Steak, Wine & Dulche de Leche!

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We left New Zealand at 1630 on the thursday & arrived in Chile at 12 on the thursday, the first time I've ever gone back in time!! We have a had a great first few weeks In Chile & Argentina with Jen & Thomas. It was a particular help that Thomas speaks fantastic spanish! We had a couple of nights in Santiago, adjusting to the time differences & then took a bus further south to Temuco. The bus passed through some areas that had been badly affected by the earthquake. It was a Sunday & we passed through a village where everyone was gathered outside the church. There was rubble everywhere & so many homes that had collapsed. Along the road we passed several bridges that had collapsed but it was amazing how much they had fixed in the few weeks since the earthquake.
The next day we picked up our 4WD rental jeep, which we aptly named "The Beast". We drove to Puerto Montt & had a gorgeous meal overlooking the sea. We had a Pisco Sour, the traditional drink which is lemony & fairly strong! It was a good nightcap before catching the overnight ferry to Chaiten.
The next morning we braved the cold on deck which was worth it as we saw some Albatross!
We stopped briefly in Chaiten, which was like a ghosttown following the volcanic eruption in 2008. It really is a volatile country, but the people here are so laid back & seem to just get on with life, very humbling. We drove to Puyuahapi a lovely remote town in Patagonia where we found a cosy cabin with a log fire. We had a walk the next day to view the "hanging glacier", it poured with rain the whole day & we were drenched but luckily Jen had packed us a nice brew to warm the cockles!
The next day we drove to Coyhaquie, further south along the Carre Austral rd. Lets just say it was a good job we had a 4WD & strong bladders! We did some lovely walks there and then set off for Argentina. Crossing the border with a rental car wasn't straightforward but thanks to Thomas's Spanish & a few winning smiles we got through, although it was touch & go when Mark confessed to supporting Man United( they were man City fans!). We hoped to reach Bariloche by evening but the journey(through the wilderness!) took longer than expected so we stopped overnight in El Boson. Despite a long day in the car we had a great evening with our first taste of Argentinian Steak & Wine, Yum! We made it to Bariloche for lunch on Easter Day & treated ourselves to a trip to one of the many chocolate shops. We had a lovely few days in Bariloche visiting a few mountains by cable car & the stunning views of the lakes.
We then crossed back over to Chile & had a few days in Pucon. We had a go at Whitewater rafting which was great, despite the fact that the guide was clearly hungover & at one point nearly fell out the raft!
We dropped the car back in Temuco & headed back to Santiago bidding our farewells to Jen & Thomas who sadly didn't ring work & tell them they weren't coming back so they continue travelling with us!
We then took a bus to Mendoza in Argentina, crossing the border for the 3rd time! The road was amazing passing through the Andes & past the highest mountain outside the Himalayas. We have had 4 days here & met some lovely people in the hostel. We did a BBQ last night with plenty of good Beef. Today we did a great wine tour which seems to be a common theme on this trip! The lunch was amazing, the table was covered with Antipasto & then we had risotto, pasta & empanadas(Meat pasties) followed by icecream with dulche de leche( a bit like the toffee in banoffee!). Tomorrow we take an overnight bus to Salta further north. Its 20 hrs but the buses are supposed to be excellent here so heres hoping!

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Comments

[Nathalie]

The buses are brilliant! They sometimes play bingo on them and you get chocolate for breakfast! Glad you liked the wine tours. We did as the food was so good. I love empanadas! You're bringing all these memories back! Have fun, Nathalie xxx

[Becky]

I love it - Mark's poses are getting better and better!! Looks an amazing place x

[anonymous]

I like the sound of dulce de leche!( and steak, empanadas, wine - Homer voice!) Nice to see young Jen on her hols - but sorry not to get a glimpse of Thomas! Keep having fun- lots of love, Mum xx

[Jen]

So many memories!!
Thomas and I have just read the blog together and we want to come back to SA! Real life is so dull in comparison to driving around in "The Beast"! Hope you're enjoying Salta and the 20 hour bus ride wasn't too bad xx p.s. I can't believe you put that photo on of me in my cagoule, I'll get my own back Joanna!! xx

[Thomas]

Qué tal!
Hola chicos! Brilliant to see your article and pictures about our trip through Chile and Argentina. I had an amazing time and hope that you're living your time in SA to the full!! Can't wait to read more about your experiences on this fascinating continent. Hasta luego! Thomas

[Jen]

Message for Gretes!
hi Greta, I think you must have missed out on the extra photos that Jo has posted. You will in fact find several of my handsome husband-to-be by clicking on the extra photos icon near the top of the blog!! Hope you and Peter are both well xx

[Clare Cole]

Hey!
Just realised that i haven't looked at your blog in a long while, neither have i spoke to you guys yet I don't thik, so i must apologise!. Sounds like you guys are having an incredible time I'm definately jealous. I'm glad to see that in times of need you can make friends with the enemy( city fans =) I hope you guys are well. Lots of love Clare (and mark of course)