República Argentina

It is the 8th largest country by land area in the world and the largest among Spanish speaking nations. It is the 2nd largest country in South America that is famous for its Patagonian ice capped mountains and forests as well as Eva Peron. People across the world pay homage to it when they dance the Tango and others boast of its grass fed feed and increasingly well known wine. Welcome to Argentina!

Nature

I sit perched atop a mountain. I am looking at the mountains surrounding me on every side and at the city of Mendoza below me. I am enjoying the dry heat, fresh air and the silence. I watch one person jump from the mountain and glide like a bird back and forth from left to right under a parachute. This is as close to flying as most people ever come. I wait my turn anxiously, yet appreciate the surrounding beauty and the peace of my present environment as I sit atop the mountain alone. Flying is an intense and exhilarating experience. What I felt most as I soared from side to side was a well needed loss of control. It was obvious, as we glided down from a peak of nearly 2000 feet, that nature was in control. The wind toyed with us and we swayed from one side to another, while my pilot maneuvered the paraglide leading us to an uneventful, gentle and safe landing.

No Andes experience is complete without at least one trekking adventure. Tiptoeing around the Andes from afar is one thing but putting your boots down and climbing through them is another. The mountains here are larger than any mountain range in the world other than the Himalayas in South Asia. The variation in the climate is startling in bone dry Mendoza. It was nearly 100 dry degrees yesterday, but today as we step off the bus and walk towards our base point to begin our trek, it is a breezy 65 degrees Fahrenheit from this vantage point high above the town below. A mere 90 minutes distance and 2500 feet in altitude from the center of Mendoza brings staggering temperature drops. As we push our legs up and through the mountains trails, the beauty is spectacular. We walk among cows that are brought to this area in the spring and summer to graze on the grasses that sprout up in pockets amongst the rocks in this arid mountain landscape. Ivy and I particularly enjoy filling our empty water bottles up time and time again from the streams that trickle down from the mountains and nourish the town of Mendoza below. The scenery amongst the 900 meters we climb (up to 3400 feet) is pure nature complete with mountain streams, ravines and rock formations. As we reach our summit and feel the mist from the clouds that have dampened the hair on our heads, we feel a sense of accomplishment.

Bariloche lives up to its label as the “Argentine Switzerland”. It seems to have endless blue lakes with snow capped mountains in the background amid numerous trees and bright yellow bushes that offer a nice contrast to the blue and green surroundings. It is quiet and refreshing to sleep in this peaceful area. Renting a car in Bariloche proved to be a savior. Without this car, we wouldn’t have experienced half of what we did during a full day’s worth of jumping in and out of the car at numerous stopping points to admire the beauty surrounding us on all angles. At one stop, we took a chair lift up to the Campanario Hill view point. As Ivy and I breathed in the fresh mountain air and stared at the lakes below us in awe, we could find no words to express to each other. The lakes, trees and mountains that stretched out from our eyes spoke to us in a way that only nature can. Arriving at the view point, we see a wider range of these same wonderful views from all angles. We snap pictures and sit quietly, attempting to pay gratitude to the beauty of this area in a way that words can’t.

The Maza River basin that connects Argentina and Chile is white water river rafting country. The base camp where our rafting trip begins could be a Patagonian brochure, complete with green pastures and cows and sheep grazing amongst the trees with mountains looming on all sides. As we make our way down into the river and feel the icy waters of the Maza River chill our bodies through our wet suits, we look around ourselves, admiring the trees and mountains; however, we must keep our eyes on the task at hand – making it through the rapids without flipping our raft. Being in the front of the raft, I experience the full force of the water as it constantly crashes into me, chilling my body to the bone. As we take the rapids head on, I can see up close the gigantic holes in the river that our raft crashes in and out of. It is obvious that despite all our paddling and the shifting of our bodies from side to side to maneuver the raft, we are all just along for the ride as the river toys with our raft despite our attempts to control it.

