At the end of a business trip to Western Argentina, followed by the flight over the Andes,ArcticTropic took an overnight excursion to Valparaiso ( known as Valpo to the locals) . Only about 2 hours from Santiago, and 4 hours from the slopes of Portillo, the city is in some ways reminiscent of San Francisco, without the freezing fog in the summertime.

A Miami bound ship is loaded with containers of wine.

Cool winds freshen the city , offering relief from inland summer heat.

The Hotel Reina Victoria.

Reminiscent of an old train car, this 100 year old funicular climbs ta mountainside overlooking the Port of Valparaiso,Chile on a beautiful summer’s day.

The sky becomes back as night from a forest fire that burned 60 houses and temporarily closed the road to Santiago.

The icy South Pacific never goes above 58 degrees ( 17 C ), as the Humboldt Current flows directly from Antarctica.

A delicious seafood stew , Parihuela, at Restaurant Caruso.

Artistic Graffiti is everywhere.

NIghtlife picks up around midnight and goes till dawn. Bar Cinzano is a throwback to the 1940’s but there are many electro-dance clubs around.

A nightclub singer at Bar Cinzano – straight out of the 1940’s.

Valparaiso is the main Pacific port for the Southern Cone – to China, Australia, the US and even Europe via Panama.

The Chilean Navy’s main base of operations – extending from Peru to the Antarctic and out to the middle of the South Pacific.

After a brief stopover in Buenos  Aires, it was time for ArcticTropic to move on to a week of business meetings in São Paulo. I decided to go by way of Montevideo , Uruguay. Buquebus Hydrofoil from Puerto Madero to Montevideo and early the next morning TAM to GRU . Though the 100 mile ,3 hour trip ( with Wifi and Duty-Free) seems to be at sea, the ship is , in fact, crossing the world’s widest river mouth – the Rio de la Plata. When we arrived in Montevideo at mid day , the entire Uruguayan Navy – all 8 ships- was out in full force to celebrate Uruguay’s 200th Independence Day. !

In the Old City, little has changed in the last 150 years.

Montevideo is probably one of the quietest capital cities on Earth. Uruguay has 35,000,000 head of cattle and only 3,000,000 people.

A DAy of Celebration.

Where the Father of Evolution began his Antipodean Journeys.

The aroma of the world’s best cuts of meat is everywhere in the windy streets. On Saturday , hundreds of diners gather at the port for excellent parilla.  ( Pa-ree-sha)

Vegans Beware !

Sweetbreads.

Portside Streets.

Colonial Street Signs.

Holy Water in a Giant Clamshell.

Peace.

Patrimony.

Edeficio Salvo.

Hotel Palacio – $40 US per night. At 3 AM, it’s time to move on to the airport.

ArcticTropic was the guest of  Doña Pipa  Cabañas in Barreal, Calingasta in western San Juan Province for two nights and a day. The Inn is owned by two brothers , Ramón and Diego Ossa Federico. Ramón runs many eco and adventure tours through Explora Parques – which leads excurions to four National Parks spread out over thousands of square miles – some of the trips last several days. ArcticTropic made use of limited time by going to nearby Parque Nacional Leoncito.

The Posada is comfortable and casual – reminiscent of being in the Western United States, but with delicious Argentine food and wine.

THe rooms are simple and quiet – bu there is wifi !

ArcticTropic took a bike ride up one of the dirt roads in town on a beautiful spring morning.

Riding is also offered – with Western saddles.

A healthy and tasty dinner awaits in the restaurant – welcome protein after a long day trekking and riding. It is open till midnight.

What’s For Dinner Tonight ?

Before

After

Any thing that walks, flies,swims or slithers is considered food.

A Muslim Uigyr Restaurant in Shanghai featuring the cuisine of Xinjiang.

Drunken Venison .

Delicious Pigeon Head at Bao Lu in Shanghai.

Giant Crab at Norman’s Seafood in Shanghai – RMB 4000 – about $ 600 each.

Delicious Duck Tongues.

On the morning of Saturday,September 11th, ArcticTropic visited a fish market in Santiago. The  icy cold South Pacific Ocean , fed by the Humboldt Current flowing north from Antarctica, is home to the world’s most abundant fisheries.

On Saturday ,September 4th , ArcticTropic skied the slopes of Portillo in brilliant sunshine and then departed at mid-Day to cross the Argentine border,then descended the Andes to Mendoza.

ArcticTropic Director at the Cristo Redentor crossing from Chile to Argentina. In early September, at winter’s end , there are normally several meters of snow here. There was none ! While the winter of 2010 was one of the coldest, it was unfortunately one of the driest. The Chilean side had one third of the normal snowfall, which was enough for  great skiing, but in Argentina, heavy snow fell mainly on the flat deserts and pampas, not in the mountains. Some small ski areas never opened. For a more detailed view of the journey across the Andes go to  the ArcticTropic Blog archives for March,2008. In a few weeks the bog will be fully searchable.

The first leaves of Spring.

Best Steaks in The World – Bife de Chorizo at Don Mario’s in Mendoza.

When I was in Saigon back in 1993, I dined at the incredible Tri Ky Restaurant.Cobra’s meat, Armadillo, Deer cervicals ( ?) and – BAT were on the menu. You won’t find this restaurant today because it has been replaced by a high rise, however ,there are sure to be replacements. Ask your hotel concierge in Saigon and they will be sure to help you. For ArcticTropic‘s Vietnam destinations click HERE. Please contact us with any new suggestions and we will add them. Menu photo -courtesy Raoul Didisheim.

One picks their own bat from the cage, in the way you might pick a lobster from a tank.

Yesterday we ventured into the wine country about 2 hours south of Mendoza.THe scenery was spectacular and the wine was excellent.

Destined for Christmas dinner tables in the USA.

In order to maintain composure during wine tasting , none must be swallowed.

A 2007 is poured to taste – one week before bottling.

Wine is not the only precious liquid produced in the Mendoza Region. In fact, oil is the number one revenue producer,especially with the high prices earlier this year.

For ArcticTropic Adventure Travel destinations throughout all of Argentina CLICK HERE.