Goodies from South America
photos: ernesthon
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-
Puerto Madero is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires on the other side of the old Microcentro district that houses many of the city’s newest and tallest buildings. The middle of the neighborhood is a series of locks that used to be the old shipping port for the city 18th century. Since the opening of a new port in the 20th century, the area went into decline. However, in the 90’s, the city decided to redevelop the area and rehabilitate the brick shipping and warehousing buildings in the area and turn it into one of the trendiest and most expensive districts in the city. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is a distinctive angled cantilever pedestrian bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.
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.
Buenos Aires, Argentina-
We landed early this morning in BA just after the crack of dawn. As we were approaching we got a good glimpse of the lush green Pampas that stretch out into the Argentinian countryside, a reminder that Argentina’s former glory was built on its agricultural heritage. Sitting at the mouth of the river Plata, Buenos Aires was a natural site of trade where the grain and cattle could be exported.
