Home Sweet Home

We arrived home safely this morning about 11 and it surely does feel good! The Delta flight from Rio to Atlanta was a good one and we had bulkhead seats so we had plenty of legroom. But any way you do it, traveling is tiring! It was a wonderful trip and we saw so many beautiful places and loved sharing it with such delightful new friends. Thanks for sharing it with us in this blog!

UPDATE

Well that tunnel that had the mudslide is the biggest and longest tunnel in Rio and it is still blocked. So to get to almost anywhere, you have to go that way so traffic is going to be snarled horribly again tomorrow. We have to go an alternate way to the airport which may take us hours in the traffic like it did today. We never made it as far as the airport today in our 4 hour journey to nowhere. So we are leaving the hotel at 4 PM for our 10:55 PM flight! But since we have to check out of our hotel at 1 PM (there is a convention coming in so no late checkout), we might as well wait at the airport as at the hotel. Hopefully, it won't rain as hard tomorrow and we can do something in the morning but we are not counting on it. Most of us are making the Atlanta flight so at least we are all together and having fun!

Rain, rain and more rain!!

Wow, yesterday was a drizzly day but today, the monsoons hit. It gave us all quite an adventure and apparently really sent the traffic in Rio into a spin. First of all, there was a mudslide in one of the main tunnels in the city and our guide was about 45 minutes later arriving here. But we all innocently piled into the bus for our trip to Petropolis. 3 hours later, we had not gotten out of Rio yet!!! We watched as the cars were up to their bumpers in water and as traffic slowed to a crawl. We listened to the guide tell us about Petropolis for the first hour and then as things got progressively worse, we told jokes and talked and entertained ourselves with Noah jokes and such. After much discussion with the tour company that was operating this optional, they cancelled the trip and our bus maneuvered over to the left hand lane and jumped the curb, crossed the median and turned around and headed back to the hotel-first taking a much needed bano stop at a filling station just down the road!! Going back to the hotel was not nearly so crowded and the waters had receeded a good bit so we made it in only about 45 minutes, I think. They dropped us all off at the big mall which is one block from our hotel. We all enjoyed a good lunch of pizza there and did some shopping and then sloshed our way back to the hotel to dry out. It surely was not much of a photo op, but we did actually have a good time and there was not much else we could do today given the weather! Some went to the museums but so much of the beauty of Rio is outside. The waves are pounding and the rain has slowed to a hefty mist. Out farewell dinner tonight is here in the hotel so we are all snug and dry and having a restful afternoon. Most of us fly home on the direct flight to Atlanta on Delta tomorrow so we are not scheduled to leave for the airport til about 6 tomorrow night. This may change if the roads stay bad. We all agreed we would rather wait at the airport if there is any question. It has been fun but we are ready to head home!! I am just glad that Atlanta is our final flight destination and not the west coast like most of our friends!

Rio in the Rain part 2

After we came down from Sugarloaf, we decided to go to lunch to see if the clouds would lift. By this time it wasn't raining any more-just foggy. We had THE best lunch of the trip. It was wonderful. It was a Brazilian Barbecue place and they served us every kind of barbecue imaginable, as much as we could eat! It was just delicious. Then after we were sufficiently stuffed, we headed off to go up to see the Christ The Redeemer statue. To get to this, we had to go up by cogwheel train. It was a fun trip up and even though the fog had not lifted, the clouds were drifting by and every now and then, the statue would suddenly burst through the clouds and we would see it and be awed. I thought it was sort of symbolic -how sometimes we search and search and all at once, His face appears to us. We went back down the cogwheel train and headed to the Amsterdam Sauer company to see their gems museum and of course, the salesroom! They brought us back later in the afternoon and we had some time to walk around Ipanema. Earlier we had stopped and walked the beach at Copacabana.

Rio in the Rain

Today was drizzly, foggy and things were not easy to see, but it had its own certain charms. First we did a city tour of Rio and stopped and went into the cathedral which is very modern and has beautiful windows. Then we headed to Sugarloaf Mountain. To get there, we took two gondolas. The first went to the first mountain where we got off and walked across the top to the second one. We were in the clouds at both levels. Still, it was fun to do it. When we got to the top, I started hunting for the marmosets that I had read were there. Since it was drizzly, they were "hiding" but I spotted one up in a tree on the edge of the path down. I got a cute photos and then went and tried to find others to show it to, but only a couple were nearby. As the mist stopped, they were getting more active and there were about 5-6 at least up in this tree and were really cute to watch.

