Mendoza – Argentina

Wine, Olive Oil, and a Pointless Chairlift.

Kim likes wine.

We had decided to visit Mendoza for one main reason. Wine.

The city is in the centre of Argentina’s wine producing region and we had heard great things about various wine tours. The owner of our hostel, being a friendly and helpful woman offered to arrange a day-trip for us and also recommended we sign up to a tour that would take us up high up into the nearby Andes. We agreed to both, and so the next day we were collected and driven out into the Argentinian countryside.

Santiago – Chile

Wine, a Hill, and a Depressed Surfer

Carmenère vines at the Concha y Toro vineyard

Before our arrival in Chile’s capital city we had made a reservation at the Castillo Surfista Hostel, and we were pleasantly surprised on our arrival at a large, characterful house a 10-minute walk from the city centre. We were greeted by the owner, a tall, blond-haired Californian; clearly the surfer in the Surfista hostel. Only something was wrong. We had expected the convivial, mellow stereotype; all relaxed, affable greetings and enthusiasm. This surfer was introverted, softly spoken, with a feint air of defeat surrounding him.