Tag Archives: relaxing

Syrah for the Soul.

Posted on by Eric and Laura
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It’s hard to put in to words what a special experience we had at the Polkura vineyard.  We were incredibly lucky to have been invited here by the owner; a coworker and friend of our good friend Nathan. Without ever meeting us, he invited us to stay in a cabin in the middle of the vineyard. We drove in late at night in a teeny rental car and a rainstorm, so the first morning’s view of vine-striped hills was more than we expected.

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Polkura is a small vineyard, located in Marchihüe, part of the Colchagua Valley, which specializes in delicious Syrah. The owners Sven and Gonzalo care deeply about the environment on which they are situated, as well as the process by which they create their wine. (Check out Movi, a collective of small growers and vintners).

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The assistant wine maker, Claudio, and Christian, the grounds manager, graciously taught us about every aspect of wine making.  We saw the incredible detail that goes in to each bottle of Polkura, from the soil and weather conditions, to the type of cork that is used, the age and origin of the barrels and innumerable chemical steps we didn’t entirely comprehend. We helped put stickers on bottles and pack cases for an order being shipped to Brazil, and even spent an afternoon helping tend to the vines.

We were able to taste Polkura’s varieties in each stage: with a siphon from an oak barrel, a nozzle straight out of the tank, and, of course, we drank a bottle or three. Claudio and Christian took us to visit a local grape grower who had recently started making his own wine in small batches, entirely by hand.  He showed us the old-style mechanical crank he uses to squish the grapes, and explained how he bottles it all alone (a pulley to lift the barrel, and a funnel to pour it in). His cabernet went down well at 1:00 pm and provided the right amount of fuel for an indulgent afternoon nap.

The Colchagua Valley is home to some of Chile’s most famous vineyards including Concha y Toro and Montes, which you’ve probably had in the States. Vineyard stays and expensive afternoon tours make up the tourism industry there, but we decided to skip the pre-packaged, behind-the-glass introduction after we had such an up-close and personal one.

Aside from our personal Winemaking 101, we were treated like part of the Polkura family. Christian invited us to dinner with his family where he grilled a generous variety of steak, pork, and Eric’s new favorite “Choripan.” We shared the cabin, and a lot of wine, with Claudio, who told us a little more about life in Chile, running a vineyard, and his dream to one day have his own. We were honored to be included in all of this, and can only hope to show some of the Polkura folks a little hospitality in our home some day.

Here’s where we were:
(Polkura Vineyard, Marchigüe, Chile)

Santiago is Awesome.

Posted on by Eric and Laura
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Santiago kind of felt like a vacation from our trip. It’s a big, modern city which, once we adjusted from the culture shock we felt arriving from Bolivia, felt a lot like home. We immediately noticed the vast economic difference from the first three countries we visited. Systems and infrastructure are modern and the orderliness of it all kind of took us aback—as did the costs.

Outside of the airport we got adjusted pretty quickly. The metro system is a lot like the one in Washington DC (but on schedule), and the clean, wide sidewalks bustle with university and professional commuters. For the first time in months we didn’t feel like we stood out from the locals. There is little to no indigenous presence in the areas we visited.  Sadly, we later learned that the city was intentionally socioeconomically segregated decades ago, and we only witnessed bits of these more impoverished areas on our way to the airport leaving town.

We rented an apartment through AirBnB and finally having a place of our own was great. We were able to do some shopping at Mercado Central—an old-style fish market with fresh produce and cheese stalls—and cooked a couple of meals at home for the first time since Ecuador. Other than taking a break from the potato diet, our first order of business was to get Eric’s knees looked at. We visited Clinica Alemana, the fancy shmancy private hospital which our travel insurance will allegedly reimburse. Doctor’s orders: rest, stretch, and painkillers.

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We heeded the medical advice, and basically lounged around and enjoyed the city. We may have taken the lounging a little too seriously because it turns out we have very few photos of Santiago. Take our word for it: it’s beautiful, with views of the Andes on clear days (when the smog lifts) and perfect weather all the time. Aside from the scenery, pretty much everyone is gorgeous and friendly, there’s great wine everywhere, a politically active student population, an abundance of art, and a really navigable layout for out-of-towners.

Highlights included:

Lastarria – A “neighborhood” (block) full of Parisian-style open-air restaurants and cafes, where we ate a couple great meals and met some really nice people.

Providencia – The place to be in Santiago, this ever-expanding neighborhood has some of the best bars and restaurants, lots of universities and the boutiques and outdoor lounging spots that usually accompany them. We stayed here with a friend of a friend, who was working on launching travel site destinalo.com. Catalina was a great host who helped us figure out some more of our plans.

Patio Bellavista – The restaurant tourist hub, this indoor-outdoor maze of eateries had just about every type of food, live music, a crowd of all ages, and basically the Guerilla Café of Chile. The walls and menus were full of political activists and icons such as Victor Jarra, Salvador Allende, Che Guevarra, and a pita sandwich named the Frida Kahlo.

Museo de la Memoria – A free museum dedicated to raising awareness of global human rights violations, the focus is the atrocities of the Pinochet dictatorship and the military coup of September 11, 1973. The newish museum included moving exhibits about the many who were tortured, killed or disappeared during that time.  While heavy it was important for us to take the time to visit.

We really felt at home in Santiago and even had some lofty conversations about living here some day… or at least visiting.  We will need to work on our Spanish though because Chileans admittedly speak REALLY fast.

Here’s where we were:
(Santiago, Chile)