They are among the smallest in the monkey family.

Another pin in the world map!

We added another country visited today when we went to visit the world's largest dam between Brazil and Paraguay. We rode for several miles in Paraguay which was neat! Then it was back into Brazil and on to the airport for our flight to Rio. We flew on GOL airlines which has a weight limit of 11 pounds for your carryon. The Program directors worked the system well though and dropped us all off at a big tourist shop near the airport. Then they went with all the luggage and weighed it as a group and got it to "pass". He had us put our rolling carryons in that group to be weighed. I actually had mine under the 11 lb but I have to carry the computer in my backpack and he said they would count that for this flight. So anyway, they checked it and didn't weigh any of us and we all passed! So whew! That is the last of the flights we have to worry about tight weigh ins. From here, we fly home on Delta and we can check 2 each and they can each weigh a lot! We did get American Airlines points for all our LAN flight though so that is nice. We have taken 9 flights so far and a lot of the suitcases are showing signs of wear. All in all, it has done well. We ate lunch in the small airport in Iguassu and had plenty of times to wait for our flight. Once we got our bags to the bus in Rio, they took us through the city center and pointed out things on the way to our hotel. The hotel is right on the beach so is really pretty and nice and we have balconies that overlook the beach. Our guide said the forecast calls for rain tomorrow which would make the city tour pretty miserable. We'd really like to see Christ the Redeemer up close and Sugarloaf mountain as well. We saw them on the way into town. Impressive! Last night after I wrote, we went to a dinner show with folk dancing and music from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The food was some of the best we have had and the program was wonderful. It was great fun and we enjoyed it. Now back to today-our seats on the plane were the VERY back row with 3 across-you know the ones-the ones that won't recline. And of course, we got the 3 ladies in front of us who reclined ALL the way back in theirs. It is very claustrophobic! The flight had one stop in the capital city of Parana province. Luckily, those 3 ladies got off and the next ones on were a little more considerate. So we have taken our turn with the bad seats. All in all, we have done really well on the whole trip and I think Max is a tremendous program director as we have had great rooms and plane seats when it is at all possible. Hope he can continue when getting us the seats at home! Several of us are flying together on that Rio -Atlanta Delta flight. There was really nothing to take photos of today except the dam and I have not downloaded them yet, so will wait til tomorrow to add those and hopefully more. Miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon!

Sunday in Brazil

Well I have been drafted by Madge to write today's entry. The day did not start off well as I got up a little after 1 am to read the play by play of the AU-LSU game and stuck with it to the bitter end. Then I slept a few hours and up at 7 for an excellent breakfast here, the best of the trip so far. As we got on the bus, it started raining, got really black with lots of thunder and lightening. We got to the Brazilian side of the falls and waited until the lightening calmed down and then started our hike to view the falls. Unfortunately, the wind and rain had not calmed down. We all looked like saran-wrapped packages in our plastic ponchos. Even in the storm, the falls were beautiful -- really prettier than from the Argentine side. After a few pictures, my camera got damp and would not work (it has since dried out and seems fine) so Madge and I were swapping her small camera and she dropped it onto the concrete path and broke it beyond repair, so we will have to rely on friends for pictures of the most spectacular part of the trip. (Guess what we are getting for Christmas??) Most of the wildlife had enough sense not to be out, but we did see groups of coati mundis a couple of times. Because of the weather, Max canceled the boat ride under the falls and the trip to Bird Land and we headed back to the hotel for lunch. Of course by the time lunch was over, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through. Madge and I walked around the grounds enjoying the beautiful tropical landscaping and the unusual birds. After a while, we decided the day was too nice to waste, so we got a cab back to Bird Land. It started off being a bit dinky, but got better and better. Some of the birds were caged, but there were several large aviary areas where the birds flew free as you walked through. The birds (and butterflies) were beautiful. Madge's favorite was the Mariposa (butterfly) house which also had lots of varieties of hummingbirds flying around enjoying the flowers. We saw several wild orchids too. Tonight we go to a folkloric dinner to enjoy folk dancing and folk music from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay since Iguassu is where the three countries meet. We also have to pack for the flight to Rio tomorrow. We are flying on GOL (a Brazilian airline) and they are supposed to be real sticklers about weights, so M. is more paranoid than usual, but I figure we will get there somehow even if we have to dump stuff from the suitcases out on the terminal floor.

no photos tonight

Blogger is not working for photo tonight so will try to put some on tomorrow. Hope all of you are well.

On to Brazil!

