A bit of fun while travelling in Argentina

Globe Troffer loves exploring as well as eating!  Here is a little fun video of a day at one of the world's seven natural wonders: the Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia, Argentina....

I can't put into words just how incredible seeing this was.  It really is one of the most amazing experiences of my life.



To find out more about the food I enjoyed while in Argentina click here.

The day after this trip we crossed the border into Chile and had a great time exploring the national park Torres del Paine, as well as enjoying more delicious food!

Review: Café del Museo, Santiago, Chile

Santiago, Chile really is a nice city and was a great place to spend our last 5 days in South America.  We really chilled out here, staying at a great new hostel - the Landay Barcelo Hostel with friendly locals working there.  Most of the time we made use of the facilities and cooked meals as the budget still needs to last and prices are expensive here for a backpacker!

On the day of our flight out of South America we ate lunch out as we wondered around Barrio Lastarria.  Close by to the Cerro Santa Lucia we found the Café del Museo which is a lovely small café on a small square with some other cafes.  The food here was fresh, and really scrumptious.  The quiche I ordered was one of the nicest I’ve ever eaten – so rich in flavour.  I was quite shocked actually!  The sandwiches were delicious also.

Review: La Herradura Bar/Restaurant, Casablanca, Chile

In November 2008 I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity – a charity that builds simple, decent and affordable houses to low-income families around the world with the help of global volunteers and supporters.  The project I worked on was in Casablanca, Chile (56 miles out of Santiago).  This is where I met my boyfriend James and so we thought it would be nice to re-visit the families we helped build houses for 2 years ago.

We took a bus out to Casablanca from Santiago and decided to have a walk around the town first and revisit some of the sites we remembered from staying here before.  Upon seeing the little bar/restaurant where we had spent many afternoons after building we decided to go in for lunch.

The place had had some changes but was still the same really.  The inside doesn’t really match the outside and still hasn’t had any work done to it which it could do with!  But the staff are still friendly and the food great - with a home cooked feel.

We had the set (almuerzo) menu although there were a few options.  The food was absolutely delicious and the portions were huge.  I can't remember the names of the dishes unfortunately but I had a huge salad plate with a sort of meat loaf - the meat was really beautifully flavoured and perfectly cooked.  As with all almuerzo's I had a soup before hand and a dessert after.  I walked away not needing any more food that day!  James had a tasty beef stew/broth and the meat fell apart as he ate it...hmmm!

If you are in Santiago or heading to Vina del Mar then do pay a visit to Casablanca as it is on the bus route between these two cities.  It's a really sweet little town with a few market stalls in the square and a few little shops dotted around.  The people are very friendly here and the surroundings are stunning. There are some exceptional vineyards in the region famous for their chardonnay's in particular. These are definitely worth checking out, and of course do visit La Herradura for a fulfilling, hearty meal.

Food Glossary: Pastel de Choclo

Pastel de Choclo is a popular dish with Chileans, and it translates to corn/maize stew.  It is quite difficult to describe so bare with me!  It is most similar to a shepherds pie but made from corn instead of potatoes, and with some additions!  There was a decent sized piece of chicken at the bottom, surrounded with a minced beef and onion mix, you could also find an olive and half a hard boiled egg (very common in South American foods).  The dish was quite tasty but I found it very sweet (again quite a feature of South American foods!)  I would definitely recommend trying this dish if you can.

I sampled this traditional dish at Bar Nacional which was popular with locals eating this dish!

Review: Navimag, Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, Chile

There are not many options for those wishing to travel from the south of Chile to the centre and so many chose to travel on the Navimag ferry through the Patagonian fjords from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. The trip takes 3 nights/2 days and varies in cost depending on what type of cabin you chose.  We paid around £200 for the cheapest option, but were actually upgraded to our own room! (woo!)

During your trip on board there are a variety of interesting talks on the fjords, history and culture of Chile. There was a really interesting session on Chilean Spanish which is quite different to Spanish spoken in other parts of South America.

