Matetic Winery Photos

It has now been awhile since I dropped everything in Napa and began the search for a new place to work in the southern hemisphere.  The search for employment has been filled with dead ends and unreturned emails, as well as a few very successful networking connections and some international phone calls via Skype and even from some Chilean phone booths.  A few glaring possibilities presented themselves and I consider myself fortunate to have been stressed out over the decision about which great winery to work for, though I am sorry to have passed up some great opportunities. Along the way I even considered a full time job back in Napa, but my heart has told me to invest fully in this journey and craft my own future in the burgeoning wine industry here in Chile.
I will officially be working at Matetic Vineyards in San Antonio Chile, home of a state of the art winery and an incredibly expansive line of estate wines. 
Please enjoy some photos of the place I will call home come March 18th, and as always, feel free to leave your comments or questions below.

Campo Aventura, Cochamo Chile

When I have wrapped up my journey and begin to reflect on the things I saw and the people that I met, my trip to Cochamo Chile will set the bar.  In early February, I had made the decision to head to Chile, and sought the advice of a few people privvy to this great country and all it has to offer.  It was by chance that I was connected with a man named Jordan Harvey, who had started a Chilean adventure company called Knowmad Adventures.  Through a few emails and a quick twenty minute phone conversation, I had jotted down a few destinations and notes on places to see and people to call when I reached certain locales.  One particular note stood out in my mind - an ecolodge in a place called Cochamo, where I would set out on horseback to enjoy all the beauty that northern patagonia had to offer.  This was destined to be the gem of my journey, and I was dead set on making it happen. 

On a sunday morning, I got all my things together and set off from Hostal Ruca, headed for the local bus station in order to hop on a two hour bus to an unfamiliar territory called Cochamo.  My directions were to hop on the bus and inform the driver that I would be heading to "el puente del Rio Cochamo."  The bus ride was quite a trip - I conversed with a local caballlero named Don Ciro as we journeyed down a windy gravel road.  The rain had been falling for a few days and everyone on the bus was suited up with muckboots and rainjackets - everyone but me that is!! 

Eventually I came to the bridge crossing the Cochamo River, and I walked through some muddy roads, a wood & cable bridge and a few fields of cows until I reached my initial destination - The Campo Aventura Riverside Lodge.  I was met by some very friendly hosts - Mike and Kristin, who showed me to a wonderfully cozy lodge and and offered me some hot tea and cake by the fire.  I settled in to my room, took an incredible hot shower (so much better than a hostel!!) and finished reading Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead" before dinner was served.  I was in heaven already!

The next morning, I was treated to a great breakfast with local jelly and honey, cheese, eggs, and REAL COFFEE!  Most everywhere you go here in Chile, Nescafe instant coffee is the standard offering, and I was stoked to get a nice hot cup of black coffee with real cream!  As promised by the weather forecasters, the rain stopped right when I had finished breakfast, just in time to hop on my horse, Palafito, and head up the trail to the Mountain Lodge at La Junta.  The trail from the river to the mountains was quite the experience, with at least 5 river crossings and an unbelievable amount of rocks and mud - these horses were unfazed  by the conditions, and I was glad to be on horseback instead of trekking.  The trail itself was the original route from Argentina to Chile, where the caballeros had driven their cattle since 1902, and was in fact the same route taken by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when the outlaws drove their cattle to the Cochamo slaughterhouse. 

I was blown away when we crossed the rio Cochamo and set our eyes on the Mountain Lodge, a beautiful farm set in the middle of the valley, surrounded by massive granite peaks and thick jungle trees.  I had heard comparisons between Yosemite and Cochamo, and was now convinced that Cochamo was even more spectacular!! Take my word.  I was greeted by Horacio and Tatiana - the luckiest caretakers on earth - and was again treated to tea and some homemade bread and local honey.  The mountainside lodge is a wonderful cabin constructed completely from fallen trees in the area and a few luxury items that had somehow made their way into to valley on horseback (think oven, toilet, mattress).  After tea time, a group of guests arrived from their day trip to the local waterfalls, and we all shared a great homemade dinner, some local wine, and even some Jack Daniels.  Sticking with the farm schedule, we set off to bed shortly after nightfall and planned to awake when the smell of the wood burning oven summoned us to the kitchen.

