Dont wait too long...
It's time to head out for a little sunshine and adventure! Christine and I weren't sure whether in your very precious time off you like to be pampered or are hellbent on checking out the next new place so we put together some pictures of the places we have enjoyed while living down here, we hope you enjoy them...and even better we hope you come down to check them out for yourselves!
The best soft landing in South America is Buenas Aires, this wonderful place is full of food, architecture, and spark
Here are some other places for you to consider...
BOLIVIA, this spectacular area was one of the poorest places we visited but also the most fun. There are indigenous people in their full traditional costumes everywhere and amazing contrasts around every corner, see below..
You fly into La Paz and land at 12,000 feet...usually at night as the air is thicker then because it is cold.
Here's a little of what you will see
Coming off "El Alto" (the high) where the Airport is and dropping down into La Paz. Imagine a city of three million on the top of Loveland Pass...
Life is not the same as at home but fun and laughter sure are...
Or...ever hear of the BVI's
If warm temperatures and clear water oceans are your cup of tea, you can learn how to sail and earn your Captains license on a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands
Of course you might like more civilization and comfort...then you have to go to Argentina and Chile, here's some stories from our trip...
Mendoza, Argentina
It’s quarter-till-one in the morning and families are strolling by like it’s early evening. Kids are everywhere, chasing each other through the lush garden areas, clambering over the statues, playing in the fountains, obviously all wide awake. The sidewalk cafés are packed too, bustling with formally dressed waiters running through the rows of outdoor tables getting the dinners and drinks out as fast as they can. It looks exactly like Boulder’s Pearl Street on a hot July evening, jugglers, street musicians, magicians, puppet shows, balloons, vendors…except it’s past midnight. This could only be Argentina. The funniest thing about seeing it so packed now is how dead the city was from two until six this afternoon. We walked at least ten miles through the elegant tree-lined streets barely seeing a soul.
There is a great art fair in the central park area with hundreds of artists displaying their crafts, it’s still going strong as we get closer to dawn then we are to dusk. No closing down here at nine. The same is true of the restaurants; hundreds of superb establishments can’t seem to wait to have you sit down at their table to enjoy a meal from the big parrillas (grills). The prized dense wood we saw being delivered all over town must be like mesquite, slow burning with a tasty light smoke that drifts from the huge grills covered with every type of meat you can imagine. The grills and sparkling kitchens are usually placed right at the front so everybody can see what’s being offered.
There is nothing architecturally enchanting about this place. Flattened by earthquakes in 1861 and on a regular basis ever since it seems the idea of building anything elaborate has been given up. The lifestyle and unique Argentinean flair, a combination of the American west with Italian sophistication and style, combine to make an extraordinarily livable city. Endless parks, small compact houses with well tended and fascinating pocket yards, wide sidewalks, trees that weave their way into magnificent tunnels, this is a place that enjoys the outdoors and celebrates being together.
The snow-rimmed Andes falling straight into the flat rose colored desert backdrop the city and of course, the magic of the vineyards is always there. Mile after mile of stunning lush green vines, reminding everybody that this place was created out of a desolate tract for the sole purpose of making wine. It would be easy to live here.
Punta Varas, Chile
South America, Surprise...Surprise!
When is the last time you had a really nice surprise at a resort, not just a nice amenity with a new little twist but a truly pleasant surprise that made you think...wow, they love what they do here!
We had one last night. We booked a room on the spur of the moment at the Petrohue Hotel in Petrohue, Chile. This spectacular lodge lies beneath the towering snowfields of the Osorno volcano looking across a glacial lake known as "Lago Todos los Santos" which fills the valleys between three other stunning volcanos in the mountains which divide Chile and Argentina.
We enjoyed the lake, the weather, the boats and the people to the fullest. After hours of hiking, swimming and sailing we decided around eight-thirty we would go in and have a small snack before hitting the bed. As the hotel restaurant was the only option at that time except for the barbeque at the campground just around the bend (check out what some of the Argentinian campers were having for dinner in the picture below) we slipped in sat down by the huge windows and picked from the menu the two meals options for that night. The pace was perfect bringing the art of lingering back to our dinner table and keeping us just about as fat and happy as we could get... one of those perfect meals. Finally about eleven thirty we decided to call it a day and asked for the bill. They brought it over and I sent it back as it was only the bar bill, just eight dollars for our bottle of wine and two waters. They were missing the Chilean Sea Bass, the Argentinian Filet, the spicy mashed potatoes, the steamed fresh vegetables, the homemade cobbler, the black forest cherry cake and of course Christina's mandatory espresso doble. The rest of the bill had to be somewhere...the head-waiter came back over to our table, smiled and said " Sir, dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow are all included in your room.
That is what you call a really nice surprise...
This is a Bus?
Only in this continent of surprises and extremes could you find “buses” that put flying first class to shame. We are sitting here at sixty miles an hour in seats that are about as close to leather covered Lazyboy’s as you can get and still sail down the highway with a seatbelt on. I’m actually writing this on a Wifi system in the bus while Christina is watching a film. Six sleeper seats make up our cabin in this smooth running glass domed double-decker. We have a steward, hot meals, newspapers, blankets and big soft pillows.
As if that were not enough after dinner, the steward made our beds for us, pulling out mattresses, sheets and another big fluffy pillow. We haven’t found it yet but we hear there is also a wine bar on board. Even better, we didn’t have to show up two hours before the trip and leave all our liquids behind, we literally walked up from our hotel, gave the steward our bags and got on. My earphones are stereophonic headsets that keep out any noise while piping in the latest music, or the movie. When we wake up tomorrow we will be delivered to the San Francisco of South America, Valparaiso. Yes we did pay extra for the full-bed service, it was $52 a person for a ride that is the equivalent of Denver to Chicago...but hey, it our anniversary, that’s right as of this week we have been collecting experiences for officially one full year, Time flies!
The modes of transportation vary greatly...and some people like the girl below, are more adventurous (or just bigger gluttons for punishment).
No time like the present to head out on a new adventure...
If you want more ideas...Double click on the archway to get back to more misadventures...www.kentsadventure.com