During our trip the weather was grey and rainy so we were unfortunate and unable to see a lot of the beauty of the areas we travelled through.  We did however stop at a magnificent glacier which was just amazing to see.

On board you are certainly looked after and fed so much food!  With three good meals a day by the time you get off board you are desperate for some kind of exercise to work it all off!  The food was really good, and there was always a vegetarian option which was quite interesting.  I would recommend taking your own drinks on board as it makes the trip much cheaper for you.

Food Glossary: Pisco Sours

Ahhhh, pisco sours!  I first sampled this fantastic cocktail when visiting Chile in 2008 on a Habitat for Humanity house build project.  On my return to Chile in 2010 I was keen to have another authentic one as those I had tried in the UK just did not match up.

Pisco sours is made from pisco, lemon or lime juice, egg whites, syrup and bitters.  Interestingly both Chile and Peru claim it as their national drink and so there remains debate over its origins.  To be honest, I don't really mind where it has come from, I'm just happy it exists!  A trip to either Peru or Chile should definitely  include a sample of the drink!  (be warned though it is very strong!)

Review: Afrigonia, Puerto Natales, Chile

After a very long day, setting out at 5.30am from El Calafate in Argentina and spending the day in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile we arrived in the small town of Puerto Natales at about 10pm.  All ravenous, we headed straight out to get food and went with the hostel’s recommendation to save time searching.

Afrigonia is a small fusion restaurant owned by a Chilean/African couple which means there are some quirky elements to the menu.  The small restaurant is really cosy and has a warming atmosphere.  The menu has a decent selection and we were all very pleased with our choices.

Before the mains they bring you small warm bread dough balls with an incredible dip where the African influence is recognisable.  In addition there were crunchy corn-like snacks and plantain crisps.  For our mains we chose salmon with prawns, the rack of lamb and the steak.  The dishes are served beautifully and portion sizes good.  Two side dishes between three of us were plenty and none of us could manage desert at the end.  This was the first meal out since our last disappointing one in Argentina (as we had been cooking for ourselves) and it really was superb.  I don’t think you could be disappointed in this welcoming restaurant.  

Review: Andes tours salt flats tour, Bolivia to Chile

The highlight of Bolivia was without a doubt visiting the 4086 square mile salt flats in the south of the country.  These are the world's largest salt flats and they are just incredible and every bit as rewarding and spectacular as you might think from looking at pictures.  We took a 2 nights, 3 day tour which begun in Uyuni and finished in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

We took the train down to Uyuni which is a great way to travel from La Paz as you see the beginnings of the salt flats and the train is a nice way to travel after buses etc!  We bought the first class train tickets which gave us some decent seats in air con and a free small sandwich which was actually really tasty (it didn't look too great!).  We made the mistake of buying a meal on the train too in the dining cart as we were so hungry – our meals were not good though.

 

From Uyuni we began our 3-day 4WD adventure.  Again, the tour price includes all food and accommodation, but not water.  The first day’s food was quite tasty, we tried laama meat whilst sitting on the salt flats next to Isla pescado (fish island - as from afar it looks like a giant fish!).

It was a great setting and amazing to have a meal like that cooked for us.  In the evening we had a really good soup, followed by pasta which was nice.  In the morning though breakfast was not so exciting, with the sweet bread you get in so many places!  Our evening meal that day was also not quite as exciting, we had salchipapas which I’m not too keen on!

It depends on your driver what food you get as they carry your food and usually there is a lady accompanying your male driver who does the cooking.  Other groups around us looked like that had a better meal that night!  They also gave us a bottle of Bolivian wine that night…but after sampling we didn’t really drink much! (I guess that’s why Bolivia isn’t really known for its wine!)  Our final breakfast was more exciting as we had a large fresh fruit salad, pancakes and cereal on offer!  

Overall the tour is incredibly good value and the food was definitely better than we had been expecting with that beautiful laama making the trip food wise!