In the morning I enjoyed my first experience with the traditions of Yerba Mate, a strong tea that is served with a strict set of rules and a great sense of community.  The server controls the temperature of the tea, which is served using a single cup that is passed to each person and is emptied each time and passed back to the server.  The cup and straw are passed around to everyone involved in order, and you do not say thank you until you have had your fill of yerba.  The strength of the tea and a filling breakfast were just what I needed, as I was about to set off on a day trip for which I was wholly unprepared.  The night before, the mountain guide Rigel (an awesome 23 year old guy from Chicago) had asked me how I felt about heights and ropes.  I assured him that I was fine with both and that I was here to experience the best of the best while I was here - and I was sure to get what I asked for! 

Rigel and I took off at 10am and set our sights on Arco Iris, a towering granite mountain across the river from the lodge.  We crossed a cable car and checked out a waterfall before we began to climb practically straight up the muddy jungle trail on the ascent of Arco Iris.  Once we had cleared the jungle and made it past the tree line filled with the majestic Alerce trees, we came to the ropes that Rigel had referred to. At the base of the rope, we found a nervous Austrian couple who had been there awhile contemplating the safety of the ascent from this point.  Rigel assured them that the ropes were secure and that nobody had fallen from the steep cliff directly below us - at least not yet!!  Taking Rigel's lead, I tightly gripped the rope and put one foot in front of the other on the wet granite.  One rope after another, sweeping from side to side and making sure I had the proper weight distribution on my feet and the rope, we had made it past the first, and then the second section of rock faces safely.  Thankfully, it was only possible to look up the mountain and not down! We had reached the first "mirador" lookout and enjoyed a snack and some sun and breeze. 

The climb continued, and this time our loose rock and large boulder terrain was more of a zigzag pattern following the rock signals set by other climbers earlier in the season.  Rigel had been up here 8 times previously, and I had total faith in his navigation, though I struggled to keep up with his madman pace.  In the end of our climb, we had ascended a total of 1300 meters in four hours, and it was worth over step.  We could see Osorno Volcano, back towards Puerto Varas, el Tronador along the Argenitna/Chile border, and a 360 degree view of all the peaks and valleys all around us.  Though we couldn't see it from this viewpoint, we had spotted the Mountainside lodge along the way, and it had become a few dots and fences far below.  Check out the pictures I took from this amazing vista, though I assure you that they don't do it justice. I also took a video of the 360 views, which I will have to share with all of you somehow.  The trip down the mountain went much quicker than the ascent, though having the knowledge of the ropes down below was a bit disconcerting.  Thankfully Rigel and I made it down safely, with an unforgettable day behind us and so many mental photos that will be with me for eternity.  Enjoying a pitcher of water and looking up to the peak of Arco Iris from the lodge was almost as enjoyable as the climb itself.  I had no idea what I was getting into before we left, and an unbelievable sense of accomplishment when we returned. 

Dinner that night couldn't have tasted any better, and it was great to enjoy a meal together with Horacio, Tatiana, their son and Rigel as we talked about their life on the ranch and all of the interesting clients that had come throughout the season at Campo Aventura.  I was already saddened to leave the next morning, especially when the full moon blared an intense light through the valley and the skies cleared for my first look at the southern skies.  Cities and cloudcover had prevented me from stargazing up to this point, and my first glimpse at the southern cross was every bit as magical as the past two days had been. 

The ride down the trail the next morning was every bit as enjoyable as the ride up, and this time my mind was occupied by all of the epic sights and stories that had been crafted in the valley of the Cochamo river.  These three days will forever define my journey to Chile, and my heart and mind are at ease when I think of all the wonderful people I met and of the stunning beauty provided to all of us by mother nature.  How blessed we are to exist and to share in the enjoyment of this beautiful planet.

Below is a link to a Picasa album with all the pictures from the adventure. They are all out of order because my cell phone resets itself to 1980 everytime I power up. Don't ask me why!

