Camacho Watcho

I’m looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Napa Valley area…can’t wait for some good food and some good wine! I’m dreaming of a time not so long ago when I was lounging at Bouza Winery in Uruguay. Ahhh, the memories!

We’ve been to the Napa area one time before and loved it. Our favorite wineries of that trip were Artesa, Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyard and Hanna. We also loved the picnic area at V. Sattui. Located right on the Silverado Trail, V. Sattui has a large fresh deli with salads, cheeses, breads and other great picnic items. They also have a large picnic area outside their tasting room that is perfect for a mid-afternoon snack or lunch. The Freets recently returned from a trip to Napa and sent the following pictures along of his picnic at V. Sattui.

I’d love to get recommendations for other wineries and for restaurants to visit on our upcoming trip. Please send me your favorites and what you like your recommendation. I can’t wait to experience Napa again! Pictures and stories will shortly follow.

Yikes! That does sound like an odd name for a post, but look at the picture…it’s a Big Papa Pickle, what can I say? You might be wondering where I acquired such a big pickle and that, my friend, is a fine story indeed.

Kyle went to Chicago awhile back and decided that he needed to bring me a gift. That does sound sweet, doesn’t it? In reality, he and our friend Jeff thought this big pickle was pretty darn funny when they saw it in a gas station in Chicago and then decided that I was destined to have this pickle brought home to me. You might wonder how Kyle got this pickle from Chicago to Minneapolis, given the restrictions on carrying liquids onto an airplane. Let’s just say that putting a bag containing a big pickle through the security checkpoint sounds like it was quite an interesting scenario.

At the airport the woman at the checkpoint took Kyle’s bag aside, rummaged through, and pulled out…you guessed it…the Big Papa Pickle. With a brow raised and a smirk on her face, she told Kyle that he couldn’t bring the pickle through. To which Kyle responded, “but it’s just pickle juice.” Apparently that somehow worked because just hours later Kyle was safely in Minneapolis, with the Big Papa Pickle.

This pickle sat in our refrigerator until this past Friday night. We had some friends over to grill before the Twins game and thought that it was the perfect situation to break out Big Papa. We boiled some brats in beer and finished them on the grill. Our toppings were diced ketchup, mustard, diced onions, pepper rings, and spears of the Big Papa Pickle. Overall I think the pickle really added something to the brat. I love the crunch of a pickle spear alongside a brat or hot dog.

In hindsight, however, I do wish I had done some research before planning my meal. Although Van Holten’s manufactures their ‘pickle-in-a-pouch’ in Wisconsin, this particular pickle grew up in Chicago. Had I considered that before I would have looked into the true Chicago-style hot dog and definitely would have gone with that theme to make Big Papa feel right at home…on a Chicago-style dog.

A weekend of total relaxation with gourmet dinners, hikes in the woods, reading a great book and sleeping in. All shared with perfect companionship.

While reflecting back on the weekend on the final morning, I drank this cup of coffee. Perfection.

No, this isn’t some reference to the Saturday Night Live skit. Fish in a box is actually one of the foods that I absolutely crave from my experience in South America. The actual title on the menu was pez en un caja hierro, translated ‘fish in an iron box’. And it was just that. Simple and delicious.

This dish is served in a restaurant right next to the hotel where I stayed in Montevideo called S. de Sarten. From the outside this restaurant was unassuming however, upon entering the courtyard, you realize it is anything but. Open, modern, and decorated with warm lights and natural materials, I loved this restaurant immediately for its atmosphere. Then I read the menu and the pez en un caja hierro demanded my attention right away. Although I didn’t quite know what this would exactly turn out to be, I was sold.

The dish arrived, served in a caste iron box (of course) with a lid and fitted inside a wooden holder. They placed it in front of me and removed the lid, letting the steam rise from the box and fill the air with smells of fresh fish and vegetables. I was in love from the first smell and enjoyed every bite. I also enjoyed it on the several other occasions when I returned to S. de Sarten during my life in Montevideo.

The other night I was craving ‘fish in a box’ so I decided to try to replicate this recipe, using my large stainless steel saute pan with lid instead of an iron box. I was surprised at how simple it was to make and how similar the results were to the original. The original recipe called for linguado (sole), onion, pumpkin, and green and yellow bell pepper. I used orange roughy, green bell pepper, onion, snap peas, sweet potato and carrots. In reality, any mix of veggies that meets your fancy will work just fine. I used olive oil to grease the bottom of the pan, then placed the fish inside with the cut up vegetables on top. Then I lightly drizzled more olive oil and a generous amount of fresh ground pepper and course ground salt. Placing the lid on top, I steamed this on the stovetop for 9 minutes over medium-high heat.

