Buenos Aires

Our days in Buenos Aires were far more relaxing than I expected. Our first day we bought some groceries and then just lounged around the apartment (still recovering from Mendoza and our early morning flight). We had dinner reservations so eventually we motivated enough to get dressed and head out. 

Dinner was an eight course tasting menu with wine pairings. In other words, we followed up two full days of drinking with seven plus glasses of wine with dinner. The food was fabulous and the restaurant was nice enough to swap out seafood for Dan and I with equally delicious foods.

As a result of our night out, we took advantage of the blackout blinds in our rooms and slept in rather late. Given the gloomy, rainy weather on day two, we opted to check out the Recolleta cemetery. Finding the cemetery itself was much easier than finding the entrance but once we did we made our pilgrimage to Evita's tomb. I was a bit surprised to find it adorned with flowers left by other pilgrims but happy to discover no tears on the cheeks of other visitors (she would have hated that).

By this point we were rather wet so we made our way to a nearby cafe for a late lunch. We hung out at the cafe for several hours hoping for the rain to let up. It didn't so we venture back out in the rain. Dan headed home while Holly and I headed to a tango shoe store so that she could buy shoes prior to our upcoming tango lesson. Once in the store, I had to buy some new dance shoes too. They had so many more options than I've found in dance shoe stores in the US. 

The rain caused us to be a little late to our tango lesson but we caught on quick (or at least looked good in our new shoes). Even though we were only slowing gliding across the floor, we warned up quickly and had a great time. Now we just need to find more classes when we get home. 

After class we met up with Dan for dinner and another tasting menu (this time, 16 courses). We decided to skip the optional wine pairings this time and just order by the glass. By the time we finished dinner it was 12:30. We felt like real Argentineans. 

Days 3 and 4 started similar to the previous. Sleep in late and then take the subway into town. We were awed by the bookstore in a converted theater. Exercised our pinkies during high tea. Shivered as we browsed antiques in a poorly insulated warehouse. 

We finished of our trip with one final tango lesson followed by a tango show. During the show, we realized just how beginner our classes were. I'm not sure my feet are capable of moving fast enough to master the dance but I'm willing to try a few more lessons. Perhaps I will have to return to Argentina some day to see if I'm successful. Now back to the real world.

35 Wines

I guess when you live so close to the wine region it never occurs to you to go wine tasting two days in a row. However, we only had three days in Mendoza and spent two of them trying out two of the wine regions.

For our first tour we hired a private guide, Miguel, to take us to the Uco wine region. On this tour we stopped at the wineries. Each winery was both more generous than those in  the US with both information and wine. The "tastes" were nearly full glasses. By the time we made it to our lunch stop at the third winery, we were a bit buzzed. So much so that after lunch Holly and I found a nice spot in the sun for an hour-long siesta. Unfortunately, this left us a bit groggy for dinner. Since we booked our reservation several months in advance, we rallied but didn't find that restaurant was as good as the winery where we stopped for lunch.

Our second tour was a group tour to the Lujan region. We learned from our previous day to pace ourselves. Particularly important given that we had four stops on this tour. On this tour, in addition to tasting wines we also tried our hands at blending wines. After thinking mine tasted pretty good, we tied the winemaker's blend and decided to leave it to the professionals.

I think one of the most interesting things about the region is the fact that Mendoza is essentially a dessert at the foot of the Andes. The Andes provided a dramatic backdrop but apparently does not deliver a significant amount of water.

When all was said and done, we tasted somewhere in the realm of 35 wines in two days. Now we just have to figure out how to get our two plus cases home without incurring significant airline fees.

Perito Moreno

Our visit to El Calafate was more if a flyby than a real visit. Although our entire stay was just over 24 hours, we made the most of it. The purpose of the visit was to see the Perito Moreno glacier. 

We booked a tour to take us to the glacier and were a little dismayed to get picked up by a fifty person bus. Fortunately, the group was split into two groups for the tour and we were in the much smaller English speaking group. 

The glacier itself looked almost unreal. Fifty meter high sheer cliffs of ice rose out of the water. As we approached the glacier by boat it didn't look possible that we would be walking on it, but shortly after disembarking the boat we were standing on crampons and walking on the ice. From a distance, the ice looked smooth and slick, but as we got closer, much of it looked more like a large pile of hale. 

