Tuesday, 28 Nov – Caught a 0930 Uber to DCA for a 1316 flight to DFW. I arrived early for the flight and killed time in the AA Business Class Lounge for an hour or so. We arrived at DFW on time, and I hit the lounge there for a couple of hours. The 1900 flight was delayed until 2100, and then delayed until the next morning, departing around 0900. American gave me a voucher for a nearby hotel and $10 for meals. The “courtesy shuttle” from the hotel was 45 minutes late (I had a nice chat with a young pilot who was also waiting in the cold for his shuttle). I tried contacting the hotel in Santiago to ensure that I’d be able to check in after 2300 but no one answered the phone number that was listed on Booking.com and on the hotel’s website.
Wednesday, 29 Nov – Up around 0600 to get to the airport for the morning flight. I had breakfast in the AA lounge, and was able to contact the Road Scholar coordinator in Chile who assured me that I’d have no problem checking in to the hotel. The flight departed on time (uneventful flight), and we arrived in Santiago around 2230 (too late, obviously, to make the tour that I had scheduled for Wednesday). No problems navigating the airport and changing some money, but the driver I was assigned apparently wasn’t very familiar with the city, and we got lost a few times. I ended up trying to direct him with my limited Spanish (Gira a la derecha! Gira a la izquierda!) and we finally arrived at the hotel around 2330. Very nice hotel (Pullman Santiago Vitacura), but (as usual), the bed was made with a heavy duvet (despite the fact that it was summer in Santiago). I slept well, though, since I hadn’t gotten much sleep during the previous two nights.
Thursday, 30 Nov – I was up around 0600 on Thursday, and got a call from Marissa Zeidan, who was the guide for the trip. I met her at breakfast, and she gave me information about meeting the group in the hotel for introductions. The group included Lisa and Paul Allen from Boston, Joyce and Mike Butlien from Ohio, Naomi Reshotko and PB Schechter from Denver, Jack Sartore from Vermont, Joan Stopka from Chicago, Ryoko Takata from California, and Aviva Kraemer from Chicago. Our first lecture was on the history, geology, and culture of Chile (at the hotel). After lunch at the hotel we met our Local Expert, Marco, who led us on a walking tour of downtown Santiago. Around 1800 we walked to a local cafe where we had dinner, and then back to the hotel.
Friday, 1 Dec – Up around 7, and met Jack (a retired attorney, who lives on Grand Isle where he operates a B&B) at breakfast. Jack told me that he had been awakened around 0200 by a fire alarm, and had walked down 15 flights of stairs, along with several other people in our group. I never heard the alarm (which apparently had been pulled as a prank). I rested for a while in my room after breakfast (catching up on puzzles and Duolingo), then met the group for a trip to Valparaiso and a local vineyard. We had a wonderful lunch at a small cafe overlooking the city (Marissa’s daughter joined us for lunch), and then took our bus to the Casas Del Bosque vineyard. One of vintners led us on a tour of the vineyard and the winery, after which we enjoyed a tasting of several of the vineyard’s wines. We got back to the hotel around 2000. I skipped dinner, and packed up for our trip to Puerto Montt in Patagonia.
Saturday, 2 Dec – After breakfast at the hotel, we had our second lecture. A local expert discussed Chilean agriculture and winemaking. We then took a bus to the La Vega neighborhood where we toured a huge vegetable market, and then a seafood market. We had lunch near the seafood market, then drove to the local airport for our flight to Puerto Montt. We were met at the airport by our local guide, Marcellus, whose family was Mapuche (the largest indigenous group in Chile). We drove to a lovely house in the outskirts of town where we met the family who would host us for dinner. At the house, Marcello revealed the fact that the couple in the kitchen were his parents, and that he lived there with them. We had Curanto a la Olla, a dish consisting of seafood, chicken, beef, potatoes, and vegetables, prepared in a large pot and then steamed and baked in a pit lined with rocks and covered with wild rhubarb leaves. After dinner we walked around the property as the sun set (very chilly but lovely evening). Then we took the bus to Puerto Varas, and checked in to our hotel, the Hotel Cabana del Lago.
