15. Tierra Amarillia

Blog entries

the only type of vegetation on the way to Tierra Amarillia

In order to cross the Andes, we move to Tierra Amarillia, a small village below the Pircas Negras Pass. On the way, mostly desert, mining and some surprising flora

As I said earlier, the plan is to move ever further north, in between the Pacific coast and the Andes. However, somewhere along we have picked up the idea to cross the Andes a few times, in a loop, once back into Argentina and then again into Chile. Crossing the Andes is fun: high mountain passes, surrounded by even higher peaks, spectacular landscape, you name it.

We rent a car in La Serena, and head north, for a clockwise loop, up the 4100 meter Pircas Negras Pass, apparently one of the most beautiful and remote crossings, and then down and south again to the Aquas Negra Pass, which climbs to well over 4700 meters. Will take a few days, and brings us back to the La Serena area, where we have a couple of other things on our itinerary.

the countryside outside La Serena

increasingly dryer the further north we go

even so, there are still people living here

Because the Pircas Negras crossing is a long one, we try to move up as far as possible on our first day, to Copiapo, from where the ascent eastwards starts. The further north we get, the dryer, the more desert-like the landscape. Bare mountain sides are increasingly covered with sand, blown up to the flanks of the mountains. Vegetation is almost entirely limited to cacti. Fascinating plants, and some of them support fruits and flowers, introducing a rare element of, albeit subtle, colour. Several parked train wagons suggest that the main industry here is mining. Oh, and energy farms with thousands and thousands of solar panels, which glister in the distance and look like giant lakes. This is what in Chile is known as Norte Chico, the small North, the beginning of the Atacama desert. And yes, we intend to go all the way, into the Norte Grande, and to the other end of the Atacama – but not just yet.

but mining is the big business here

with all the equipment necessary

and train wagons lined up to transport the ore

lined up they are

solar panel energy farm, a small one!

the vegetation along most of the way

this is what I call flowers – I know

and smaller scale cacti

and hidden between the spines, the fruits

Actually, we established that Tierra Amarillia is the hotel-supporting village nearest to the pass – still a long way, almost 10 hours to the next hotel-supporting village, in Argentina. We take a shortcut, and find ourselves totally unexpectedly driving through an area full of grape vines and fruit trees, in stark contrast to the surrounding desert. The hotel is very basic, with container-like rooms serving the mining industry, but OK for the occasion. It even survives another earthquake, 5.9 this time, which wakes us up in the middle of the night.

a small, and old, church near Tierra Amarillio

a grape vine valley in the desert

nothing wrong with the grapes, right?

This is also where the last fuel is available for a long way, so we fill the tank in the village, and buy an extra 20 liter jerry can: you better don’t run out of fuel on a trip through the middle of nowhere. Extra water, extra food, this is going to be an expedition!

 

And at the end of the afternoon we check with carabineros, the local police, to see if they have any suggestions, and to check on the road conditions. “Pircas Negras? No, the pass is closed. Already for more than a week, because of heavy rainfall and landslides”.

next: we do get to the border

and the main boulevard in town – or village – dedicated to the mining industry

14. La Serena

Blog entries

colourfull fish in the Copiapo market, near La Serenaa

La Serena is both humble old town, full of churches, and gaudy beach resort, but without the tourists, yet it benefits from several interesting sites in nearby Coquimbo and Tongoy.

from now on we will be moving north….

We have turned decisively north. After traveling essentially west for the past weeks, from Buenos Aires all the way to Valparaiso – and after a small detour south, to visit an old friend in Rancagua, just south of Santiago -, we now head north, along the Pacific coast: the main objective of our journey.

First stop is La Serena, five hours by bus. Travel by bus in this part of the world is very comfortable, with spacious, reclining seats, toilet on board, and mostly following the motorway at a monotonous speed, ideal to fall asleep with, if the landscape becomes boring. The landscape on the way to La Serena soon becomes boring, gradually becoming dryer. Even our ‘panorama’ seats, the ones in front on the upper deck, with a 180o wide vista ahead, cannot change that.

the rocky coastline near La Serena

and this is how the Ruta 5, the motorway, looks

one of the oldest nice buildings we found in La Serena

the wood dating from 1895

La Recova is the local restaurant and art market complex

a street in the centre

the fountain in the Plaza de Armas

and the municipality, at the square

as the cathedral does, too

La Serena is also the city of churches

because they have so many

and such nice ones

right, the last one, because of the nice evening light

We only start paying attention again nearer La Serena, when the road reaches the coast. Long stretches of beach interspersed with rocky promontories. In the mind of every Chilean La Serena comes close to paradise, everybody we talk to is in love with the place. Whether they have been there or not. It being the second oldest town in Chile creates expectations, but we are a bit disappointed, initially. None of the grand old buildings, nothing truly historical – the oldest one we find is from 1895 –, which may have something to do with the frequent earthquakes in this area (the one we felt last week in Santiago also had its epicentre near here). But despite the absence of grand old buildings, the old town does have a certain charm, with narrow streets mostly lined with ground-floor houses only, painted in different colours. The obligatory Plaza de Armas sports a nice, modern fountain, and is full of stalls in anticipation of the Sunday late afternoon, when the population is supposed to come out in force to enjoy a stroll, a look at the obligatory market selling the creations of local artist, and a bite from the equally obligatory artisanal food stalls of the local culinary wizards. But the masses never gather. Once again, it seems that the high season is not really materialising, this year. They blame it on the Argentinians, who didn’t come because of the currency devaluation, and on the earthquake of last week, that scared the beach tourists away.