This morning we left our hotel for the airport and flew from Buenos Aires to Iguasu Falls, Argentina. It was about a 2 hour flight. Max has organized a great system for checking in and so far none of us have had to pay or had a problem.

When we got to Iguasu, the bus met us and drove us straight to the park where the waterfalls are. We got off and rode the little park train to the station where we got off to go to Devil's Point which is just incredible. So much money comes together at that part until it is misty and just gorgeous. We had a bright sunny day and it is very humid here so we all really felt the heat. But it was worth it. From that point, we took the train to the next area and went to the upper viewpoints and those views were also gorgeous. It is hard to describe the waterfalls they are so huge and so powerful.

Along the way, I saw a tucan up in a tree, we saw a family of Coati mundis foraging for food, Lots of species of birds and a bunch of guinne pigs that are wild. We saw a lizard and several other things that were unusual for us.

We had to enter Brazil after this and at one point we took our passports and presented ourselves to the agent who was checking us in. Then we boarded the bus and drove to our hotel nearby. We have a busy day tomorrow and it should be equally as beautiful as today was. Will post a photo or two then head to bed.

photos from the Delta

Argentine Parana River Delta

Today we had a very interesting excursion down the Parana river to see the life of the people who live along this delta. Everything has to be done by boat. There is no access any other way. We boarded our boat and had a wonderful ride down the river. It was very interesting as there were great mansions and great poverty. It was very pretty and there is a school that was started for the "forgotten children" who could not get to school any other way. We stopped an visited for about an hour with them since GCT supports them with their humanitarian funds. The children were so precious and each one took one of us and showed us around the school. Jim got a little boy Gustov and I got a little girl named Gracia. Both were very shy but so so sweet. Already you can see new equipment like playground equipment and new desks and supplies that have come in the last two years since GCT started helping. We saw the grocery boat that goes by every few days selling the groceries and propane the people may need. They have a garbage boat and put their garbage bags out on the docks. It was a beautiful sunny day and the flowers are blooming here as it is spring-azaleas and the trees etc. It is a wonderful time of year to visit this area.

We got back to our hotel and fought the mob at a pizza place we had gone to that would fix me something without the garlic and onion and even in the rush hour crowd, the guy remembered and served me up a calzone that worked just fine. We walked to the obelisk which is close to our hotel and came back to rest and pack for our next flight tomorrow. Tonight we go to a restaurant for our farewell dinner as 12 of our group are flying home tomorrow and the rest of us are heading on to Iguasu Falls in both Argentina and Brazil.

Another update on Jim's watch saga....you remember he broke his in the fall at Machu Picchu, then bought another one and the band broke on that one. So we bought another one and yesterday in Uraguay, when the mosquitoes attacked us, we sprayed with Deet and apparently, plastic doesn't like Deet and so it frosted the face of the watch...he can still read it but after we use it in Iguasu, we may be buying him yet another watch! Stay tuned....

More Uruguay

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that Uruguay had ferocious mosquitoes! we walked down to the water at the end of one of the sycamore lined streets and suddenly realized we were being attacked! We pulled out the Deet and whew, it worked wonders. But when we got on the walking tour, everyone else was slapping and swatting all over the place so we shared our "perfume" with everyone else and think we made friends fast!

Photo of the day

Jim snapped this as he said that was the way I looked all day-watching the parakeets and other birds flying in and out of the trees!

This was in the town square of Colonia, Uruguay.

And the one of Jim shows the sycamore lined streets.

Our journey to Uruguay!