Tasting the light but rich flavors and experiencing the varied textures, I again enjoyed every bite. A little trip down memory lane and a new favorite recipe for me. And, hey, if you’re ever in the neighborhood don’t forget to try the original at S. de Sartens in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Today is another day…I believe that is what I said a few months ago while in South America. It’s true, obviously. But, it’s something to take to heart as well. Be where you are and enjoy. So, on that note, here are my final days in Argentina and my return home.

The last few days after Mendoza were spent in Buenos Aires. This was my fourth and final trip and I was finally going to do some sightseeing. Buenos Aires is made up of many neighborhoods that have such unique personalities. It really is amazing to wander through each one and experience the people, the food, the sights and the sounds. I had already spent a great deal of time in Palermo, where most of the boutique shopping is, therefore we decided to start out on our first morning for La Boca. This is a bright, vibrant area of Buenos Aires where many artists live. There is a large market with tango, vendors and small shops called Caminita and it is also the home to several of the local soccer teams such as Boca Juniors and Boca River.

The next stop was La Casa Rosada…The Pink House. This is the government building like the White House in the U.S., located near Puerto Madero. The balcony of this historical building is the setting for Eva Peron’s many addresses to the Argentinian masses. From La Casa Rosada, we strolled along until we reached the Obelisk, which is located in the middle of one of the busiest streets in Buenos Aires. With eight lanes of traffic in each direction and billboards filling the sky, this area feels like a cross between Times Square and the Champs-Élysées.

After the Obelisk, we headed to the Eva Peron museum in Recoletta. While I’d love to say that we spent hours pouring through the history of Eva Peron’s life, we actually were starving by the time we arrived, so we ate lunch. Unfortunately, after lunch we decided that since it was so late in the day, we would leave for the next adventure. It pains me now, as I hear how amazing this museum is, so I will need to return someday to properly visit it. However, the artisan pasta we had there was amazing; I highly recommend it for lunch.

After the museum, we stayed in Recoletta and walked through the Japanese gardens. To be quite honest, these were a major disappointment. The Japanese gardens in San Francisco are much better and since we had more places to go…we left after just a few minutes.

Our next destination was the Recoletta Cemetery, where Eva Peron’s body remains. The area of Recoletta where the cemetery is located is very Parisian with its beautiful streets lined with high end boutiques. We first stopped for some ice cream at Freddo’s, which is an Argentinian gelatto store that is amazing! Kyle got the malbec ice cream - another high recommendation from me! After our ice cream, we headed into the cemetery, which is just beautiful. It is, however, a little creepy to be walking through the tombs and to see broken glass and granite blocks that allow perfect viewing of the caskets that are held within. If you are creeped out easily, I would recommend staying on the main, tourist path and not walking through the narrow aisles off the beaten track, as we did. While the cemetery itself was beautiful, the church next door is also quite amazing and actually offers fantastic views of the cemetery next door from the resident chambers.

After a long walk home, we settled in and decided where to eat. Truly, if you find yourself in Buenos Aires someday and you only have the opportunity to eat one dinner - you must go to Cabana Las Lilas. Yes, it is a bit touristy, but it is absolutely the best meal, steak, antipasti platter, dessert, experience ever. That is all I will say.

And so it was my final day in South America. It had been three months of pure adventure and it was perfect.

I was having a beer the other night with some friends when The Other Mike asked me if I ever “returned” from S. America. It seems like an odd question, given that he and I were sitting across the table from each other at a bar in Minneapolis. However, after a moment of hesitation, I realized that no, I had not “returned” from S. America on CamachoWatcho. I automatically felt the urge to go home and do a little writing, but realized there was probably a reason why I have not “returned”. I think I’m in denial. No offense to anyone, but let’s just tally the pro’s of when I was living South of the Equator…here is the short list.