at the coast, a mock lighthouse, as tourist attraction

the red flag means dangerous currents, and no swimming

the beach is almost deserted – this is central La Serena at noon

later a few more people turn up

The other part of town, away from the old centre, is the originally named Avenida del Mar, the road along the coast. The tourist potential is crystal clear here: long sandy beaches, and tower block after tower block of apartments, for rent. Vina del Mar revisited. But it is cloudy, and not very warm. The beaches are almost empty. Later in the afternoon the weather clears up, and more people come out of their condos, with beach umbrellas under their arms. Yet, it never gets very busy. The Argentinians, you know. And the earthquake. Pity that we are not really beach people ourselves.

or is it just their beach umbrellas?

fish stall outside the market in Coquimbo

with birds waiting for the offal

like the sea lions do, too

open-mouthed

and the cormorants gather offshore

The next day we make our way to nearby Coquimbo, with two objectives: the local fish market, and a church. The market is fascinating. There are a few stalls along the side of the harbour, where several birds, as well as sea lions, hope to benefit from the offal. But the main market is inside, where once again a wide variety of fish is on sale, as well as a bewildering selection of ceviche cups filled with mussels, prawns and lots of other things, unknown to us. The most catching, but nor very tasty, is the piure, an orange sea fruit that is being wrestled out of a kind of coral-like rock, probably the communal shell of the colony. Outside the market the boats are moored, mostly small-scale affairs, with a few bigger ships – but nothing compared to the floating fish factories we are used to in Europe. Pity that it is, once again, overcast, it doesn’t help the photos.

the fishing fleet of Coquimbo

some larger boats

but most are small sloops

more colourful fish in the market

and these ones, too, almost ready to eat

assoretd sea food for sale

as well in cups, ceviche-like, really ready to eat

the monstous Coquimbo cross

and the charming little Eiffel chapel

made of metal sheets

and simple windows

inside, equally metallic – must be hot on a summer day!

and the simple coloured glass

The second reason to come to Coquimbo is a church. Not the monstrous cross erected on top of the hill, called the Third Millennium Cross, and claimed to be the only religious one of its kind to commemorate the start of the third millennium. One may sincerely hope that there is not a second one like this, indeed! No, the real gem here is a small chapel, built in 1889 from pre-fabricated metal sheets, shipped from Belgium after having been designed by one August Gustave Eiffel, of tower fame. We manage to find the church, in the Guayacan neighbourhood, and with our usual dose of luck, just at that moment the priest turns up to collect something. He happily opens the church for us, allowing a rare non-Sunday glimpse inside. He also tells us that the church was originally constructed as private chapel for the Errazurizs, one of the rich mining families of the town, who lived at the other end of the square – what is now the enormous square in front of the church, then their garden!

further fishing boats at the other side of the Coquimbo peninsula

complete with oyster bar

the fish restaurants in Tongoy

and all kinds of shell fish

A short drive further south gets us past several other beach resorts, mostly more modestly developed than the huge apartment-lined boulevards from La Serena, and indeed Vina del Mar. We park our rental car in Tongoy, where apparently the fish restaurants are the best of the region. Enough reason to come here, I would say.

 

After lunch, we even stroll along the beach and, lo and behold, dip our feet in the Pacific!

next, Tierra Amarillia, on the way to the Argentinian border again

our feet in the Pacific, just

13. Vina del Mar

Blog entries

Moai sculpture in front of the Fonck museum in Vina del Mar

There is not much to keep us long in overdeveloped beach resort Vina del Mar, except for the excellent Fonck Museum.

the metro train between Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Less than 10 km north of Valparaiso is Vina del Mar, Chile’s foremost beach resort. Not very much interested in beach resorts, we nevertheless decide to check it out, and in twenty minutes with the metro train we arrive in the centre of town. A rather different affair from Valparaiso, much better organised, much cleaner, much less graffiti. And no character to speak of. The coastal strip is lined by huge apartment buildings with thousands of small 2/3 bedroom condos for rent. Many aren’t finished yet, construction is continuous, it seems. So there you are, a beach strip, an avenue full of cars, and a triple line of high-rise. Not very attractive.

the coast: beach and buildings

and it is not very busy on the beach, in front of the buildings

apartments, some being used, some very much closed up

at some places it is a little busier

but very few actually get into the water, more than wet feet

It is high season, yet not very busy. Perhaps it is the weather; like in Valparaiso every morning is cloudy, and fairly chilly, to clear up only around 2 in the afternoon. Or maybe it is just the timing of things, life doesn’t really start before, say, 11 o’clock, and even then most people seem to consider the midday period too hot to do anything – even though on the coast it is considerably cooler than inland. And after they come to the beach, most people think it too cold to swim, or perhaps too dangerous, with high waves and strong currents, and bathers are conspicuously lined up along the edge of the water. Maybe it is just a bad season, but if this is Chile’s foremost beach resort, I hate to think how the other ones look.

pelican flying back

pelican flying

the carriages are mostly unused

Easter Island sculpture in the Fonck Museum

and other Easter Island artefacts, very tiny

pottery from one of the onshore cultures

and from the brilliant Daiguire culture

Mapuche silverwork

The good thing about Vina del Mar, however, is the Fonck Museum, established in the mid 20th Century, and focussing on indigenous cultures. Which means – somewhat controversial: not everybody agrees that Easter Islanders are indigenous to Chile – Easter Island artefacts, as well as from various Pre-Colombian, Pre-Inca societies who lived on mainland Chile. A beautiful collection, very well presented, and in itself worth coming to Vina del Mar for. The second floor contains natural history, meaning stuffed animals, normally not my favourite subject. But of course, they do have some of these strange fishes from just offshore, and some birds that are difficult to spot if alive. And a puma or two.

