(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XXIII - Show's Over

We awoke in BA, fairly well rested, nearly all packed, and ready to set out on our final day in South America.  The glorious ride of the pre-wedding honeymoon, slowly coming to a gradual stop.

Our plan for the day was to wander Palermo, do some shopping, have a good meal or two, relax and then head off to the airport to being our long journey home.

I'm happy to say, we accomplished all these items.  The spoils of the day included...

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XXII - The Longest Day Ever...

445am wake ups on your honeymoon are not so fun.  We slowly peeled ourselves out of bed, finished the packing and got dressed for an excursion that promised freezing cold morning conditions at the Geyser and bathing at the hot springs.  Tough packing.

We met up with everyone at 530 and made sure the guide knew we had to be back by 12:10 to catch the transfer to our flight.  They did not say no problem right off the bat which made us a bit nervous.  But we forged ahead regardless.

The trip to the El Tatio geysers, at 4400M elevation, was about 2 hours.  GG and I dozed en route.

We arrived into a field with tall plumes of steam escaping all over the place – the releasing of magma-heating pressure with the cold air above (at sunrise it's actually only in the upper 30 degrees Fahrenheit). 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XXI - Salty Lagoons and Salt Flats

Today we were up early for our 16KM mountain bike ride to Laguna Cejar, a very salty lagoon where we could attempt to swim but would really just float at the surface due to the high salt.  Allegedly it's got a higher salt concentration than the Dead Sea.

The bike ride was a long one and a challenging one – at least more so than we expected.  The real tricks were several stretches of sand dunes on the dirt roads that you had to drive over perfectly in the right gear or you would definitely fall.  And falls did happen in dominoes – if the person before you goes down, you go down.

We made it!

 Upon arriving at the lagoon, it was worth it.  A random, deep crater, filled with clear blue water that had been heated partially by the sun, but still quite chilly.  I ran in, goggles on, and floated about. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XX - Back in the Saddle...

Time for our morning horseback ride.  This was sold as an excursion that would allow for beginners and experts to go together and break up over some long stretches.  Seemed perfect for us.  

Unfortunately, with a group of 8 people of mixed skills and one guide and one gaucho, we weren’t getting far in two groups.  We walked a lot.  There was a brief moment where they let us trot and canter but I had no idea how to stay stable so I was hanging on for fear of falling out of the saddle.  GG was a bit dismayed as well since the expert break off ride never happened (probably because of me and my scarily limited skills).  For the moments where I wasn't focused on how to survive the ride, I looked around and reflected.  It truly was amazing to be riding this beautiful Arabian horse around a surreal desert.  Unfortunately, those moments were fleeting as reality set back in and I had to not fall off my horse.  Tough morning.

I look much more in command than i actually was...

Our afternoons were lovely – plenty of time to swim, nap, eat lunch, email, etc as the afternoon excursions don’t go out until 5p at earliest.  Any earlier and the desert heat, sun, and wind would ruin us.

That afternoon, we did the “Cactus” hike – it was special as we would be hiking along the one main valley that has a supply of Andean water and therefore has green bushes, trees, and, unsurprisingly, many cacti. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XIX - Atacama Desert: Our Final Frontier

En route to Atacama, the driest desert on earth, via a flight a 2 hour flight to Calama.  We didn’t know what to expect but felt quite comfortable that the Explora experience would take care of us.  The flight was easy – about 2 hours to Calama – and the transfer to Explora was only about an hour and 15 minutes to San Pedro – the town outside of which the Hotel de Larache is located.

On our shuttle we were joined by a couple from Boston – scientist/academics who had done both Patagonia and Easter Island Explora on this trip and another couple from Germany.  A much different group than we had en route to Patagonia.

We blazed over dirt and paved roads in the middle of nowhere - a crazy desert with mountains, volcanos, salt flats, oases, cacti, and pink flamingos.

Unlike Patagonia where there are set enter and exit days, in Atacama guests come and go daily. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XVIII - One Day in Santiago

Our one and only full day to explore Santiago and we were in the business center approving proofs for our invite.  From there (and after some sniffing around on chowhound with a corroboration from our concierge), we took the subway over to Mercado Central – the central seafood market.  One of my favorite ways to see a city is to explore their local food market and this was the place to do it.

The cleanest part of the market...

The lovely sites and smells...

Our friend, the Congrio

Unfortunately, we were utterly spoiled by our royal treatment and experience at Tsukiji Market in Japan (more on that at another point) so this was a bit of a disappointment. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XVII - Goodbye Wine, Hello Big City

We awoke and soon were greeted by Oswaldo and a maid from the vineyard who proceeded to the kitchen to cook us breakfast – eggs, fresh bread, juice, etc.  Also, cocoa puffs.  An al fresco meal on our patio seemed perfect, until the swarm of bees descended upon us, so we finished up inside.

