(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...