Great job last Saturday as the Eagles handled Lamar. We were able to keep up with the play-by-play before we left on out flight from Sydney to Melbourne.
Good luck in Justin, TX as you take on Waco Midway. We will do what we can to keep up from New Zealand.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Mendoza 11/15/12 - 11/18/12
We arrived in Mendoza early in the morning after an 18 hour bus ride, so we didn't force ourselves to run out and do any wine tours that day. We spent the day planning wine tours around the potential rain in the forecast and eventually got some booked for the next 2 days. Luckily, the weather finally cooperated and we had a great time in dry weather for both days.
A little fyi...most wines produced in Mendoza are either malbec or cabernet sauvignon. The malbec is what this region is specifically well known for. They also produce some merlot, rose, chardonnay and red blends, but produce few whites.
Our first wine tour of the Mendoza wineries was by a tour bus with a group of about 16 people. It was your typical tour group-esque tour at each winery (also known as a Bodega). This was a good intro course for Matt because he had never been on a wine tour.
After visiting three different wineries, each unique in its own way, we got to have a great spread for lunch. We arrived to a table full of meats, cheeses, and random sides which were only the appetizers, as well as homemade pasta, and ice cream to finish it off. We also had an abundant amount of wine left on the table for us to dispense at our own liking. Our group managed to empty all the bottles.
Our wine tour experience on the next day was much more intimate and was also in a different wine region. We took a public bus about 45 minutes out from town and then rented bikes from Baccus Bikes. They provided us with a map and an itinerary of which wineries we should try to go to and how to get there.
Our first stop was a well hidden gem, Bodega Carmelo Patti, a place with no sign, no advertising, and simply relies on word of mouth (aka boca-a-boca).
Once we found it, a little old man (well, little next to Matt) met us and took us into a room for free wine tastings. It was nice because it was just the two of us and him. He explained a few details to us about looking for great wine based on the cork in the bottle, various tips on how to serve it, and about the different flavors in the reds we were tasting. He also told us something that Matt wants to stress to Libby Grigsby (Matt's mom): NEVER put ice in wine, NEVER. We had that warm fuzzy feeling while talking with him that made you want to sit down and hear his stories all day long as if he was your grandfather.
We then hopped back on our bikes and tried to get into a couple different Bodegas, unfortunately they were already closed even though it was only 2ish on a Saturday afternoon. We eventually made it to our stop at La Antigua, a small chocolateria, spreads, licquor, and absinthe shop. We opted for the $15 peso option to try the different olive spreads , jams, and licqours. Neither of us like olives, so Matt just pounded to red pepper spread and I sampled the sweet jams.
Finally, it was the grand finale of Absinthe (75% alcohol). I just had a little taste, but Matt wasn't scared.
Next up, we made to Bodega Pulmary, a family run place and one of the coolest tours because it wasn't by a tour guide at all. It was done by Paul, a guy that travels to various countries to hone his craft as wine maker. All the info we received was direct, to the point, and no fluff added that wasn't needed. Perfect for what we wanted. Their wine is actually grown and produced organically, the way it should be done! It was also cool because he poured the wine in our glasses straight from the tank. Then we went into the "cave" (cellar) and he poured it straight from a wine being aged in a barrel. Of course, we ended with wine from a bottle to taste a final product. All were delicious in our opinion.
Finally, we lucked out as we made it to our last stop, Clos de Chacras winery, and there was a tour in English starting with two others that made an appointment (lucky us, because apparently appointments were necessary). Despite another wine tour, we also loved this one because we still learned more interesting facts about the life of the plant, the soil, and the key in producing quality grapes.
That evening we continued the celebration by feasting on one of the biggest and most delicious Argentine steaks yet. Yum!
We relaxed the next day and spent our last day in Argentina trying to be typical Argentines: Matt cooked steaks out on the open grill and Kristin enjoyed an Argentine tango show later that evening. :-)
In Mendoza we stayed at Hostel Lao in a 6 bed dorm for roughly $17 a person each night.
A little fyi...most wines produced in Mendoza are either malbec or cabernet sauvignon. The malbec is what this region is specifically well known for. They also produce some merlot, rose, chardonnay and red blends, but produce few whites.
Our first wine tour of the Mendoza wineries was by a tour bus with a group of about 16 people. It was your typical tour group-esque tour at each winery (also known as a Bodega). This was a good intro course for Matt because he had never been on a wine tour.
