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Published: November 1st 2011
Punte Del Este
This table and chairs sits out on the rocks offshore. Now you see him........Date? Ive forgotten, its been so long since we wrote anything!! So here's the catch up:
On Tuesday we caught a bus to Punte del este, about 2 hrs from Montevideo. Its a beautiful, affluent beach side town, that pretty much closes down during the off season- and they can afford to as there is soooo much money here in the high season. The amount of construction going on is phenominal. The locals are quite resentful of this as all of the buildings, apartments and land are being bought up by wealthy Argentinians and Brazilians. The Homes and apartments are really reasonably priced here when you compare them to Australian prices, so you cant blame the investors for wanting a piece of a great pie.
Stayed at a great hostel called El Viajero-same chain as in Colonia. Really well run and a really diverse range of ages which is great. The weather has been overcast and windy but when you're walking around the Rambla on the ocean and its blowing a treat it really doesnt matter because the beach and the waves are so dramatic and you can watch them for hours .
We already feel more relaxed now that
Punte Del Este
....now you dont!! LOL we're out of Montevideo.
Shane booked another wine tour here with a guy called Ryan Hamilton who started up a new venture just recently called The Wine Experience. If he spent as much money on decent wine as he has on wine tours in the past few months, I might drink more red wine!! No more cleanskins or cheap crap when we get home Mr!
Shane says: There is method to my madness. If Sharls doesn't like it, I get the whole bottle to myself.
Sharls says: And trust me, if he thinks he isnt going to get the whole bottle or I drink the last of a bottle, his eyes go red and his head starts spinning around on his shoulders!! Its scary shit!! LOL
Anyhow, its really was an awesome day. We started at a winery called Bodega Alto de la Ballena, where we spent a couple of hours with the wine maker, having a look around the property and tasting 4 or 5 really lovely wines.
Our second stop is at the only 7 Star Property in South America called Estancia Vik located in Jose Ignacio, which is a private property. This place
is gob smackingly classy but so unpretentious. The owners are a Norwegian couple, Alex and Cassie Vik, who holiday in Uruguay once a year. Their love of art and hotels and travel and family led them to develop this amazing $22million home on this 4000 acre property.
Every suite is decorated from the ground up by a different artist, and some of them are quite famous in Uruguay. The Vik's have their own suite there when they stay but otherwise all of the rooms are available to rent. In the off season which is now, you can stay there for US$750, but in the high season rooms start at $1250 per night. Guests have free range of all facilities as if it were their own home, including the massive stables.
Their chef is fabulous and we had a 7 course degustation menu for lunch, complete with wine. There is no hurry in South America when you sit down for a meal. Restaurants arent trying to rush you out the door so that they can fit another sitting in. We were still eating at 4pm!!!!
Afterwards, Ryan drove us a couple of miles into the town of Jose Ignacio,
and we were privelaged enough to be shown around the other holiday home of the Vik's, Playa Vik. The art work in this home is worth millions of dollars.
We were going to try and stay on here a little longer and go and stay out at Jose Ignacio, but everything is closed down for the low season. Sixto, who is no longer in charge of the wallet as he doesnt have one, suggests we stay on at Estancia Vik!! The man wont pay more then 5 bucks for a bottle of wine, and he wants to stay there. He's had way too much to drink today!
Our last night in Punta Del Este is with a great bunch of new people over lots of wine and pizza.
30th October 2011
So here we are, back in Buenos Aires.
Took the bus back to Montevideo, to catch the bus to Colonia to catch the ferry back to BA.
The ferry had an amazing array of perfume, and I was unable to resist. (I also have the wallet now! LOL). They also had Baileys on sale- 2x $30, so I thought I better stock up on
Punte Del Este
A view from the garden at Estancio Vik that too.:-)
We are staying at the Atenea Apartments where we stayed last time we were here.
We couldnt get the apartment last night so I booked the Emperador. We are staying there at the end of our Antarctica trip as part of that package, so we thought we would check it out. Arrived on the ferry, sat in the lounge on wifi and booked it online, and then got a taxi around there. They didnt have our reservation. Apparently their booking service closes at 12 midday and after that they dont have them on record. I was able to give her the confirmation number so it wasnt a problem.
In fact it was a blessing - Qantas cancelled their flights across the world, and all their cancelled customers in BA were put up at the Emperador in standard rooms. As a result, there were none left and we got an upgrade to a corner suite! It was massive, and it was gorgeous and I love a midday checkout!!
Shane says: It was amazing. Huge bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, and $15 a can for beer. Needless to say I didn't opt for the beer.
So we've plonked ourselves
Punta Del Este
Lunch at Estancio Vik here in Palermo today, got a bottle of Malbec and an Antipasto platter for lunch and cooked up a pasta for dinner.
That will pretty much be it until we sail out to Antarctica on Thursday. Stocked up on Baileys so provided Shane doesnt drink it all in the next 4 nights, I should be right :-)
Shane says: Its all yours baby. I've stocked up on a few reds by the name of La Linda otherwise known as The Beautiful, and a few Quilmes 1 litre bottles of beer for a buck fifty.
It has been an amazing three months on the Continent and I cant believe that it has gone so fast. I have a feeling that we will be back real soon. Colombia, Bolivia and a few other places to visit yet.
Just a quick note to let you know Sharls had a real blonde moment before. She was putting the stove on and couldn't work out how to turn the gas on. I said its the lever above the stove. She laughed and said I thought that was a can opener.
Sharls says: LOL It really does look like one of those wall
Punte Del Este
Lunch at Estancio Vik mounted can openers though ;-)
He wont be drinking all the La Linda on his own. His head can spin all it likes :-)
31st October 2011
Have literally walked miles and miles today. Set out at about 11am and didnt get back until almost 6pm. We walked to Recoleta today from Palermo. I have been dying to see the Recoleta cemetery for so long! It was the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires, opening in 1822, and is now THE most relevant historical and artistic monument in the country, with over 4200 graves!
Some of the most famous and relevant people of Argentine history rest here: politicians presidents, poets, explorers, priests, writers and more are honoured today by the thousands of Argentines and foreign visitors.
So Shane indulged me in one of my favourite past times - wandering through old cemeteries. It really was so peaceful and some of the monuments are truly magical.
The thing that strikes you firstly here is that many of the coffins are not buried under bare earth. They are crypts for families, complete with stair ways that lead deep underground. In many cases, the front of the crypyt shows
the coffin or coffins of the heads of the family. They are so well preserved as they are not in touch with any of the elements, and the wood is of the highest quality. One of the graves that had open gates literally had around 20 coffins in it, each one on its own shelf above the other. I could lean right on in there and see to the bottom.
A nice home cooked steak dinner tonight. We are moving to another apartment in the complex tomorrow as there is a problem with the internet - problem being there isnt any!!!!
Shane says: It was a good day wandering the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. It is fantastic how this Continent uses its public space for all its people. It was especially good eating churizo in the park. Street food no matter where you are is always the best food. Sharls and I have been to a couple of countries now, but there is no argument about where we love to eat (street food). My wife is a weird and wonderful creature, but this thing with death amazes me. Her love of cemeteries and all that entails is different.
But I love her all the same.
PS- Colonel, I'm having a Baileys. My crack for a bottle when I get home.
Sharls says: yeah, and its MY Baileys too, so he'll be buying ME another bottle before we even leave here!!
There is nothing weird about loving cemeteries. They are incredible works of art :-)
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