Walking up the glacier was not too difficult but when walking downhill we couldn't help but be surprised that they didn't require us to sign a waiver promising not to sue. For me, the highlight of walking downhill was watching Holly walk downhill. If it was less treacherous I would have filmed it so that I could watch it every time I needed some cheering up. Our guide Luis recognized Holly's discomfort and took it on himself to personally guide her back down the glacier for which she was extremely grateful. 

We celebrated our sage return to solid ground with a bit of whisky chilled by a chunk of glacier.

After the hike, we made one more stop before heading back to town. Because of the high winds we checked out several viewing platforms before hiding out in the cafe. 

Passport Problems

Our first morning on Easter Island, Christophe gave us a brief town tour. During this tour he mentioned that we could go to the produce post office and get an Easter Island stamp in our passports. We liked this idea and decided that we would head there on the following day when they were open (it was Sunday). When we arrived the next morning I realized that I didn't have my passport with me. I was surprised but not alarmed by this discovery. I just assumed that it must be back at the hotel and decided that I would just return to the post office on Tuesday. 

We spent the rest of the day touring the island and taking photos. When we returned to the hotel in the evening I went in search of my passport. I removed everything from all my bags but couldn't find it. Colleen also went through everything followed by Holly and Dan but to no avail. Next Colleen and I returned to the airport to ask there but they were closed for a couple hours. 

In the morning we went to PDI (Police station) and I spent about an hour with an officer filing a report. We each had phones on hand so we could use our translator apps as I struggled to explain the situation in Spanish and he struggled to ask questions in English. Meanwhile Holly and Dan went to the LAN office to see about changing our tickets to Santiago. We took a small break in the filing of the report when Holly's phone autocorrect mistakenly led me to believe the airline had my passport. 

Unfortunately our tickets were not changeable but I was able to purchase a new ticket for the flight leaving that afternoon back to Santiago so that I could have a day to go to the embassy. Colleen was generous in booking me a hotel room using her points so I wouldn't have to scramble to find a place to stay and within a couple hours I was on my way back leaving Holly and Dan on Easter Island (Colleen was already booked on this flight and heading back to the US).

Upon arriving in Santiago I immediately checked with the LAN office to see if they had found it (by this point we had to assume that it feel out of my bag on the plane to Easter Island). Although she seemed to be flipping through several passports, mine was not one of them. 

In the morning I walked to the embassy and began the process of getting a temporary party so that I could continue on to Argentina in the morning. This involved a lot of waiting with no entertainment (I had to give up my phone and kindle to security). Fortunately after a long wait, I was happy to learn that they would be able to get me a new passport that afternoon. 

It was a stressful and expensive reminder to always return my passport immediately to my wallet. But at least I discovered the error with enough time to do something about it and continue my vacation.

Rapa Nui

I really don't know what to say about Easter Island (Rapa Nui). I had been wanting to go for so long that I don't even remember what triggered it. I will say that it is even more magical than I expected. 

Our first full day on the island started with a few sights that are walking distance from town. First, we went to the museum for a little background info. Although interesting, we didn't learn much since Holly had been binge watching documentaries and passing her knowledge on to the rest of us. Next we went to our first ahu (platform for the moai). Ahu Tahai has the only moai with eyes - although, there are actually replications.

After lunch we rented a car and stopped at several sites on our way to the quarry. This was nothing like I expected (especially since it looked like a hill rather than a quarry). However it was amazing. We stayed until they closed and knew we hadn't seen enough. Just as we were about to leave we caught a glimpse of a rainbow in the distance ending on top of the most famous ahu on the island - Ahu Tongariki.

Day two started back at Tongariki followed by a return visit to the quarry. We weren't the only ones to try to catch the sunrise at Tongariki ( it was a bust - too many clouds) but we were the only ones to go to the quarry. So far nearly an hour we had it all to ourselves. In addition to the moai we'd already seen, we also found the kneeling moai (only one of its kind) and then checked out the crater on the other side of the hill. We found many partially buried and toppled moai there too.

Side note: How did we only learn a couple months ago that moai had bodies? Archeologists have been restoring the ahu for over 60 years. I'm guessing we just assumed because of photos from the quarry - particularly of my favorite moai which Holly named Edward.

After several more moai sightings, we went to dinner and traditional dance show. It was a lot like going to a luau in Hawaii but worth less fire and terrible drinks.

One more thing... You can see in the photo above that many moai have it had topknots (the red rock crowns on their heads). In San Francisco, you also see many men with topknots (aka man buns). Just like most of the moai lost there topknots over time, we can only hope for a similar fate for man buns.

