Time for Reflection

The end of the holiday. We are on the flight back to London, and we are re-living our amazing adventure as we look through  our photographs. What were the highlights? The lowlights?  The things we would do differently?

HIGHLIGHTS:

In truth, the whole holiday was one big highlight, but if we had to pick out the absolute best bits, they would be these:

Perito Moreno Glacier.

Without a doubt, the number 1 highlight. We were blessed with great weather, and I am sure that made a huge difference . To hear and see the ice breaking away from 60metre high cliffs and falling into the water was incredible. To walk upon the glacier using crampons was simply an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.

Easter Island

Unbelievable. The size, the number, the enormity of carving so many Moai from the rock and then transporting them across the Island was simply staggering.

The Reloncavi , Puerto Montt, Chile

An amazing drive on mountain tracks in the shadow of the volcanos far from the tourist trail.

Pucon -Chilean Lake District

For the snow-capped  volcano views and hiking in Huerquehue National Park

The Ruins of Quilmes

Little known, but a massive and important historical site, clinging to the mountainside in a great state of preservation.  Reminiscent of Macchu Pichu, but in an arid, rather than a green setting. The sight of the condor, soaring close overhead, was simply unforgettable.

Cafayate to Salta via Cachi

A demanding 8 hour drive across mountain passes on poor, dirt track roads, but with unsurpassed views and incredible landscapes.

There are so many more I could mention: hiking to the base of the glacier at Ushuaia; the friendliness

of the Argentine people; the great wines of Mendoza and Cafayate; pisco-sour;horse-riding on an Estancia in Uruguay; beach combing in Jose Ignacious;

some of the wonderful accommodation that we stayed in, particularly Ushuaia, El Calafate, Fundo Los Guindos in the Chilean Lake District, Cafayate Wine Resort, and Salta; great food, the most surprising being at a roadside cafe opposite a gas station in the desert at St Agustin del Valle Fertil, the most romantic being Kuar restaurant in Ushuaia, and the most stylish being Cafayate Wine Resort. The list is endless.

LOWLIGHTS:

Very few.

Puerto Montt

Dirty, unattractive city, with chaotic road system, whose saving grace was the excellent Holiday Inn hotel.

Buenos Aires underground system.

I had my wallet stolen and lost about $70 US. Fortunately it was at the very end of the holiday.

Coffee in Chile

Nescafé only!

Hotel La Agauda in San Fernando Del Valle De Catamarca

The disaster of the closed hotel.

Dogs

The huge number of abandoned puppies and dogs throughout South America.  Two gorgeous puppies followed us around the Moai quarry on Easter Island. We would so like to have brought them home.  A local guide told us that a week earlier there had been two more, but these had died.

Spiders in Uruguay

Didn't bother me, but Anni insists I mention the 3 dinner-plate sized spiders that crossed the road in front of us.

THINGS WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY

Add more flexibility by only pre-booking the key elements before departure from the UK, then planning just a few days ahead at a time.  The widespread availability of the Internet in South America would have made this easy to achieve.   We could easily have stayed for twice as long (10 weeks) and done things at half the pace. 

 We could have travelled more by bus and less by plane. The journeys may be long (i.e 20 hours compared to a 2 hour flight) but the buses are comfortable, frequent, and reliable, and cost a fraction of the air fare. The cost saving would have financed a major extension to the duration of the holiday

Mendoza to Salta was a long, but amazing 4 day drive.  The one-way car hire was extortionate. You could easily spend three or four times as long exploring this area.  On another occasion I would take the bus from Santiago to Mendoza across the Upsalla Pass, hire a car in Mendoza and explore the very pleasant city and the vineyards of the area, then maybe take a further 4 days to visit the Ischigualasto and Talampaya National Parks, before returning to Mendoza and flying back to Santiago. From there I would make my way  up to the salt flats of the Chilean Atacama desert, before crossing back into Argentina at Salta.  At Salta, I would again hire a car for at least 4 days, take the  4 hour drive on the quick main route to Cafayate, spend at least 2 nights there enjoying the vineyards, and drive back to Salta on the mountain route stopping half-way overnight at the lovely Molinos Hacienda.

ONE LAST TIP

We didn't take the cruise to Antarctica. At from $5,000US to $10,000US it was

simply too expensive.  However, in Ushuaia, we were offered the same tour for $1,000 as a cruise ship had unsold cabins. If you can build flexibility into your itinerary, and have the luck to be offered such an amazing opportunity, take it!