- Living in a hotel - This might seem to be a pro AND a con, however I’m focusing on the pro’s…someone did my laundry and cleaned my room twice per day. And there was an on-sight health club. Very nice.
- Fantastic food - Yes, we have wonderful food here, and again this may seem like a con because I couldn’t cook. However, I also love to eat out and that was fun to be forced to go out and eat at new places all the time.
- Healthy food - Going along with the last comment, the food there that I was tempted to eat was very healthy…grilled meats and vegetables, homemade light pastas, natural and fresh salads. Good to eat and good for me! I am tempted by food here, but the only thing I crave when I eat out are cheeseburgers, buffalo sauce and fries…that is a problem.
- Daylight - Let’s just say that walking to and from work in the dark is killing me!

And, I know there’s one more reason….what could that be? OH YES!…the WEATHER! Last night I was driving home and my car thermometer registered -8F. That is air temp…not factoring wind chill, so I don’t even want to know what the wind chill temp was. Needless to say, thinking about all those Uruguayans vacationing in Punta del Este right now is pretty tough.

I obviously love being back and am definitely enjoying hanging out with my friends again (especially my husband!). I have to say, however, that although my body has been here, but my mind is still speaking Spanish and living in a warm climate.

That being said, I’m ready to come out of denial and “return” fully to the US. What does this mean? It means that tomorrow I will “return”. Some people might ask, “Why not today?” The weather right now is -14F (feels like -26F with wind chill) and tomorrow has a high of up to 5F. It might be wise to stay in warm weather just one more day…

It’s been a wonderful holiday season seeing family and friends and getting caught up after being gone for three months. That being said, it’s great to be back on CamachoWatcho…so here I am, ready to finish out the rest of my South American adventure.

After my final weekend in Uruguay, my friends and I were ready to tackle Argentina. Our first stop? Wine country…Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is a wonderful, small city nestled between the Andes mountains to the west and vineyards and fields in all other directions. Culturally, Mendoza is rich with Latin flavor…favoring a late start to the day, siestas mid-afternoon and, my personal favorite, the long late dinners at night. The city centers around two attractions, the Plaza Independencia and the Parque San Martin. Branching off of the Plaza Independencia are streets full of restaurants, shops and wine stores. The Parque San Martin is large (about 7.5 acres and 17 km of trails) and well-kept, making it a must-visit for a long walk around the lake to work off the food and wine that you will inevitably eat in Mendoza.

Our first night in Mendoza we went to a wonderful restaurant - Azafran. I have to say thank you to all the foodies out there in the blogosphere, because without you, we would not have found this restaurant on our first night. The experience at Azafran - atmosphere, food, wine, service - was outstanding! Even when the power went out right before our dessert not a beat was missed; service continued beautifully, with the restaurant romantically lit by candles. But before that, the food and wine must be mentioned. You know you’re at a good restaurant when…you ask for the wine menu and they tell you they don’t have one; they have a wine room. Yes, a wine room, complete with a personal wine connoisseur to assist you in determining which wine will most please your palate that evening. We chose a wonderful bottle of Mendel Malbec based off his suggestions…and it was perfect! Then there was the food. The first course was an antipasti platter - cured meats, several types of cheese, olives, nuts, and golden raisins. This was followed by our main courses - mine was shared with my husband and was beef tenderloin with goat cheese and beet ravioli, drizzled with a beet reduction. Dessert was something dulce de leche; I can’t remember exactly, but was fantastic! I highly recommend Azafran as a “must-eat” in Mendoza.

The next day, we were up bright and early to go on a wine tour through the Lujan de Cuyo Valley with Ampora Wine Tours. Again, I highly recommend Ampora, as it is more of a boutique wine tour company and Maria (our tour guide) was fantastic! Our first stop was to a small winery - Familia Cassone - which deals only with Ampora Wine Tours. We were greeted by the owner and wine maker himself, Federico, and we went on a short tour of the facility and the vineyards. We then strolled across a large lawn to a house, which we later found out was Federico’s mother’s house, for our wine tasting. The setting was personal and perfect; every detail precise but in a casual, unpretencious way. Our tasting was complemented with casual conversation, sometimes dealing with wine and other times delving into topics such as Latin American traditions. The easiness and humor of the conversation spurred this wine experience much deeper than we would have imagined for 10:00am on a Wednesday morning. We bought bottles of malbec, cabernet sauvignon and a rose and were on our way.