So altogether an entertaining day, educating in various ways.

from here, north to La Serena

this is one of the fishes in the museum!

and a thousands of years old mummy from the Norte Chica area

12. Valparaiso

Blog entries

houses in Valparaiso

Despite its reputation, Valparaiso is one of the most charming cities we have come across, ever, with its ascensores and its corrugated iron houses, its colours and its atmosphere.

Valparaiso is filthy. It looks abandoned, much of it poorly maintained. And it stinks. Pee. Almost everywhere. Everybody must just pee in the open, although somehow we don’t see it happening. But we do smell the result. And I suppose with so little rain it just doesn’t wash away.

Valparaiso is also infuriating. Maps are, by definition, two-dimensional, and the ones we have are not very good, in any case. But really, you need a three-dimensional model to find your way, because except for a narrow coastal strip, Valpo, as the town is known, is built against a steep slope. Looking for the cemetery we don’t realize that we are in fact walking along it, but that it is a hundred meters higher. Crossing from one street to the next may well involve a hair-rising ascent via very steep stairways, leaving us breathless at the end. The good thing is that the locals have realized this long time ago, and have installed a series of near-

some of the stairs are nicely tiled

others have a range of messages

one of the steep ascencores in town

and their large carriages, for 8 to12 people only

vertical funiculars – ‘ascensores’ – to assist in the movement between the lower and upper parts of town.

But above all Valparaiso is one of the most charming towns I have ever come across. Never mind the stink, never mind the many wrong turns, walking through the winding streets of the mostly residential neighbourhoods of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Constitution, every turn is rewarded with the view of another colourful house, another tiny wooden balcony, or another enchanting little ally, or indeed, steep stairway. Many houses have walls of corrugated iron, but rather then looking cheap and abandoned, they have been decorated with the graffiti for which Valparaiso is famous. Sure, some is of the destructive form, aimless single colour spray paint, that we saw so much in Santiago, and in many Argentine cities. But most of it is amazing art work, brightly coloured abstract designs or figurative paintings, faces, animals, under-water scenes, a wide variety. Obviously, one can debate about the artistic quality, and not everything is equally attractive, but that is not the point. This town is painted. And is still being painted – we meet a girl who asks us to take her picture, next to the work she apparently completed yesterday.

a typical street

corrugated iron house with graffiti art

another residencial building, impressive

and a nicely decorated window and balcony

the view from one of the terraces where we had a pisco sour

a, encapsulated window

and another expressive graffiti

one of the less interesting, but made by well-known artist Robert Mata – everybody participates

and big buildings are equally painted

The history of Valparaiso is closely connected with the port. For hundreds of years, during the time of the Spanish colonisation, and afterwards, it was the first port that ships from Europe called at after having entered the Pacific through the Strait of Magellan, rounding the south end of the continent. Lively trade attracted, amongst others, lots of British interest and investment, and Valparaiso was a rich city. In 1902 the ascensores were installed, and they were of good enough quality to survive until today, some fifteen of them at strategic locations, especially steep cliffs, connecting the merchant’s residences with the trade houses and the banks down near the waterfront. But in 1906 a massive earthquake destroyed much of the town, and although reconstruction was taken up immediately, the faith of the city was overtaken by history: the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 abruptly put an end to Valparaiso’s importance as a port. The decline was brutal; nowadays it is one of the most criminal, unsafe cities in Chile.

 

one of the old houses

and another one, lovely conservatory

the truth behind the corrugated iron

a large house, covered with corrugated iron

But with a charming residential centre. Often we are reminded of the gingerbread houses in Haiti, wooden structures with galleries and balconies, and wooden shutters. Others have the walls covered with corrugated iron; apparently, corrugated iron was carried as ballast by the the ships that came from Europe to collect the mining products. Being offloaded worthless, people realised that these sheets could be used to cheaply protect the wood and adobe structure of which the houses were made, from the occasional rain. Which explains why so many houses are covered with rusted corrugated iron. Which is quite ugly, thus people started to paint them – or so I speculate. Which is why Valparaiso has so much graffiti, real nice works of art, along its streets.

window, no, stairs, no, window

doors

downtown, the business district

one of the monumental downtown offices

one of the views from the paseos

the cemetery, or one section of it

tombs have suffered from earthquakes

statues have fallen – but people keep on putting flowers

There are lots of places of interest, all pretty close together. A number of ‘paseos’, pedestrian-only walking paths reached by the ‘ascensores’, provide wonderful views over the bay, the city and the distant densely-built hills. The cemetery, to which I am always attracted, comes in three sectors, of which one, Cementerio Disidentes, is especially meant for immigrants, many of whom were Protestants. The tombs date from long ago, and indeed support many German and British names. Another favourite is the market, the Mercado Cardonal, inside, as well as outside, a large adobe-and-metal market building, selling fresh products. Everybody is mightily concerned about our safety, and especially my camera, yet, there is a pretty relaxed atmosphere, and I never feel unsafe. Stall holders are happy to chat, make us taste the most delicious melon, or insist on being photographed with their wares. Even the city’s drunks want their picture taken.