Pre-Bee Swarming

After packing up, we headed back to Matetic for our horseback lesson/ride.  We were not sure what to expect, but upon walking back in, we met Emilio, our guide and we were off. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XVI - Chilean Wine Country Continues...

We awoke to an al fresco breakfast served outside our door on the patio which was lovely.  Then we relaxed, enjoyed the setting and did nothing until our 12:30p tour of the Matetic Vineyard.

Breakfast by our porch...

10km down the road was the actual vineyard.  We arrived and had a private tour, learning a lot about the vineyard – a Yugoslavian couple started it in 1990 and the entire facility is biodynamic and organic.  It was an exquisite setting and they even had horses and alpaca running around the grounds.

Alongside the winery...

Matetic horses...

We had our tasting with another couple visiting for a tour and, surprise, surprise, they were from NYC.  The upper west side. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XV - Cruising the Chilean Wine Trail

Time to head to a different wine country – Chilean wine country. We flew to Santiago, grabbed our rental car (a Mazda with automatic steering) and headed west to the Casablanca and San Antonio valley – a little bit different from the more famous wine country to the south but with many interesting and up and coming vineyards.

Through some research, I found two different vineyards that have guest houses. Our first night, I booked us in Matetic Vineyards. Once we finally found it, we were overwhelmed by its beautiful grounds, plus we were the only guests that evening out of seven guest rooms, so we had the entire place to ourselves – our own vineyard!

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XIV - Argentine Wine Extravaganza continues...

Up and at em!  945am Diego showed up to take us on our tour for the day…we were hitting both Lujan de Coyo and the Uco Valley.

We would begin things at Catena Zapata – one of the most acclaimed vineyards in Argentina and the only one who decided to have their bodega emulate the Mayan Pyramids.

The wine was excellent.  No surprise as I had brought home several bottles of theirs from the BA airport my last trip to Argentina years before.  So it was fun to see where they were made and hear more about the story.  The vineyard had been in the family for over 100 years.  The Malbec, not surprisingly, was excellent.  We only opted for the most basic tasting – after all it was 10:30am!

From the roof of Catena Zapata's Faux Mayan Temple...

From there we visited Belasco de Baquedano. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XIII - Wine Country! Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza!  We made it!  Normally not a big fan of major chain hotels, we were very happy to be in a real city in a real hotel with amenities and English speaking staff.  It was only one night in PA and one night on a LAN flight since our last luxe stop but those 48 hours felt like an eternity.

We checked in to the Park Hyatt Mendoza around noon and passed out.  Slept the day away in a great way.  Awoke at 4p and went downstairs for a snack and I went for a swim – they had an excellent outdoor pool.

For dinner, we visited Ciao Cuoco at the recommendation of our chef friends at Casa Felix.  A restaurant recommendation from a great chef seems a sure bet.  Well, not so much....

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XII - Bring on the Penguins!

We slept in and it felt great.  Our tour was not until 4p so we pretty much had nothing to do.  There was a looming dread throughout the day of our 330am flight that night out of PA to Mendoza via Santiago where we essentially had to kill 6 hours in PA from 8p until 2am in a town where nothing is really going on.

Around 2p we ventured out to grab a bite.  At the recommendation of the hotel, we went to a fast food style cafeteria called Lomit’s.  I think it was an American style diner, but I’m not sure.  Everyone had big sandwiches on round rolls so we got one that was chicken and cheese (seemed safe) and one called a Lomito – we figured that’s the one the restaurant is named after so let’s go for it.  We thought is was steak of some sort.

Everyone loves Lomit's...well, almost everyone.

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XI - Goodbye Paine, Hello Punta Arenas

The alarm went off and GG was not having it.  After getting blown over on the full day hike and then the expert horseback ride, her body was done.  I tried to see if there were any super easy excursions, but there were not, so we cancelled and had a leisurely morning/lunch before heading off to Punta Arenas.

We departed Explora at 3p in a van full of the few guests we didn’t get a chance to meet, all of whom live in Chile and spoke Spanish.  It was going to be a long 6 hour ride.

Surprise, surprise, it wasn’t at all. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part X - On the (Patagonian) Lamb

So, after our full day excursion experience, we were back to half days, preferably not too draining half days.  GG left me to take an experienced horseback ride through the country while I went on the “easy” animal hike – some ups and downs while we observed guanacas, flamigos, rheas, and possibly a puma in their natural environs.  We would then rendez-vous at the estancia for a traditional Patagonian lamb bbq – I was very much looking forward to this.