Buenos Aires - Back to where it all Began

We flew from Salta to Buenos Aires, and with that our adventure had come full circle. Or perhaps I should more accurately describe the journey as a four-pointed star with Ushuaia in Tierre del Fuego as its most southerly point; the remote Easter Island, isolated over 2000 miles to the West in the Pacific Ocean; Salta in the Atacama Desert in the North; and Punta del Este in Uruguay at the Eastern extremity. It was so nice to walk back in to the familiar Hotel Duque in Palermo Soho, dump our bags, and head for the garden with free coffee and pastries. The staff recognised and greeted us like the returning travellers we were, genuinely eager to hear about our experiences. I had emailed them to ask a favour, and when check-in opened for our long haul flight to London, they had been able to sign in and change our seat allocation to the bulkhead seats, all whilst we were in the air over Salta. This was just so typical of the great standard of service this hotel provides.

We went window shopping in Palermo Soho where footballer's wives and film stars like to buy their clothes. Anni drooled over the shoes on display in the shop windows. We enjoyed our last meal in Calden del Soho restaurant, steaks, Lomo Pampa and Lomo Al Champignon, washed down with a bottle of Reserva Malbec from Del Fin Del Mundo vineyard, Argentina's most southerly vineyard located deep in Patagonia. We indulged ourselves with a shared Volcan de Chocolate, then headed back to bed.

It was raining on our last morning in Buenos Aires, a sign that it was time to go, although the prospect of returning to the cold weather in England, after the coldest March for 50 years, held little appeal. We left for the airport and our 12 hour flight back to London with plenty of time to reflect upon the most amazing holiday.

Eating & Sleeping in Salta

Oh boy, did we strike lucky in Salta? We booked a room in the Hotel Legado de Mitigo in the centre of the city, only 4 blocks from the Central Square and Cathedral. It is a large and spacious old townhouse that has been expertly converted in to a boutique hotel. The rooms were all large and were themed. Ours, El Wichi, was based on the Indian tribe that lived in this area and there were old photographs and other memorabilia around the room from that era. The room was huge, more like an apartment than a suite. It was quiet, and it was comfortable. The reception areas were well appointed, and there was a lovely smell of wood polish in the library where we enjoyed a complimentary glass of Malbec wine. Breakfast was fine. We had an issue confirming our flight to BA and the staff were extremely helpful in sorting it out for us.

The hotel staff recommended we ate at the Cafe del Tiempo, and as this was backed up by good reviews on Tripadvisor we went along with their suggestion. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere,the service was good and friendly, and was reasonably priced. The restaurant often plays live music, although not whilst we were there. The food was OK, we have often eaten better, but the house Malbec recommended by the waiter was rough!

Below is a video of young people dancing the Tango on the bandstand in Salta's main square.  It was midnight on Saturday night, and they were just getting in to the swing of it.

Salta

We arrived in Salta, the largest city in Northern Argentina just as it was getting dark, but found our hotel quite easily thanks to Anni's excellent map reading. A change in the weather had been threatening and announced itself with a thunderstorm and torrential rain. This was only the second time in 5 weeks that we had seen any significant rain. We had been extremely lucky. After a glass of wine in the hotel we went for dinner, after which, as the rain had eased, we walked down to the main square. The cathedral and the other principal buildings around the square were all beautifully illuminated, and this provided some good photo opportunities. For a few minutes we watched young couples dancing the tango on the bandstand. At midnight the city was beginning to come to life, but we were ready for bed!

Next morning, Sunday, we walked around the town. As it was Palm Sunday it seemed every street corner was full of vendors from the outlying villages, weaving fronds of palm leaves and selling them to churchgoers along with sprigs of rosemary and lavender. We took the gondola to the top of the hill for a panoramic view of the city and tried to work out in which direction lay the airport. We needn't have worried. The hotel gave us a map and clear directions and we drove there in good time for our flight and overnight stop in Buenos Aires before our return home to England.

From Cafayate to Salta via Molinos and Cachi

It is the end of the day. We have checked in to our hotel in Salta, and we are sat in the library enjoying a glass of Malbec wine. On the table in front of me is a travel book full of amazing photographs. I read this description of the drive we have just completed.

