South American travelogue, winter 2008
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- Week 5 (Feb. 23-29): Mendoza, Cordoba, northwest Argentina
March 1, 2008 - Saturday, February 23
Post-breakfast stroll through very pleasant Mendoza town center; long pedestrian walkway on main street with lots of people out enjoying lovely day, sidewalk cafés, music in friendly atmosphere.
Mendoza has planted large sycamores everywhere, and they make it a pretty place with lots of green and shade. Some hassle at hotel check-out when we pointed out that Web site where we reserved says
that breakfast is included and they tried to say it was when you reserved by phone, but not on Web; nothing to that effect on their site, and they finally took charges off. They also have weird
practice of charging you more when you book by Internet (reverse of some other outfits) than if you call, which they don’t tell you on their site. Explanation was that they get more no-shows with Web
reservations than with phone ones, which to us made no sense because they have credit-card numbers and could charge penalty. Short drive to southern Mendoza suburb of Chacras (farm estate) de Coria
to what turns out to be wonderful small lodging, Lares (home or hearth) de Chacras, modern two-story extended house on large lot with big rooms, pool, wine cellar with tasting, small restaurant, and
interesting group of British, Irish, Canadian, Argentinian, and American guests. Young, helpful staff of fluent English-speakers. Striking hawk, perhaps tending nestlings, in tree at back of yard. We
can’t think of places quite like this and Estancia la Luisina, where we stayed near Bahía Blanca after leaving Buenos Aires, in the US. Found both in expensive Tierra Buena guide to Argentine hotels
and estancias that Susan bought in Buenos Aires and is proving its worth. Discovered, on unpacking at Lares, likely theft from car we’d left locked in Park Hyatt basement, with attendant having key
because we had to park blocking someone: small D-Link wireless router, worth about $70 US, missing from Susan’s large suitcase, which we’d left in trunk out of sight so as not to have to take all
bags in. No sign of forced entry. Out for dinner at nearby asado (Argentine barbecue) place with hearty servings of pork, sausages, different cuts of beef.
Sunday, February 24
Work in late morning and early afternoon. Walked out for lunch, ended up at Finisterre restaurant just north of town square with nice outdoor dining area under large shade trees. Variety of four
tasty small empanadas (meat or vegetable mixes cooked inside pastry) for Susan and very good machas (razor clams) cooked in sauce and Parmesan cheese on half shell for Tom. Waiter was Argentinian but
back with family for last seven months after growing up in US; misses the States. Back to Lares for Susan to get a Swedish massage and for both to do more work. Took cab out for dinner, so as not to
get lost, at highly rated 1884 restaurant in closer-in southern suburb of Mendoza; food good but nowhere nearly as outstanding as some other places we’ve eaten on this trip. Very helpful and
knowledgeable sommelier picked excellent wine, agreed without hesitation that first bottle had cork taint and replaced it, and gave us good recommendations for wineries to visit Monday.
Monday, February 25
Wine-touring day. At least several hundred wineries in large Mendoza area; have to pick just a few. Good views, on drive out to first stop, of snow-capped Andes in distance behind foothills. Morning
at interesting, high-quality, relatively small-production Achaval Ferrer outfit; most informative talk by fast-talking, English-speaking guide Patricia about characteristics of different wines and
how they contribute to the winery’s signature blend. Large trailer with mostly Bolivian-looking crew (Patricia assured us that they were all legal) pulled in to handle bottle-labeling operation; lets
smaller wineries get their labels on at winery without investing in labeling equipment. Lunch at very good, modern Ruca Malen wintery; five courses (fortunately, small servings) paired with their
wines. Despite Argentina’s economic crisis six-seven years ago, much investment has obviously been going into upscale facilities over the last several years. However questionable some of former
President Kirchner’s dealings may have been, and whatever his legacy (inflation, some power shortages) he does seem to have delivered pretty decent quality of life to large numbers of Argentines
rapidly after a terrible crash. Stopped after lunch at winery of Carmelo Patti, where irrepressible, genial Carmelo himself shows you around in Spanish, giving tastings of recent vintages of his
Cabernet Sauvignon out of large storage containers where it’s aging, then giving you tastes of his older bottled version and a blend using it. We bought a bottle of his champagne, which he says is on
the wine list at Hacienda del Sol in Tucson, where we’ve had family dinners the last several Christmases. Driving around brought home how very heavily wooded most of the developed parts of this area
are, with large sycamores arching over every street for mile after mile in quite flat terrain and producing a most distinctive feel.
Tuesday February 26
Tom’s 66th birthday. Leave-taking at most pleasant Lares de Chacras and off about noon for Córdoba area well to east. Susan had found a country lodge, Posada Camino Real (Royal Highway Inn), in Santa
Catalina in Córdoba province, and made a booking; we found a Santa Catalina on the map in southern Córdoba province, an easy day’s drive from Mendoza on the way to Córdoba. Talking last night at
Lares with Canadian couple who’d just come from Camino Real, we fortunately learned that it’s near another Santa Catalina in the province, north of Córdoba some hours beyond the first Santa Catalina.
But they’d loved the lodge, so we decided to keep our reservation and make the longer drive, which turned out to take about eleven hours including stops. Fortunately, much of this part of Argentina
has four-lane roads (including one from border to border in the good-sized province of San Luis east of Mendoza), and we went around Sierras Chicas (Little Sierras) range west of Córdoba so that most
two-lane roads were flat and straight with easy passing across pampas. Vineyards in Mendoza province extend quite far east, mixed with other crops and uncultivated land--looks like Argentina could
add a good deal to its already very extensive area under cultivation without sacrificing forests--before giving way to considerable stretch of uncultivated brush and then, in eastern San Luis and
southern Córdoba, very fertile-looking, intensively farmed land with crops of several sorts. Many trucks and some cars on roads in Argentina and Chile are real stink-pots; obviously in many parts no
heavy-duty efforts at pollution control yet.
