Written by Tim Hallinan & Fred Petrich
Written by: Tim Hallinan & Fred Petrich
SouthAmerica.travel
Hi, Juliet,
We genuinely enjoyed our April-May trip through Argentina. Just today, as we were harvesting the last of our "Juliet" variety tomatoes, Fred again reminded me that we had been remiss in maintaining contact. Without question this 2012 vacation was one of our most enjoyable and rewarding. All our guides were attentive. The accommodations were usually quite good, occasionally (as at Antucura) luxurious. Transport for excursions and between venues was well arranged, reliable. Here's a brief place-by-place summary: In Buenos Aires, the location of Aspen Square, the range of services, and the comfort of rooms was excellent. We were spoiled by the fine breakfast buffet and by the easy walk to both the SUBTE stops and the Feria del Libro. We enjoyed discovering the flora and the fauna (i.e., the cats) of the Jardin Botanico. We visited the Evita Peron Museum, where we bought unusual thematic gifts for friends. And we feasted at two fine restaurants, our longtime favorite El Establo in the Centro and newly-discovered La Cabrera in Palermo Soho.
In San Rafael, the Tower Inn was distinctly a business hotel but quite comfortable and well-located. It had a good restaurant just off the hotel lobby, an advantage since the provincial town was not particularly well-supplied with restaurants open at times we might have chosen to eat. The pace of life and the surrounding agricultural landscape reminded us (positively) of prosperous places here in the Central Valley. Lots of friendly folks including our intrepid driver-guide Gustavo, who spent the day with us in Payunia, and driver Ivan and guide Manuela, who took us through the Atuel Canyon. The volcanic landscape of Payunia was fascinating and the wildlife we saw there -- herds of guanacos, flocks of rheas, circling condors -- made a long day pass quickly. One possible suggestion for future Payunia visitors might be to stay in Malargue rather than in San Rafael, that is if hotels are available; the journey each way would be cut by two hours. Fred says his favorite guide during this last trip was Sandra, who took us to Antucura and on a tour of the nearby wineries. She was a most knowledgeable and well-connected companion wherever we ventured in the Uco Valley. The guest rooms at Antucura were incredibly comfortable, the views were spectacular, the breakfast and dinner menus were varied and inviting, and the staff personnel were attentive. We overheard one of the managers speculate about closing the hotel during the off-season (June) because of a dearth of guests; we'll hope Antucura remains an option for ours or others' future visits.
Our time in San Juan Province started in the capital itself at the Gran Hotel Provincial, another centrally-located accommodation with a business clientele. Our guide Gregorio (?) and our driver Nicolas showed us the shrine of La Difunta Correa in Vallecito -- and that stop was a highlight we'd recommend to any travelers interested in folk religion and ethnography -- and took us on the 4-hour winding road to Barreal. Very interesting itinerary! The Posada de San Eduardo in Barreal was one of our favorite stays. Life at the inn is low-key, country-style with dogs and cats and horses to talk to and colorful landscapes to look at. The morning meal was perhaps the most spartan we encountered -- toast, butter, and cafe con leche -- but the evening meals provided delicious & ample choices, our good fortune since, again, the off-season options locally were limited. A very pleasant stay we may wish to repeat in the future.
After another stay at the Aspen Square in Buenos Aires, and several visits to the Feria we flew to Resistencia (rather than Corrientes: airport closed after a storm) and were met by our friendly young guide Marco. He drove us -- haltingly: newly-acquired license! -- around town and along the picturesque riverfront on the Parana. On our trip to Itati he was joined by guide Aquiles, so we had a chance to hear interesting conflicting opinions about politics, travels, love and life in general. In Corrientes we stayed at the Hotel Confianza. The location was just south of the city center, the lobby was clean and well-lit, and the staff were cordial. The trip from Corrientes to the Esteros was undertaken with guide Aquiles and (very skilled) driver Ramiro, both of whom remained in Cia. Carlos Pellegrini to assist us on local excursions. We found the accommodations at Nande Reta to be quite comfortable, fairly simple but clean and quiet. The highlights at the inn were the meals, which were limited-menu but always well prepared and tempting, and the extremely helpful staff, who planned outings with nary a hitch. We spent long hours on the nearby lakes and took both afternoon and early evening walks through the preserve forests. So many great photo opportunities were enhanced by our sense that the locals and park staff remain genuinely committed to keeping the Esteros protected.
On the trip to & from the Esteros we stopped in Mercedes to shop (great handicraft souvenirs) and at the nearby shrine of Gauchito Gil. Like the Difunta shrine the Gauchito sanctuary is indeed a fascinating place. Have you visited either? Well, so that's what I anticipated would be a short- but turns out to be a long-winded relatorio of the AR trip 2012. We hope to return to South America next year, perhaps to visit Punta Arenas/Porvenir in Chilean Patagonia and maybe experience some more volcanic landscapes (Villarrica? Puyehue?). Hope all is well with you and the other helpful folks there at SouthAmerica.travel.
SouthAmerica.travel