No Vamos a Valparaiso

I On our third day of skiing I was riding a chairlift with Dan. I turned to him and raised as concern about going tip Valparaiso after six days of skiing (this is before I took a day off). Valparaiso is built into the side of a hill and is known for its steep hills. I wasn't sure how my legs would feel about this. Apparently on the previous chairlift, Colleen raised similar concerns to Dan. So rather than heading to the coast for our last two days in mainland Chile, we changed our reservation and decided to stay in Santiago. (This turned out particularly well for Colleen because she caught my cold - but had it much worse).

Holly arrived at out new hotel in Santiago at the same time as us and after freshening up, Holly, Dan and I headed to the Los Domenicos neighborhood to check out a local crafts market and then back to Barrio Bellavista for lunch. After lunch we took a funicular to the top of Cerro San Cristobal. Colleen, Dan and I tried this last week but the funicular was closed for maintenance. In a way I'm glad because it was a much clearer day this time around. You really get a sense of the vastness of Santiago from there. 

We attempted to return to our hotel on foot but Holly was clearly hitting a wall after her red eye flight and Dan and I were more than happy to hop back on the subway to return to the hotel. 

We started our last day in Santiago right. 80 minute massages to relieve our muscles after the weeklong ski trip and prepare us for part 2 of our adventure. Next up Easter Island (aka Rapa Nui)! 

Ski Arpa y Portillo

After three nights in Farrellones we moved to the town of Los Andes. It was nice to be in a hotel with room to spread out. The downside was our room was 85 degrees. When I spoke to reception he suggested we open the window. I think this cooled the room down to 84. At one point during the night I was so hot that I stood next to the window for ten minutes to cool down. Even the tap water only came in two temperatures - hot and hotter. The only good news was I think the heat helped me sweat out most of my cold. 

In the morning we headed off to Ski Arpa. This is a ski cat resort which means that there are no pomas. The drive from town was a little scary. We drove up a dirt road just wide enough for one car. The road was a series of very tight switch backs up the side of a mountain. I was glad to not be driving but would have appreciated a seatbelt.

Once we arrived, we had a quick safety talk and hopped on the ski cat. After several days of cloudy skies and high winds, we were blessed with a bluebird day. The only way the day could be better is if there was fresh snow, but we still managed to find some soft spots. I think both Colleen and I were happy that we had taken the previous day off because we needed fresh legs to manage the steep drops and areas with styrofoam-like snow.

Just before our final run, the clouds in the distance cleared and we got a spectacular view of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Andes. We decided this was a good time for a photo shoot. It was a good thing too because just as our shoot finished the clouds rolled in and out sunny day turned cloudy.

The next day we headed to Portillo. This is the most famous resort in Chile. It is also the resort that sent me an email that led to our Chile adventure in the first place.

This was our last day of skiing and I think most of us were pretty tired. The resort is really amazing if you are fine with pomas, as you will remember - I'm not. They have several multi person pomas which look like a disaster waiting to happen. I opted out and stick to the basic groomed runs available via chairlifts. 

After lunch I was forced to do one more poma, but once again, the poma won. Rather than give it the chance to school me further, I took off my board and hiked to the top of the lift. Halfway up I regretted this but was at the point of no return. Fortunately, it was the end of the day and I was able to recover/sleep on the drive back to Santiago.

Tengo Gripo (I have a cold)

I woke up on day three with a cold. This did not stop me from heading to the slopes for the third day in a row. We headed to Villa Nevada which is the highest resort in Tres Valles. It was clearly the resort with the most Americans and the most snowboarders. Perhaps there is a correlation but I have no evidence to back this up. 

After only two runs we took another poma. I'm happy to report that I somehow managed to make it to the top. Although, when the group was given the option to spilt so that the snowboarders (Colleen and I) could stick to chair lifts, we jumped at the chance. I was happy to finish the day Lucinda: 1, Loma: 0.

Considering it was our third day in a row snowboarding, I was expecting a shorter day. However, we kept going until nearly 5:00. By this point my legs felt like rubber and I was in desperate need of a long stretching session. 

Given my cold, after stretching I decided to nap before dinner. And after dinner it seemed like time to go to sleep.

When I woke up I felt marginally better than the day before but still suffering from a cold.  This didn't stop me from putting my snowboard on again. However, the icy run, combined with my tired legs and cold had me taking it right back off. I hoped to go back out once the sun warned up the slopes but the weather had other ideas. Winds kicked up and all the chairlifts  shutdown leaving plans as the only option. This was not my kind of option so I opted for hot chocolate. 

