"So what was it - the beef, the Malbec, the culture, the people - even the Tango or maybe the Samba?" "What did you like best about your visit?"

I have been asked this frequently since we returned from our trip to South America. To be fair, I should say our trip was mostly to Argentina, with a dash of Chile and Brazil to spice it up. I was expecting to like everything and was not disappointed. The European flair of Buenos Aires, with plenty of dulce de leche, a caramel concoction that coats everything from candy to cookies to cakes and is even used on breakfast toast, was calorically speaking, over-the-top delicious. We were captivated by the ambience of the city, which glides with the rhythms of Tango and leaves tourists such as me and my husband gawking at the moves of a dance so complicated and beautiful. Tango permeates BA - in clubs, hotels, restaurants, theatres and even on starry nights in the old town square, where the touts and hawkers of the day put away their wares, and the restauranteurs install a wooden floor, crank up the music and ordinary people come to dance this web of footwork, passion and grace. Yes, Buenos Aires has much to offer - a touch of Europe with a delightful Argentinian twist.

There was much more to like about our excursion to the South. As a complement to our wonderful experiences in Buenos Aires, we also visited Rio de Janeiro, arguably one the most beautiful cities in the world. From the vantage points of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer statue), the latter rising 2,329 feet above sea level, Rio spreads out in all directions, showing off its world-renowned beaches, cityscapes, favelas, ports and rain forests below. Rio burns into one's memory like the sun burned into our pasty white bodies as we attempted to rectify our northern condition in a day's rest on the beach. Although we are not souvenir collectors, in this case we did acquire a start on a tan, which is sloughing off nicely after each shower. Our memories remain on our backs, like an itch that needs scratching. An urban vision of perfect weather, eclectic food and outdoor living, Rio is exciting, challenging and cosmopolitan. Baby boomer travelers should take heart that thong bikinis are perfectly acceptable beach attire, regardless of age and physical condition --or lack thereof.

We also visited Iguazu/Iguacu Falls on the Argentina/Brazil border. A UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, the Cataratas or Foz, depending on which side you are, put Niagara on the back page with their height, length and volume of water spilling over some 275 cascades, give or take a few depending on the season. Nestled in a rain forest, the heat and humidity were mitigated by a drenching jet boat ride under the more accessible falls, leaving us the entire day in which to dry or mold, depending on the availability of sun. In our case, we were fortunate enough to have sun and were able to dry pretty much by the end of our visit to this tropical outpost.

Was this experience, the very antithesis of city travel, the best part of the trip? Well, we are getting closer.

Our peregrinations also took us to Patagonia, and even more specifically, into Chile's most precious natural asset - Torres del Paine National Park, where nature generously pushed up granite and sedimentary rock into towers, horns and rock walls to heights of over 9,000 feet, added glaciers for depth and texture and allowed plenty of room for raging rivers, cascades and azure lakes. Being a mountain girl for over 30 years did not eliminate the WOW factor of Torres del Paine.

This formerly well kept secret (except among backpackers and intrepid adventure types) is receiving more attention from average tourists who enjoy the beauty of its spectacular, ever-changing setting but who also want a comfortable bed and a warm meal at the end of the day. Accommodations within the Park are still at high season rates so we were particularly pleased to find off-season prices in a place just outside the Park

Torres is still challenging me for words to describe it. Clouds, blown by strong, constant winds, play a game with the heights, changing the shadows, and shifting shades of light and dark. Each moment brings a new perspective. The winds, pushing rain and snow around the summits, also whip up white caps on the glacier-fed lakes at the base of the peaks. These same winds push icebergs off of Glacier Grey, the most accessible glacier in Torres, and send them down Lago Grey to a sand bar, which stops them cold, so to speak. Wind and wave action eventually take their toll, and they disintegrate gently and completely into the lake that nurtured them.

Torres is not an easy place to get to. Our journey included flying into backpacker heaven, also know as El Calafate in Argentina, and then renting a small, but thankfully dependable car for a five hour drive over the Patagonian steppe. I could count the number of other vehicles we encountered on both hands. Imagine a trip through the foothills of the Front Range but without cell towers, without traffic, without houses, without people and you have some idea of what of Patagonia is like. In all fairness, there were plenty of animals including a multitude of sheep as well as ostrich-like birds called nandus and llama-like beasts called guanacos. Beyond that, it was just us and our little Corsa bumping over gravel roads into Chile.

Unequivocally, Torres del Paine earns the BEST of the BEST in this traveler's book.

Our journey there, dictated by time and cost, kept us from trekking into the back country of Torres. Regretfully, we left without seeing what has to be even more amazing than the vistas presented to us on Lago Grey and the unimproved roads of the Park. The Valleys and the well-known treks, including the famous "W", offer views that I can only imagine but hope someday to see.

So in answer to "what was it like," I have to say "spectacular, gorgeous, lovely, cold, windy, stunning, majestic, amazing and wonderful for starters, but then the Malbec, the beef, the Tango, the waterfalls, the rain forest, Sugar Loaf, the beaches, were all fine too." But Torrres del Paine is the gem of them all.