Well, we made it to Uruguay and back and I even learned to spell it, I think. We had no problems at all and the day could not have been more perfect. The weather was warm and sunny but not hot. We took a cab to the ferry port and that in itself was a "discovery event". It was as bad as China but in a different way. We closed our eyes when we got to the point where we were creating the 3rd lane in 2 lanes of traffic and we were sandwiched between a bus on one side and a truck on the other. And then the cab decided to see if he could make the bus "blink" and let him in...it didn't work but somehow we survived it all and got to the dock! We checked in with our ticket and then we went through security and immigration which was really easy-they had an Argentina person and an Uruguay person and one stamped you out and one stamped you in-same thing on the other end when we returned. Then we went on up to the waiting lounge for the hydrofoil. It was large and nice and we got Cokes and sat and waited. When they said something, we got up and got in line. They even said it in English and we STILL could not understand! lol We found seats and since there was no deck or really anything to see, we just relaxed for the 45 min to an hour ride. This was across the Plata,the widest river in the world. When we arrived, we had no idea where to go but luckily, there was a desk and the first person we asked was the English guide! She told us to find bus 45 and which way to look and we had no problems. Others were not quite so lucky but we had about 12 on our tour. She took us to a restaurant for lunch which was included.....well, the drinks were not included and the dessert was not included and let's just say I was really glad I had brought those peanut butter crackers in my waist pack! But it was a nice place and we had about an hour and half to explore and shop as well as to eat. We ended up sitting on a bench and looking at the birds. Colonia is a pretty town with streets lined with sycamore trees just leafing out and they were so pretty and the birds are all building nests. It really is a lovely small town and was so quiet and peaceful compared to Buenos Aires...can you tell we enjoy the countrysides more than the cities? We got back on the bus and the guide drove us around town, which really doesn't take long as it truly is small but that just meant she had several photo stops that also had banos and souvenir shops and pretty views so it suited us just fine. Then we walked through the old town where Uruguay was first settled. We saw parakeets flying everywhere and it was so neat -I tried so hard to capture them flying into the palm trees with the twigs in their mouths for building the nests. I saw it at least 5-6 times but could never capture it! Oh well. There was a very pretty and simple old church that we went in and it was just a pleasant walk around a lovely town. We then were taken back to the hydrofoil station where we repeated the process to go back to Argentina.

After traveling for 17 days now and having been through 7 flights where they very carefully weigh your luggage, we don't know where anything is! We have moved things around depending on the weight and space and it is like an adventure every morning to try to find things. For the last two days, my combs have been in the lost but not found space! Luckily, the hotel has a small one in its goodie basket in the bathroom so at least I haven't had to go without combing. I have two combs with me so you would think I could keep up with one of them! This certainly has been one of the most challenging trips in a number of ways-packing, repacking, what to wear when, really cold, really hot... but it has also been a great adventure.
Today we are going off on our own from the group-we have booked a day trip from the hotel that will take us over to Uruguay. We go by catamaran for 45 minutes each way and then spend the day in Colonia. We can put another pin on our map on the wall and it just sounded interesting to us to do. We just hope that someone on the trip speaks English!

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

This was in Boca. It is very colorful and lots of artists,etc.
We rode the old wooden metro here.

Buenos Aires

Well, another big city! It is a pretty city but I much prefer the countryside. We are very conveniently located and can walk the couple of blocks to the pedestrian plaza and there are lots of nice restaurants and shops. Things are cheap here, compared to the states. I haven't had to use my cheat sheets much on this trip. The exchange has been easy enough to do in our heads. The Argentine price is roughly 3 times what it is in $$. So we just divide by 3. We took a city tour today and we saw a couple of pretty parrot type birds flying in the park. They were green but couldn't see them stationary to identify them. We had a nice lunch on our tour and then we went to the leather factory where they custom make leather jackets. I am excited that I got one. They are making it for me and will deliver it to me on Friday evening! During the tour, we visited the Boca and heard a lot about Argentine "football" or soccer as we know it. We toured the main plaza in front of the "Pink House" -- the Argentine White House where the Perons made their appearances on the balcony (as in "Don't Cry for me Argentina") and on to the La Recoleta cemetary where Evita is buried. It is unbelievable. Throughout the 19th century, all wealthy Argentine families tried to outdo each other with the elaborateness of their family masoleums (sp?). These are up to six stories (2 down and 4 up) and Evita is buried in the Duarte crypt. Juan Peron did not make it in and is in another less prestegious cemetary.
Tonight while most of the group went to a Tango dinner (very expensive) we went shopping and got a great pizza.

This photo of Jim was taken up on top of the mountain where we went up on the chairlift. It was snowing/sleeting, raining and the wind was vicious! And it was fun! The kingfisher photo was made through the bus window across the aisle even! I could not believe I could catch it! We saw some parrots today-or the parrot family. They were green and were flying.