The next stop was to a winery that is larger and more commercial than Familia Cassione, but still beautiful, humble and delicious in its own right. This winery was called Pulenta Estates. We were greeted by the second wine maker, who presented us each with a wonderfully cool and delicious glass of sauvignon blanc. It was perfect for the hot, dry weather that we were experiencing that morning. This welcome set the tone for the wine visit, which could only be described as simple and honest. This might not sound like the most appealing tour to you, but for us, it was perfect. We are not “into” large, commercial over-sold tours that you might see in other wineries. Instead we are interested in hearing the minor details - the act of tasting the grapes, the standards they use for selecting amongst the barrels of partially finished wines - to truly experience the winery and its production. At Pulenta, we bought a bottle each of La Flor Merlot and the Grand Corte Malbec.

At this point, I need to be brutally honest. I had had a bit too much to drink. Yes, at wine tastings they have the spit buckets available and yes, most people do spit out most of the wines that are poured for them. But I am not one of those people. I have such a hard time pouring out a wonderful glass of wine. I had poured out some wine, but apparently, not as much as I should have, therefore when we reached the third winery I was definitely in need for food….and food is what I got! The third winery was Ruca Malen. Truly, the food was amazing - I cannot recall the full menu but I do recall eating several courses of which I experienced an amazing sweet corn tart, beef tenderloin and a dulce de leche dessert.

Our last stop was a winery called…well, I actually can’t remember the name. Again, if my memory is fuzzy about the third winery, it’s even fuzzier about the last winery. I do recall, both from memory and my pictures, that the winery itself was truly beautiful - set against the Andes mountains and designed down to the most beautiful detail. I wish I could comment about the wines, but again to be honest, I didn’t taste any at this winery. My husband also can attest that, although he did try the wines, his tongue was so pickled by this point that he is not in a position to give an educated opinion on their flavors. I would highly recommend this winery, if for nothing else, the views and the design…if you can figure out the name.

After a much needed nap, we headed out that night to La Sal. This restaurant was found both online and recommended to us by Maria, our wine tour guide. La Sal is a small, artistic restaurant serving interesting dishes such as trout risotto and chicken served on a bed of baked pumpkin. They also have live music, which started mid-way through our meal and was an interesting choice - a one man accordion player. I do have to say, however, that after my experience in Argentina and the tango, I have a newfound respect for the accordion and the beautiful music that comes from this soulful instrument.

To sum up our wine touring experience on our first full day in Mendoza, I would say this…if you have the opportunity to visit Mendoza - DO. If presented a spit bucket at a wine tasting and you ask yourself “should I?” - DO. If you have an opportunity to pick up an Argentinian Malbec - DO. This wine region, which produces high-quality, interesting wines, is a true gem. In my amateur opinion, it is pure in its taste and emerging in its true potential to be a global wine force to be reckoned with.

I knew it was inevitable; my final weekend in Uruguay had arrived. But, along with this knowledge, was the arrival with two friends from the U.S. – Carly and Ed. They arrived after work on Friday and the vacation began! I’m a little behind on writing, so this one might be a little long to get a little caught up. After Uruguay, there are more adventures in Argentina to be had before we return to the U.S. so I will continue to write as we continue to travel.

Montevideo
Friday night, I took them to experience a great parilla called Terracotta. The ambiance is amazing, along with the food and the wine. In typical Uruguayan style, we had provolone on the parilla to start, a bottle of Bouza Tannat-Merlot and then we ordered steaks. Of course, we could not refuse desserts, so we ordered a lemon pastry with a red fruit sauce and we left very full and satisfied. The next stop was drinks at Bar Tabare which is a bar that we had frequented over the past couple of months and that has a great, cozy atmosphere – great for catching up with great friends.

We had much to see in Montevideo the next day, so we woke up and headed to the clothing market. Vendor after vendor, full of clothing, jewelry, local crafts and food are set up each Saturday in a park in Pocitos. The amazing part is that this market, which is so large in size, is set up within a few hours and then taken down that very night, only to be set up again in a different location, Parque Rodo, the next day. As you wander the aisles of vendors, you get a great introduction to life in Uruguay – friends greet friends and they share a mate as they shop for themselves and for family.