the market building

and one of the entrances

selling melons out of shopping carts

one of the local characters

strawberries

and pumpkin, popular here

but a whole range of fruits are available

the local drunks want to be photographed, too

Valpo’s characteristic trolly bus

tourist boats in the harbour

At the other end of town, after a short ride in the Valpo-characteristic ancient trolleybus, is the port, still very active, with lots of colourful containers being loaded onto large ships. Quite a few smaller boats are moored near-shore, equipped to take big groups of tourists around; yet, despite it being high season, only one seems to be in action, and even on the busy Sunday afternoon, it is not full. Seems a case of severe overcapacity. Which cannot be said of the ‘ascensores’, for which often long queues form. However spacious the old wooden cabins, their capacity seems to be limited to eight, or sometimes twelve, people. But better to wait in line, then to have to slug up the steep slopes. Or is it because we just enjoy the fun of being in this old contraption, slowly hauled up the mountain. Fabulous, can’t get enough of it!

next is beach resort Vina del Mar

pelican standing

pelican flying

and this is one of the most enigmatic messages: use the bicycle

11. Santiago

Blog entries

Santiago’s cathedral on the Plaza de Armas

Chile’s capital Santiago has a lot to offer, from architecture and museums to excellent food and a lively center.

Coming from Argentina, we expect Santiago to be kind of similar to the Argentine cities we have seen this trip. And yes, a central Plaza – Plaza de Armas -, surrounded by a cabildo – the old municipality – and a cathedral, and a wide avenue named after the local hero liberator, in this case Bernardo O’Higgins. A grid of one-way streets alternating direction, a pedestrian-only street in the town centre, a couple of early 20th Century buildings like a museum and a theatre, and a railway station or two. Ugly graffiti spoiling a lot of houses at ground level: all very much like a standard Argentine city. We even find an extreme left-wing restaurant, where earlier anti-government complots during the Pinochet years were hatched.

another view of the cathedral

which is richly decorated inside

this is what the Chileans do on the Plaza de Armas

where a chess tournament is also in progress

a shoe polisher along the Alameda, his client undisturbed

On the other hand, there are lots of differences, too. Santiago is much smaller scale than Buenos Aires, narrower streets, less traffic. A construction boom adds lots of apartment buildings in the suburbs, though, and the city is growing fast, now already some 6 million inhabitants. The people are less informally dressed than in Argentina, less shorts for men, less skimpy dresses and ultra-short shirts for the women. And, importantly, the food is different. Right, you can get your bife from the grill, but the left-wingers from our first evening served a delicious stew, and subsequent meals in the various markets were dominated by fish.

client of an extreme leftwing restaurant

and another one, note the disguise

the front of the post office, also Plaza de Armas

the iron market hall, Mercado Central

and one of the fish stalls

with inviting-looking fish

the other market hall, La Vega

more focussed on vegetables

and lemons, for the ceviche in the fish restaurants

To start with the markets, there are two in the centre of town. The best-known is the Mercado Central, with predominantly fish stalls inside a huge metal structure dating from 1868. This is our first confrontation with Pacific fish, many of which we have never seen, and never heard of. Even my travel companion, who speaks a quite acceptable Spanish, often had no idea what the various names meant, so when we stared at the menu in one of the small restaurants inside the market building, we had no idea what we were ordering. But all very nice, one fish a bit dryer than the other. Plus, our first pisco sour, Chile’s (as well as Peru’s) national drink. We have committed ourselves to determine which one, the Chilean or the Peruvian, is the best, so I think we will have to have many more, just to ensure a fair assessment. Except that the next day, when we went to that other market, the Feria Municipal La Vega, across the Mapoche River than runs through town, the restaurant didn’t have an alcohol licence. But the food we had was even more spectacular, our first local ceviche – of which, unfortunately, we have no picture, as it looked so wonderful, that we spontaneously forgot until it was too late, ie finished. Ceviche is an originally Peruvian dish of raw fish, marinated and cured in lime or lemon juice and served with onions and spicy pepper. Absolutely delicious! We will be testing this one widely, too!

one of the pedestrian streets in Santiago

and two streets in the upmarket neighbourhood called Paris-Londres

entrance to one of the ancient palaces

and decorated windows

some of the palaces house almost equally ancient institutions

not all te buildings are very old, or very new: lowrise outside the centre, and a colourful bicycle shop

the Gran Torre Santiago

and a close up of its 300 m high top

a very small sculpture in the Pre-Colombian museum

and another expressive one, same place

a selection of Mapuche wooden tomb statues, also in the museum

and this is a wholy different museum, Museo de la Memoria y Derechos Humanos, dedicated to the victims of the Pinochet era

But not all about Santiago is food- and drink-related. There is a lot to see, too, from old colonial buildings, including several palaces built for the rich and famous of the time, the excellent Museum of Pre-Colombian art – a reason in itself to come to Santiago -, and the tallest building in Latin America, the 300 meter high Gran Torre Santiago in a neighbourhood mockingly called ‘Sanhattan’.