More on Crossing the Andes

Sorry this is out of order, but Madge wanted more on here about our crossing the Andes last Sunday (Oct.14), so will try. When we started out, there were low clouds, so we could only see the bases of the two volcanoes across Lake Llanquihue (pronounced Yankee Way -- we told them we would prefer Dixie Way, but no one would listen). We could see both of them to just above the snow line and then they vanished into the clouds. They were still pretty tho'. We stopped to stretch our legs and take a short hike up to a cascade of clear water across black lava flows. Then back on the bus to Petrohue where we boarded a catamaran to sail across Lake Todos Los Santos (Lake of All Saints since it was named on Nov.11) Then when we got off at Peulla for lunch, the sun came out and from there on we had a beautiful day (and this in an area that gets rain on over 300 days a year). Just past here, we got off the bus and went through immigration to exit Chile. For the next part of the trip, we would be in a no man's land since we were officially out of Chile but not officially in Argentina -- think the Chilean guards were just smart enough to have their site nearer to civilization. Then back on the bus and off we went up a dirt road between huge evergreen trees. After a while, we were up to the snowline and and wonderful views of the snow covered peaks all around us. When we reached the ridge line that marked the continental divide, we all got off the bus to officially enter Argentina. We could not resist throwing a few snowballs, but then it was back on the bus and down the other side of the Andes to Puerto Frias and another cruise across Lake Frias. Back on the bus to ride on a crushed lava road to another boat on lake Nahuel Huapi (Naw Well Wop E) where a boxed dinner awaited us. This boat ride was a couple of hours long, so we had plenty of time to eat our sandwiches and apples and enjoy the wonderful views of mountains and waterfalls. Then back on the bus again to ride along Lake Nahuel Huapi to Bariloche. By this time it was nearly dark and we were glad to get to our hotel where we had a wonderful view across the lade to the snow covered Andes. We were really lucky to have had such beautiful weather for the crossing as we would find out on Mon. afternoon when the wind (the so-called King of Patagonia) blew in cold weather, clouds, rain and even a few flakes of snow. Think Madge has covered all that though. She has taken advantage of my typing this to take a nap -- figured that was her main motivation for getting me to do this. It is now Wednesday and we have just finished the Buenos Aires tour and are waiting to go to dinner (hopefully not as much as we ate last night when we got a "mini-steak" that must have weighed at least a half pound or more). We have made arrangements on our own to take the ferry across the Rio Plata to Colonia, Uruguay tomorrow. The rest of the group is going out into the Pampas to a Polo Ranch, but we wanted to do this, so hope it turns out well.

THis was the view from our room in Bariloche. Patagonia was just beautiful and we were so lucky to have the beautiful sun on the day we went from Chile to Argentina.

On to Buenos Aires

We had the morning free to shop in Bariloche but things didn't open til 10 and it was cold and windy....so most of us stayed in the lobby and just visited. We left at noon to catch our plane to Buenos Aires and it was a good flight. I slept all the way-I am really tired tonight and just dragging so think I must need to just slow down a bit. The rooms in this hotel are small but they are right in the main part of Buenos Aires so it is very convenient. A group of us went tonight to a steak place that Max recommneded and it was so good. Argentina is known for its good beef. TOmorrow we have a city tour and hopefully we will have some time to wash out some clothes and get reorganized. Our bags are staying right on the money as far as what we are allowed-on the big suitcases and they have not weighed the small suitcases again, thank goodness. Buenos Aires is pretty city but I just prefer the countryside and the slower pace of the small towns. We've had a good time talking to a lot of people about some trips we are interested in that they have taken.

Maybe things will get better with the blog tomorrow and they will get the photo part fixed. It is frustrating.

photos I hope

Nope, Blogger is having problems and they say they are aware of it and working on a fix. So will try to post photos tomorrow. We miss you all but are having a wonderful time.

Chile to Argentina and Bariloche!

OK the hotel internet has been down and I am now in some upstairs office because I looked pitiful and was not a happy camper about not getting on for two days. ha. We have had a WONDERFUL two days. Patagonia and this entire area are beautiful and we had the most wonderful weather. They say it rains almost 300 days a year and we had blue skies and a gorgeous day yesterday to go from Chile to Argentina. We took a series of catamarans , buses, etc to get through the different areas to reach Bariloche. It was interesting to go through the exit of Chile and go through a little building out on a dirt road and one by one present our passport and white paper. Then we drove about 40 min on a bus on the dirt road-beautiful and snowy and awesome experience-then we got to Argentina customs so we went one by one in the order they called us to present passport and get the next white paper we have to keep up with til we exit. It was all so much fun and we had lots of laughs and for the most part we all followed Max's instructions pretty well. It really is a beautiful area. I had to carry my backpack with the computer and it got pretty heavy but it has been worth it. I am just sorry I am having trouble getting on and sending photos right now as we have some beautiful scenery. Yesterday was warm and we'd been told to wear everything we had. Today we thought we could slack off. Well today, it was cold and we learned about the wind here-it can almost knock you off your feet! We took a chairlift up to the top of one of the mountains and view was spectacular even in the snow and rain and sleet and whatever. It was COLD. I can't believe that the chairlifts don't even bother me any more! This was the dangly feet kind too! We had hot chocolate that was the best I have ever had. It was great fun. We went to a patagonian sheep ranch and had a barbecue that was delicious and we rode and saw the steps, I think it is called where the cold wind just stops. It is like Arizona almost there. We saw a kingfisher bird and I got a great photo right through the bus window. I wish I could have posted from the room last night when it was all fresh and I could remember and all. Our view is over the lake with snow capped mountains and it is lovely. Bariloche is famous for its chocolate and tonight Jim and I went to have fondue and when we found out that the cheese had garlic in it, we just had a chocolate fondue for dinner. Heathy, no, but good? YES. I am going to post this before it gets lost. Jim's leg is hurting pretty badly now. guess the shot wore off. The rib still hurts but not compared to the leg so he is doing ok but I worry about him.