That "easy" hike - not so easy!  Not contemplated in that intensity level assignment was the 120 km/hr winds blowing that day.  However, miraculously, this was the only hike of our stay where I did not take a fall!  We did spot all of the animals cited, except for the elusive puma.

Here are some of the highlights…

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part IX - Bringing the Paine!

We awoke for our first full day excursion – we were cocky after our Ferrier triumph and opted for the most difficult full day hike offered – the famous French Valley continuing up to “The Plateau.”

Our group included the NJ family as well as a young lawyer couple from NY who were around our age and very friendly.  They live on the UWS and have a one year old son who’s home with the nanny and parents.

There was a 45 minute van ride to a lake where we then took a 40 minute boat ride to our point of departure.  I put our pack on my back (not so light!) and we were off.  We began our day in full long johns and then the sun came out.  It was brutal.  During our first stop we stripped down to just trekking pants.

This outfit was short-lived - GG would not be seen even in the middle of nowhere with me looking like that.

The hike to the plateau was long.  Very long. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part VIII - Conquering the Paine!

We awoke early and after a quick breakfast we headed off with Miguel, our guide, and only two other guests – a couple from San Diego – who also had the guts to sign up for Ferrier - the difficult hike, day 1, morning 1.  We found out soon along the hike that both of them are actually quite fit, marathoner/equestrians.  Yet, somehow, GG and I kept up the pace.  The first part of the hike was steep and rocky and afforded us amazing views of the icebergs that broke off the gray glacier.  

yes - those are icebergs - just the tips...

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part VII - Torres del Paine - Explora Patagonia!

Finally, we were en route to Explora Patagonia – one of the most anticipated highlights of our trip.  A 5 star resort set in the middle of the Torres del Paine national park – one of the most untouched areas of deep Patagonia.  It seemed like the perfect blend of adventure and pure pampering.  The only question was would it live up to our expectations?

And the answer, quite simply, was yes.  In fact, I’d say it even crept a bit past our expectations.

Our driver to the Chilean border, Patric, was extremely nice.  By coincidence, he is a professional guide as well, so his English was perfect and he pointed out interesting wildlife spottings along the way, including hares, guanacas, reas and even pink flamingos!  The journey was not a short one – about a  4 hour car ride to the first border and then a short journey in no-man’s-land – a very strange 10km stretch where we were neither in Argentina nor Chile – until we reached Chile and our Explora transfer point.

Straddling the border...

We arrived a bit early, but the Explora van was already there waiting so we rendezvoused in a coffee shop while the others arrived at the border.  From that moment onwards, we were taken under the Explora wing…

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part VI - El Calafate

We awoke early this morning to catch our flight to El Calafate.  We did not spend too much time doing any homework on this destination except that we knew it was Explora’s recommended transfer site in order to get to the hotel in Torres del Paine.  So, we booked a room at the Design Suites Calafate (continuing our Design Suites tour from Bariloche) in hopes of having a relaxing afternoon there before continuing on our journey the next day to Explora.

The flight was quite easy and we collected our belongings and took a taxi to the hotel. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part V - Bariloche, continued! Conquering the Rainbows!

This morning our fly fishing guide, Nico, arrived at the hotel and whisked us off to our first ever fly-fishing expedition.  Along with his cousin, we hopped in their van, pulling along a raft and headed to the Limay River with a stop at the local convenience store to get our fishing licenses for the today.

Nico told us all about nymph versus dry flies (dry ones sit on the surface) and how 90% of the eating happens underwater which is why we’re using nymphs – to maximize our chances of landing a fish.  At minimum, he hoped we’d get at least 2 strikes by the end of our half day together.  Our expectations were appropriately set.

We put on our gear and set out near the mouth of the river, the outflow of Nahuel that headed to the Atlantic Ocean.

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part IV - Bariloche

We checked out of the Sheraton Iguazu yesterday morning with a pleasant surprise - they found my memory card totally unscathed!  Well, almost totally unscathed as we discovered later.  Strangely enough there was one new picture on the card and we weren't too thrilled with the location of the photo but we'll pretend it was some innocent moment that just happened to happen while viewing our memory card in someone else's camera hovering near a toilet in the Iguazu Sheraton.

Very avant-garde photography skills...

We had a connection through our favorite airport - Newberry Airport - the domestic BA airport where we spent much too much time trying to get to Iguazu.  At least on this go around we got corrent information and found wi-fi, some good wine, and a pretty solid empanada.

Our flight to Bariloche proceeded smoothly and we headed out to our hotel, The Design Suites Hotel, just outside of the city center.