graffiti art in an otherwise unremarkable street

the funicular up Cerro San Christobal

view of Santiago from above

and the view from the Cerro San Christobal

For the best views we scale Cerro San Christobal, a 860 meter high peak not far away from the centre. Well, ‘scale’ is perhaps too much for the effort, which was limited to standing in line for a good half an hour with lots of other people, who intended to spend their Saturday afternoon not necessarily on the peak, but in the zoo, the botanical garden or the swimming pool, also located on the hill. The line, incidentally, was for the funicular: nobody in his right mind in Santiago is going to truly scale this hill at midday with 35 oC.

the fountain at the Terraza Neptuno, in a park

a naval monument in Santiago, dating from the 1960s

the many balconies in town do support the occasional beach umbrella

Closer to the ground, a few other things were also obvious. Although the city looks very affluent, and Chile seems to do well economically, there are lots of people who are less lucky. They sleep on the benches of the parks, or have put their matrass on the street, and not because it is so warm at night. Everywhere, but especially near the busier locations, like metro stations, spontaneous street markets erupt during rush hour, with people selling second hand clothes, or old books, or anything really, from a blanket spread out on the pavement. And what is it, that the whole city stinks pee? This cannot be only from those homeless, from the beggars, this is much more pervasive. Or is this something Chilean?  – I already know that Santiago is not the only Chilean city suffering from this phenomenon.

In the evening we retreat to our little apartment that we rent, on the 25th floor of a building just off the main traffic artery, the Avenida del Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins – even the most chauvinistic Chileans call it Alameda, much shorter and originally referring to a tree-lined shady avenue for strolling, which it definitely isn’t anymore. From where we also have a beautiful view over the city. When we moved in, we joked to the owner that we shouldn’t have an earthquake here, so high up. To which he ensured us that the building was earthquake-proof. It was, although we did feel a little nervous, when the whole building shook for almost a minute, at 10 at night. In response to an earthquake, near La Serena, 6.7 on the Richter scale and luckily far enough away not to really put the building to the test. In any case, we are moving out tomorrow.

To Valparaiso

the view from our balcony, 25 floors high

10. the crossing

Blog entries

one of the snowy peaks along the road from Mendoza to Santiago across the Andes

Crossing the Andes is an experience, in terms of spectacular mountain views, but also the customs procedure for bus passengers.

It is time to leave Argentina behind, at least for the time being. From Mendoza it is a five-hour bus ride to Santiago, Chile’s capital city. Plus whatever it takes to cross the border. The road takes us up the Andes on one side, and down the other, over the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, a reference to the campaign of General San Martin in 1817, who scaled the pass with a sizable army of 4000, thereby totally surprising the Spanish on the other side – but also losing a third of his men during the crossing. These days the border, having been defined along the watershed and the highest peaks, is much lower, at around 3200 m, in the middle of a 3 km tunnel.

 

impressive mountain landscape from Mendoza

including a goog view of the Tupungata volcano

whist on the other side, wine yards and wine yards

For the first 45 minutes, or so, we drive parallel to the mountains, providing a spectacular view of the steeply rising snowy peaks; I cannot really work out which is which, but the volcano-shaped one on the left may well be Tupungato. So far, all around us wine yards, proof that the Mendoza area is indeed the largest wine producing area in Argentina, providing some 80% of the total production.

an artificial lake in the Mendoza River

Then we turn right, into a valley following the Mendoza River upwards. Along the valley we can trace much of the ancient Transandine railway, a 248 km long trail from Mendoza to Las Rosas de los Andes in Chile, built between 1887 and 1910. This provided the last piece of railway of an over 1400 km line connecting Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast with Valparaiso, Chile’s port on the Pacific. The line was ultimately abandoned in 1984. Much of the narrow-gauge track is still in place, although overgrown; there is a tunnel and several metal railway bridges, from tiny – often collapsed – bridges across small streams to much more impressive steel structures crossing the Mendoza River itself. And further up, metal structures protecting the track from avalanches have by now largely collapsed themselves. Every so many years, including recently, there is talk about reviving the line again, but not much has come from it so far.

a train bridge collapsed, whist the tracks are still hanging

and another Transandine rail bridge, across the Mendoza River

and the occasional train tunnel

even old stations are still present along the line

a small bridge higher up

and avelanche protection, half collapsed

more protection of the tracks, in better state

tracks still present on the bridge

sharp colour contrasts in the rocks

the Mendoza River again

and little vegetation, at this height

in the winter this is all snow-covered

with plenty of skiing opportunities, and infrastructure

a rare occasion for flowers, along stream beds

but mostly, the rocks are pitch black

There are plenty of mountains to admire, plenty of high peaks, among them the Aconcagua, with 6961 meters the highest of the Andes, and in fact the highest in the Southern and the Western hemisphere. The bus doesn’t stop at the viewpoint for the mountain, so for pictures there is a 30 second window on the right side of the bus. Luckily I sat on the right side!

There is hardly any vegetation, at this altitude – and neither is there on the lower flanks, because of the dry, desert-like climate. In the occasional stream some yellow flowers get a chance, and sometimes a cactus survives, but that’s all there is.