volcano sightings, bus rides and streudel

Today was a fun day. It started out rainy and no way we could see the volcano right across the lake from our hotel. I was beginning to think it was like Mt Fuji all over! We went to a market today and to a museum for the German settlers in this area which was very interesting. Then we went to a restaurant where they prepared a seafood soup for everyone to try-well, since seafood is Jim's least favorite and the ingredients were garlic, onion, and scallops, let's just say this was all wasted on us! But it was a nice try anyway. We came back to the hotel and went and got a cheese sandwich and took the bus to a little town about 45 min away that was settled by Germans. I am having to write this in the lounge of the hotel since the wi fi won't work in our room-we are way on the end. I don't have the names of the towns or spellings so just suffice it to say it was a neat town that started with an F. Anyway, at the bus stop there were 4 others wanting to go too so we went and it was not an express bus-it was the slow boat to china and no seats and people had boxes of things from the market and all. It was definitely a discovery event! We finally got there and enjoyed the walk around the lake shore but the volcano was still covered in clouds. We went to one of the little places and got some german pastries and cocoa and enjoyed the view anyway. We looked out about 15 min later and there were 3 more from our group. At everyone's joking, I got up and turned the open sign to closed. They enjoyed the laugh with us and joined us for a dessert. Then we went and waited a long time for the bus. It got colder and colder. It finally came and was pretty empty except for us. About 1/3 of the way home, I looked out the window and realized we could see the cone of the volcano! It had broken through the clouds and was so pretty. we could not get photos but it was still an awesome sight. Then we got back just in time for the group meeting to talk about the lake crossings tomorrow. During the talk, the volcano top again came in to view so everyone got a chance to see it which was nice. Tonight we go on daylight savings time. So we have to change our watches. Jim's rolex he got in Cuzco is still working, but the band broke....lol. I will put photos on tomorrow night. We had a really fun day but I have to go pack so we can leave early tomorrow. We have at least a 13 hour trip tomorrow. On to Argentina!

Misty again

photos

well, it won't let me put any more photos on tonight so will try in the morning. I'm falling asleep at the computer!

This is our Program Director Max and another PD who is helping him this time. I suspect it is part of her training program. She is from Puerto Vara so she knows this are well. Her name is Marcellas.

more

There really have not been many funny stories the last couple of days. It has all be nice but quiet and we've enjoyed it all but not as much to blog about. We walked around the little town of Puerto Varas where we are staying today and then we took our laundry to the lavendaria. She will deliver it at no charge to the hotel tomorrow. We figured with Dad's fall and the jeans were really filthy after that, we needed to do some in a washer instead of the sink!

Puerto Varas

Well I wrote this once and lost it so will try to do it in short segments and hopefully get it on the blog. We flew from Santiago to Porte Monte today and it was a beautiful flight-over snow capped mountain ranges. We got some really pretty photos. And we fared well too checking in at the airport. Max's system works pretty well and they didn't even ask about carryon luggage at all. whew! Our big bags were 2 lb under so we were fine with those.
Our room at this hotel overlooks Lake Llanquihue and if the clouds will clear up some, we are supposed to be able to have a beautiful view of the volcano across the lake. Today was misty and cold as we left the plane. We went to a ranch where the man is a champion rodeo rider and he demonstated some of the techniques that you have to do for the judges-very different from US rodeo riders. Then we had lunch with him and that was very good.

