Patagonia 2012 = Buenos Aires - Stay 1

Well ... to say the least, it has been quite a while since our trip to South America in November. After returning to the states we have been super busy with Christmas, work, a trip back to NH and playing when we can up in the mountains here in Colorado. We were finally able to sort through the 1,400+ photos we took and the following posts are a little snapshot of our amazing trip.

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After two flights and more than 15 hours, we landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina to start our two week adventure.  It proved to be a trip of a lifetime!

During our first stay in Buenos Aires, we enjoyed the following activities:

• sightseeing downtown along Avenida 9 de Julio (the widest Avenue in the world with up to seven lanes in each direction and flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each)
• walking around the Boca (home to the Boca Juniors where Diego Maradona once played) and San Telmo neighborhoods
• stopping by The Pink Palace (Argentina's "White House")
• checking out the shops on Florida Street
• enjoying a huge Argentinian wine and steak dinner
• watched a crazy soccer match at River Plate against the Argentinos Juniors (0-0 tie), stadium seats 65,645

Unfortunately there were major city transportation strikes planned for the day we were to fly out to San Carlos de Bariloche and our flight was canceled. We decided to take a 20hr bus ride across the country instead of waiting three days for the next flight. At the sketchy bus station, Melissa's purse was stolen. The camera with most of the photos from the first few days, including almost all of the soccer game, was with the purse.

This interruption and theft caused us some delays, extra travel and a sooner return to Buenos Aires than originally planned in order to get a replacement passport for Melissa so that we could continue our trip in Chile. Overall we had some headaches and a lost a day or so in Bariloche, but we were able to reschedule flights, accommodations and activities to keep our trip on track.

To view photos from Buenos Aires - Stay 1,
click the image below:

Buenos Aires - Stay 1

Patagonia Trip UPDATE 1

So, we have reserved a couple hotels for our stay in Argentina ...

Buenos Aries -

UPDATE to the UPDATE
We could not get our reservations confirmed at Hotel home due to the fact we would only be staying for 2 nights during our first stay in Buenos Aries and they require a 3 night minimum during that time of the year : (

So we have booked here instead: Bourgeois Bohemian or BoBo Hotel
in the Palermo Soho barrio (neighborhood) of the city.

Palermo Soho is a small area of Palermo Viejo around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar) on Serrano near Palermo's south-western edge. It is a newly fashionable area for fashion, design, restaurants, bars and street culture. The atmosphere in many cafés and restaurants strives to be "alternative", which makes this area of the city especially popular with young, upper-middle class Argentines as well as foreign tourists. The traditional low houses have been adapted into boutiques and bars, creating a bohemian feel. The square has a crafts fair.

Hotel Home

Rooms

For our first two nights of the trip will will be staying at Hotel home in the Palermo Hollywood barrio (neighborhood) of the city.


About Palermo Hollywood - In the mid-nineties a number of TV and Radio producers installed themselves in the area between Córdoba, Santa Fe, Dorrego and Juan B. Justo Avenues in Palermo Viejo. For that reason this part of the neighborhood began to be called "Palermo Hollywood". Presently, it's best known for the concentration of restaurants, clubs -as Club Atlético Palermo, the oldest one-, cafés and an active nightlife.

Hotel home
Room
Pool
Resto/Bar

We will be returning to Buenos Aries for one night at the end of our trip, hotel TBD.


Bariloche -
Here we will be staying for three nights at Nido del Condor.


Some friends of ours have stayed here before and highly recommended it.

Photo Gallery

El Calafate -
After our hike across the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park, we will stay for two nights at Esplendor Hotel.


After our five day stay at the EcoCamp in Chile, we will return to El Calafate for one night before heading back to Buenos Aires. Hotel for that night is still TBD.

Photo Gallery


~ Trip Overview Post ~

Patagonia ... here we come!!

So, we have planned our big trip for the year!

From Nov 17 to Dec 2, we are headed to South America to visit the Patagonia region between Chile and Argentina for 16 days of exploring and hiking. We start in Buenos Aires for a couple days, then head to Argentina's lakes district around San Carlos de Bariloche (think Breckenridge, but with more lake). Next we are off to El Calafate for some glacier trekking. Then further South to Torres del Paine National Park, where we will hike parts of the "W" circuit and explore some of the worlds largest, and still growing, glaciers. After our stay with EcoCamp Patagonia (in special domes), we will travel back to Buenos Aires for a night and day, via El Calafate.

The following is some info on the places we will stay and the things we will do/see:

Buenos Aires -
Maybe a local football match
HOME for our first two nights.
Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.


