Goodies from South America
photos: ernesthon
Santiago, Chile-
One of Chile’s favorite sons is Pablo Neruda. He is a well loved poet (and well known communist) who lived in both Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile. Having won the Nobel prize for literature in 1973, both of his houses in Chile: La Chascona in the neighborhood of Bellavista in Santiago, and La Sebastiana in Valparaiso, are now museums where visitors can pay homage to his work.
Vina del Mar, Chile-
We’re always talking about the “big one” on the west coast of Canada, since Vancouver hasn’t seen a big earthquake in a great many years. For the Chileans, the “big one” came just under 2 years ago in February 2010, where an 8.8 magnitude (the 6th strongest ever recorded) earthquake hit the coastal region southwest of Santiago. Chile is prone to strong earthquakes because the oceanic Nazca plate is colliding with the South American plate at a very fast rate. 2 years later, the damage is still visible , especially in historic buildings and churches.
Viña del Mar, Chile-
Chile is one of the biggest exporters of fish in the world because of its highly commercialized fisheries and rich waters. The Humbolt current flowing north from Antarctica and the south pacific that makes the water uncomfortably cold to swim in is also gives this coastal region incredibly high marine productivity. Merluza (Hake), Reineta (Pomfret), and Corvina (Sea Bass) are highly prized fishes in Chilean cuisine. One local favorite is Congrio, or the Conger Eel, is an ugly spotted eel that yields firm and tasty white flesh. It is often prepared in a seafood broth with potatoes and onions, called Cauldillo de Congrio.
Valparaíso, Chile-
South of Viña del Mar is the city of Valparaíso, where the main ports for Chile are located. Many of Chile’s exports are shipped through Valparaíso, as well as much of the wine produced in Mendoza in Argentina. The city lacks the posh resort sheen of Viña, but what it loses in cleanliness, it gains in charm. Houses here cling to steep hills facing the water. The multi color painted stone and corrugated metal reminds me of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. There are steep staircases that wind through the hills, as well as old funiculars which saves you from the hike for a couple of pesos.
Viña Del Mar, Chile- We finally got to spend some time on the beach. Buenos Aires is near the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s waters are a murky brown from the Rio Plata. Instead, we decided to go for the pacific coast, in a town called Viña del Mar, only an hour and a half west of Santiago. The town in the summer is abuzz with vacationers to escape the summer heat. While the beaches are great for tanning and for recreation, the water is quite cold from the current that flows from the south pacific.
Santiago, Chile-
One of the first things we did after getting to Santiago was to go for a hike on Cerro Santa Lucia. It’s a steep hill that’s been turned into a gorgeous park at the east end of the old downtown. The hike up was sweaty in the summer heat and beating sun, but we were well rewarded with panoramic views of the city and the Andes that line the horizon.
The Andes, Argentina and Chile-
We left Mendoza and crossed over the Andes by bus to on our way to Santiago, Chile. This stretch of the Andes has the tallest mountains in the world outside of the Himalayas, including the Aconcagua mountain, the tallest mountain in the southern and western hemispheres. The dramatic vistas during the 7 hour trip was of an alien landscape, devoid of any trees due to the extreme altitude.
Valle de Uco, Argentina-
We joined a wine your that brought us to some of the top vineyards in the Valle de Uco, a valley about an hour and a half south west of Mendoza city. Here, many producers are using mix of modern and traditional techniques to make fine wines for local and export markets.
Mendoza, Argentina-
The countryside around Mendoza is absolutely stunning. This area is just beyond the foothills of the Andes and is Argentina’s greatest area of wine production. Many fine wines that are exported are produced in the Mendoza region, with Malbec being the most famous and iconic of the varietals grown here. Although it’s midsummer here with temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius, the peaks of the mountains to the west of the city are still capped with white snow.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
Goodbye, BA. I’ll miss you for your old world charms, leafy boulevards, and magnificent restaurants. Next up, I’ll be in Mendoza for the next 3 days to explore the beauty of the Andean foothills, go horseback riding, and sampling local wines.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
I think this was the most amusing zoo that I’ve ever visited, where many of the animals such as the nutria (a rodent that looks like a beaver without the flat tail), local ducks, peacocks, and maras (the 4th largest rodent in the world) are free to roam the park. The best part was that the zoo sells little buckets of animal feed, so you get to entice the animals to eat right from your hand.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
9 de Julio, the widest boulevard in the world, was closed off for the Buenos Aires marathon this weekend. It was really cool to walk on the street, which is a full city block wide, with no cars in sight. We walked alongside the runners (impressive, given the sweltering heat and full sun) from Avenida de Mayo all the way to the Oblisco.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
One of my favorite sites in the whole city is the Recoleta cemetery. I’ve already visited twice before, but was still one of the first places I wanted to revisit this trip. The cemetery is in the middle of the beautiful and rich Recolta neighborhood, and houses the crypts of Argentina’s rich and famous families. The crypts are incredibly beautiful and ornate, with each family competing with another for the most glorious monument to their ancestors. Eva Perón is buried here, in a stark black granite crypt under her maiden name, Duarte.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
I’ve been avoiding red meats for the last month in anticipation to all the meat I would be eating in Argentina. Beef is the most celebrated meat here; Argentinians have for a long time consumed the most amount of beef per person (but recently overtaken by their Uruguayan neighbors). The rich soil and ideal climate of the pampas is ideal for raising cattle, and the traditional grass-fed method that Argentinians still use produces superior tasting beef than most of what we get in North America.
The “Parrilla” is the best way to enjoy Argentinian beef. It is a traditional meal with cuts of beef cooked on a slanted metal grill over a charcoal fire, and accompanied by a spread of tasty sides. The beef is only lightly seasoned with salt before grilling and the only sauce that is eaten with the meat is chimichurri, a mix of spices and chopped herbs marinated in vinegar and olive oil.