more

more

The rickety furnicular and the One Eyed Cat restaurant where we had lunch

3rd try at more photos

Valparasio

Today we had an all day tour to the coast of Chile to Valparasio. It is a city of contrasts, old and new. They use a lot of colors in their buildings. We rode up to the top of one of the hills on probably the oldest furnicular that I have ever been on. It was wooden and did not feel very secure, but we all made it! We rode a street car with the cables and did a walking tour through a lot of pretty narrow streets and alleys. The flowers are blooming-wisteria, poppies, roses, you name it. It was really pleasant and very different. We ate at a restaurant called the One Eyed Cat. It was on the top of the hillside overlooking the harbor and had quite a view. The countryside getting to Valparasio was full of vineyards and poppies and was very different than here in Santiago. The meal was sea bass and they broiled me some plain and it was quite good. We did a lot of walking, lots of steps and Jim did well with his ribs,thanks to the pain medicine but the legs got a real workout. We had two dogs that adopted us on the top of the hill and they went with us all the way down! It was funny. They chased cars and kept up with us all the way. There were dogs everywhere.

10/10 addendum from Jim

Well, thought I'd add my 10 pesos (i.e., 2 cents) worth -- gee we feel rich with these 10,000 peso bills that are worth $20. Anyway, Santiago is one of the prettiest cities we have visited -- lots of parks, tree lined streets, fountains -- very European feeling -- and a background of the snow-capped Andes. Did the city tour this morning (including a painful stop at a lapus lazuli place -- lapus is only found in Chile and Afghanistan, so of course M. had to shop for jewelry here and guess that is better than a trip to Afghanistan. right now). Then we went down town and toured on foot. Went to the presidential palace. The Chileans decided pres. makes enough to pay own rent, so it is only an office now, but all can just walk thru. We even peeked into the outer office of the president but did not see her. She commutes like everyone else. Heard lots about Alliende and the coup (buildings around still have a few shell marks) on 9/11/8? when the military and Gen.Pinochet backed by the US threw out the elected govt. Then we strolled down to the main city square and enjoyed the beautiful spring day watching the pigeons and the kids at play. Then took the metro (subway) back to hotel and taxi to the Catholic University of Santiago Clinic for some embarassing photos. Tonight we had a quiet evening -- found a newly opened cafe near the hotel and had the most wonderful 4-cheese pizza we've had since Roma and maybe even better. The owner had just come from NYC, so we enjoyed talking with him and promised to reccommend the place to our tour director. Tomorrow we get out of Santaigo to go over to the coast to Vina del Mar and Valpariso so that should be fun. Then it is on further south the next day.

Photos from today

Never a dull moment

When Jim woke up this morning he was aware that the pain in his ribs was getting worse so we decided it was time to have it checked out-this from the fall last Friday in Cuzco. We went on the tour of Santiago that lasted until about 2 and then the program director Max and one of the trainees that has been with us, went for a quick (and very good) sandwich and Coke-yes they are good here in Chile! Then he took us to a clinic near here. It was quite an experience! At one point I sat next to a little boy about 9 and his mom and I could tell his mom was urging him to ask in English where I was from. So I turned and smiled at him and encouraged him and he asked-and I told him. Then I asked the one good question I know from the Ecuador trip-what is your name....and he said his name was Andre. I told him he spoke English well and he shyly smiled. His mother beamed. About that time they were called back. It was quite a process-a triage and then wait for your number and almost as soon as we were called and paid for the visit $50 which our insurance from the trip will pay for, they called us back. He was seen by a lady intern who spoke English well but as she said, not for diagnosing. Our tour director Max was with us all the way and translated and talked to both doctors. Can we say he will get a great tip? Anyway, the final verdict is that Jim either cracked a rib or else has a really big hematoma between the muscle and the ribs and the treatment is the same for both-take pain pills. I get to lift all the luggage....joy. If he runs fever or gets shortness of breath, he has to go back for xrays and all-to be sure it has not punctured a lung. He has to deep breath all the time so he can keep from getting an infection. At least it put our mind at ease that he is safe to travel and we are going to go get the pain pills filled in a few minutes just so we have them. Think he needs them for a day or two.