After visiting three different wineries, each unique in its own way, we got to have a great spread for lunch. We arrived to a table full of meats, cheeses, and random sides which were only the appetizers, as well as homemade pasta, and ice cream to finish it off. We also had an abundant amount of wine left on the table for us to dispense at our own liking. Our group managed to empty all the bottles.
Our wine tour experience on the next day was much more intimate and was also in a different wine region. We took a public bus about 45 minutes out from town and then rented bikes from Baccus Bikes. They provided us with a map and an itinerary of which wineries we should try to go to and how to get there.
Our first stop was a well hidden gem, Bodega Carmelo Patti, a place with no sign, no advertising, and simply relies on word of mouth (aka boca-a-boca).
Once we found it, a little old man (well, little next to Matt) met us and took us into a room for free wine tastings. It was nice because it was just the two of us and him. He explained a few details to us about looking for great wine based on the cork in the bottle, various tips on how to serve it, and about the different flavors in the reds we were tasting. He also told us something that Matt wants to stress to Libby Grigsby (Matt's mom): NEVER put ice in wine, NEVER. We had that warm fuzzy feeling while talking with him that made you want to sit down and hear his stories all day long as if he was your grandfather.
We then hopped back on our bikes and tried to get into a couple different Bodegas, unfortunately they were already closed even though it was only 2ish on a Saturday afternoon. We eventually made it to our stop at La Antigua, a small chocolateria, spreads, licquor, and absinthe shop. We opted for the $15 peso option to try the different olive spreads , jams, and licqours. Neither of us like olives, so Matt just pounded to red pepper spread and I sampled the sweet jams.
Finally, it was the grand finale of Absinthe (75% alcohol). I just had a little taste, but Matt wasn't scared.
Next up, we made to Bodega Pulmary, a family run place and one of the coolest tours because it wasn't by a tour guide at all. It was done by Paul, a guy that travels to various countries to hone his craft as wine maker. All the info we received was direct, to the point, and no fluff added that wasn't needed. Perfect for what we wanted. Their wine is actually grown and produced organically, the way it should be done! It was also cool because he poured the wine in our glasses straight from the tank. Then we went into the "cave" (cellar) and he poured it straight from a wine being aged in a barrel. Of course, we ended with wine from a bottle to taste a final product. All were delicious in our opinion.
Finally, we lucked out as we made it to our last stop, Clos de Chacras winery, and there was a tour in English starting with two others that made an appointment (lucky us, because apparently appointments were necessary). Despite another wine tour, we also loved this one because we still learned more interesting facts about the life of the plant, the soil, and the key in producing quality grapes.
That evening we continued the celebration by feasting on one of the biggest and most delicious Argentine steaks yet. Yum!
We relaxed the next day and spent our last day in Argentina trying to be typical Argentines: Matt cooked steaks out on the open grill and Kristin enjoyed an Argentine tango show later that evening. :-)
In Mendoza we stayed at Hostel Lao in a 6 bed dorm for roughly $17 a person each night.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Bariloche (Patagonia) 11/11/12 - 11/14/12
From El Calafate we hopped on a short 1.5 hour flight to get to Bariloche, the Lakes District of Patagonia. We were starting to get a little spoiled with this comfortable and quick mode of transportation.
We spent our first night getting our bearings and figuring out what there was to do there. We also made plans to meet up the next day with Pat, Trish, and Christin (friends from El Chalten) who were also in town.
Our first day we went out to Cerro Catedral to go on a hike. After a fiasco and 2 hours of trying to find the right bus to take us there, we made it there only to learn that it wasn't much more than a ski mountain village. A completely deserted one at that. Regardless, our main goal for the day was to get outside and be active while enjoying the sunshine, so we made a hike out of the ski slopes. We could faintly see a little bit of the lakes; however, due to the Puyehue volcano eruption last year in Chile, when the winds come from the right direction so does all the ash and it makes the visibility pretty low. Oh well, it was still nice to get some Vitamin D in our lives.
That night we met up with the Ozzies, and an American couple they met that day, and caught up with each other while enjoying some tasty beverages before they headed off the next day.
The last day we had some real deal lake time and got to kayak on one of the lakes in the area (there's 7 lakes within 200 km of town). It was a short 2 hour adventure, but we loved every minute of being on the bright blue, crystal clear, cold, water. Once again, this water was clean enough to put your hand in the water and drink it straight from your hand. We went with a group of 15 or so people and kayaked for about an hour, got out and enjoyed some dulce de leche treats and tea, and then headed back. We were forced to put our relationship, emphasis on communication skills, to the test as they only offered tandem (2 person) kayaks: we passed!! We had a great time.
