute walk). The hotel houses 6 rooms, has a large common area, breakfast room, and a 24 hr. large swimming pool. We are staying in the Nevado room – rustic beauty, large – king bed, sitting area, jacuzzi tub that overlooks the city, huge walk-in shower, balcony…….all the luxuries…..

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For New Year’s Eve dinner we walked to La Monumental for a 9PM reservation – we were the first ones in the large restaurant – 9PM is quite early to eat in Argentina. Dinner included choices from a set menu – sandwiches, canapes, shrimp salad for Todd, artichoke and ham for me, then we each had the delicious steak (lomo) with mushroom sauce and slab of potato with cured ham and cheese (wow factor…..so tasty). Dessert – not that we needed it – was icecream in a waffle cup. Dinner also included wine…….so good, so reasonable……

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Back at Kkala, we sat out on the balcony to ring in the New Year – complimentary champagne delivered to our room. Sporatic fireworks began once it got dark, then intensified, until the crescendo errupted at midnight, into the most spectacular array of fireworks we have ever seen. It was like each house in the city was trying to out do the other……so many explosions of beauty that lasted for well over 30 minutes before fading over the next hour. Jaw-dropping entertainment….

Fireworks Video

 

Argentina Adventure Post 1

Well, we are day 4 into our adventure and we have yet to post…… It was a verrry long flight from Toronto to Buenos Aires with a short stopover in Santiago – just enough time to disembark, go through security and reboard. We landed in Buenos Aires late afternoon, got cash from the ATM and found our driver.

First couple of days in Buenos Aires – We stayed at the Fertilia Downtown Apartments – good location for the first night and the Airport hotel for the second, since our flight to Salta was at 8:25 AM. When we first arrived in Buenos Aires, we dumped our luggage and headed out walking…much needed after sitting so long; then found a coffee shop for a much needed caffine fix.

After landing in Salta, we picked up a rental from Alamo and began our drive to Cafayate. The landscape on the ride south is breathtaking – mountains, various rock formations, desert, multiple colours of rusts, beiges, greens. We stopped for some pics along the way, planning to take more on the drive back…..goats, llamas (or alpacas??) along the road, on the road, crossing the road….

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Cafayate is a town of about 12000 people. The town spreads out from the main square, and we are staying a couple of blocks from the square…..and multiple wineries.

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We arrived at the hotel around 3 PM and asked the owner for recommendations on where to grab a bite (no food to that point). He shook his head and apologized, said we may find a couple open….but most of the town shuts down for siesta between 2 and 5. (Guess that explains why people here – in most of South America – don’t eat dinner until 9 or 10 at night…..our North American bedtime). We found out that restaurants don’t even open for dinner here until 8:30 PM at the earliest…..It is a whole different culture….

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We have had empanadas now at three different restaurants….all different….all tasty…. We have had various bottles of Malbec….all different….all tasty…..

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Today we visited the Wine Museum in town – the history of wine in this region – Spanish and English (good thing). We ventured into a few wineries, but with them not speaking English and us not speaking Spanish, it was challenging….

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Todd and I have been saying for a few years now, we need to learn Spanish (since we tend to travel to a lot of countries that speak Spanish)….we are now determined….our New Year’s resolution…..