Album link

Puerto Varas, Chile

After spending a good amount of time in Santiago, with a quick jump over to Valparaiso and Concon, I decided that it was time to change it up and head to the countryside. It seems that the decisions I make concerning destinations are based on a very basic attempt at research and could be best described as "whimsical." Be that as it may, I have not made any bed decisions yet, and I am very delighted with the results thus far. After checking out of the ecohostel in Santiago, I spent another day exploring new parts of Santiago (see the last post) and killing time before my overnight bus trip departed at 8pm that day. I gave myself plenty of time to make the bus, and was very attentive while waiting for the bus to depart from gate 14 of the terminal de buses near Universidad de Santiago. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the randomly selected seat I had chosen was in the front row of second level of the bus, providing me with a spectacular view and a generous amount of legroom! It came in handy for the 15 hour bus ride to arrive in the charming city of Puerto Varas, Chile. Puerto Varas is a small town on the banks of lake Llanhique (I know I spelled that wrong), and the town serves as a hub for people like me with huge backpacks and a desire to venture out into the natural settings all around this northern lake district of Patagonia. There are a ton of people just like me - young and adventurous with maps and the freedom to explore. Have a look at the photos of the town and the lake, and stay tuned for some epic photos that will surface after I venture via horseback into the Cochamo area with the Campo Aventura company (campoaventura.cl) P.s. I tried to create paragraphs but to no avail!

Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago

An absolutely amazing place that I happened to stumble across was the metropolitan cathedral of Santiago. It was finished in 1800 AD and is one of very few to have withstood a number of earthquakes in Chile since its construction. It's size, age, and the ornate nature of everything inside was unbelievable.  I am unsure if they hold services here on a weekly basis nowadays but it could hold thousands of people... There were probably a few hundred when I entered and it felt empty. The center of the church and the dome overhead are mind blowing, and all around the perimeter there are sculptures and separate settings for communion and one for Mary and another (I think) for love.  I am very happy to have gone here and also to say hello to the patron saint of the city, Mr. Santiago (pictured)

Sights of Santiago

Here are some pictures I took on my second trip back to Santiago. Included are:
some cool grafitti
The catholic university of Chile (I'm really not sure which university it was because every other stop on the metro is another catholic university), some shots of the beautiful waterfalls, statues and Vista views of a public park called Santa Lucia, which is home to an old castle (castillo hidalgo), a random church that caught my eye near the plaza de armas, and lastly the amazing view from the terrace on top of Isabel's apartment building.
I will work on a new caption system but this is the best way to do it unless I create a new post for each photo