It’s Christmas Eve and we find ourselves horseback riding through the Andes in 70 degree weather. Our launching point is an estancia (e.g. ranch) 20 minutes outside of central Bariloche. On this ranch nestled in the forest, the owner raises horses and organizes horseback riding trips. After our guide, Martin, explains to us how to control our horses, we begin our trek up and through the mountains. There is beauty on every side as we blaze a trail through endless trees above and below us. The wind blows the colored grasses that our horses stop frequently to munch on. With the smell of refreshing evergreen in the air, we climb higher and higher into the mountains that surround us. Along the way, we make stops and fill up our water bottles from the streams that run down the mountain. My horse, Molly, is a bit aggressive and Martin reminds me that I, not the horse, am in charge. I need to cajole Molly to the left and then to the right and pull the reins with force to stop her on occasion when she begins to move too fast for my liking. Arriving at our peak of 1400 meters, the views below are as complete as we’ve seen with vast blue lakes and mountains in the distance, trees on all sides and valleys below us. I feel fortunate and feel a degree of privilege as I sit atop Molly and majestically trot through the mystical beauty that surrounds me.


Food and Wine

If I chose to use one word to sum up my dining experiences in Argentina, I would use the world asado. An asado is every day Argentine food and is served in every part of the country. When I say every day Argentine food, let me clarify. I mean meat and lots of it! An asado includes almost every interior part of the cow - from liver, kidney and intestine, to the usual tenderloin and strip steak and it is all cooked over a large charcoal or wood fired grill. Temperature is never asked and whatever cut you bite into is always flavorful with juices marinating in each bite. There are other meats and sausages included in an asado as well as the option of including a salad bar. It is a no-frills dining experience with just fresh, hand cut, meat on a plate or wooden platter, along with grilled vegetables. The meat is served with chimichuri which is a sauce, or salsa, which typically comes in a red or green form. The red seems to be a combination of fresh garlic and onion with chili powder and crushed red pepper blended with oil. The green has a variety of fresh herbs along with garlic, onion and oil to give it its verde (green) salsa look. It is designed to be atop meats but is served with nearly everything from bread to empanadas.
My first asado at El Patio de Jesus Maria in Chacras just outside Mendoza is a memorable dining experience. Sitting on a ½ acre grassy lawn surrounded on all sides by tall towering trees and flowering bushes makes for a romantic, serene environment. We started with a salad of mixed vegetables which was a good counterbalance for the onslaught of meat that was to come. One delicate slice after another, the cuts came. Chorizo sausage, blood sausage, ribs, sweetbreads, flank steak, skirt steak and kid goat. It is all wonderful, full of incredible flavor and served in a beautiful setting.

During an 8 hour wine tour through the Mendoza countryside, we see and taste the fruits of our surroundings. We visit spectacular lush green vineyards that are dotted with poplar and olive trees for miles on end with the Andes Mountains acting as the backdrop. At the 1st vineyard we visit, Domaine St. Diego, I learn more about wine than I ever thought I would know. At this small vineyard which doesn’t export, we are able to spend an informative hour touring their vineyards which helps me to better appreciate the scientific aspect of wine making. Make no mistake, wine making is a craft and a process that needs to be mastered. I found the grafting process particularly interesting. During this process, new vines are grafted into older vines in order to sustain, and bolster the older vines with new life. The arid climate around Mendoza makes snow accumulation on the Andes Mountain peaks a well researched and analyzed topic given the importance of the water the mountains produce to the wine growers in this area. With only 10 inches of rain per year in this region, water is a precious and highly regulated resource. We have a long and wonderful day of tasting at 4 vineyards that includes a 5 course lunch highlighted by a tasty steak at Ruca Malen which overlooks the surrounding vineyards. After all that wine and meat, we decide to outdo ourselves later that evening by having dinner at one of Mendoza’s finer restaurants, Francis Malman 1884. We drink more wine and eat hunks of baby goat and wonderful lamb chops that are cooked parilla style over coals on an open air grill located in the restaurants courtyard. This was a day for carnivores!

They eat late in South America. It is no joke and while I thought I would adjust, it is more difficult to do so than I expected, especially as a tourist. Restaurants are just opening their doors and finishing setup at 8 PM. 8:30 PM is really the earliest you want to arrive unless you want to eat alone and with many meals extending for 2-3 hours, it is not uncommon to be finishing a meal at well past 11 or 12. I am not used to this and while I can see how it works for locals whose jobs may start later as part of the local culture, it can be difficult for a traveler who may have activities scheduled for 8 AM the next day.