Aconcagua, in its full glory

the border post, and we were not the only ones

Then comes the border. It is busy. And let’s say that the border control is not in a hurry. For the first hour and a half, or so, we wait in the bus, as there are other buses ahead of us. Then we are finally let free, but not really. We are clearly instructed to form a proper line and wait – under no circumstances should we approach the customs individually! After another five minutes the line starts moving, like a school class on the way to the swimming pool, coached by the bus attendants, who direct us one by one through passport control. Then follows the luggage check. We are lined up in two rows, with a bench in from of each, where we need to put all our hand luggage. A dog is sent to sniff every backpack several times. Chile is paranoid about letting in plants, fruits, anything really, which can bring pests and infections. It feels like a police line-up, those you see in films. Next are the suitcases, which are X-rayed one by one. Those considered suspect are being put aside, and the owner is called forward out of the line-up. All very confronting. Finally, after at least another hour, we are marched back into the bus, and continue the journey. Yet, I have to admit that there is a certain efficiency in this process. You would hate to see every passenger doing this individually.

on the Chilean side, multiple switchbacks

an impressive feat of engineering

lower down, cacti

Soon after the border crossing, we start the descent, which goes much steeper than the ascent on the Argentinian side. In around 30 switchbacks we come down from the high mountains to the foothills, an impressive feat of engineering. The road surface all the way down is covered not with tarmac, but with concrete, much better resistant to temperature changes and snow. Once down, a little more vegetation is appearing, some small trees, and occasionally large cacti, seemingly in colonies. But the landscape never gets as dramatic again as on the other side.

And the motorway to Santiago is outright boring.

and on the Chilean side it is cloudy…

09. the wineries (2)

Blog entries

clean glasses waiting for the tasting session in one of the bodegas outside Mendoza

Visiting the wineries in Mendoza, Argentina’s prime wine region, can be an expensive excercise, but with a bit of creativety we managed to organise out own wonderful trip – except for the quality of the wine.

Of course, we didn’t come to Mendoza to admire the beautiful city. It isn’t that beautiful, and we knew it. We came here in order to hop across the Andes, to start the Chile part of our travels. But whilst we are here, we might as well visit some of the wineries for which the Mendoza area is rightfully famous.

de tranvia between Mendoza en Maipu

two adventurous explorers ready to tackle the Ruta del Vino by bicycle

Mendoza itself has a couple of bodegas, but most of the wineries are in three areas outside town, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. And where I had my doubts about the maturity of the ‘enoturismo’ in the Sierras, the wine tourism in Mendoza is very well developed indeed, perhaps to the other extreme. Every bodega offers tours, and tastings. There is a hop-on-hop-off bus that runs a service past several of the bodegas, every day of the week a different route. Or what to think of the spa that offers vinoterapia, olivoterapia, or hydromassage with wine? Several websites offer full day excursions in small groups, visiting three of four bodegas. Including one with a sumptuous lunch. Starting at a cool 180 US$. Per person. But that is ridiculous, no? The most expensive wines in this country cost no more than 25 US$, and I am sure we won’t be tasting only the most expensive ones. A little mark-up for the transport, and for the guides, and some money for a lunch, even a sumptuous one, but that still leaves a lot to be explained. Would those wineries really be so dear?

One of the most famous bodegas is Salentien, in Valle de Uco. Checking their website, they are indeed expensive. Very expensive. Entry with a group of twenty cost 22 US$ per person, tasting three wines. Good wines, for sure. A private tour for two people is anything between 52 and 80 US$, depending on the four wines selected for tasting. Luigi Bosca then, another of our favourite bodegas, in Lujan de Cuyo. Ah, they don’t publish details on their website. You need to make a reservation, no prices mentioned. Just walking in is not done, that much is clear.

lots of stainless steel at Bodega Lopez

an impressive operation for large scale wine production

and sizable oak barrels, as well

and this isn’t even the biggest

Part of our four weeks Argentina has been a thorough sampling of Argentinian wines, especially the better ones, also thanks to Joaquin (a great Salentien Numina) and Anibal (some of the best Luigi Bosca’s) – you didn’t hear me complain about too much family, did you? So perhaps we don’t need to taste those again, right now. But bodegas we want to see. Surely we can arrange something ourselves?

There is a ‘tranvia’, a tramway, from near our hotel all the way to Maipu, and next to the end station is a bicycle rental (I know, I know…). And 300 meters from the bicycle rental is the first bodega. Piece of cake, we don’t need expensive tours.

roses in the wine yards

as well as grapes

the view from where we had our sumptious lunch

Mendoza has a public transport system – including the ‘tranvia’ – which works only with a swipe card. These cards are available in every kiosk. They say. They aren’t. Wherever we went to ask if they had a card, we were referred to the next kiosk, and the next, and then to the tent of the city’s travel authority, in one of the parks. Which didn’t have cards, but sent us to the nearest kiosk. Which didn’t have the card, but perhaps in the next kiosk? A very kind man offered us his own card, if we just would buy his credit off him. But the kiosk couldn’t check the credit, because ‘the system’ was down. After the time equivalent of one bodega visit we managed to obtain the card in the city’s travel authority office. After which we got onto the tram. Finally.

Christmas decorations at the entrance of Bodega Trivento

Another half an hour later we got off in Maipu, rented our bikes, and cycled 300 meters to the first bodega. Bodega Lopez, admittedly not the finest wines, but certainly one of the biggest. Production 22 million bottles a year. And of course we know how wine is being made, we have visited hundreds of bodegas in tens of countries by now. But it was a wonderful tour, nevertheless. With funny stories, witty details. Lots of stainless steel, lots of oak barrels. And some mediocre wine to taste, at the end, but who cares.