Sunday, 3 Dec – After breakfast we traveled to the shore of Lake Llanquihue, where we boarded a boat that took us around the lake for an hour or two. On board was a cellist who entertained us with a variety of pieces (Bach Suites, etc.). Back on shore, we drove the short distance to Frutillar (a small city founded by German immigrants in the mid 19th century) where we visited the German Museum and its gardens. After that, we travelled to a nearby Tyrolean-style home that had been restored by the family living there. We had lunch there (great conversation with the folks sitting at my table), and then enjoyed an excellent lecture about German immigration to Chile. After lunch we drove back to Puerto Varas, where we were dropped off in town and given the afternoon to explore the city and walk back to the hotel (entering through the “secret gray door” on the lake). Around 1800 the group convened for a meeting and “finger food”, after which Jack and I had a beer in the hotel bar. I skipped dinner (which wasn’t included in the trip), and repacked for the next day’s trip to Bariloche, Argentina via the Andes lake crossing route [history].
Monday, 4 Dec – Early breakfast at the hotel, then commenced the day’s trip over the Andes, via catamaran and bus, We stopped en route (around 8) to visit Petrohue Falls, a spectacular series of cascades in the shadow of the Osorno volcano. After the visit to the falls, we rode to the Chilean border control office to process our exit (which wouldn’t technically take place until later in the day), then to the first of three ferries that would take us across a series of beautiful glacial lakes. We stopped in Peulla for lunch, and walked around the grounds of the hotel there, then started up the long series of switchbacks that would take us over the mountain pass and into Argentina. We stopped a few times for photos of the dramatic peaks surrounding us, and again at the top of the pass, where a sign marked our entry into Argentina. On the other side of the mountain we visited the customs office (my bags were selected for inspection), took photos of Che Guevara‘s motorcycle (a reproduction), and waited for our next ferry that would take us to Puerto Alegre on the shore of Nahuel Huapi Lake (in Nahuel Huapi National Park). From Puerto Alegre we had a short bus ride to Puerto Blest, where we boarded the last ferry of the day (a very large ferry). After about an hour and a half, we docked in Puerto Panuelo, picked up some snacks, and took a bus to San Carlos de Bariloche. We arrived in Bariloche around 2030, moved into our rooms in the very nice Villa Huinid Hotel Bastillo, and reassembled in the hotel’s dining room at 2100. I got back to my room around 2230.
Tuesday, 5 Dec – Early breakfast and then a quick ride to the Cerro Camanario chair lift for a ride to a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the Andes surrounding Bariloche. After the chairlift descent, we rode to a nearby forest for a short hike through the woods, where our local guide pointed out the native fungi, trees, and birds. We then drove to a nearby brewpub (El Establo Gilbert) for a tour and discussion of the brewery and a lunch featuring the beers of the day and a great selection of local meat and cheese. Following lunch, we drove back to the hotel for a quick rest and change of clothes, then drove about an hour north of the city into probably the most arid area we had visited on the trip. We boarded two large, inflatable rafts and floated with the swift current on the Rio Lamay. After the trip down the river we lounged at a house that had been converted to host events like weddings, where there were a variety of empanadas and other finger food available. We got back to the hotel in the early evening where I rested, caught up on games and email, and then re-packed for the next day’s flight to Buenos Aires.
Wednesday, 6 Dec – After breakfast at the hotel we had a very interesting lecture about the history of Bariloche. We then joined our local guide for a walking tour of the city, including the Bariloche Cathedral, the town square, and the downtown museum. After some free time for shopping and sight seeing, we reconvened at a downtown restaurant for lunch, then took our bus to the domestic airport for our trip to Buenos Aires. We landed in Buenos Aires in the late afternoon, and were met at the airport by our local guide, Kerin. We got to the hotel (the 725 Continental) in the center part of the city around 2000, and a few of us met in the hotel restaurant for a light dinner at 2030 (the check was almost impossible to figure out due to the insane currency situation in Argentina). My room was very small (just big enough for a double bed…no place to unpack luggage), but pleasant, and the hotel was well-situated for exploring downtown Buernos Aires.