Valparaiso & Playa Concon

The remainder of my time in Valparaiso was phenomenal!  On the day after my last post, I ventured out to wine country for a meeting with a potential employer, Vina Matetic, which is located somewhere between the towns of Casablanca and San Antonio.  I had arranged with the winemaker to make my way to Casablanca by 10am, where I would be met by someone from the winery to take me the extra 30 minutes to get to Matetic. 
A bit about the buses in Chile--
While I have yet to experience Chilean air travel, I have found that unlike in the states, air travel is not the method of travel chosen by the masses.  Every town big and small has a bus terminal, and they range in size from very big (Santiago has probably 15 companies to choose from and at least 30 terminals from which the buses arrive and depart).  These buses are very luxurious and range in size from your normal charter bus all the way to full on double decker buses with chairs that lean back at a 45 degree angle.  The length of the trip dictates the size of the bus.  So far I have made trips from Santiago to Valparaiso, a 120km trip that costs only about $6 US, Valparaiso to Casablanca 35 km for $3, and also a trip from San Antonio back to Valparaiso.  This particular trip was interesting because I had yet to hop on the bus from a countryside bus stop, called a parada.  All along the trip, the drivers are picking up passengers along the way and dropping them off if they ask the driver to do so.  It is a very interesting system and also very efficient and practical.  When I was done at Matetic, I was dropped off at a parada and hailed the bus from San Antonio, headed to Valparaiso via Casablanca.  All in all I am very impressed with the efficiency and I certainly wish there were similar systems available in US cities. 
Back to the winery visit.  I still have some decisions to make as far as the job situation goes down here and I don't want to jump the gun or reveal any finalized decisions yet, so for now I will just treat my visit to Matetic as a winery tour!!!  What a place it is!  As this is my first winery visit in chile, I think it was a bit of a skewed reality at Matetic, in that they have imported the best practices in the winemaking business from America and France.  The winery was built about 10 years ago, and is owned by a family with a very significant amount of land around Chile.  They winery is situated in a beautiful valley that bears a lot of significance to the hills and valleys in Napa.  The surprisingly cool valley plays host to sauvignon blanc, syrah, and a number of other varietals, and here they have built the winery, as well as a very nice hotel and restaurant, complete with a lucious yard with a fountain and all sorts of beautiful attractions everywhere you look.  The winery itself is a very functionally designed piece of arcitecture, complete with a crush deck that has sliding doors which open up to the open top fermentors, and the sorting tables drop the fruit right into the tanks!  No must lines, what a dream!!  The barrel room and cellar are immaculately clean and the workflow leaves little to be desired!  They make delicious wine and sell at a price point above any I have seen, though my exposure to Chilean wine prices is incomplete, since my basis relies on the selections available in grocery stores and botellerias.  I picked up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah on my way out, and I have only tried the SB at this point.  If you see a bottle at your local Total Wine or Bevmo, grab it!  Its really good. 
Check out the pictures and more to come on the job front as soon as everything is finalized! 
I did extend my stay in Valpo by an extra night, which I spent cooking and relaxing, and I used my extra day to travel to the beach in a place called Concon.  I jumped a local bus and expected the unexpected.  Oftentimes the local buses are headed to places you have never heard of and it is a bit of a gamble to see where you will end up.  In this case I caught one bus that eventually headed in the wrong direction, hopped on another bus, and rode that for almost an hour and 45 minutes to pass through Vina del Mar (resorty beach town) and all the traffic once we got to Concon.  In concon, I bought some sunscreen and empenadas and walked through the local vendor shops to find a very very crowded and bustling beach scene.  It reminded me a bit of the crowded beach in Los Cabos out in front of "the Office" if you have ever been there.  The amount of people was unbelievable, but this was not a Cabo party scene, rather a ton of families with their umbrellas and children.  The beach was fortunately very long, and I made my way past la gente loco and found a good quiet spot where I could read my book and take a swim without having to watch my backpack.  The water was pretty cold, but was perfect because the intensity of the sun was unbearable!  I spent a good 2 1/2 hours there and decided I would need to head back before too long to avoid another long trip through the busy beachgoer traffic. 
All in all, this was a great sendoff from Valparaiso and I really really enjoyed my time there.  A special thanks goes to Kent and Hostel Mariposas, this was a great place to stay and Kent had some craaaazy stores and great advice for me.  Ask me about his Chilean Sea Bass fishing story sometime - this is a story for the ages!  Also his hitchiking story from Iran and Kuwait... What a guy!!

Hostal Mariposa, Valparaiso Chile

When I arrived in Valparaiso, I it was an extermely hot day and though I was glad to escape the stagnant heat of Santiago, the ocean breeze didn't do much for me.  My backpack easily weighs 50 pounds, and all the stress of a foreign bus system and lugging around my bags was causing me to sweat beyond belief.  Even before going to Valparaiso, I had learned that many consider it to be the San Francisco of South America - and today, a local described it as the "poor brother of San Francisco."  The similarities are very clear - it is a heavy industrial port, full with cargo docks and anchored ships, a lot of very steep hills (there are around 15 "acensors," similar to european funiculars), and there is a lot of street art on every corner. 
The hostel itself is situated on a hill with 200 degree views of the city, which in itself is reason enough to stay in the hostel and avoid walking up hills!  The hostel owner comes from Alaska, and is married to a Chilean woman - together they have probably 25 rooms available which have all been uniquely renovated and cater to students for all but the summer tourist months.  Kent (that's his name) is a very unique man and is very friendly and helpful to all of the guests on a constant basis.  He has planted a seed in my head and is urging me to rent space in a warehouse his friends own, fill a cargo container with Chilean wine, and find a buyer in the States.  We will have to see about that but it could prove to be a lucrative business to begin!  This hostel has been much more of a social experience than the last, and I am planning to extend my inital reservation by at least a day. 
Yesterday in Valparaiso at about 2pm, a fire broke out in the forest leading into the city, and was pouring smoke into the air until nightfall.  With over 200 families displaced and a great deal of forest gone, the devastation was enormous, and it was quite a spectacle to watch it from our balcony and see the constant flow of helicopters dumping water on the fire.  The fire strained the local water supply and was on the minds of everyone from valparaiso. 
My time here in Valpo has been great - I think much better than Santiago - and my time here has yet to come to an end.  I think I will be back before long!

