Buenos Aires, Argentina: Part One

In the novel Antigua Vida Mia by Marcela Serrano, main character Violeta states, upon returning to Chile after traveling through Latin America, “Tres cosas me han impresionado muy negativamente de este país al volver, el Nescafé, la ausencia de calefacción central y el machismo, y en ese orden” ( Three things have had a negative impression on me upon returning to this country, Nescafé, the absence of central heating and machismo, and in that order).

We love Chile, but it was so nice to have some real espresso in Buenos Aires! We will just have to see if there's central heating when we return in May and we will refrain from commenting on the machismo... :)

Buenos Aires was better than we could have imagined, cafes on every corner with real espresso, international cuisine, nightlife, art and fashion, amazing architecture. Kind of like New York City with more Latin flare!

Here's Jack in our first hostel, El Portal del Sur, a 6 story building in the middle of down town, one block off Avenida de Mayo, with a 100 year old wrought iron elevator and a roof top terrace bar overlooking the city.

Jack always knows where the onda is...


La Casa Rosada- the pink house - is the presidential palace- just outside is the Plaza de Mayo where for decades the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo have marched, every Thursday at 3pm in a silent protest of the "desaparecidos" - the thousands of people that "disappeared" during the Dirty War. Unfortunately, after we had practically ran there to catch a glimpse of the marching moms, we realized they have officially retired! But we did get to see a bunch of tourists crowded around 3 mothers sitting on a park bench, snapping away pictures like the paparazzi...



Down at the other end of the Avenida de Mayo is the congress building- see Jack on the bench?


We stayed in the San Telmo neighborhood, which is known for its countless antique shops. Check out the cool vintage toy store we stumbled across!



El Federal was a bar/cafe right next to our second hostel that served a mean cheese omelet and, of course, great espresso!



Typical Buenos Aires graphic art on the wall at El Federal


Florida Pedestrian Street



Recoleta Cemetery


Evita Peron Duarte's tomb at Recoleta Cemetery


Tomb dedicated to a 17 year old daughter (and her dog) in Recoleta cemetery


More amazing sites at the Recoleta Cemetery




Many of the family tombs had broken windows and you could see right in, very creepy but at the same time beautiful


La Boca neighborhood is known for its brightly painted buildings and Tango dancing, but it was pretty much just a tourist trap.








Live tango in La Boca




This is what we'd been missing! Real espresso and delicious media lunas (half moons = croissants)



We spent a lot of time shopping around at all the hand made clothing boutiques. Artists come together and rent out a space, often times a bar or loft, to sell their one of a kind pieces.

Talca and Altos de Lircay National Reserve

Before heading back to reality, we decided we needed one more outdoor experience. We bussed north from Villarrica to Talca, which is located about 3 hours south of Santiago. Following a Lonely Planet recommendation we decided to stay at the highly recommended Casa Chueca, located on the outskirts of town. Casa Chueca is known as a destination in its own right, and the reasons for this became clear upon arrival. Beautiful gardens, quaint and tastefully constructed rooms and dorms, and an idyllic swimming pool give the impression of a club med stay rather than a $16 a night hostel, not to mention their excellent all you can eat vegetarian dinners and fancy wine selection. We enjoyed out first night there hanging out with fellow travelers Catherine and Thomas from Germany, swimming and chit-chatting.

"Tumi," our dorm room at the hostel... named after a type of ceremonial Peruvian knife which seen to the left of the doorway!


The swimming pool!


Hammocks, beautiful gardens and a pool, what more could you ask for?

After a day of preparation, we headed east towards the little town of Vilches, on the edge of the Altos de Lircay National Reserve. We had been forewarned about the dust that we would encounter both on the bus ride and the trail, but couldn’t of imagined the extent. It was so bad that the windows had to be kept closed the entire 2 ½ hours. We stepped off the bus into ankle-deep dust like cocoa powder, except not quite as sweet. We took a wrong turn down a steep path, (sorry, Jack!) then had to backtrack for 45 minutes, finally arriving at our first campsite 3 hours later.

Not sure how we missed this giant sign the first time we walked by!