One of the most popular things to do around Bariloche is rent a car and set out to discover the lakes on the Seven Lakes' Road. It's roughly 200 km of some of the best lakes and forests in the region. Sadly, we didn't have enough time in our plans to fit this in.....next time ;-).
We stayed at a place called Don Quijote Hospedaje, which wasn't anything special for us, but was close to town center and only $14 each for our own room.
We spent our first night getting our bearings and figuring out what there was to do there. We also made plans to meet up the next day with Pat, Trish, and Christin (friends from El Chalten) who were also in town.
Our first day we went out to Cerro Catedral to go on a hike. After a fiasco and 2 hours of trying to find the right bus to take us there, we made it there only to learn that it wasn't much more than a ski mountain village. A completely deserted one at that. Regardless, our main goal for the day was to get outside and be active while enjoying the sunshine, so we made a hike out of the ski slopes. We could faintly see a little bit of the lakes; however, due to the Puyehue volcano eruption last year in Chile, when the winds come from the right direction so does all the ash and it makes the visibility pretty low. Oh well, it was still nice to get some Vitamin D in our lives.
That night we met up with the Ozzies, and an American couple they met that day, and caught up with each other while enjoying some tasty beverages before they headed off the next day.
The last day we had some real deal lake time and got to kayak on one of the lakes in the area (there's 7 lakes within 200 km of town). It was a short 2 hour adventure, but we loved every minute of being on the bright blue, crystal clear, cold, water. Once again, this water was clean enough to put your hand in the water and drink it straight from your hand. We went with a group of 15 or so people and kayaked for about an hour, got out and enjoyed some dulce de leche treats and tea, and then headed back. We were forced to put our relationship, emphasis on communication skills, to the test as they only offered tandem (2 person) kayaks: we passed!! We had a great time.
One of the most popular things to do around Bariloche is rent a car and set out to discover the lakes on the Seven Lakes' Road. It's roughly 200 km of some of the best lakes and forests in the region. Sadly, we didn't have enough time in our plans to fit this in.....next time ;-).
We stayed at a place called Don Quijote Hospedaje, which wasn't anything special for us, but was close to town center and only $14 each for our own room.
El Chalten (Patagonia) 11/3/12 - 11/11/12
After seeing the glacier in El Calafate, it was time to move on. We took a 3 hour bus to El Chalten, the hiking capital of Patagonia, and looked forward to plenty of trekking and really experiencing Patagonia's landscape. However, the first thing we had to do was to wait out the bad weather.
Our first two days were spent hanging out in the hostel and watching the rain. It was also pretty cold, so we had no desire to go out and hike in the rain, cold, and wind. Luckily we had teamed up with an Australian group of three who we met from our previous hostel in Calafate: Pat, Trish, and Christin. We managed to have a good time together despite the bad weather.
Finally, there was a small break in the rain the afternoon of our first full day, so we went out to stretch our legs for about a 2 hour hike and overlook the small town. And we do mean small....the town was started less than 25 years ago and has less than 1,000 residents.
The next day, Monday, was considered decent weather, or at least an improvement, so we joined the masses from town and headed out on a trek. We took a separate van to the trail head from our Ozzie friends, but soon caught up with them on the trail. Good thing we did because it turned into quite a fun hike!
First, we hiked through a forest and then had to hike uphill through the snow to eventually get to the Mt. Fitz Roy viewpoint. It took us about 4 hours to get to the top for the view. We weren't exactly equipped for such hiking, but we trekked our way through it. It was great getting to the top even if the clouds did not want to cooperate.
You can't really see Mt. Fitz Roy in any of these pictures; however, wait a minute and you'll get to see it below in the sunshine!
One of the wonderful things about hiking in Patagonia is that you can drink the water straight from the streams. The water comes off the glaciers and is crystal clear. It is the best tasting water!!
After hiking back down, we came across a lake, a very, very cold lake because it's full of glacier water. Matt being Matt asked Pat how much he would pay him to go for a swim, in his birthday suit. Pat quickly responded, "100 bucks!". Matt convinced himself that he wouldn't do it, but then he quickly changed his mind. And in he went!
Matt refused the $100 because he probably would have done it for free, but he was more than willing to accept a dinner for his feat. So the five of us went out for a fabulous dinner after our 8 hour hiking adventure. We had some of the best lomo steak, wine, and dessert that night!
Tuesday was another bad weather day, but we were okay with it so that we could sleep in and rest our bodies, while the Ozzies headed off to their next destination.