Our accommodations are bed and breakfasts where fresh fruit and home cooked pastries are served every morning. From fresh made scones and strudels to fresh squeezed orange juice along with homemade breads served with assorted house made marmalades, we begin each day full of energy.

After white water rafting, we have some of the best meat we have on our entire trip. We have an asado cooked in the open air over a wood fire in the middle of the forest. The meal is prepared by a local family that is employed to prepare and serve meals to white water rafting groups. The cooking method seems to fit perfectly with our beautiful surroundings that include patches of grass, cows and sheep grazing, the sound of the river and the surrounding mountains. The meat and chorizo sausage are full of smoky flavor that comes from the wood. We are in the middle of a Patagonian forest feasting on the fruits of the land. This is the way meat is meant to be cooked and devoured!

The empanada is one of the great snack foods in the world. They have some variation of them in every culture whether they call them ravioli’s in Italy, dumplings in Asian cultures or pierogis in Eastern Europe. Fill a pocket of some sort of dough with a bunch of goodies and bake it, fry it, boil it or steam it and then dip it in some sort of sauce. In Argentina, that wrapper is a pastry that is either baked or fried and served with chimichurri sauce. We ate them everywhere, sometimes as a snack and nearly always as an appetizer prior to many dinners and some lunches.

Our last dinner in Buenos Aires is also one of our best and highlights the quality of the wonderful meat that most signifies Argentine cuisine. Whether it was in our guide books or spoken from the mouths of locals we met during the weeks during which we traveled throughout the country, we were instructed to go to Cabrera in the Palermo neighborhood for meat. It was a Sunday, our last full day in Buenos Aires when we hopped into a cab at 2:00 PM and made our way to Cabrera for a main meal lunch. As our taxi driver approached the restaurant, we saw a group of people standing out front who were apparently waiting for a table. It was a pleasant day and we waited out front anxiously for 30 minutes before they called our names. Before I sat down, I had the feeling that this was going to be one of those meals that met and exceeded every expectation one might have. The interior of the restaurant was crowded as was the outdoor patio and everyone’s table was filled with meat displayed on boards, salads and small tapas like bowls that numbered in the teens. We started with chorizo sausage along with a salad to begin our meal. The vegetables in the salad were fresh and the chorizo sausage was the best I had on the entire trip. We tried to order the full portion of sausage, but the waiters’ expression told us we might be overstepping the boundaries that our stomachs wanted to aspire to, so we opted for the half order. When the waiter arrived with half a role of sausage curled up on a platter, we said, “Thanks for the advice.” We cut into one piece after another of the smoky flavorful chorizo that had a hint of paprika in every bite. We used the various sauces provided to dip the sausage into and savored every bite. For our main entrée, we ordered a half barbecued chicken that had nice flavor but the real prize was the bife de chorizo. Bife de chorizo is one of the cuts of meat that is similarly cut the same way elsewhere around the world as in Argentina. It is the same cut as what you may know as top loin, sirloin steak, strip steak and a N.Y. strip. Many consider it be the steak of steaks that is meant for the grill. It is rich, meaty, juicy, and you need a steak knife to cut through it. For these reasons, bife de chorizo acts as a great litmus test for those who care to sample and compare Argentinean beef to the beef they consume in their own locale. I have had bife de chorizo a couple times on the trip and while I have enjoyed it, it hasn’t been amazing for something so talked about. That all changed today! Each bite was so full of juicy wonderful flavor that I can actually say I was lost in the moment, or the meal. My wife and I actually had to barter over the last bite although I won’t say what the loser’s penance was. As I sat back and looked at our table after this feast fit for a king, it was quite a spectacle. A bowl of salad, a hunk of half finished chicken on a platter and at least 20 different small tapas style side dishes holding anything from white beans in a spicy red sauce to sweet potatoes, eggplant, hearts of palm and too many other things to remember.

The City

No visit to Argentina is complete without a stop in Buenos Aires. This is the heartbeat of Argentina and is one of the grandest cities in the entire world. Arriving on Christmas Day, we quickly settle into the neighborhood that will serve as our home for the next week. Upon first glance, Recoleta is full of greenery with many parks, monuments, sidewalk cafés and European Style buildings. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was in one of Europe’s grand cities like Paris or Vienna. To say that Buenos Aires is a significant city is an understatement. When I say significant, I am talking 10 lanes of traffic in one direction dissected by two boulevards big in some areas. This city is much more than just big though. The numerous monuments and grand French, Italian and Spanish style buildings are surrounded by large plazas and extravagant parks that are full of monuments with plenty of green space to relax with a book or picnic with your family.