Trivento also has an impressive barrel room, claiming over 5400 of them in one warehouse

each individual barrel….

On the way to our next bodega we bought our own sumptuous lunch, of peaches and plums, which we ate somewhere along the way, in one of the wine yards we passed. At Bodega Trivento, where we paid a humble amount of money for the tour and tasting, they thankfully started with the tasting. So that we could skip most of the tour. Because we know how wine is being made. And so we had time to visit our third bodega, Chettin. A small outfit, focussed on organic wines. Where we managed to just latch onto the last tour of the day, which ended with a tasting. Which was again not fantastic, in terms of quality. But great fun, very enthusiastic people, wonderful location, lovely building.

at Bodega Chettin the grapes have still some way to go

but the flowers are at their best, more colourful than the grapesl

an attractive wine making facility

A little later we dropped the bikes at the rental shop, and took the ‘tranvia’ back to Mendoza city. Great day out, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Including the cycling!

next, the crossing into Chile

and a fun tasting session

08. Mendoza

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from our balcony, Edificio Gomez, one of the more modern buildings (1954) in Mendoza

Compared to the other Argentine cities we have been to this trip, Mendoza, the coountry’s fourth largest city, is disappointing and dirty.

Mendoza is one of the oldest cities in Argentina, yet, it doesn’t show. There are just not a lot of attractive old buildings around; what didn’t help, of course, was the 1861 earthquake, that destroyed much of the city, including the only one historical site left, another Jesuit convent called San Francisco. Which is just not very impressive anymore. But where Rosario and Cordoba, and Buenos Aires too, have lots of beautiful early 20th Century architecture, Mendoza seems to lack the grandeur of this era.

 

 

the history of the Jesuit complex in a nutshell

and what remains of the complex today

tree-lined pedestrian street in Mendoza

It also seems to lack a forceful municipality. The city’s attractive tree-lined avenues and streets are dirty, many buildings are disfigured by ugly graffiti, the acequias, the wide trenches that run along the streets, are full of rubbish. It seems that really every park where we end up is being repaired, or reconstructed, meaning it is closed.

We are looking for the house that General San Martin lived in, clearly marked on our tourist map. We cannot find it, there is only a large sign announcing that we are on the historical town walk dedicated to the great liberator. It transpires that the house itself has been pulled down several years ago. To make place for development – which hasn’t been developed yet, evidenced by the corrugated iron that shields the construction site. The museum dedicated to the general is closed – right, it is siesta time after all -, but is in an ugly new building instead of the original house built by San Martin for his retirement. Nothing is sacred, in this town. Time to move on.

Or, wait! Don’t they have wineries here, too?

indeed, next more wineries

one of the few remaining early 20th Century buildings, the shopping gallery of San Martin

with impressive roof windows

in a little more detail

and this one, glass cupola

perhaps this sums up Mendoza town: old, poorly maintained, and for sale

 

07. the wineries

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not all of the old equipment is still being used at Bodega Viarago, in the Sierras

Unexpectedly, we find a number of young wineries in the Sierras de Cordoba, although many of them may still have some way to go to maturity; enthusiasm compensates.

Over the past decades Argentine wine has built up an enviable reputation – although a certain amount of personal bias may well be influencing this statement somewhat. Where in the past quantity was the norm, wineries started to focus on quality, perhaps some 20 years ago, and the results are impressive. more and more individual producers, ever increasing varieties, and especially, better and better wines. All from the foothills of the Andes, mostly Mendoza and San Juan. Or so I thought.

Which is why we were not a little surprised to find several bodegas – which is how the wineries are called locally – in the Sierras de Cordoba, close to Villa de Las Rosas, where we spent a few days. Obviously, this had to be explored. So off to San Javier, where according to a magazine article there are four of five of them.

by accident we stumble on Bodega Noble

a small-scale wine producer

a few stainless steel tanks

Talking to several of the bodega owners, it becomes clear that the wineries here are mostly focused on ‘enoturismo’, wine tourism. Hmmm. There is some room for improvement here. The first winery we wanted to visit in San Javier we fail to find. Even the local tourist information lady doesn’t know about it. By chance we stumble onto another one, Noble, not even mentioned in the article. Which turns out to be a really nice little bodega, run by a guy called Nicolas. On some three hectares of land they produce merlot, cabernet sauvignon and that quintessential Argentinian grape, Malbec, together good for approximately 16,000 bottles a year. Nicolas tells enthusiastically about the process, and about the various treatments that deliver different wines, from simple ones matured in stainless steel tanks to the more complex ones that have been kept in oak barrels for up to 48 months. Asked about markets, he explains that, indeed, most of his sales are to tourists, and some go to local restaurants. But how he convinces the tourists to buy remains unclear: tasting is not really part of the process, and only after we ask, he serves a tiny little bit of Malbec, the last bit of a bottle that happened to be open. We buy a bottle, anyhow, to try later.

and Nicolas explaining – but no tasting glasses….

