CHILE*** Well, punkin' and I have returned safe and sound from another adventure. This time, our travels have taken us to Chile and Argentina. We flew Air Canada , on a Star Alliance award ticket from US Airways. Air Canada was spotty. Our trip to SA was great. The return was quite mixed-up, forgetting both red & white wine, forgetting the duty free items, and running out of almost everything. Add that to a tricky landing in Santiago, and I'll give them a solid 5.
Santiago is a very cool place. I'm real glad we decided on a 2 night stopover there, on our way to Buenos Aires. I might not spend a whole week there, but I'd definitely reccomend a stopove, when travelling to South America.
A word of CAUTION! Do not go to Chile on election day(as we did). Picture your first day of vacation, a warm,sunny day. Bars and Schopp houses on almost every corner. ALL CLOSED! We were beerless. After relieving the minibar of all 6 of her canned beers, we knew we were in crisis. Not even room service at the Hotel Fundador could help. "Sorry senor, it is election day. You cannot order alcohol." Luckily, Bill Martellaro had organized the trip, and actually had wine and sandwiches in his carry on luggage! We sipped wine on our balcony, and listened to the President-elect give her acceptance speech, 1/2 a block away. Seafood was wonderful in Chile. We ate an aquarium, of crab, shrimp, barnacles(yep), sea bass and skipjack. We drank excellent wines, especially at the Bristol Restaurant, where the sommelier treated us awfully good. (He treated us to about 6 glasses of wine, besides the bottle we paid for.) The beer, Cristal, was flowing quite freely in post election Santiago. The tear in the universe had miraculously mended itself! Hooray for Beer!
We toured the sites of Santiago, Cerro San Cristobal, with its sturdy funiculare, the Alameda (Bernardo O'Higgins Blvd), the Mercato Centrale, Parque Santa Maria and the highlight La Moneda, and the changing of the guard. We felt very safe in Santaigo, and rode the subway which was very modern and clean. For airport transfers we used TransVIP which was perfect. On time, friendly and efficient. The exchange rate is good. About $500.00 pesos=$1.00US The smallest paper money is the $1000.00 peso bill, which is also called one million pesos.(?) This can be confusing, as evident by a bewildered tourist, at the bar in Santiago Airport. I saw him pay his tab with a credit card, and him being flabbergasted by his bill, which was $10,000. I told him it was around $20.00 US He thanked me for the info.(probably not a local fella. Brazil I think) All in all, Chile gets a big thumbs up from us! Note; For US Citizens, you must pay $100.00 US upon arrival in Chile. This buys you a type of Visa that lasts until your passport expires.

ARGENTINA***We arrived in B.A. on Tuesday. Ground transportation is really easy at the airport. You book your transport (Taxi, remise, van) from behind the closed doors of the gate, so no one can hound you. Are first day in B.A. was rough. The landlord for our rental apartment was a no show, but the rental agent, ByT Argentina, could not have been nicer. Albert, or Alberto as a referred to him as, was a true gentleman. He took us to the rental office so we could book another apartment. We ended up at a great little place in Recoleta, not far from the cemetery. The doormans wife, Isabella, was like our new Argentine Mom. She took care of us with directions, advice and the all important lighting of the pilot light, in our hot water heater. Buenos Aires is cool. If you like outdoor cafes, the greatest steaks anywhere, good wine and all night nightlife, this is your place. We ate and drank like champions. Lomo, which is beef tenderloin, grilled to perfection at a Parilla, is not to be missed. Enjoy with a nice Malbec from Mendoza, a plate of Empanadas, and you're living large. Especially for the prices, which are ridiculously low. The above mentioned meal cost under $20.00 US. B.A. is all about the Barrios, or neighborhoods. All are a little (or A lot) different than each other, but all are worth seeing. Las Canitas, Barrio Norte, Recoleta and Palermo are our favorites. La Boca, San Telmo, Belgrano and Puerto Madero are also very interesting, each in there own way. Radio Taxi's are everywhere. We never spent more than 30 seconds getting a cab, and never paid more than $5.00 US for a fare. We saw every neighborhood, the Pink House, Recoleta Cemetery, the Obelisk. There's alot to see. We will definitely return to Buenos Aires. To do it over again, I would have stayed longer. The way prices are there, you could easily stay for 2 weeks. Apartments are inexpensive and plentiful. Same for food and wine. Reccomendations: Quilmes Beer-mmm good.
ByT Argentina Apartment rental agent-even with a couple of mixups, they were great. Ask for Brigitte. She's the best.
Parilla- Unbelievable steakhouse
Chimichurri-sauce for steak. real good stuff
Dulce de leche-Carmel "sauce" addictive dessert stuff.
All in all, one of my top 5 world destinations!