The rest of our crew finished around 2:00 and we ate a traditional Chilean lunch - fondue, before getting in the bus to head to our next destination. 

Santiago Y Mas

I spent my first morning in Santiago with the United Airline Baggage Services. Apparently, my suitcase decided 5 hours was not enough time to enjoy the Houston airport and skipped the flight. Since there is only one flight per day to Chile, it looked like I was going to have to do a little shopping.

We fought off our desire to sleep and after a quick shower we caught a ride with a friendly Uber driver to a Barrio Bellavista. This neighborhood seemed a little sleepy but after a strolling around a little we realized that it must come alive at night since it seemed every other establishment was a nightclub.

After lunch we walked to the center of town to look for a few items to hold me over until my suitcase arrived. Our jet lag was quickly catching up to us so we just tried to kill time until it was acceptable to eat dinner.  Just before dinner we found a park with some spectacular sculptures. After just a few minutes we realized that this park was a favorite with young couples. There were couples snuggled up every few feet. It was borderline uncomfortable for Colleen, Dan and I but we ventured on and took in the entire park.

Finally, we decided it time to eat and found ourselves at a nice wine bar that served several Chilean and Argentinian wines by the glass. We stretched out our dinner so that by the time we finished the restaurant it was finally an acceptable hour to eat dinner in Santiago.

Day two was the start of our tour and thankfully the return of my suitcase. We returned to the airport and met our guides Vicente and Claudio. It took us a little while to get to Farallones but we still managed to have a group meeting before heading to Valle Colorado for our first day on the slopes.

One thing I’m not loving about the ski resorts in Chile is the extensive use of T-Bars and Poma Lifts. These are not snowboard-friendly methods to the top of the mountain. On day one, in the battle between Lucinda and the T-Bars, it was T-Bars 4, Lucinda 3. Perhaps I will catch up by the end of the trip but I’d prefer to retire from the T-Bars altogether.

After a couple hours on the slopes we took a break for an avalanche safety course in the unlikely event of an avalanche. Just before we all froze on top of the mountain, we finished the class and snowboarded back down to our lodge for the first half of our tour.

We enjoyed a spectacular sunset, followed by a steak dinner and then a well deserved night of sleep.

Day two, we headed to Ski La Parva. At this resort we made our first climb of the trip. About halfway up, I had a newfound respect for the people I see climbing Granite Chief at Squaw. I also discovered that they were crazier than I thought. By the time we made it to the top, my legs felt like jello and my lungs were burning. It took about 40 minutes to get up and about 1 minute to snowboard down. The snow was great, in fact the best we found all day, but I would have preferred a shorter climb and longer ski.

After a couple more runs on piste, we broke for lunch where we were introduced to a Chilean specialty – Chorrillanas. This was a giant plate of French fries topped with chicken, steak, chorizo, hotdogs, grilled onions and three fried eggs. I’m not sure I’m ready to eat this dish again anytime soon, but after the long morning of snowboarding, it hit the spot.

After lunch, I began my battle with the Poma Lift. Poma Lift 4, Lucinda 1. Eventually Vincente took pity on me and took us to a chair lift. From there, we took a long ride all the way back to the village and called it a day. It was a good thing too, because, we still have several days of snowboarding still to come.

In Search of Snow

It is finally time for a new adventure. There were a few months early in the year when I was pretty depressed. Not only was there hardly any snow in California, but I also didn't have any trips planned. Not even a short one. Then one day while chilling in the cabin in Tahoe dreaming about snow I remembered this email that I received a couple days earlier from Ski Portilla. I jokingly talked with Dan and Colleen about going to Chile in the summer if it didn't start snowing soon. 

Well, within a few weeks we went from joking about it to researching options to booking a tour. And once we were committed to heading all the way to Chile, we figured why not have Holly join us and head to Easter Island. 

(Yeah, it's not that close but you can only get there via Chile, Peru and Fiji and I've always wanted to go. It didn't hurt that I was feeling a little jealous that my mom's friend Sue had a trip booked and I didn't want to feel left out.)

Oh, and did I mention that Chile is right next to Argentina? I spent a couple hours in Argentina at Iguazu Falls when I was traveling in Brazil, but they refused to stamp my passport so I'm not sure it counted. And this way I get to check out Patagonia, Mendoza and Buenos Aires. So what started as a desire to have at least one really good day snowboarding in 2015 quickly turned into a 3 1/2-week expedition. 

As usual, I will brag blog about it along the way for those of you interested in living vicariously or, like my family, want to make sure I'm still alive.