You cannot go to Uruguay and not have a chivito - therefore we next went to Chivitos Marcos….the best chivito in Uruguay. Believe me, in the name of experimentation, I tried my fair share of chivitos just so that I could share with my friend the best one. Although this is a chain restaurant, it’s still a great experience. First, they take the thinnest sliced steak and put it on the firey hot griddle for literally a minute per side. They ask you if you want bacon or ham (or both) on your chivito and they pile it on top. Then you get your choice of toppings - olives, mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, onions, hot peppers, lettuce and tomato. The next question is ‘cheese?’ - of course! Then they put all of this under a broiler to melt it all together and then you have your choice of condiments….mustard only for me, but they have five different varieties of mayo for you selection, if you choose. This is all on a huge bun, which makes the sandwich perfect for sharing. Wow!

Our next destination was to the Old City – La Ciudad Vieja. There, we walked around the Plaza Independencia, down Sarandi to the Plaza Matriz and continued all the way to el Mercado del Puerto. We found el Mercado del Puerto bustling with locals and tourists enjoying medio y medio and asado. We found a spot at one of the many restaurants and ordered food and drinks – medio y medio, Patricia (Uruguayan beer) and a variety of meats from the grill…salchica, chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), and lomo. Eating and drinking with friends at el Mercado del Puerto is a must do when visiting Montevideo. There is not a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Once we had had enough to eat and drink, we went back to the hotel for the required nap before we went to dinner. For my final dinner in Montevideo, I chose to go to S de Sarten, which is a wonderful restaurant near the hotel and that serves the most amazing fish. In fact, Kyle and I had eaten there a few days before and he insisted that we go back again before we left Uruguay. The dish is called “pez en caja hierro” – literally fish in an iron box. It is two pieces of sole and a variety of vegetables (red, green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, onions and pumpkin). Truly the best dinner I’ve eaten and something that I will try to replicate when I return home.

Punta del Este
Sunday morning took us to Punta del Este, where we spent a relaxing afternoon by the hotel pool. We went all out and stayed at the Conrad - defiitely a great place to stay in Punta. The view from our hotel room was simply amazing. I cannot think of a better way to wake up. That night we went to a restaurant on the port where we ate the freshest mussels, calamari and paella. I could have made a meal out of just the mussels and calamari!!! We hit the casino for a bit and retired early that night - bellies full, skin burnt to a crisp, and exhausted from the previous two days.

The next day we spent a few hours by the pool and then went to Jose Ignacio. I’ve mentioned this beach town before in a previous experience, but it was so amazing the first time that I had to take Kyle, Carly and Ed there to see it too. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at La Huella and then spent the afternoon lounging on the rooftop deck, reading, throwing frisbee on the beach and taking a stroll along the beach. It was terrible to have to tear ourselves away to leave for the airport, but we knew we had a wonderful adventure awaiting us in Mendoza and we had to go.

My final weekend in Uruguay was fantastic - spent visiting and experiencing the best of the best from my travels here and catching up with great friends! I will provide more summaries on the places and things to do in Uruguay in a consolidated list in case anyone is interested for perhaps a future visit to there….and if anyone is looking for a tour guide to go there, look me up!

This past weekend took our crowd to Punta del Este…which literally translates to East Point. Punta del Este is the point at which the Rio de la Plata, which is the river that runs between Argentina and Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It is a beach paradise in Uruguay that is popular among Argentinian and Brazilian tourists and celebrities as well. And, it is amazing!

Punta del Este itself is a busy, beach city with a large casino/hotel, many boutique hotels, a beautiful port and many many beaches. The restaurants and bars are very livey and fun and the nightlife is great! Surrounding Punta del Este, both to the east and the west, are smaller beach towns that are more unpopulated and they have a remote, wonderful feeling. We were able to experience both scenes and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

We were invited to stay the weekend at the house of the director of our program. He and his wife were amazing hosts and shared their home with the eight of us who travelled there. We had a wonderful time exploring the city, going to the beaches, horseback riding, gambling at the casino and eating more than our fair share of wonderful food, including an asado and the freshest seafood!

The most amazing thing that we experienced, however, was a true Uruguayan asado at the home of our host. An “asado” is a barbecue, but the experience is truly unique, as the barbecues here are not the typical Weber variety. They are large wood-burning barbecue (parilla) outside in a brick enclosed structure. The technique of an asado is quite an art! The way the meat is actually cooked is over the embers of the fire, rather than the larger fire itself. Therefore, a large fire is started on the side of the barbecue - it is usually a typical wood here that smells fantastic when it burns - and then the fire is tended to keep it hot. The embers are reintroduced to the fire during this step to keep them all hot until they are ready to be used. Once the fire has produced enough embers, then the grill is lowered and the embers are spread out under the grill. The fire is maintained to the side and as more embers are produced and fall through the grate, they are then spread out under the grill.