Buenos Aires is also a city of great food which we experienced fully. Guerrin is a well renowned pizzeria that we read about in our Rough Guide and which was recommended to us by a Buenos Aires local that sat next to us on a flight we took from Mendoza to Bariloche. He was actually quite proud of his suggestion and told us that we would remember him if we went to Guerrin. I still remember him. On our 2nd day in Buenos Aires, I told my wife that I wanted to stroll up Avenida Corrientes on the way back from exploring the city center. Little did she know I had an agenda until we walked into Guerrin. This is what you would call a Buenos Aires institution with stand up counters where locals munch on chunks of mozzarella and a slice of pizza while washing it down with a chopp (draft beer) of Quilmes (the bud of Argentina). The interior is beautifully decorated and family friendly with many smiling families enjoying a Saturday afternoon pizza. My wife and I split a small (chico) pizza that is topped with garlic, tomato and onion. There is a minimal amount of sauce which allows the truly spectacular flavor of the vegetables and high quality mozzarella to stand out. I looked forward to every single bite of one of the best pizzas I have ever had.

Buenos Aires is a great city to run through with its many parks and wide avenues. As we run through the Recoleta neighborhood on a sunny, 75 degree morning, we take advantage of this perfect opportunity to appreciate the monuments and parks that border two of Buenos Aires massive roads that run through this neighborhood, Avenida Del Libertador and Avenida President Figueroa Alcorta. As much as we enjoy jogging, we also enjoy the walking. Thirty minutes in one direction and 45 in another. We move from one neighborhood to another on our feet experiencing the city by means of our legs. For anyone coming to Buenos Aires that doesn’t enjoy walking, they would miss out on many of Buenos Aires charms. Walking down wide tree lined sidewalks through beguiling and charming neighborhoods like Palermo and peering into the NY Soho style shops and great cafes, bars and restaurants in areas like this is so much a part of the experience of enjoying this city. Much of this would be missed if you were passing by in a cab or a bus.

