Jo is in Cusco so this one posted by Murray
The few days in San Pedro de Atacama were just great with a balance between chilling out and outdoor activity. The next objective was to visit Belen Curtino, a Rotary exchange student from Argentina who stayed with us in 2000. The logistics meant we travelled by bus to Antofagasta on Sunday afternoon and, after an overnight stay in the new IBIS hotel, we flew to Cordoba via Santiago arriving Monday afternoon.
We had a small drama on Sunday when we were meant to catch the bus to Antofagasta. Jo met a girl at the hostel and we had lunch with her before catching the bus. Time got away on us with lots to chat so we ended up in a mad dash to the bus stop and only just caught it with about 30 seconds to spare. Once again the bus proved to be very comfortable and we cruised on a great highway through a vast landscape of with barren dry rolling hills. It took about 5 hours to get to Antofagasta.
The couple of days we stayed with Belen and her partner Nico were a highlight of our whole trip. We hadn’t seen Belen for eleven years - is a long time! Belen was 17 and turned 18 at the time of her stay in New Zealand. She is now a qualified lawyer and works with her Mum in their own law practice. They welcomed us as part of the family and the two days were packed with getting a good understanding about Belen’s life in Cordoba and meeting extended family and, of course, experiencing local food. Nico runs his own Audio Visual service company and is also studying for an MBA part time. They are a great combination and obviously very much in love.
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| Nico and Belen |
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| Murray, Belen and Jo |
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| Belen and Jo - Host Sisters |
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| Belens Family |
On Monday evening, we arranged to meet up with Nico at 10pm when he finished his evening MBA class to go out for dinner. Eating dinner after 10pm is quite normal here. We walked around the city centre and went to a local restaurant for Lomito, a sort of a hamburger but made with delicious Argentinean beef which tasted just great. As Belen puts it... Real Yummy! (English picked up eleven years ago!) We are very fortunate that both Belen and Nico speak fluent English so catching up on 11 years was easy.
Tuesday was a day to relax and be taken on a city tour. Cordoba was a very tidy city with an extensive University campus. It was also a great start to our shopping expedition for “The Handbag” for Sue.
Tuesday evening was a special occasion as we were to experience a typical Argentinean BBQ – called Asado! Meat plays an important part in all this so it was off to Nico’s personal butcher on the way home to collect the “Meat” - Molleja (Sweetbreads), Chinchulin (Intestine), Chorizo (Sausage), Matambra (rolled flank of beef) and Costilla (ribs). We were joined for the evening by Belen’s Mum and her friend, Fernando (Nano – Guess which song was sung after a few Pisco Sours?) who was there as the Asado cooking expert. Nano prepared the BBQ which involved burning the wood on one side and then gradually building up a layer of hot embers under an adjacent large open grill. The meat was cooked to perfection and we tried everything including the brains and intestines! My favourite was the Molleja. I found the Chinchulin a little hard to enjoy! Of course, all this was washed down with Pisco, red wine and a potent liquor called Alfajor. The party didn’t finish until 2.30am and it seems to us that they were used to this late hour.
Wednesday morning was, of course, a little quiet, and after a good sleep in, we were off to Belen’s Mum’s house for lunch and to meet more family. The meal was also very special with starters of very yummy homemade Empanadas (stuffed pastries – a bit like Cornish pasties to look at but a very different taste) followed by a thick soup or maybe better to call it stew called Locro - very tasty and yummy as well. We met Nico’s father, brother and sister and Belen’s Grandma and Aunty along with some younger cousins.
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| Nico preparing Chinchulin |
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| The meat selection |
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| Amazing Asado (BBQ) |
We were welcomed as “Belen’s family from New Zealand” and it certainly reinforced the bond and amazing value we get from partaking in hosting exchange students. It creates a family bond that will last forever. Especially pleasing to see how well Jo and Belen got on as host sisters. It was sad to leave but we had a 6pm flight to Buenos Aries on Wednesday.
We had two full days in Buenos Aries. Many people had warned us about the risks / issues of BA. Watch out for taxi drivers ripping you off. Bags and money will be stolen and you may get mugged. Geeeeezzzz! Even the local guy sitting next to us on the plane as we were landing at BA gave us a lecture about our personal safety and kept saying that his city was not the same as it was 15 years ago. So quite terrified, we ventured out of the airport expecting to be attacked or be the subject of some con. As with many things they are over-rated as we caught a cab into the city area called San Telmo to our hostel - “Hostel Tercero del Sur” A friendly hostel in a very nice area of the city. We ventured out to walk a few blocks to a restaurant recommended by Nico’s sister Valentina – Don Ernesto. Walking the few blocks to eat we were impressed by the atmosphere of this part of the city and the dynamics of the locals. There were lots of eating places and all were full at 9pm. We enjoyed our meal and retired early keen to make the most of our time here. Sitting next to us was a South African who lived in Albany, North Shore of Auckland. He intended to open a deli in Auckland - Small world!!!
