Good news! The minivan arrived completely intact, even with 6 bottles of wine, 3 bottles of champagne, 5 bottles of Pisco Sour, one bottle of Pisco and one bottle of Fernet. Getting the minivan back is like an early Christmas present; we are delighted to open the bags of souvenirs that we bought in Chile […]

Here are some pictures from the last few days of our trip. Adios Latin America!

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After seven months and one week, we are home! After skiing in Argentina, we take the long bus trip back to Santiago. However, this time, we take Bus Norte in Chile and have full reclining sleeper seats. This turns out to be better than first class on an airplane. The bus attendant sets up our […]

Here are pictures from our ski/snowboard week in Bariloche, Argentina:

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For our final week of the trip, we treat ourselves to skiing and snowboarding in San Carlos de Bariloche. We take three buses to get here from San Antonio, Chile, totaling about 22 hours. Fortunately, the overnight buses have sleeper-seats, but nevertheless, Paul and I are barely able to get any sleep, while Quinn snores […]

We shipped the car! The process was difficult, confusing and extremely frustrating. Multiple visits to various offices at the San Antonio port – 14 steps, 2 days of work (9 hours total) and about $3000. Twice, I was ready to cry from frustration. I wanted to yell and scream too many times to count. I […]

Here are pictures from our road trip from the finca to Chile – lots of llamas, pelicans and sea lions:

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After leaving the finca, we take a road trip to reach Chile. We first drive to Cafayate, passing a stunning red rock canyon. Cafayate is a cute town – rather touristy with lots of souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants. We drive to Tafi de Valle, going over a high mountain pass. We stay at a […]

Here are the pictures of our finca stay in Northern Argentina. Lots of pictures since there are so many good pictures of gauchos, horses and even Paul dancing. Take some time relax and envision life on a finca:

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Our ten day stay at the finca (ranch) is one of the best experiences of the entire trip. The owner, Enrique, welcomes us with open arms and an equally open heart. We feel at home immediately and quickly settle into finca life. We stay at a comfortable detached cabana with a bathroom. The finca is […]

Here are pictures from our first week in Argentina:

After leaving Mendoza, we head north to Chicoana, the location of the horse ranch, making short stops along the way. We spend one night at Villa General Belgrano, which is known for its German style. The town is filled with German locking buildings, restaurants and shops. We have a delicious dinner of sausage, sauerkraut and […]

As a native Californian, I consider myself a wine tasting connoisseur (note: not a wine connoisseur but a wine TASTING connoisseur) from my many visits to wineries. Yet, wine tasting in Argentina threw me for a loop! We set out on Sunday, eager to visit several wineries (bodegas) and enjoy a leisurely lunch in the “wine […]

Here are pictures from Santiago and a few late comers of skiing at Portillo from my friends:

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We spend a week in Santiago to handle trip logistics. Connor left on Sunday afternoon after a tearful goodbye. He encountered some problems with customs at the Santiago airport – since he is a minor travelling alone, customs require a notarized document. Both Paul and I were at the airport with him, so the police […]

Here are pictures from perfect Portillo – too much fun!

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In a word Portillo Ski Resort is perfect. The resort has everything: challenging slopes, excellent instructors, a beautiful hotel and great ambiance – not at all pretentious as an upscale resort can be. We spend a full week skiing and snowboarding at Portillo. Here is an example of my perfect day. Sleep in as late […]

Here are pictures from the coastal towns of Tal Tal and La Serena, as well as Los Andes in where else, the Andes:

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Our computer lost Internet access for awhile, so here is the blog post from last week. We are now skiing and snowboarding in Portillo, Chile – awesome!!! More to come later this week… We head from the high desert to the coast and immediately feel like we are back home. The weather is just like […]

Here are some pictures from Tacna, the border town in Southern Peru, and San Pedro de Atacama in Northern Chile. Some great shots of sunset in the desert:

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