La Mathilde doesn’t look so encouraging

the labels of recently bottled wine weren’t reasy yet

Our hopes are on La Matilde, another bodega outside San Javier. But this turns out to be a shop, only, where they sell wine, and a lot of other local products, like hand-painted bowls and other artefacts. Many of the bottles in the shop have the contents and the year hand-written on them. It transpires that they haven’t got the labels ready yet, for wine that has been bottled only a few weeks ago. Which doesn’t make the bottles any more attractive. Here, too, it remains unclear how they convince buyers: yes, we get to taste two of the wines they produce, but the cheapest is close to 10 US$, and their top-level wine costs some 25 US$. In a country where wines start under 2.5 US$, where a perfectly acceptable wine is around 5-6 US$, and where even the best Mendoza wines don’t sell for more than 25 US$. And those are really nice, whilst La Mathilde’s tasted a little rough, to say the least. We don’t buy any. You must be joking!

Viarago annouces itself clearly

and did get the labels in time

a barrel in the show cellar

and Pamela talking enthusiastically

The apparently most successful bodega, Las Breas, the only one that has managed to get its wines in the local supermarkets, unfortunately is closed on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday’s, too. Wine tourism, anybody? But nearer to Villa de Las Rosas, Bodega Viarago is still open. And this is where we learn most about the history of Cordoba wines, from the very enthusiastic Pamela. The first production dated from the 18th Century, not surprisingly introduced by the Jesuits who established themselves in the area. After their expulsion, the wine remained, until the government wine authority banned the production in Cordoba in the 1970s, allegedly because in this warm climate the wines were matured underground in cellars, which was considered unhealthy. A prohibitive tax regime helped to kill off the last wineries some time later – so that the Mendoza area could conveniently become even more dominant then it already was. Only in 2001 wineries opened again, after one of the worst economic crises in Argentine history, a time in which many people lost their jobs, and left the expensive area of Buenos Aires for the cheaper living conditions in the Sierras de Cordoba. This is when Noble started, and many of the other bodegas, all small-scale operations. Viarago still had access to the old equipment of grand-dad, who came from Italy after the 2nd World War, and to the house and the cellars of the original winery he established, from before the 1970s closure. Pamela takes us to the cellars, now nicely remodelled. And she makes us taste two of the wines, as well, a Malbec and a blend, both really nice wines, and both far more realistically priced than our earlier experience. This is what wine tourism needs to be, an enthusiastically told story accompanied by good, affordable wines. Pity we have several months of travel ahead of us, and then a flight home. Otherwise we would certainly have added to our own cellar.

next: that other wine area, Mendoza

06. the Sierras

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the Sierras de Cordoba, I have been spotted!

The Sierras de Cordoba, popular holiday spot for Argentines, has a lot to offer, from walks to hippy markets – and dense fog spoiling the view.

One of the prime tourist areas of Argentina is the Sierras de Cordoba, a range of hills stretching from nearby Carlos Paz to Villa Dolores, almost three hours drive from the city of Cordoba itself. Many self-respecting Argentinians have a little holiday home here, which they occupy part of the year themselves and rent out otherwise; many others have settled permanently, attracted by the overall pleasant temperatures – an important element in the daily conversation of this country – and relaxed way of live, which we would have called hippy-esque in another era.

the Jesuit complex in Alta Gracia

with nicely restored galleries

and a well-decorated church

 

On the way to the Sierras, we visit the Jesuit complex in Alta Gracia, a somewhat overrated, but nicely restored monastery and church, largely turned into museum to show the way of life of those days. You know, old chairs and tables, a bedroom, a kitchen with utensils. All accompanied by a lot of history, about the Jesuits who came to Cordoba in 17th Century, set up several agricultural complexes like Alta Gracia in the surroundings to finance their projects, and were then expelled in 1767 because they became too powerful to the liking of the Spanish king. After which the complex was sold to a powerful local family, of course.

a rare moment of some view in the higher Sierras

from nearby the flowers are visible

like this one, too

In order to get to Villa de Las Rosas, where we meet up with friends, we need to cross the Sierras, up a long and winding road, to be rewarded with a fabulous view. But it has started raining again, so we didn’t see much along the long and winding road, and it only stopped raining when we arrived higher up in the mountains, and in the clouds. No view, just dense fog. Our plan of a picknick looking out over the Sierras was replaced by a quick bite behind a couple of rocks, shielding us from the worst of the cold, staring into the mist.

even if you come much closer…

when it clears up, the Sierras look quite nice, actually

one of the small rivers provide several swimming pools

and easy access to the water

here, too, wonderful flowers

By the time we arrive in Villa de Las Rosas it has cleared up somewhat. We spent the days with walking in the hills, and to a spot along the river where we can bath. And we go to the ‘feria’, the several times a week market dominated by people selling self-made jewelry, weavings, and pottery – how hippy-esque can you get? Luckily, they sell food, too, at the market and at the small terraces that surround the plaza, and provide an excellent viewing platform for all those people enjoying themselves. Including the group of girls vying for the title of ‘Reina de las Papas’ – potato queen. Really. And we do what every tourist does, we relax in the garden, on the veranda, sipping wine. Wine? We have more on that….

next: the wineries

and birds of prey overhead

sometimes not that much higher than ourselves

and what to think about this ‘bicho’, ready to sting anybody unsuspecting

on the ‘feria’, a hippy band playing

and the contenders for the title of potato queen

the rest of the village has settled in the park, in between the stalls selling food and artefacts