April 26-May 2:
Swine flu caught up to us this morning as we were set to depart Santiago, Chile for Mendoza, Argentina. The Argentinean government suddenly decided all international flights have to be routed first to Buenos Aries then on to other destinations in Argentina. We were looking forward to a short, early morning, one-hour flight to Mendoza and instead arrived at the airport to discover we wouldn’t get to Mendoza until midnight – 17 hours later. Who knows what would have been in store for us in Buenos Aries.
We made the executive decision to hire a driver for a six-hour van ride across the Andes to Mendoza. Ironically, there was little checking of foreigners’ health’s at the border. We were handed medical forms to complete a few kilometers from the border but nobody asked for them at immigration into Argentina. Workers who took our bags for searching seemed more interested in getting a propina (tip) to return our bags a few steps to the van.
The drive into the mountains didn’t disappoint. The countryside between Santiago and Mendoza is similar to the Okanagan. There are mucho vineyards and fruit trees. The Andes provide a spectacular backdrop. At one point we can see the magnificent Aconcagua – the highest mountain in the Americas. Only the Himalayas have higher mountains. It rises 7000 metres above sea.
Mendoza is famous for its fine wines and produces over 70 per cent of the country’s wine. The wine tradition in Argentina originated in the 16th century with the arrival of the first grapevine stakes brought by the merchant classes that travelled the world selling their goods. Still, it was really not until three hundred years later that wine production really became an important aspect of Mendoza’s economy.
Mendoza is also characterized by a sophisticated aqueduct system introduced by the pre-Incas. Water is brought to this desert climate from the Andes. Unfortunately, a large earthquake devastated the old city in 1812. Yet in the rebuild the city built a series of large parks with impressive plazas and sculptures. The plazas today also serve as a safe ground in case of earthquakes, where citizens can flee in case of crumbling buildings.
We are in Argentina for 18 days and will visit the country’s regions to the north, south, east and west. At one point will be in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
Our stay earlier in Chile lasted four days and during this time we toured Santiago, the capital with six-million people, and the coastal cities of Vine del Mar and Valparaiso.
Santiago sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains. There is little airflow so the pollution is bad, ranked as one of the top ten worst in the world. It also sits on a fault line so tremors and earthquakes are frequent. Much of the construction is new due to a history of earthquakes. It has everything a big city offers, and is close to the country’s wine regions.
Vina del Mar and Valparaiso are 90 minutes west on the Pacific Ocean. People escape Santiago’s heat and pollution in the summer for the coast. The towns rise up from the water in the many hills that make up the towns. The homes, hotels and condos sit precariously on the hills.
Valparaiso is often described as the bohemian and cultural capital of Chile and was one of the famed Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s favorite places. We tour the Nobel Prize winner’s home here. It is very eclectic. A communist, Neruda died shortly after Pinochet’s military coup. Vina is a contrast, a luxurious beach resort town where both Chileans and foreigners vacation in the summer.
For such important places we find it funny that in both towns, many large dogs run free with no owners around to pick up after them.
Usually, Tony says he can live almost anywhere he visits. Not Santiago, not the coast. He is unimpressed, except for the food and wine. They are good, but relatively expensive for South America.
Perhaps foreshadowing this experience in Chile was the flight from La Paz to Santiago. The plane stopped in the middle of the desert in the town of Iquique and we had to spend an hour clearing customs and our bags were searched. It seemed like a strange exercise. We also learn later the country spends about 10 times the amount on the military they do on education. Perhaps this layover is giving surplus soldiers something to do.
The fact the military is so large is likely due to having lived under the Pinochet dictatorship for nearly two decades, ending in 1990. The public still lives in the shadow of that difficult time. We see many “Pinoshit” graffiti slogans in our travels. Tour guides have been instructed not to dwell on Chilean politics as they are uncertain of the political leanings of customers. One thing for sure is the period under the dictator was not good for culture, architecture or life in general.
With apologies to our friends who might enjoy coming here to ski during Canada’s summer months, Chile can be avoided on future South American trips.