Most of the group has gone on a wine tasting tour tonight for dinner, but since we don't drink, we opted out and they were leaving as soon as we got back-like in 5 min. so I think it was a wise decision. Our friend Jan got our stuff off the bus after the city tour as Max had told everyone to leave ALL valuables, purses,etc on the bus. Not everyone listened obviously as one gal either dropped her wallet or was pickpocketed-Max thinks she dropped it and of course it was not there when she went back. While we were waiting in the clinic, he got a call that two other ladies were "mugged" of their purses -dont' know the details but these ladies had big purses and were not being careful. It surely made a point to us not to take ANYTHING with us that mattered! But when we got to the clinic, we didn't have passport copies or anything since we left them on the bus, didn't have my credit card as it was on the bus-and Jim's kept giving the lady a hard time going through. Never fails. It did finally work so all is well.
Santiago is a beautiful city but very crowded and I will be rather glad to move out into the countryside for the above reasons. But it is modern and old mixed and really pretty and ringed by beautiful snow capped mountains. It is lovely spring weather and just a delightful time to travel here. The people here are much more mixed-more like what we see in the states, as compared to either Peru or Ecuador. There is so much to see and learn!
We are getting ready to go get Jim's rx filled , eat some dinner and walk to the park-carrying nothing of value!
Happy Birthday Delaney!!

Santiago

Tonight we had our first group meeting and introduced ourselves and then we went on the bus to a really nice restaurant up on the mountain with a gorgeous view of the city. The lights were beautiful and the food was nice and the company fun. We saw the snow capped Andes and so far Santiago seems like a very pretty city. It has been a very long day as we finish the laundry and get caught up. We are not taking the optional tour to the winery tomorrow afternoon so that gives us time to rest more and wash and we really need that right now!

Miss Delaney-HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I am surely sorry we are not there to give you a great big hug and tell you how much we love you. I hear your party was quite the success!! Have a great day tomorrow and we are thinking of you!
love
Nana and Grandaddy

Santiago Chile

Well we waked up at 3AM in order to catch a 7AM flight to Santiago. We did fine-juggled in line for our rightful spots against a tour of Japanese tourists who were determined to get ahead of us. Then we paid our $30 to leave Peru tax and our $100 each entrance to CHile tax...and here we are. We managed to find our way through the maze of passports and immigrations and such and Max was waiting for us as we emerged. He seems very cheerful and fun. On the way to the hotel, Madge got car sick from riding in the back so we got the only room that was ready-a first floor suite. I'm writing this on a conference table for 10 that is in our suite. You see some strange configerations down here! It is very nice and convenient. We have done laundry this afternoon since we will be here for 3 nights. It is time to catch up! Not much time for things to dry when you move every day!
TOnight we are going out to dinner together and up on the mountain to view the city at night. We will have more to share soon.

Monday

Ok, flying is a chore no matter how you do it. Today they weighed Jim's and my carryons and we were the only ones picked. we were under on the suitcases but the carryons were over so they made us ship one through. So we basically never know what they are going to do. we saw all sorts of people with much bigger and heavier stuff than we had....oh well. I have the computer in my backpack and it is true, that the backpack has filled out with each trip....but they want us to help the economy and you have to put it somewhere! Tomorrow is an international flight so hopefully, they will be a little more lenient but we have a LOT of flights and 2 1/2 more weeks of travel....sigh.

But we have just crashed since we got to the hotel and I am repacking and we took naps and it has felt good to not have big meals or anything we had to do. We have to wake up at 3AM to catch the plane so it will be an early night for us. Almost everyone on this pre-trip is also going on the post trip so we are happy about that as well. It is a very congenial group. We are all glad to be back down to normal altitude and think most of us are feeling like any breathing problems are over. You surely do feel the high altitude.

We have taken no photos today as it was just a travel day and nothing really new.

This blog is for Dalton, Emily and Delaney

Dalton, I looked and looked for Spectacle Bear when I was at machu picchu, but our guide said he was very shy and people didn't see him often. BUT I did talk to the Llamas and ask if they knew where Linda the Llama was and they pointed us in her direction and she said to tell you three that she was proud of you and would love to meet you! We met Chinchilla's little cousin and our guide said he is really hard to see too so we were very excited about that. He kept hopping around in and out of the stones and holes and looking at us. He was very curious. I already put his photo on the blog so you can scroll down and see him. We are keeping our eyes out for your other friends as well.

Today we flew from Cuzco back to Lima and we will be flying on to the country of Chile tomorrow. It has been a busy busy week but a fun one. I hear your birthday party was a lot of fun, Delaney! Wow, that was a lot of friends to have and I know you had so much fun! Emily, did you get to join in the fun too? How are your soccer games going? I miss being there to see you play. Do you know how much we love you and miss you? We look forward to hearing all about what you have done when we get back. love,Nana

The guinea pigs are what the people keep around the house and they eat them. The flowers are beautiful. Shopping in Agua Calientes is the other photo. I just thought I'd throw these in this morning before we leave and have wireless in the room.

a few more