San Juan

The remaining time in South America was a race to catch my flight from Chile. I had under a week to travel from the east coast of Argentina (one side of the continent) to the west of Chile (the other side). This week involved many a day of 20+ hours getting the seated equivalent of bed-sores while sitting solidly on a coach. The worst of which was when the coach driver accidentally left “Tina Turner live in concert” on repeat, only realising half way through the third rendition of “Simply the Best“.

I did however have one more thing to tick off the “must do when in Argentina” list: wine tasting. According to all literature, the best and most famous white wine is grown and brewed in Cafeyate and the best red wine in the Mendoza region. So that's exactly where I went. Two separate days dedicated to tasting glass after glass of what one of the world's top wine producing countries has to offer. No complaints from me.

I say I went to Mendoza. The more accurate story is that I bought the ticket to Mendoza, got on the bus to Mendoza... but after 8 hours stuffed in another bus (the one I like to call “the Tina Turner experience”) I decided to jump off 3 hours early, in San Juan.

San Juan is a cosy little city surrounded by vinyards, gorgeous parks and a warm atmosphere. It is the kind of place you grow up in and never dream of leaving. But I must confess that it wasn't just luck that I got off here; as it is also the home of the Palacio family (I.e. my grandma's cousins' family).

Ernesto is the father of the family, a very proud and knowledgeable man. It was quickly evident that despite being retired he was still a very well-known and highly respected member of the community. I was amazed how quickly it got to the stage of ridiculous as we walked down a busy high street he was stopped and greeted by as many as five separate individuals. And I don't mean in the sense of a polite nod of the head. These people, whether they be shopkeepers, businessmen or ice cream truck drivers, would shake his hand, greet his whole family (including myself) and chat as if they were life-long friends. My favourite incident however was our trip to a concert house. An award-winning music group had been invited all the way from Chile to perform in this acoustically impressive convert hall. At the end several representatives from the town hall, including the mayor dressed in a gown and several golden medallions stepped up onto the stage to publicly thank the group for coming. As they finished and walked back up the stairs towards the back of the theatre, I, like everyone else, was happily applauding the performance. But to my utter amazement, upon reaching our seats, the mayor and other representatives all diverted towards me before reaching over my lap in turn to publicly shake Ernesto's hand. They then proceeded to leave the theatre without further event.

The rest of the family were equally as impressive. One afternoon Ernesto regrettably managed to lose his car keys. Without hesitation, Esteban, the oldest son, slipped a wire down the driverside window, unlocking the door, then reaching his hand under the steering wheel. A minute later and a small spark is followed by a cough from the engine before the car fully springs to life. And once again, without a worry in the world, we're happily on our way again.

The person I spent most time with was Pablo (the youngest son). Like everyone else he spoke no English, but for some reason conversation just flowed. Every evening we went out with his friends and they all made me feel so welcome. The three days I spent with Pablo was the first time that I really felt completely comfortable expressing myself in Spanish. Which after 5 months of struggling was a big deal.

The weekend finished in style with a family Asado (aka BBQ) by a nearby dike. Rita, the mother, with the help of the men, had put together the most delicious combination of succulent meats. With not a vegetable in sight I think the picture below very strongly supports my belief that you have never lived until you've had Argentinian Asado.