Chech out the photos of the view from the balcony and also the smoke rising over the city during the fire!

Bocanariz Wine Bar, Santiago

Here are some photos of the full experience Isabel and I had at a fabulous wine bar in Santiago's Barrio Lastarria.  They had probably 35 wines by the glass, and 365 bottles to choose from.  Also note the delicious patagonian lamb dish, and the oysters we split.  That's right, Oysters.

Academy of Fine Arts, Santiago

This picture was taken from right in front of the academy of fine arts in Santiago. Can you spot the slackliners?

Three Days and Two Nights In Santiago

After a seemingly hectic voyage from Phoenix to Santiago, I arrived at my destination, Hostal Luna Calypso, and was exuberated to drop my bags off and get some quick shut eye.  I arrived at the hostel aroun 1pm, and was delighted to find that I had a ground level room with french doors opening out to a little patio.  The summer weather was in full effect, so I opened the doors and fell fast asleep for a few hours.  When I woke up, I cleaned up and put on my sneakers, venturing out to some of the walking destinations I had found online.  My hostel was situated next to a narrow park that spanned about 20 blocks, and was full of teenagers in love, joggers, and a whole hoarde of young skateboarders in the skate park.  From there I continued on to another larger park situated along the river in the center of town, which played host to a number of beautiful statues and the academy of fine arts building.  I felt relieved to have a seat in the shade and observe all of the people and sights unseen. 
After a while, I got back on my feet and ventured across the river, which was extremely muddy and had a surprisingly rapid flow of water for the middle of summer.  I later learned that there had been a heavy northern storm and a number of large washouts that ended up closing many of the mountain passes and roads throughout the andes.  Across the river, I found the charming barrio Bellavista, which was bustling with young couples and tourists, all of them congregating in a neat city block called patio bellavista.  Patio bellavista was a great collection of bars, restaurants and shops, and I ended up revisiting the area for dinner. 
Ordering dinner was quite comical in my mind, since my spanish could always improve and I was somewhat unsure if I had ordered a sufficient amount of food - I hadn't eaten since the horrible quiche serves for breakfast on the airplane.  The waiter came back after I had ordered and asked me a question about my dish, and I had no idea what he had said, although I could tell he asked me a yes or no question.  I said yes and hoped for the best!  It ended up being an extraordinary dish with fried polenta, cubed steak fried plantanes and fresh guacamole.  Washed down with a beer, I was more than satisfied, though I was a bit surprised to pay more than $25 US for it.  Since then I have discovered that resaurants across the board are expensive and nothing beats a home cooked meal. 
The next day entailed more of the same - a walk to a certain point of interest followed my an extemporaneous walk to nowhere in particular.  My initial destination was to the national zoo and metropolitan park, but I was disappointed to see that the funicular was under maintenance and the lines for the bus to the top figured to take at least an hour.  Instead I ventured to pablo neruda's nearby house, and again was disappointed to find that it was closed.  Undeterred, I followed a random street for awhile and then decided it would be best to head south to avoid losing my bearings.  Without a map or internet access, I had to always be concious of where I was heading.  Once I crossed back over the river, I was delighted to come across two public marketplaces.  The northernmost market catered more to the everyday shoppers, with things like shoes and housewares, as well as a spattering of restaurants.  The restauranteurs were very eager to seat me at a table, but I held out for food until I found a unique and crowded place that I knew wouldnt disappoint. 
The main central market was across the street, and it was a very great place that initially reminded me of the fish market at pike street in Seattle.  I meandered through the building, and then came across a very busy storefront filled with locals ordering empenadas de pino.  for 750 pesos (about a dollar), I got a delicious meal and some great fresh juice... A well deserved treat after a lot of walking.
After lunch I continued south and found the busiest area in all of Santiago, la plaza de armas.  The  beautiful plaza was packed with businessmen and open air marketplaces.  I bought some ice cream ( Helado, helado, helado) and I was interested to see that the vendors were successfully making sales to locals just as much as to tourists.  The entire place was very functional and showed the strength of the economy in Chile.  After continuing south beyond the plaza, Ieventually found that my sense of direction had failed me, and I walked until I found a metro station to get me back to the Baquedano metro station near my hostel. 
That night, I met up with a fellow american who has been in Chile for 6 years, Isabel.  Isabel has been in the wine industry the whole time she has been in Chile and it was exciting to get a perspective on the state of the industry and hear about her experiences.  We met at a great wine bar in barrio Lastarria, called Bocanariz.  They had an incredible selection of chilean wine, with probably 50 wines by the glass and over 350 bottles to choose from.  In following my new years resolution and expanding my food horizons, Isabel and I split a plate of 8 oysters (my first ever) and settled on a more familiar favorite of mine, lamb.  The oysters were quite an experience, and I tried to put myself back in the college days and down those suckers like jello shots.  I managed to take all four down, not without the help of a ton of lemon juice, and I can finally say I have eaten oysters!  Would I order them again on my own?? Don't think so!
Isabel and I spent almost four hours and shared a couple of flights and a couple of bottles of wine, and made plans to meet up again in the near future.  She has been a huge help to me and she knows a ton of people in the wine industry, so I am looking forward to getting together for some more tasting!