We were told that this tree has been dead for over 10 yrs. Can you see the crescent moon in the background?


It was a tough hike and the campground definitely left something to be desired, used toilet paper everywhere, yellow jackets and horseflies, cows (one came and drooled on Jack's backpack!) and, yes, more dust. After a nice long lap in the protection and comfort of our tent (thanks mom and dad!) we headed off to see the mirador (viewpoint), not really knowing what we would see. It was beautiful! The viewpoint overlooks the scenic Valle Venado and the river that winds its way through the bottom, as well as several massive Andes volcanoes in the background. As we were enjoying the view, a pair of huasos (Chilean cowboys) came zigzagging up the steep, gravel trail. Very cool and worth the efforts.

Jo at the top of the world! Overlooking Valle Venado.





Now that's a vista! The Valle Venado Mirador.

After a good night's sleep we hiked the grueling 1,200 meter trail to the famed Enladrillado (brickwork or paved with brick), which is a flat plateau covered in patches of lava rock that look like huge, you guessed it, bricks. This was caused by lava flowing over a glacier and is also a famous site for UFO sightings. We thought the first vista was incredible, but this one took our breath away.

That 1 hour was a doozy! Check out the rock "el conojito " in the background.


Jo posing at the Enladrillado, which is famous for UFO sightings - 2,700 meters


Jack at the Enladrillado with Volcano Descabezado Grande in the background.


The moonscape on the way out of the plateau near the Enladrillado

After a break, we continued on to the Laguna Alto where we set up camp and took a refreshing swim in the icy cold waters. It felt great to get rid of the layers of dust that had accumulated on the trail. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the alpine valleys surrounding the lake and we even hiked all the way around the lake, which was a fun adventure. That night we had the lake all to ourselves and the next morning awoke as the sun spilled over the mountains, bathing the lake in crimson light.

Our first look at the Laguna Alto


The laguna with the Volcano in the background.


The hike out was nothing short of pure hell, we descended something like 2,000 meters at full throttle trying to catch the early bus out of the park. The park ranger told us it would take about 1 1/2 hours to get out of the park when in fact it took 3 full hours. However we were able to catch a 12 pm bus and it all worked out in the end.

That night we returned to the Casa Chueca and enjoyed a swim, good conversation with fellow travelers, and yet another excellent vegetarian dinner. The following day we hung around the pool some more, read and enjoyed watching the owner Franz giving lama rides. On the grounds they have lamas, chickens, and even donkeys!



This is what happens when you descend 4,000 feet with a 40 pound bag in less than 3 hours. It should have come as no surprise when Jack woke up with this frightening-looking burst blood vessel in his left eye.

Villarrica and Pucon

After a few relaxing days in Valdivia, we were ready for another outdoor adventure. So we headed north to the Villarrica/Pucon area, the “adventure capital” of Chile’s Lakes Region, Araucania. (named after the monkey puzzle tree, araucaria, that is so abundant in this region)

Pucon and Villarrica are about 30 minutes apart on Lake Villarrica, with volcano Villarrica in the background. Pucon is kind of like I imagine Aspen, a luxury resort town with BMWs and Mercedes everywhere, while Villarrica is more residential.

In downtown Pucon there is a tour operator on every corner, offering to take you up the volcano, white water rafting, canyoning, to the hot springs, hiking, fishing, etc… There is also a plethora of good food and cafes. We found the best ice cream at Huerto Azul (we loved frutas del bosque = forest berries, another fav was cinnamon). We also devoured home-made pasta and whole wheat empanadas filled with veggies and cheese as well as Antarctic krill (weird) at Trawen, pictured below.

Pucon and the Volcano Villarrica

Pucon has a beautiful black sand beach on the lake, but during the summer it overflows with Santiaguinos. It looked more like MTV Spring break in Cancun with umbrellas and beach towels covering the extensive waterfront.

What will you watch when you get bored of watching the volcano? A Direct TV ad on the beach.


Jo enjoying a delicious meal at Trawen in Pucon.


Don't panic Margaret! The green light means mild earthquakes, some steam and a little smoke, but a relatively low risk of eruption.