Thursday, 7 Dec – Following breakfast on Thursday, we had an excellent presentation about the history of Argentina. After the lecture, we traveled to the La Boca and San Telmo neighborhoods of the city, which we explored on our own for a few hours. We had lunch in a small restaurant in San Telmo, after which we returned to the downtown area for a tour of the Teatro Colon opera hall, an incredibly beautiful music venue. The city was preparing for the inauguration of Argentina’s new President, Javier Milei, so many of the downtown streets were closed, as were some of the local businesses. We walked back to our hotel, where we rested for a while prior to meeting for a lecture on the history of tango, and then a wonderful evening at a nearby tango restaurant. We got back from dinner and the show at around 2300, and I quickly reengineered my packs so that I could fit everything I’d need for the next two days in my small daypack (leaving my carryon luggage at the Buenos Aires hotel until we returned on Sunday afternoon).
Friday, 8 Dec – Up early, breakfast at the hotel, and then hotel check-out in anticipation of our flight to Puerto Iguazu. Before leaving Buenos Aires we visited the Recoleta neighborhood, including a walk-through of the famous cemetery (often compared to Pere Lachaise in Paris). After the cemetery visit, we boarded our bus for the domestic airport, getting there early enough to enjoy the lunches that the hotel had packed for our trip. We arrived in Puerto Iguazu in the early afternoon, and checked in to the hotel where we’d spend the next two nights (the Amerian Portal del Iguazu). After checking in, a few of us visited the rooftop lounge for a while. From the roof, we could look across the forking rivers to see both nearby Brazil and Paraguay. The Iquazu River (separating Brazil and Argentina) was muddy from the recent flooding (the floods had destroyed the walking bridge to the “Devil’s Throat” part of Iguazu Falls). Before dinner, our local expert gave a talk about the falls, and the history of the area.
Saturday, 9 Dec – We spent all of Saturday exploring the magnificent Iguazu Falls. We got there early, before the major wave of visitors arrived, but the place got crowded fast. We took a tourist train from the entrance station to the beginning of the upper trail (a loop that crossed closed to the precipice of the falls). During the hike, I got separated from the group, and not knowing whether I was ahead or behind, I decided to just finish the loop and wait at the entry/exit point. In the process, I ran into Ryoko and we walked together for about half of the loop. It was an impressive stroll over one of the most spectacular waterfalls on earth. The rest of the group caught up with us at the end of the loop, and we walked to a nearby restaurant for a wonderful buffet lunch. After lunch, we hiked the lower trail, which gave us a great view of Devil’s Throat and the rushing tributaries that fed into the Iguazu River. After the trip to the falls we headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. During dinner a dramatic storm blew through town, with thunder, lightning, wind, and rain persisting until dawn.
Sunday, 10 Dec – I had a big breakfast at the hotel, intended to hold me over until dinner, after which we left for the airport and our return trip to Buenos Aires. We got to town in the early afternoon, checked back in to the same hotel where we had stayed on Wednesday and Thursday nights (a somewhat larger room, but with 2 single beds), and then met Jack for pizza and beer at a nearby cafe. The city was full of people who had come for the inauguration that morning, and many of the downtown streets and businesses were closed. After lunch, I returned to my room for a little rest, then met the group for a trip to the home of a family who showed us their home, discussed their lifestyle, and taught us to make empanadas. After dinner with the family, we took the bus as close as we could get to our hotel, then walked the rest of the way (a few blocks). I repacked for the trip home on Monday.
Monday, 11 Dec – After breakfast on Monday, the group took a bus to the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and toured the Fernandez Blanco Museum of Hispano-American Art. The small museum (the converted home of Blanco) and grounds were lovely and included some impressive artifacts (including a Guarneri violin). After the museum visit we walked to a nearby restaurant where we had our last meal and conversation as a group. After lunch we returned to the hotel, rested and packed, and reconvened in the lobby for departures to the airport. I had received a warning from American Airlines on Friday night, letting me know to expect “disruptions” in my flight plan, due to a severe storm that had blown down the east coast of the U.S. on Sunday (into Monday). I was nervous about having to make additional travel plans, so I left for the airport (2100 flight to JFK) around 1600. Joan and I shared a cab to the airport, then I met Jack clearing customs. Jack and I spent an hour or so killing time in the AA lounge, and the flight boarded on-time (uneventful, but long flight).
Tuesday, 12 Dec – I arrived at JFK in the early morning (around 0500), with plenty of time to make my connection to DCA. My Uber driver from DCA to College Park was Venezuelan, and we had a very entertaining conversation about South America, etc. I got home around 1100, called Susan, unpacked, and took a nice long nap.