In the morning I set off for valparaiso and said TTFN to Santiago, where the heat was sweltering and I found myself ready to see a new place on the coast of Chile.  More to come on Valparaiso in the next post!

Hostel In Santiago

Here is a picture of my first ever hostel, in the Providencia area of Santiago.  I had french doors opening onto the patio! 

Aeromexico Flights to Santiago de Chile

I did it! It has been an month and a half filled with anticipation, research, email correspondence and for awhile there I almost felt that I would drown in a sea of details. Having never traveled this far from the states, and doing it alone, I certainly feared for the worst and hoped for the best, and a few important questions lingered in my mind… Would I be denied entry at the immigration counter in Chile? Would my baggage make it to Chile with me? Would I be stuck in a tiny window seat for eight and a half hours? Spoiler alert - I made it past customs and allayed some of my fears, but not without a bit of excitement along the way. My mom and aunt dropped me off curbside at PHX and we all said our goodbyes as I made my way to check in at the Aeromexico ticket counter. Immediately my concerns seemed to be validified - the first leg of my flight had been delayed almost 3 hours. Fortunately I had three hours of layover time in mexico city, and I was assured that I would make all my connections in a timely manner. My first stop on the journey was in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and I had less than thirty minutes of turnaround time. Since I would be travelling on to Chile, I was confident that if I stayed within the gated areas, there would be no need to go through the customs declaration and visa process upon arrival. The immigration forms requested addresses in Mexico as well as the duration of my visit, so in my mind I was sure that I was safe to follow the “transit” signs and proceed past immigration. I jumped right on the plane bound for mexico city and continued to read a book I had brought with me, when suddenly the flight attendant safety lecture was cut short and an airline official asked me to deplane and follow him. I was then coaxed to follow him in a full sprint to the customs desk and haphazardly filled out my form, received a visa and passed through customs all in about two minutes. I then followed the airline official back to the plane as the ground crew yelled “corre, corre!” My heart was racing when I boarded the plane, and I was glad to order some tequila to calm the nerves! After a quick turnaround in Mexico City, I made my way to seat 25J on an 8 hour red eye to Santiago. Fittingly, I had been given a seat assignment with less legroom than a domestic united airlines flight right next to an overweight woman. After 8 hours of suffering and two horrible airline meals, we were on the ground in Chile and I had no issues passing through the visa and customs process. I still felt unprepared as I hopped into a shuttle to my hostel and the south american adventure was set to begin. A million thanks go out to the many people who offered me advice and guidance during my preparations - I’m not sure I would have felt comfortable enough to embark on this journey without your help and encouragement!