Day 10
Sunday, a day of rest for us.........and a day for Arlene to get her courage together for the bus ride over the Andes tomorrow to Santiago, Chile. Oh, and to catch up on our blog.
This is our patio at the Argentino Hotel, a charming little hotel with great staff and a comfortable bed.....all we need to keep us happy.
Here is the hotel where we are NOT staying - the Park Hyatt. The Wizard of Oz slot machine in the casino didn´t prove to be lucky for us, like we were expecting.
One of the fascinating things about Mendoza are these irrigation channels that are everywhere and were built by the Spanish conquerers to bring water from the Mendoza River to the city, which is basically a dry desert. The water is used to water the trees and keep the city green. We keep wondering how many cars and people have been lost in these things over the years..........and with all this wine drinking too!
Clos de Chacras is a great example of an older, traditional winery, with adobe walls and tanks. The tanks are painted with an epoxy inside.....the only change that´s been made to them in 90 years.
We ended up at Clos de Chacras with our new drinking buddies, where we had a five course lunch with four wines to sample. We needed a good, long nap after this.
Onto Ruca Mayan, a very modern, upscale winery and vineyard with an incredible view to the Andes. Thought we were having lunch here, but we were suprised to leave and head elsewhere.
Day 9
Spent the day touring wineries in Lujan de Cuyo - Malbec country. The first tasting was at Bodego Tapiz, a mid-sized, high quality winery with modern equipment, like these stainless steel tanks...........which we actually got to taste from.....and then tasted the final product from them.
Day 8
New Year´s Day - travel day from Iguazu to Mendoza, through Buenos Aires. New Year´s Eve was one for the books. We tried to find some place where we could have a light meal, but the restaurants were mostly closed or, those that were open, were booked for private parties or only offered packages with huge buffets......too much food for our rebelling stomachs.
So.......it was crackers and water for us in our hotel room (no joke!) and bed before the firecrackers and gunshots went off at midnight.
Here´s a good idea of the type of pathways that take you over the falls. Needless to say, Arlene definitely had to build up her courage to make part of the walk and Hank was very proud of her. We are so happy that Hank was feeling good enough to make the trip. It was an experience that will be one of our great travel memories.
We had heard that it is possible to see many rainbows throughout the day. We were lucky to catch this one. On the other side of the rainbow is.....................Brazil.
We walked over a series of metal walkways that take you to - and over - the falls. The enormity of this place is awesome.....so much bigger than Niagara. As you walk along, passing babbling brooks and tranquil waters, it´s hard to believe what comes ahead. The force of the water continues to build until you come to this.
There were also butterflies of every color and shape everywhere. We had to walk carefully to avoid stepping on them.
Day 7
But we did, after all, arriving in the early afternoon. After a short walk through the ¨jungle¨, we came to the train station where these baby coatis (South American racoon?) were hanging out around the trash near the restaurant. They have become fairly fearless since tourists have been feeding them and are everywhere. We even saw them begging.
Day 6
After arriving in Iguazu a little later than we anticipated, there was not enough time to make it to the falls, so we walked around the town of Puerto Iguazu, near where our hotel was located. We stopped for some cervezas at this little cafe. The town has a fairly third world feel to it.....Hank says definitely third world.
We decided we would get up early the next day to get to the falls early. Unfortunately, Hank was not feeling well and it looked like we might not get to the falls at all.
From the older part of the city below to the newest, above - Puerto Madero - where old warehouses along the port have been transformed into beautiful apartments and upscale restaurants. This beautiful pedestrian bridge across the river evokes the tango....the man leaning into the woman. On the other side of the river is a modern city of glass that is still being developed.
Day 5
Sorry we were off the map for awhile! Too busy or no internet access.
So, our last day in BA this time around, we decided to visit some of the places we hadn´t had a chance to get to yet. Walked along Avenida de Mayo, taking in the grand older buildings, including their Congress.
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