The meat of the asado is truly unique as well. The saying is that “no part of the cow goes to waste”. And it’s not only the cow, there are a variety of other animals as well. The girll is filled with all types of meat and as dishes are complete, the feeding frenzy begins. The appetizers were the following: thin sausages, provolone (which is grilled over the fire in a caste iron skillet), sweetbreads, and chorizos in a bun. Then we sat down for dinner and filled half our plates with salads and then the following meats were passed: pork ribs, beef ribs, chicken, lamb, steak, and blood sausages. Typically at an asado there are also all sorts of grilled intestines, but thankfully they didn’t have them at this one…with that darned New Years Resolution of mine, I would have had to try them…gulp! After the initial passing of meat, then anything else is put back on the grill. The tradition then is that you then take your plate out to the grill and pick any other meat that you want second helpings of. Needless to say, I was still full until the following night, but it was a wonderfully unique experience!

To continue in sharing my weekend in Chile with you, I thought I would write a bit about Vina del Mar. We woke up Saturday morning and headed to the bus station for our trip to Vina. The best deal in town. Less than $5 buys you a ticket on a pretty nice bus and you head an hour and a half to the Pacific coast.

It’s a beautiful drive to Vina. You head through a small mountain range and when you emerge on the other side there are orchards and vineyards along the road. Simply beautiful. I had intended to read my book the entire way there, but I honestly never took my eyes from the scenery. One fun surprise was passing the first winery - it was Veramonte! Now, you might not know the significance of this for me but Veramonte is my favorite Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that I drink back home. Literally I was telling Holly a few minutes before that the only Chilean wine I ever drink is Veramonte and voila! There is the winery! So, the picture below is taken from the bus of the Veramonte winery.

We made it to Vina by about 1:30 and had lunch at the hotel. Our sole purpose of heading to Vina was to lounge in the sun and that we did on Saturday afternoon. Our room was right on the ocean, basically hanging over it. It was so relaxing. Later in the afternoon, we took a stroll along the ocean and into the town of Vina del Mar. A long, wooden boardwalk runs along the beach and on it are market vendors, puppet shows, pony rides…just about everything you can think of.

That night we went to dinner in Valparaiso. We had intended on doing some sightseeing there, as it’s supposed to be an amazing older city, but we got there just a bit too late to see anything. Instead we went straight to dinner, which was at a typical Chilean restaurant, but the actual place was beautiful. It’s located inside an old mansion that is on the hillside overlooking the bay. Wow - what a view! I tried to order Chilean seabass again, but wouldn’t you know it…they were out of seabass. Hello! I’m in Chile, right?

At this point I feel the need to digress. So, there is a behavior that is common amongst Chilean people that I really do not care for. I know I should not take offense to it as they do not mean to offend, but it surprised me so much and I really don’t like it. It’s common for people in Chile to shake (or wag, as I like to call it) their finger at you when they disagree or want to show you that something isn’t right. Think of a parent scolding a child saying “no no no”. That is how it makes me feel. You see this all over the place. If you try to catch a cab and you don’t realize that it’s already taken they wag their finger “no no no”. It’s very common. But dinner on Saturday night was my final straw. As I said, I tried to order the seabass and I got the wag of the finger “no no no”. They are out of seabass…how was I supposed to know? They didn’t tell me this. It’s printed on the permanent menu, but somehow I am responsible for knowing to the point that I am now being scolded with the wagging of the finger…I guess that’s just the way it is. So, back to Saturday night…

After dinner, we headed to “Huevo”, a dance club with multi-levels of different themed rooms. There were rooms for disco, 80s, loungey sounds, boy-bands (yes, In Sync and Backstreet videos abound)…just about every theme. We settled into the 80s themed room and hung out there for a bit. We didn’t stay long, however, and decided to leave right about the time when we spotted a cross-dresser wearing a white leotard and ballet tu-tu, with bright blonde pig-tails, gliding across the floor on roller skates. At that point, we said chau to “Egg”.

We, of course, ended our trip with a quick detour to a winery on our way back to the airport. We quickly toured, tasted and got back on the road to make our flight back. All in all, our trip to Chile was amazing. It is definitely a wonderful country, minus the finger wagging, and I hope to return someday soon.