It is a bright Sunday morning and we begin our day by trekking towards Buenos Aires most famous square, Plaza de Mayo, to snap pictures of the Pink Palace where Eva Peron used to address her fans during her reign years ago. Afterwards, we move up and down pedestrian Calle Florida with its endless shops and down Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires grandest avenue. Like the Champs Elysees in Paris, Avenida de Mayo is lined with beautiful, large, looming trees in addition to cafes and hotels, many of which are architectural gems. The center of the avenue is one large park for relaxing and meandering at the pace that suits you. Our jaunt down Avenida de Mayo is a slow one that takes well over an hour, eventually ending in the Monserrat and San Telmo neighborhoods that are an extension of the city center. Monserrat and San Telmo are working class neighborhoods known for their impressive old buildings. Today is Sunday though and this area, particularly San Telmo, is quite the place to be. The San Telmo craft market runs up Defensa avenue for nearly ¾ of a mile with both sides of the street lined with vendors selling antiques, belts, wallets, jewelry, clothing, serving trays and anything else you can name. This is one of the top tourist destinations for both Buenos Aires locals and tourists. There is value to be found here as I purchased a decorative leather belt for $9 and my wife bought a pair of earrings for $10. Mixed in between all these tables and blankets full of goods are food vendors. Some are on foot offering empanadas or calzone like filled breads while others have carts where they squeeze oranges and offer glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. On a day like today with so many locals and tourists dedicating a significant portion of their day to the market and San Telmo, it would be hard to pass by all these tasty treats without sampling something. Ivy and I have a love affair with street food which made it agonizing for us to respond “No Thanks” to 7 or 8 vendors before we stopped to have a refreshing glass of orange juice. We had remained patient in the hopes that there was something special waiting for us ahead until we heard some singing and saw smoke rising from a tiny square on the right about 40 yards ahead of us. We immediately headed in the direction of the smells and sounds coming from this area. As we got closer, we saw 4 huge barrel drum grills where meat sizzled over slowly burning charcoals offering a myriad of wonderful aromas. These large grills have rows of chorizo sausages and huge slabs of pork and beef slowly cooking side by side. We didn’t have to make a decision as our stomachs and senses did that for us. We ordered a bondiola which is a sliced pork sandwich seasoned only with salt and lemon and then located a table to sit at. Ivy sat down and waited while I stood and anxiously watched the cook prepare the meat. He paid close attention to the task at hand, flipping the slabs of pork and beef every minute or two. After a few minutes of watching this, he pulled a slab of pork off the grill and sliced a few generous chunks off the end. He then placed each slice back on the grill and carefully dusted one side with salt and a squeeze of lemon. After about 45 seconds, he flipped the slices and seasoned the other side. After a few salivating minutes for me, he looked in my direction and emerged with a French roll dripping with a bit of grease. I smiled and made a slicing motion and he cut the sandwich in half. Excitedly, I grabbed the sandwich and made my way to the condiment table where I doused the sandwich with herb laden chimichurri sauce and onion and pepper relish. I literally ran over to Ivy and handed her half of the sandwich. The first bite offered flavors that will be instilled in my memory for years, if not decades. Juice from the pork dripped down my cheek as I engrossed myself in the wonderful grilled taste of the pork along with the taste of onion and garlic and the bread which served as a sponge to ensure that nothing escaped. Bite after bite, Ivy and I alternated between looking at each other and at the barrels of charcoal where meat sizzled, knowing that this was a memorable street food experience we were sharing. The word bondiola will always be something that Ivy and I will have between us. Satiated, we moved on to experience more of San Telmo’s charm. This is one of the most charming areas in Buenos Aires with its colonial style shuttered buildings and Plaza Dorrego which is especially charming on non market days with a few vendors selling high quality jewelry, art and leather products around a sprawling square of inviting tables. Some of the stores that house the craft shops in this area look like they should be in a painting as they are tucked away behind the plaza in and among charming exposed inter courtyards. San Telmo is less glamorous than Retiro or Recoleta but feels a bit more representative of the populous of this huge city. They day is winding down on this Sunday and we decide to stop for a beer and relax after a fun filled day. As we sit and relax, I am surprised to see a colorful parade of street performers that begin to make a lot of noise and slowly move in our direction. The performers are dressed in different red, green, blue and yellow colored outfits and most have drums hanging from their necks or held under one arm that they play fastidiously and in unison. Amongst the drummers are dancers who twirl around and dance with passion. As we sit and watch and enjoy the environment around us, we are in full appreciation of the energy and vibrant life that reverberates through San Telmo on a Sunday.

After a long day and nearly 10 miles of walking through San Telmo and Boca and nearly all the way back to Recoleta, our legs are tired. We are thinking of giving into our weary legs and jumping into a cab. After deliberating, we decide to push forward. It is a good idea we do as we are rewarded. As we continue on and look above and all around us, all we see are pieces of paper floating through the air, eventually landing on the ground and the people below. It looks like it is raining paper. It is December 30th, the last work day for many Argentines and we are approaching the downtown center near Calle Florida. To celebrate the end of the working year, it is a Buenos Aires tradition for people to rip the pages off of their 2009 calendars, tear them up and throw them out of their windows, watching them fall to the ground below. However, the people throwing paper out of the window aren’t limited to business workers and the paper isn’t limited to calendars. Everyone seemed to be participating, ripping up any papers they can find and throwing them out their windows contributing to what seems to be an endless paper shower. As we make our way down Buenos Aires huge pedestrian and shopping thoroughfare, Calle Florida, the carnage is evident as many of the street vendors who sell goods by lying them out on blankets have bits of paper intermixed with their merchandise. In fact, there is paper everywhere leaving the sanitation workers with a lot of work ahead of them. With this being the last day of work for so many, there is a sense of a big night ahead. Given that it is close to 5 PM, there are plenty of people filling the bars in the downtown area after work to begin the New Year celebration early. We join the festivities by relaxing at a bar, sitting outside and enjoying a couple of drinks before pushing ourselves to walk another 2 miles home. Ten miles of walking has left us weary making a relaxing night in our apartment sound very appealing.