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part III - Iguazu Falls

After a lovely and unexpected 6 hours of wifi-less time at the BA domestic airport, we finally arrived in Iguazu.  Our taxi was awaiting us and we were off into the jungle!

After about a 40 minute drive we arrived at our destination - the Sheraton Iguazu - the only hotel located inside the park.  From what we were told this is a huge advantage and makes the not inexpensive price tag and the somewhat outdated facility worthwhile.  Having no frame of reference, i'll agree that is was very convenient to be able to walk out of our hotel and into the jungle and all the tours.  And, as an added bonus, thanks to our friend, T-Bone who has connections to Starwoods, we got upgraded to a falls view room - we could actually see and hear the falls crashing in the distance from our cozy bed.

Our view - devil's throat off in the distance...

We also were in striking distance of the local monkeys...

(Pre-wedding) Honeymoon, Part II - Buenos Aires Continues!

Great success on dinner last evening…although San Telmo was a bit seedy and filled with strange antique shops, we did manage to find a chihuahua trivet made by a local Argentine designer for $6.

Before dinner, we walked across the river to visit Puerto Madero, a former warehouse/industrial district that has been aggressively developed as a new arts district care of the Phillip Starck designed Faena Hotel + Universe which just opened during my first visit to BA in 2005.  Now, the area has become highly developed with an entire waterfront eating plaza and walkway and tons of high rises that did not exist when I was last there.

We enjoyed a poolside cocktail and a snack of nachos while we stared at the infinity pool that had a big crown plopped right in the middle (I would never be able to swim laps in that piece).

Then we wandered back to San Telmo and the restaurant at a leisurely pace to arrive just in time for our 9p reservation (for which we were a few mins early still)...

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part I - Buenos Aires!

Exciting news - Grits Girl and Have Palate, Will Travel are finally tying the knot!  Hurrah!

To celebrate, we both decided to become unemployed and spend a month traveling around South America.  We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to pick the perfect place for this once in a lifetime opportunity - go somewhere really far, really difficult to see on a shorter timeline, and really not conducive to a junior grits girl toddling around.  Therefore, we selected South America - namely because of adventures in distant areas like Patagonia and the Atacama desert in Chile (the driest desert on earth).

We flew in to Buenos Aires on Wednesday via St. Louis to qualify for my annual executive platinum status - unbelievably inefficient but worth it for some premium class amenities for another year!  Check out how happy GG is here!

Since arrival, we've been exploring one of my favorite cities...

An old sushi standby - Katsu-Ya

I blame Los Angeles on the fact that I really only enjoy eating sushi at 3 places in NY [For those of you who care, those three spots include Sasabune (an LA import); Sushi of Gari (only omakase; the a la carte always underwhelms); and Sushi Yasuda].

In LA, for sushi, it's hard to go wrong.  For traditional sushi, Sasabune, Sushi Zo, and Sushi Park are all A+.  Nozawa (aka the Sushi Nazi) is also strong but a step below the others for omakase indulgence.  For a no frills, fairly priced, non-traditional sushi splurge, I head straight to the strip mall housing a domino's pizza and Katsu-Ya (notice the hyphen - we're talking about the original location in Studio City; not the celebutard, Stark-studded designer sushi dens popping up all over the greater LA area over the past few years).  We're talking menus on a dry-erase board, disposable chopsticks and cheesy fake bamboo all over the place.  This is my go to for meals alone, with friends, with family or clients - it pleases everyone.

For me, it really comes down to two items:

Crispy Rice (technically this is a fried rice puff with spicy tuna and a slice of jalapeno).  I know it's not authentic in any way whatsoever, but it is delicious.

Baked Crab Handroll.  What makes this special are two key characteristics.  1) It's served warm - fresh crab with mayo and rice - all warm out of the broiler; and 2) it's wrapped in soy paper which complements the flavor perfectly and makes for much easier eating than the tougher nori.

I've eaten the entire menu up and down and when i am in LA, i'm usually there 3-4 meals/week.  No joke.  They catered my 28th birthday party and i've got a secret phone number so i can avoid the ever persistent busy tone of the main line.  No, i cannot divulge that information.  The last thing I need are any enemies over there on Ventura Blvd.


Furthermore, i make sure it's the first stop right off the plane when my girlfriend comes out for a weekend in LA.  Like me, she misses this place back east - unfortunately, for her these trips are only a few times a year!

Here's couple other goodies to share while we're at it.

Ikura and Wasabi-infused Ikura

Whitefish "Carpaccio" with Arugula and Sundried Tomato

Simple Albacore sashimi with ponzu sauce
(you just can't get good albacore on the east coast)