Valles Calchaquies

"The Calchaqui valleys, which continue in the Provinces,of Tucuman and Catamarca, form one of the most seductive tourist routes in the North East. Their principal attractions are their imposing landscapes and a vivid culture which is expressed by architecture, craftsmanship and the festive spirit of those who live in these lands.

Majestic rocky mountains harbour thousands of imaginary sculptures and hide nooks whose colours change with the different lights of the day. Thus the deepest green is transformed as the kilometres go by in to a palette of red hues of sand and stones.
The small villages that are spread out in this region along its valleys, hills and ravines, dazzle with their charm and mud houses, churches and museums. In this region today it is possible to find traces of the passing of the Incas and Jesuits. Your cannot miss out on the "Los Cardones" , the Giant Cactus, National Park, where the most ancient examples, between 200 and 300 years old reach a height of 3metres.
To travel thought the Calchaqui valley is a privilege and a gift to the senses. It is impossible not to stop at every step to breathe its history and tribute to nature."

It was the drive of a lifetime. 310 km mainly on dusty mountain tracks with spectacular views at every turn of the road. Through desert, over passes, across the Altiplano, and down the long and treacherous descent of the Calchaqui valley in to Salta. We stopped for lunch in the small town of Molinos and had a great lunch and glass of Torrontes at the Hacienda opposite the impressive church. All told, a wonderful day!

Drying Chillies near Cachi

Eating & Sleeping in Cafayate

We stayed in Cafayate in the centre of the wine growing district where there is a good choice of accommodation. We chose the Vinas de Cafayate Wine Resort which is situated about 3km out of town in a quiet location overlooking the vineyards and mountains. Here, for a change, we were not woken early by cocks crowing, dogs barking, or the sound of traffic in the street outside. The setting was idyllically quiet. There is a touch of real class about this place which you are aware of immediately you step through the door. The common areas, reception, lounge and restaurant were all tastefully decorated with high ceilings and felt cool and welcoming. The same applied to the large bedroom which had a vaulted ceiling and its own private patio area where we enjoyed a complimentary glass of Torrontes wine upon arrival. We felt sufficiently impressed to dress for dinner, although not everybody was doing so and it wasn't necessary. The meal was superb. The presentation of the food was excellent and the chef obviously took delight in his cooking. As you might expect the wine list was extensive but very reasonably priced. Overall we thought this was good value for money, and a surprising gem of a find. It was the perfect retreat after a long, hot day on the road.

The Ruins of Quilmes and the Condor

We left Catamarca heading north, driving up a long wide valley. In contrast to the desert landscape of previous days, the area was green and full of well established trees and shrubs. The clouds above us

were channelled up the valley by the tall mountains on either side and it was clear this area received more rain. Eventually we crossed over a range of low foothills and immediately the area opened up in to a wide, fertile plain where tobacco and sugar cane was being grown. This area felt more prosperous than the desert lands with many small farms in evidence.

We headed West and climbed over the Tafi Del Valle Pass with its winding roads, lush vegetation, steep cliffs and a waterfall at the bottom of a ravine. At 2,000 metres we were in the clouds and the temperature had dropped to 10 degrees. We emerged in to a bowl shaped plateau and the sight of a huge lake created by an artificial dam with the summer resort of Tafi behind it. This was a green and

pleasant place, the refuge of many wealthy Argentinians, escaping the heat in their second homes. Continuing our ascent again we reached the summit at 3,040 metres and the thick fog immediately disappeared to reveal a change back once again to the dry, arid conditions of the desert. We stopped for photographs on the descent at the Cuesta De Cardones, where giant cacti littered the mountainsides, and after 50 km arrived at Quilmes.

Quilmes was the stronghold of the Calchaquis people, farmers who developed an impressively integrated social and economic structure. The area once had as many as 200,000 inhabitants, and it

was the last indigenous site to fall to the invading Spanish in 1667. The walls of neatly set flat stones are still perfectly preserved, though the roofs of giant cacti girders have vanished long ago. We were impressed with this site, its fortifications and the vast complex of its residential area. It was well worth the visit.

We finished our day with a moment of pure exhilaration. As we picked our way carefully down the hillside between the ruined buildings a huge condor appeared from nowhere and circled above our heads. We stood in awe as we watched the effortless flight of this majestic bird, wheeling and twisting its way across the sky, riding the thermals with barely a flap of its wings. It was magical

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