Last fifteen or so miles to lodge in dark on bumpy dirt road past imposing old Jesuit Estancia Santa Catalina, brightly lit at night, and arrived about 11:00. Jesuits had established several large
settlements in this area, starting in late 16th century, bringing in and converting pacific natives and fostering much prosperous development to support their educational and mission work after Spain
cut off their subsidy. Spanish crown then expelled Jesuits in latter part of 18th century; settlements fell apart, but many of the estancias’ major buildings remain. Posada manager Carol had staff
still on to fix us good asado dinner; server recommended, and we much enjoyed, a superb red blend wine (Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot) from uplands west of Mendoza.
Wednesday, February 27
First sustained rain we’ve had since we got to South America a month ago, finally letting up in early afternoon. Good day to stay in and get through more work. Pleasant lunch outside after some sun
came back, followed by walk accompanied by three of posada’s Weimaraners (fourth is unhappily locked up because she’s in heat and they don’t want her to breed) along dirt track through rolling, very
green hills with crops, horses, cows. Massage for Susan in late afternoon; more work for both. Good dinner at Posada.
Thursday, February 28
Left Posada in mid-morning to drive back down to Córdoba. Made two stops at old Jesuit estancias on the way--Santa Catalina near the Posada, and Jesús María in town of same name on way back to
Córdoba to south and east. What’s to see at Santa Catalina is just fairly elaborate church; rest is closed private property. At Jesús María the church is less elaborate, but they have quite a museum
of pre-Columbian religions and Spanish colonial-era artifacts in what had been living and working areas of Jesuit estancia. On to Córdoba, not far south and in center of country, for visit to core of
Argentina’s second city and home to some of its oldest and best universities. Mid-day stroll in pleasant, warm weather with nice lunch at pleasant, tree-shaded outdoor restaurant in heart of
several-block-square pedestrian shopping area. High, arched bougainvillea arbors over many of pedestrian shopping streets. Went into law school where student banners were protesting elitism of
student body--small number of students with working-class backgrounds. Class origins aside, about 90% of those in enrollment line were women. Back on road in late afternoon around reservoir west of
Córdoba, popular vacation area with both tourist schlock and nice modern buildings in several towns along reservoir. Arrived in early evening at Castillo (castle) de Mandl in La Cumbre (The Summit)
well north of reservoir. Hard to find Castillo; shopping in grocery store, we asked for directions and nice fellow customer said, “Sigame”--Follow me. He was driving a car with logo of competing
lodging, but he led us to turn up hill for Castillo. Remarkable large house built in 1930s by Austrian, Mandl, and recently turned into lodging place. Good distance uphill with lawn and balcony
offering stunning views over extensive valley with three ranges of hills visible in southwest. Watched sunset and enjoyed Carmelo Patti’s excellent champagne that we’d brought with us from Mendoza.
Fine dinner at Castillo; just one other couple, from Buenos Aires, staying there.
Friday, February 29
On road after breakfast, Internet, etc., just after noon. La Cumbre is very prosperous-looking and the most fastidiously neat place we’ve seen on this trip. Destination to north and a bit west, Tafí
del Valle hill resort in Tucumán province on way to wine areas of Cafayate and Salta. Interesting drive--first rolling green hills and then much flat, green land with little cultivation but what
looked like highly productive fields the few places they had crops. Some extensive salt marshes and flats. Mostly good two-lane roads, flat and straight as a string for long, long distances with very
little traffic. Interesting apparent absences: Speed-law enforcement, little in evidence in Chile and virtually nonexistent in Argentina. (But occasional provincial-border and agricultural-product
checkpoints, often unmanned or just waving you through but sometimes asking questions or taking down lots of details like car info, licence, origin and destination, etc. Never a hint of shakedown.)
Also striking lack of cultivation of much green, flat land--not sure if it’s worse for crops than it looks, or if there are other reasons for not farming it. And no rail traffic--plenty of old
railroad lines, and crossings you have to slow for, but no sign of their actually being in use for freight or passenger traffic today. We don’t recall seeing a working train, as opposed to subway, in
Argentina or Chile since we were in Buenos Aires. Finally, some puzzling absence of signage that led to a few, fortunately brief, wrong directions.
On into north-central Tucumán province with sugar-cane monoculture in flat, fertile areas. Then heading toward Tafí with last thirty or so miles involving climb on winding road through lushly
forested steep hills that finally give way to grassy upland mountain valley, a cool summer retreat at about 7,000 feet away from hot Tucumán city not far away but down in flatlands. Pleasant estancia
on edge of town; walked in for dinner and found interesting grill restaurant where we shared tasty cabrito--barbecued goat and rich Tannat (Rhone grape also grown by Tablas Creek in Paso Robles) red
wine from Cafayate, our next stop. Price comparisons may be of interest--remarkably nice castle at La Cumbre yesterday came to about $200 US total for lodging, gourmet dinner with wine, and
breakfast. Dinner tonight with wine and tip was between $35 and $40 US. Pleasant, not upscale lodging tonight is about $50 US. Chilean prices had been higher, but still good by US standards--at best
Santiago restaurants where we ate, total bills after conversion to US dollars were about 2/3 of what we’d expect to pay in comparable fine restaurants in big US cities outside New York.
