Argentina/Chile Part IV: 33 Degrees South
What is it about latitude 33 South? Like a line across the continent, the great cities of Chile and Argentina hover around this marker (Valparaiso, Santiago, Mendoza, Buenos Aires) – bursting with history, culture, and wine. We visit them all during the swan song of our big adventure.
Day-colored wine,
night-colored wine,
wine with purple feet
or wine with topaz blood,
wine, starry child of earth,
wine, smooth as a golden sword, soft as lascivious velvet,
wine, spiral-seashelled and full of wonder, amorous, marine;
never has one goblet contained you, one song, one man,
you are choral, gregarious,
at the least, you must be shared.
– excerpt from Ode to Wine, Pablo Neruda.
This story begins with Chile’s populist poet Pablo Neruda and ends with Santa Evita – the everlasting star of Buenos Aires. But first, we find ourselves waking up on a bus in cool and collected Santiago….
Its all about business on the streets of Santiago, as men in suits run place to place throughout the day, every day. Seemingly driven by the same invisible hand as American workers, Santiaguinos are serious, hard-working, and busy (only taking a break for “cafe con piernas” – coffee served by tight miniskirt-clad women.) But amidst the staid office towers and government buildings, we find a couple bohemian enclaves filled with artist boutiques, cafes, and independent movie houses. We also take a climb up the labyrinthine Santa Lucia park – where a Greek revival fountain serves as a gate to winding uphill trails that end at a tall castle-like tower with sweeping views.
We quickly move on to historic Valparaiso, an absolutely decrepit port city that served as one of the main stopping off points for travelers on their way to the California Gold Rush. “Valpo,” as it’s called, is like a bizarro San Francisco. Built on a series of hills facing a bay, the weather and development of the city closely resembles SF. Heck, they even had an earthquake in 1906! But, unlike SF, it seems no one bothered to rebuild or invest in Valpo, and its ornate Victorian houses rot and crumble on many a hillside. As in similar places, grime and a bedraggled atmosphere has given birth to a great arts and nightlife scene, with passionate singers belting out odes in rusty bars and artists working out of dingy studios in seedy barrios. Adding to its character are a series of outdoor elevators, resembling funiculars, from the early 20th century that cart passengers up and down the steep hills for a small fee. These are not really the touristy sort, just rusty, creaky workhorses that provide a dazzling view of the port as you head skyward. No doubt Valpo is atmospheric.
But the highlight of our visit to this town is an excursion to the seaside resort town of Isla Negra – home to Pablo Neruda’s favorite house. Neruda was an eccentric character – obsessed with all things regarding the sea, while simultaneously being afraid of the water. His collections of shells, mastheads, shoes, costumes, glass bottles, etc. are all on display for the curious to inspect in this beautiful spot. It is impossible to resist immediately sitting down in the sand to compose poetry.
Our time in Chile draws to a close, and we board a bus for our last Andean crossing. And it’s a doozy! We emerge from the trans-Andean tunnel to see Aconcagua – the highest peak in the Americas. Our spirits (and wallets) are overjoyed to be back in Argentina. Vineyards begin to spring up along the road; we have finally arrived to Mendoza – number one wine-growing region in Argentina.
Although Mendoza is a large city, it has that small town feel thanks to the forward-thinking urban planners that lined each of its principal avenues with rows-upon-rows of shady sycamores. Our fall arrival is ideal – the weather is perfect, the trees are still leafy, and the wine harvest is in full effect. Although plenty of American tourists and investors prowl the streets (and nearby vineyards, overpriced restaurants, etc.) of Mendoza, it is still easy to escape the touristed parts of town and immerse ourselves among Mendocinos enjoying picnics in hundreds of inviting squares dotting the city. Five days pass quickly as we relax, drink (and buy) plenty of the local vino, and fatten up on great food. Another week in Mendoza, and we might have ended up with a vineyard! But we are really ready for Buenos Aires, so we don our earplugs and nightshades for one last coche-cama night bus: a 15-hour ride across the pampas to the legendary capital.
Best moment: 1) Watching the foamy, wild Pacific crash on the jagged rocks in front of Pablo Neruda’s mast-guarded tomb and eccentric, boat-shaped house at Isla Negra.
