Punta del Este, Uruguay

This is what we had been waiting for. A week before Shanta flew out to her cousin's bachelorette party, we wanted a few days to sit on a beach, have some beers, eat good food and relax. As if this trip wasn't relaxing enough. Punta del Este is the resort city where Argentine and Uruguayans flock to in the summer months to escape the city heat. The beaches are packed, the clubs are in full swing and the prices rise steadily with the temperature. To get there from Iguazu, we took a bus to the border town of Salto. From there, it takes only five hours to cross the entire country to the capital of Montevideo and another two up the coast to Punta del Este. We found a great hotel right on the water and immediately got to work on some drinks and beach time.

The beach outside our hotel

A look down the beach

An impromptu mass 

90% of our day was this

Main avenida

Los dedos

Best sushi we've ever had (salmon skin)

The punta looks like a southern California suburb

Adding some light to the point 

South American sea lion, a very nasty looking guy 

Amazing calamari

Hanging out on the other side of the point

Isla Gorriti, about 30 minutes offshore from Punta

New day, same schedule 

Walking back to the boats on Isla Gorriti

A classic

Casapueblo is an art museum and hotel a few minutes from Punta

Perfect view of the ocean 

Looking down towards their pool deck 

Squeezing the last of the sun

We took off after almost a week and headed back towards Buenos Aires for Shanta's flight. We made a final stop in Uruguay in a small town called Colonia. It's an hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires and is a popular destination for Argentines to pull out USD at ATMs. The town is very quiet with tree-lined cobblestone streets and cafes on every corner. We only had one night here but we wish we could have spent more.

And by quiet I mean...

The last supper in Uruguay

The one man band rocking out

Eating dinner with our new Portuguese friends

Shanta leaving South America after arriving on 7/9/14

Iguazú Falls

After our two-month lease ended in Buenos Aires, we took off the same day for the famous waterfalls in the far north of the country. People talk about the falls as a must-do while in Argentina. I honestly didn't know if the 18 hour bus ride would be worth it, but when we first got a glimpse we were blown away. The amount of water flowing over the plateau is undescribable. Argentina has about 80% of the falls on their side while 20% is in Brazil. Because of the size of the river, there are hundreds of separate waterfalls to check out depending on the waterflow. We took an entire day to walk through the park. For a few dollars you can also take a quick boat ride under some of the falls on the Argentine side. Although the place is a tourist magnet and sometimes gives the feel of an amusement park, there is a great rail system that brings you to different sections of the park. In the heavy sun and humidity, this is a huge help. If you are ever in Argentina or Brazil, you have to go to Iguazu. There really is nothing like it. 

Hanging out on the trail

The coatis, very friendly but way too comfortable around people

First view of the falls

Getting closer

This was in that new Indiana Jones movie no one watched

Our turn to take a pic

One of the smaller falls

Getting soaked in the boatride

The boat going into the falls again

Seconds before the plunge

Looking across the Argentine side

It goes on forever

Looking past the first set of falls

The second important reason why you can't swim here

This catfish was huge

Walking towards The Devils Throat

Surrounded by 260 degrees of water

Water pouring out from the grass

La Garganta del Diablo

Wine in Mendoza

No trip to Argentina would be complete without a visit to Mendoza, the wine capital of South America. Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes, almost directly west of Buenos Aires. It's a long thirteen hour ride from the capital, but since most buses leave at night you can hopefully sleep through the bulk of the journey. The main wine that comes out of this area is the Malbec. It's a dark, heavier wine that is always paired with red meat at the parillas (grills) across the country. About 75% of all Malbec wines worldwide come from this region. Two days is plenty of time to explore the city of Mendoza and go wine tasting at vineyards. Since most of the vineyards are spread out miles outside the city, we decided to book a full day tour by van that would take us to several vineyards, an olive oil company and a chocolate store.

Tree-lined downtown

Restaurants and cafes are everywhere

Plaza Independencia

Parque General San Martin, massive park on the edge of downtown

The centerpiece of the park 

The first day we took it easy and walked through the city. The weather was perfect and there was little to no humidity. We spent the majority of the afternoon drinking wine and playing cards in the park. We woke up early the next day to start the wine tour. It was supposed to start at 9:30, but the van was an hour late. On Argentine time, it was right on schedule. 

Vistandes

Malbec anyone?

The aging room

Waiting to sample them all

 Bodega Domiciano

Malbec grapes

Very sweet taste

Malbec everywhere

They only use French or American Oak for aging the wine

The Reserve wines 

They harvested these grapes at night

Sweet wine maker Florio

Florio was started by an Italian immigrant over 100 years ago

Aging the wines

Explaining the process

We bought a bottle for the road

Olive oil company, Laur

Similar process to wine making 

Shanta and Heather

Tasting the different varieties

I finally found olive oil that I like 

The chocolate maker and her liqueurs

Making the shot of absinthe 

Bought this one for friends in Buenos Aires