Wednesday, as forecasted, was a super-duper-fantastic, clear day. We headed out for a great day of hiking to see Cerro Torre, one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, from the Lago Torre viewpoint. The views along the way were stunning. Rivers, lakes, glaciers, mountains, valleys, forests.....all in one place!
On the way back, we decided to make a detour and extend our trek by 2 hours so that we could get a clear view of Fitz Roy. It made for another long day and an 8.5 hour hike, but it was well worth it because we finally got a good view of the impressive mountain. Hard to imagine, but yes it's the same mountain we attempted to see 2 days earlier in the rain and snow.
We once again welcomed bad weather on Thursday to let our bodies rest, and decided we would head back to El Calafate the next day to catch up and make use of good internet. El Chalten is so remote that the internet barely works....think back to the days of dial-up connections. We're so glad we left on Friday so that we were able to use internet in Calafate and stream the A&M upset over Alabama on Saturday! Whoop! It was hard to explain to other travelers what we were so excited about :-).
In El Chalten we stayed at Albergue Patagonia Hostel. It was awesome. We stayed in a 4 bed dorm for roughly $15 each a night. It was one of the first hostels built in town and had a lot of charm and warmth.
Our first two days were spent hanging out in the hostel and watching the rain. It was also pretty cold, so we had no desire to go out and hike in the rain, cold, and wind. Luckily we had teamed up with an Australian group of three who we met from our previous hostel in Calafate: Pat, Trish, and Christin. We managed to have a good time together despite the bad weather.
Finally, there was a small break in the rain the afternoon of our first full day, so we went out to stretch our legs for about a 2 hour hike and overlook the small town. And we do mean small....the town was started less than 25 years ago and has less than 1,000 residents.
The next day, Monday, was considered decent weather, or at least an improvement, so we joined the masses from town and headed out on a trek. We took a separate van to the trail head from our Ozzie friends, but soon caught up with them on the trail. Good thing we did because it turned into quite a fun hike!
First, we hiked through a forest and then had to hike uphill through the snow to eventually get to the Mt. Fitz Roy viewpoint. It took us about 4 hours to get to the top for the view. We weren't exactly equipped for such hiking, but we trekked our way through it. It was great getting to the top even if the clouds did not want to cooperate.
You can't really see Mt. Fitz Roy in any of these pictures; however, wait a minute and you'll get to see it below in the sunshine!
One of the wonderful things about hiking in Patagonia is that you can drink the water straight from the streams. The water comes off the glaciers and is crystal clear. It is the best tasting water!!
After hiking back down, we came across a lake, a very, very cold lake because it's full of glacier water. Matt being Matt asked Pat how much he would pay him to go for a swim, in his birthday suit. Pat quickly responded, "100 bucks!". Matt convinced himself that he wouldn't do it, but then he quickly changed his mind. And in he went!
Matt refused the $100 because he probably would have done it for free, but he was more than willing to accept a dinner for his feat. So the five of us went out for a fabulous dinner after our 8 hour hiking adventure. We had some of the best lomo steak, wine, and dessert that night!
Tuesday was another bad weather day, but we were okay with it so that we could sleep in and rest our bodies, while the Ozzies headed off to their next destination.
Wednesday, as forecasted, was a super-duper-fantastic, clear day. We headed out for a great day of hiking to see Cerro Torre, one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, from the Lago Torre viewpoint. The views along the way were stunning. Rivers, lakes, glaciers, mountains, valleys, forests.....all in one place!
 |
| That's Mt. Fitz Roy in the background. |
 |
| Cerro Torre is behind the lake, but covered by clouds! |
 |
| We managed to get a pic of it later when the clouds cleared. |
On the way back, we decided to make a detour and extend our trek by 2 hours so that we could get a clear view of Fitz Roy. It made for another long day and an 8.5 hour hike, but it was well worth it because we finally got a good view of the impressive mountain. Hard to imagine, but yes it's the same mountain we attempted to see 2 days earlier in the rain and snow.
We once again welcomed bad weather on Thursday to let our bodies rest, and decided we would head back to El Calafate the next day to catch up and make use of good internet. El Chalten is so remote that the internet barely works....think back to the days of dial-up connections. We're so glad we left on Friday so that we were able to use internet in Calafate and stream the A&M upset over Alabama on Saturday! Whoop! It was hard to explain to other travelers what we were so excited about :-).
In El Chalten we stayed at Albergue Patagonia Hostel. It was awesome. We stayed in a 4 bed dorm for roughly $15 each a night. It was one of the first hostels built in town and had a lot of charm and warmth.
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