2) Barrel tasting wine at its different stages of production with our effervescent, incredibly hospitable host – Carmelo Patti – during an in-depth tour of his eponymous winery.
Most unfortunate adventure: Oh so lost in the hills of Valparaiso! Valpo consists of seven hills (“cerros”), each blanketed by a different neighborhood and crisscrossed by sinuous roads (no grid here, folks). Only one single road links all seven hills, called the “Calle Cintura” (Belt Road). After taking the longest antique elevator to the top of one of the hills, we thought “Why not walk along the Belt Road to reach our neighborhood, three hills away?” Soon after leaving the first hill, the houses and streets become markedly grungier; people are beginning to stare at us as we walk by. Streetlights are broken and the sidewalk is in nonexistent… as we walk by a group of teenage boys, they call out to us in Spanish “Be careful on this hill.” We pick up our speed as the houses become still more decrepit. Groups of men stand on corners, halting their chatting as we walk by. We covertly glance at our map and realize we have no idea where we are (you would really think we would be smarter at this point in the trip, right?) No matter whether it is just our imaginations or really dangerous, we are ready to get off this hill! At the next corner, we head straight downhill, trying to get back to something familiar as quickly as possible. Cats peer out from broken fences and the narrow street becomes a set of broken stairs, that turns into a dirt path. Finally, we reach a square that we can locate on the map, only a short walk from our hostel. A big sigh of relief… We made it out of another scrape unscathed (knock on wood)!
Best meal:1) Trevi restaurant. We must admit, the first time we walked by Trevi, which had been highly recommended to us by a friend of Jamaica’s dad, we weren’t too sure. Located in a hotel with very traditional fixtures and floodlighting, it seemed a little stodgy and old-fashioned. We decided to keep walking. Little did we know that this traditional atmosphere is a key part of what makes this place THE BEST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE of our trip. We returned the next day, having been foiled by our previous evening’s overpriced, under-good meal. The food is traditional Italian with an Argentine twist. The meal starts with homemade Italian tallegio cheese, arriving at our table drizzled with olive oil and chives. The entrees range from housemade pastas that are heavenly – whether they are hearty sorrontinos (large raviolis) or fresh linguini – to hearty fare – like wine-roasted lamb or perfectly cooked pork loin. Vegetables are fresh and tasty; our favorite being the sauteed spinach covered with melted parmesano reggiano. For dessert, the tiramisu is sinfully rich. Different from any other tiramisu we have tried, this version is light on the alcohol, heavy on the cream, and missing the ladyfingers. Instead, Trevi creates a rich frozen mousse with intense vanilla and cafe flavors. Equally amazing is their amaretto mousse, dotted with bits of almond. But the best thing about Trevi is the service. Run by the DiCaro brothers, Antonio DiCaro is always wandering the floor, greeting customers and confirming that the food is blowing away their expectations. As you near the end of the meal, you can’t stop him from pouring a complimentary glass of homemade limoncello. And if you like it, he might pour you a glass of his amaretto, alcohol de neuces (nut liquer brewed in malbec), creamy limoncello, or fernet-like digestif (in our opinion, better than the original). We tried them all, and lived to tell the tale (barely!) We heart Trevi!
2) Ju-I – Rotiseria Vegetariana. This hole-in-the-wall vegetarian chinese take-out spot is cheap, creative, and filling – making it perfect for Maxmitch, and the many in-the-know Mendocinos who frequent it at lunch. Ju-I specializes in tasty casseroles, like filo-wrapped chard, egg, olive quiche, or butternut squash and cheese lasagna. Plus, they have light salads with roasted beets and asian dressings. Yum!
Favorite person: Armando, our waiter at Trevi. This Vespa-driving, tuxedo wearing Argentine-Italian became our best friend at Trevi, with his humor and amazing service. Armando put aside the last bottle of a very special wine for our second visit, and gave us many tips on all things Mendocino. We knew we had made a new friend when he gave us his cell phone number and told us to call him if ANYTHING happened during the rest of our time in Argentina (he recommended we just stay in Mendoza rather than go to “feo” Buenos Aires for two weeks.) Gracias Armando! Hasta nuestro viaje proximo a Argentina!
Quote of the week: This town is so gritty, there are rocks in your food… literally! – Jamaica, during an otherwise tasty dinner in Valparaiso, after Nelson bites down on a large pebble.