Bariloche -
Maybe stay here Nido del Condor
Lake Excursion by boat
Mountain Biking
Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.


El Calafate -
Maybe stay here Esplendor el Calafate
Hike on the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park
Exploring the local culture, markets, food, etc.


EcoCamp Patagonia (Chile) -
Here we have booked with a company that provides all our needs for 5 days of exploring the Torres del Paine National Park. (Photos of the park)
Safari Description
Map
Photos

Then we will head back to Buenos Aires for an evening and day. Probably hit up a tango.

As the trip gets closer, we will send more info regarding contact info, flights, etc.

Christmas 2011

We had a great Christmas weekend spending time with family and eating and drinking till we were full.

We headed North to the Hanke farm on Sat morning and watched the Patriots game with Rich and Belinda. Then we headed over to Erich, Julia and Wyatt's house for a turkey dinner with Julia's parents, John and Judy, and her sister Kristina and her husband Justin. Tucker got to meet Daisy, Kristina and Justin's new dog and they all played out back while we ate. After a gift exchange, we headed back to the farm and awoke Sunday morning to blue skies and warm weather.

Belinda made tasty apple pancakes that we enjoyed with bloody's and mimosas. We opened gifts with Erich, Julia and Wyatt. Then later in the afternoon, Rich, Belinda, Melissa and I took a two plus mile snowshoe out back. It was a beautiful afternoon and it worked up our appetite for a New England style Christmas dinner in Colorado. Mussels, little necks and lobster were on the menu!

See photos from the weekend HERE

Christmas Tree at the Smith's

Melissa gets a new ski helmet from Marsha and Mark

Time for a snowshoe out on the back 40 at the Hanke farm

See photos from the weekend HERE
or see the slide show below

Happy 1st birthday Tucker!!

A Night in the Swiss Alps at Arapahoe Basin

~ See photos here ~

Saturday evening we headed up to Arapahoe Basin ski area for a dinner mid mountain under a full moon. I gave this to Melissa for her birthday back in Oct., so we had been looking forward to this for a while now and hoping we would have clear skies because it would be a full moon. We lucked out and there was not a single cloud in the sky. Just a million stars and a glowing full moon shining off of the ski trails and mountain peaks all around us.

At about 6:15 p.m. Melissa strapped on her snowshoes with her skis on her back and me my tele skis and skins, and we headed up the High Noon trail towards Black Mt. Lodge, midway up the mountain. It was 5 degrees, but the hike warmed us up quick. We arrived at the lodge around 6:45 and enjoyed an amazing dinner with about 100 others. The food was spectacular and in huge quantities. It was buffet style so we could try a little of everything. (See the menu below). After stuffing ourselves and enjoying some great conversation with others at our table, we strapped back on our skis and headed back down around 10 p.m. The ski down was a blast under the glow of the moon.

~ See photos here ~

Swiss Menu

Hors d'oeuvres

An Assortment of Swiss Cheeses, with

Swiss Style Air dried Meats and Sausages

Smoked Seafood Assortment

Soup & Salads

Busecca Ticines (tripe soup with garlic bread)

Gemischter Salat (mixed salad)

Swiss Chard Apple and Cherry Salat

Assorted Sweet and Hearth Baked breads

Entrees

Roasted Leg Of Lamb

Rippli (smoked pork loin with cabbage)

Alplermagronen (famers style macaroni)

Baked Pike Fillets

Lapin au Marc (stewed rabbit in grappa)

Desserts

Apple Strudel

Fresh Berry Tart

Carrot Cake

Dinner Itinerary

6:30p.m. to 7:00p.m. Start skinning or snowshoeing up to Black Mountain Lodge from the base area.

7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. Cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, dinner and dessert
9:30p.m. to 10:00p.m. Ski, snowboard or snowshoe back down to the base area

Refurbished Desk lamp

I found this old desk lamp on Craigslist and thought it would be a great Christmas gift for Melissa to go on our new desk for the office. After picking it up from the seller, I noticed that it could use a new coat of paint and the wiring looked a little shotty. I opened it up from the base and saw that most of the wiring was frayed through the fabric sheathing. I stripped out all the wires and took inventory of what I would need from Home Depot to replace it all properly. As usual, it took a couple trips to get all the parts correctly. The ballast was an old General Electric two lamp version and the new two lamp versions are much larger. So, the new one would not fit in the base. I had to resign to installing a single lamp ballast, but I think it will give off enough light with today's newer bulbs. Before installing all the wiring, I gave the outside a fresh coat of new silver paint (to match the original paint color). The plug to the wall got a little upgrade to give it that "retro" feel, and the lamp was done. Looks great on the new desk!