Two half-hour shows featuring:

Buenos Aires, Argentina: The style and verve of one of South America’s most beautiful capitals is the focus of this episode that highlights Argentina’s national dance, the tango, as well as the energy that its diverse population brings to the urban landscape. The HD lens brings to the fore the graceful and classic architecture of Buenos Aires, exemplified by the San Telmo neighborhood whose Sunday market is traditionally closed at sunset by an impromptu street band that marches through the streets, collecting dancers and revelers with its insistent drumbeats. At local tango parlors called milongas, Buenos Aires residents, known as portenos, lend an air of authenticity to the dance that grew up in the working class neighborhoods of the city. We wander the famous Recoleta cemetery in downtown Buenos Aires, where incredible monuments to the departed, including Eva Peron, feature winged angels and other fantastically decorated crypts. Meet a 70-year-old ice cream maker from Sicily who never misses a day’s work. And explore the underground art scene that’s finding a home in BA.

Mendoza, Argentina: The heart of Argentine wine country is nestled in a valley beneath the snow-capped Andes whose iconic summit, Aconcagua, is the highest in the Western hemisphere. Glacial runoff from the mountain range feeds the miles of vineyards that, along with fruit and vegetable farms, blanket the lowlands. Rudy drives into the thin air of the Andes, visiting the graveyard of those who died trying to summit Aconcagua. His choice for high-altitude adventure: getting soaked while whitewater rafting. Back at sea level, he meets winemakers whose well-priced and elegant Malbecs are shaking up the world’s wine market. A lunch of grilled meats prepared by gauchos in the middle of a vineyard is a reminder that the cowboy life is very much alive in this stunning region.