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| We left our mark on the ceiling at Don Ernesto |
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| Jo found a new freind in Buenos Aries |
Thursday morning’s task was to go shopping for a present for Sue. We had very specific specifications for a handbag and the lady at the Hostel was very helpful making suggestions where to go to find one. Off we went for the day and, after much walking and navigation, the Metro (about 35c for a ride anywhere across town! – Take note Auckland!) plus taking a few taxis (without any scams) we achieved the task. We had the “Sue Handbag” and one more smaller “Sue handbag”, and feeling very pleased with ourselves, we relaxed in a great restaurant in a very up market area and had a great Caesar Salad and a real Latte! After this it was off to see the Eva Peron Museum and then onto the Malda Modern Art Gallery. Really enjoyed the Eva Peron Museum but the art gallery was a little disappointing as only two areas where open. Back to the Hostel by 6.30pm for a rest before we took off to a “Tango Show” at 8pm.
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| At the Tango Show |
There are heaps of promos for Tango shows and, once again, we were privileged to have Maria at the Hostel arrange one for us. The show included transport to and from the venue, a 3-course dinner with beer, wine and water and the two hour show. We declined the offer of photos on the stage in a Tango pose with the dancers – it was a fantastic evening. Next morning we were keen to make the most of the last day as tourists but discovered after breakfast that we had left my laptop on the plane from Cordoba to BA on Wednesday evening. Panic!!!! Once again we were very grateful to the wonderful Maria at the Hostel who after a call to LAN Chile was amazed to find that they had it safely in lost baggage at the airport. Nothing that a $45 sole taxi ride couldn’t fix! With much relief we collected the laptop and started on our tour a little late. The main highlight of the afternoon was the La Recoleta Cemetery which could only be described as a small city of mausoleums, every one unique. We followed all the tourists to see the resting place for Eva Peron and if you had a morbid interest you could spend days here.
After what seemed like hours of walking, we got back to the hostel exhausted and after a Pizza and salad at a local restaurant we retired ready for our wakeup call at 3am for the trip to Santiago. It’s a long day when you are up at 3am and the clocks go back an hour when arriving in Chile. I had booked the Holiday Inn at the airport as Jo was leaving early on Sunday for Peru. Arriving at 8.30am with the hotel check in not until noon, we succumbed to the advances of a friendly taxi driver who offered us a good deal for a day trip to Valparaiso on the coast as an alternative option to having a day trip into Santiago. After a two hour drive to the port (including a stop at a winery on the way to sample the Chilean Empanadas! – proudly stated as being much bigger than those in Peru or Argentina), we experienced the down town part of Valparaiso and a ride on the 48 degree cable cars (all looked like items from an era that once was quite up market but is on the way down hill fast). The town is covered in these all built around 1900. On to Vina del Mar which had a far nicer feel about it. A lunch at a specialist fish restaurant made up the rest of the trip and then, absolutely tired out, we drove back to Santiago airport and the Holiday Inn. The pool, jacuzzi and sauna made our day relaxed and we enjoyed our final dinner and a few Pisco Sours (very conveniently these were on offer at 50% off) before Jo departs for Cusco.
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| The LARGE Chilean Empanadas |
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| On the streets of Valparaiso |
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| The last meal and Pisco Sours of the trip together |
We were up early on our final day and Jo was off at 8am. It was sad to see her go but great that she has another adventure – a month in Cusco as a volunteer teacher. I relaxed until noon and then ventured into the centre of Santiago for a grand solo walking tour. Found the Mercado Central and was amazed to find a very vibrant fish market and loads of open plan restaurants all very busy for a Sunday afternoon. It was originally opened in 1872 to house the Palace of Arts and after an inaugural exhibition was held, it soon began to function as a market. I found a small local cafe tucked away in a corner and had seafood empanadas washed down with a couple of local beers - very yummy! Back at the airport by 5pm I was very lucky to be able to pop back to the Holiday Inn and use the pool and Jacuzzi for a refreshing dip before the flight. I passed the remaining time at an airport restaurant that had WIFI so caught up on some emails. If they don’t have free WIFI then I would have found another place. It’s mandatory!
Was pleased to get Jo’s text to say she was safely in Cusco, Peru - so I could rest easy that she would be in safe hands.
What a trip.... Dad and daughter together for 6 weeks and we got along fine, experienced a great deal across several different South American cultures, had extreme temperature ranges and extreme altitude changes and met heaps of interesting people but only one other dad and daughter combo. Maybe we are a first from New Zealand.
Adios.
