Argentina! - Page 1
We finally made it to Argentina!
We left San Diego mid-day on Sunday, January 4, and rendezvoused with Mariana and Jeff in Buenos Aires for the final leg to Neuquen/Cipolletti, arriving there Monday evening. It was a fantastic two-week trip. Angel and Gloria both took the two weeks off to spend with us as did Sergio and Luli. So, that really made the trip a family time that we could all be together. It could not have been better.
We spent the first three full days in and around Cipolletti, the Tarzia's home town. We had heard that Cipolletti was a small town, but it isn't as you will see from the pictures. The population is about 70,000. As you will also see from the photos, we visited many of the childhood spots that Mariana has told us about.
On Friday (Jan 9) the eight of us caravanned in two vehicles to Bariloche, about 250 miles west in the Argentinian Andes. Bariloche is truly a fantastic place, one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. We spent three nights there and then returned to the Cipolletti area. We began our trip home late Friday afternoon (Jan 16), which included a one-night stopover in Buenos Aires. We arrived home mid-day on Sunday, January 18, almost exactly two weeks to the hour after leaving San Diego.
We were a bit tired, but thrilled that we were able to make the trip. Everything went perfectly. Our hosts and their friends were absolutely delightful. And we stayed healthy and able the entire trip.
Our photo pages begin with our arrival in Cipolletti and more or less tracks our trip in chronological order. So, browse through the pages and see a little bit of what we saw and did.
The Asado
It's probably worth a few words about the asado. It's a special meal traditionally prepared over wood coals. The main meat may be beef ribs, beef tenderloin, goat or lamb, but it also includes a variety of sausages.
The cooking is a part of the social event. The wood fire burns in one corner of the grill (parrilla). The chef, Angel, shovels hot coals from the fire and distributes them underneath the rack containing the meat, taking care to keep the temperature just right. Cooking typically takes one to two hours.
Then comes the feast itself. The guests are seated and the chef proudly brings in and begins serving the meat and sausages. And a feast it is. It practically melts in your mouth. You know you shouldn't be eating this much, but it tastes so good, you don't want to stop.
The asado begins with a trip to the meat market where the Tarzias have always bought their meat:
