Don’t Cry For Me Argentina

Before we get to today’s activities, I need to address numerous requests that have occurred as a result of a previous blog post. Many of you loyal readers were entranced by the report of our foray into the world of international dance, namely our participation in the tango class. You confidently requested video evidence of this activity.  I had the camera out and was video taping our friends Bert and Betsy when it was my turn to dance with the instructor. I handed the camera to the Lady who has never met a technology she could not overly complicate as I folded the instructor into my arms and proceeded to dance the tango such as you have never witnessed in your lifetime.

When I returned to my seat with the flush of success on my cheeks and checked the resulting footage, not a frame was to be found of my dazzling performance, not one. So, I am so sorry to disappoint you, loyal readers, but while it may take two to tango, it takes a licensed videographer to correctly record such activity.

Now, about today. We set out around 9 am for a tour of this beautiful city. It was a perfect Fall day in Buenos Aires and traffic was very cooperative. Our first stop was the Pink House, the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina although not the official residence. Of most interest was the balcony on which Eva Peron gave her famous farewell speech seen in the photo above.

Nearby we visited the Plaza de Mayo, a park where hundreds of mothers marched in silent protest of the thousands of family members who were “disappeared” by the military dictatorship 1976 to 1983. Their protests brought worldwide attention to the issue and today they are a well know human rights organization. The park today is ringed with symbolic scarves, seen in the photo above, to represent their protest.

Also close by was the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral known for its famous priest who just happens now to be the Pope. It is a beautiful church with some unique features, not the least of which is a chapel that honors members of the Jewish community slain by bomb blasts at the Buenos Aires Israeli Embassy in 1992 as well as holocaust victims.  It is a somber and reverent testament to the ability of religions to live peaceably together.

We moved on to Puerto Madero an area by the river where a beautiful pedestrian bridge, called the Women’s Bridge (Puente de la Mujer) is located. It was designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.

In Boca, a former warehouse district, we were able to begin shopping. This area contains many restaurants as well as iconic multicolored buildings.

We are about to head out for a late night. Dinner at 8pm, Tango Show at 10:30pm. Not back home until after midnight, Mom. I catch you up later, ok?

From Switzerland to Paris

Today this traveling road show moved from the Switzerland of South America, Patagonia, to the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires. Our charmed life with the weather degraded a bit but it continues to be quite acceptable. Until now, it has been sunny and in the low 70’s but today was in the mid 50’s, cloudy and drizzly. However, we expect to shake hands with high temperatures and home-like humidity when we reach Paris.

Our departure from Llao Llao was civilized: baggage-pull from the rooms at 9 am and on the bus at 10. A little more like vacation and a little less like camp.

The morning had a little bit of a “what are we going to do with these people until our flight at 3 pm” about it. I’m sure that’s the bane of existence of tour directors. Especially since yesterday’s weather was perfect for being outside but today’s was threatening.

On the way out of Bariloche we drove to a pure tourist destination, a place called Campanario. The premise is a chair lift rising about 900 ft to the top of a peak known for its views of the surrounding mountains. A perfect outing for a sunny day, a less than perfect outing with forecasts calling for 60 to 80 percent chance of rain.

 

The Lady who asks about the weather hourly is not known for enduring precipitation of any kind. It messes with the hair, you know. Granted that’s why she always looks like she stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine but it can wreak havoc on travel plans. Armed with her jacket with hood and two umbrellas we headed for the lift. For extra protection, our tour director was standing by offering rain slickers. We took those also.

The lift took about 15 minutes to reach to top and even under the cloudy drizzle, the views were spectacular. It was chilly and windy so we did not hesitate when word came around that it was time to start back down.

So, what else can you do to kill time? Eat, of course. It was close to the requisite four hours since our last meal so we drove about 10 minutes to the El Patacon restaurant whose sign outside boasted that they had been in business for 20 years. It was a nice place with excellent food. I tried the venison ravioli. It had subtle flavor and was not gamey at all.

A techie note: I saw a technology on our table that I had never see before. It was a free standing hockey puck sized object with three buttons on it. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I asked our waitress its purpose. Turns out, it is used by customers to summon the wait staff using wifi signal or some other kind of radio signal. Very clever.

Having successfully killed the morning and early afternoon, we arrived at the Bariloche airport with just enough time to check in, move through security and enjoy a brief wait. The flight to Buenos Aires took just under two hours and we were in a familiar Boeing 737.

We will camp out now at the Alvear Palace Hotel for the next three nights and premium camping it is. Built in the 1920’s, it is as glorious as you would expect from buildings of that era. Nice digs. You know you are at a top-notch hotel when you find not one but two luggage racks in the closet. No need for a polo pony here but a Rolls Royce might be helpful.

Reality intruded a bit as our tour director told us that we would be very safe here but we should remove all, and I mean all, bling – watches, necklaces, bracelets, rings, ear rings, nose rings, belly button rings, etc. Apparently, jewelry of any kind makes you an easy to spot mark. Duly and soberly noted.

We have a city tour tomorrow so check this space for more about this Paris of South America.

A Stationary Day

We are here at the Lalo Lalo Resort for two nights. That is significant in that if you stay two nights in the same place, you tend to have a bit of a down day in between. Being at this fabulous resort in the heart of what is call the Switzerland of South America, we were offered enticing opportunities for hikes, yoga, palates, archery, boating, fishing & golf. After careful and mindful consideration of all the alternatives I chose to sleep late and just be a lazy slug all day.

As I awoke, I asked the Lady who usually prepares my food to just set the breakfast tray beside me on the bed, whereupon she told me what I could do with the non-existent breakfast tray. I could see that this day was going to unfold without much support from my significant other.

Breakfast, it turns out, was available about 500 feet away from the comfortable bed, which I was forced to leave. The breakfast was quite good although what passes for fried bacon on this continent is quite dodgy.

After breakfast we wandered the halls of this magnificent hotel for a while. We took time to visit and photograph two bronze statues of magnificent dogs that a friend in Atlanta told us we had to see.

Continuing on our wander, we found ourselves in the chinchilla shop. The Lady who can make any garment look good opted to pass on the chinchilla, which was all right by me. I imagined some trouble at customs in Atlanta on return and did not wish to see any customs agents manhandled by an angry Lady. This would not be a pretty picture.

As we continued to look around, I got the distinct impression that I would fit in here better if I had brought my polo pony but then the Lady that takes care of the animals on our estate reminded me I that I don’t have a polo pony. So much for fitting in.

The grounds around the resort have a number of walking trails. We selected one and got directions. In spite of my considerable certified Boy Scout skills, we got lost and wandered into the archery range and then on to the golf course. We managed to dodge any significant injuries and returned to the room intact.

After a rest period, we advanced to our afternoon activity, a Tango Lesson. A lovely local couple who have considerable dance skills but who obviously aren’t very smart instructed us. Not smart because they subjected themselves to dancing one by one with each of us from the tour. They then separated us by gender and proceeded to teach us a basic Tango step. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, stop, 6, 7, 8 and again . . .

We were then required to move into nerve-rackingly close contact with a partner to see if we could accomplish those coordinated steps without injury. My problem was that the Lady, who really wants to lead, was so concerned that I would step on her feet that she constantly looked at our feet and forgot to pay attention to her steps. We did eventually manage to make it through the eight steps while remaining upright. I am going to have to deal with the fact that at the end of the lesson during the wrap up, the male instructor looked directly at the Lady and commented that she was (after having danced with her) intelligent and poised. She will not soon let me forget those words. Learning the tango was fun and must have contributed to the wellness program since I was out of breath at the end of the activity.

The day ended at dinner with our friends Betsy and Bert and two new friends from the tour group. Jim and Suzanne split their retirement time between Jupiter, Fl and the Jersey shore. They are a delightful couple that shared stories from their extensive travels around the world.

There are various things planned for tomorrow through mid-day but they won’t tells us exactly what they are because (I think) they are afraid we will all run away and hide. Around 3pm we head to the airport for a flight to Buenos Aires.  What could possible top this day? Standby and we will see.

Look at the view from our room shown below. Now about that breakfast tray  . . .

You Can't Hardly Get There From Here

To say that today was a travel day is to put it mildly. And if it is true that it’s the journey not the destination that’s then thing, we really did the thing.

Over a period of ten hours using several boats and buses, we crossed the Andes Mountains from Chile to Argentina. It is now much easier to understand how, before the advent of air travel, the people of Chile spoke of themselves as being on an island because of the almost total isolation that the Andes Mountains created. The way we did it today, you really have to want to get there.

We started on a bus in Puerto Varas around 8 am. It ended with a short bus ride from our last port to the hotel at 6 pm.

In between we sailed on four lakes with mountain views almost not to be believed, with waters the color of emeralds. We tore through the rain forest on dirt roads almost to primitive to be called roads. For most of the trip we saw not one inch of asphalt. Think steep winding mountain dirt roads with no guardrails in sight.

We visited remote border crossing stations first in leaving Chile and then entering Argentina. They were complete with border guards who carefully checked our passports and dutifully stamped them.

This trip was so remote that our normally extensive food fare was reduced to a sandwich and apple in a brown paper bag. Now that’s roughing it.

On the positive side, my fear of possible motion sickness was unfounded. The lakes were smooth and while slightly terror inducing, the mountain roads were not barf producing.

All in all, it was a great day. Add our names to the list of intrepid adventurers who made it up and over the Andes Mountains.

We are staying two nights in a beautiful resort called Llao Llao, oddly enough pronounced zhoww, zhoww (like wow wow, but with a z). Its near the Argentine town of Bariloche.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a day of leisure, but if you are a loyal reader, you know that the Lady who sleeps next to me does not like leisure, believing that such lack of activity is a sin against nature. I suspect she will find a forced march to sign us up for or at a minimum a half marathon. My only hope is to lead her down the halls were I have heard that there are a number of interesting gift shops.

Wish me luck.

Of Food, Orcas and Clothing Stores

Today, we traveled 650 miles south of Santiago to the Patagonian port city of Puerto Montt.  We had a lovely and uneventful hour and a half flight along the Andes Mountains arriving just in time for lunch.

The lovely couple is shown above, between meals. This tour can also be called "Eating Your Way Through South America."  Food appears on the itinerary about every 3.5 to 4 hours. And the real problem is that, because it is usually really good food, it is almost impossible to resist. So it’s off the plane, on the bus for a quick ride to a famous local eating establishment, the Kiel Restaurant. An hour or so later we waddle back on to the bus to begin the hunt for the next eating-place.

 
We are spending the night a few miles down the road in Puerto Varas at a lovely chalet themed hotel on the edge of Lake Llanquihue. Out our window we have fantastic views across the lake of two active volcanoes one of which seen in the photo above. Oh, and we were told on our ride today that this area of South America is one of the most active earthquake areas in the world. Tell me again why I thought coming on this trip was a good idea?

Now for today's admission of ignorance. I have always considered myself a good student of geography. I love maps, had good grades in school and can name all the continents. However, from the beginning, in planning for this trip when I heard the word Patagonia, all I could envision were high-end clothing stores. There is simply not a single corner of my mind where a geographic region by that name could reside. But they tell me we are now in Patagonia, and, it is lovely, but I keep having this suspicion that around the next corner will be the Real Mall of Patagonia for which this area is named. But have no fear, I am working through this.

Well, now that's off my chest, lets move on to today's "Interesting Factoid." There is a whole lot of fishiness in this part of Chile. As we motored between feedings, we learned that salmon farming is a huge industry here, exporting frighteningly large amounts of fish to both Japan and North America.  The salmon are grown for a year in salt water, then a year in fresh water and sometimes are shipped to market in large vessels full of half salt, half fresh water. 

Now picture this: the salmon grow in large pens in the bays or lakes. Sea lions abound here and, it turns out, look at these pens as convenient fast food stops. Oh my, what to do? Well, did you know that sea lions are deathly afraid of Orcas? That’s useful to know.

I suppose you could try to cajole a pod of Orcas to live nearby but being very large and often cranky, they are not usually inclined to cooperate. So, the next best thing is to create a company that manufactures fiberglass Orcas. Several fake Orcas placed around a pen with some automation to periodically move them tends to make sea lions lose their appetite and swim away. And if you can’t afford set of full sized Orcas, apparently you can buy moveable Orca fins that seem to work just as well.

Ok, altogether now, “Isn’t that clever.” I thought you would like that.

Tomorrow we head east across the Andes Mountains into Argentina. The journey, we’ve been told, will involve several buses, several boats, steep mountain roads with many switchbacks as well as lakes with waves. Is there motion sickness in my future? See this space tomorrow for a full report.

The Tour Begins and Dangers Lurk

The tour began today and started with a bus height view of the city of Santiago. It truly is a lovely city. Now, today being Saturday of Easter weekend, the city was quite empty. Most stores were closed and not too many people were out and about.

That did make getting around much easier. Our morning tour ended in the central city where we observed the changing of the guard at the presidential palace. It involved a military band, soldiers on horseback and soldiers marching. It was quite the spectacle, but a most interesting one.

While in the center city I did discover one ominous aspect of this otherwise lovely place. I had noticed that I did not see many old people around and wondered why. By careful study and observation and an almost fatal mistake it was revealed to me. They seem to have a very clever way of disposing of elderly people. I’ve decided to call them “Death Turtles.” These are small semi-spherical objects about four inches high placed all over the streets. In addition, there are cylindrical bollards standing about one foot high that are used as diversions. We elderly are watching for those high bollards so as not to scrape our shins when, wham,  a Death Turtle appears at our feet and the next thing you know you hit the ground. Thus stunned, you are carried away, never to return. What a clever way to get rid of us old folks.

I, however, out foxed them. While trying to avoid one of the taller bollards, my foot struck a Death Turtle. However, my lightning fast reflexes took control and I managed to jump up and over and recover my balance. Santiago would not get me today. I see a business opportunity. Radar in old folks shoes which tingles your ankle if you get to close to one of these Death Turtles. $39.95 at Shoe Carnival.

Chile is a real string bean country. It is 2700 miles long (about twice as long as the U.S. Pacific coast) and averages only 215 miles wide (about as wide as the state of Georgia). And the area in and around Santiago bears a remarkable resemblance to Southern California, including, but not limited to Fuddruckers, Starbucks, Denny's and other assorted fast food chains.

Safely back on the bus, we headed toward the Pacific coast to visit the Matetic winery, an organic wine growing operation. Take that, Death Turtle.

The coastal region of Chile is known for its vineyards. The moisture from the Pacific is great for growing a number of varieties of wine. After a scrumptious lunch, a Chilean Cowboy, called a huaso, demonstrated dressing the horse as well as himself, and then showed several tricky moves on the horse that are performed both daily on the farm as well as at rodeo competitions. They told us we had to watch the cowboy demonstration before we could go to the wine tasting, so we were all very quiet and attentive. That’s called incentive. We clapped politely but hurriedly when he finished.

This vineyard is truly organic. They use no chemicals in the fields or in the winery. The vines are fertilized by herding a number of different animals into the fields allowing them to spread natural fertilizer. It’s not so much fun for the grape pickers, but the vines must love it.

We tasted some recent whites and reds and had a special tasting of a Pino Grigio poured into a chocolate cup. Very efficient: drink wine, eat cup. No cleanup.

Well fed and well lubricated, most of our group enjoyed a nice nap as we headed back into town.

Tomorrow morning, we take our first flight of the tour. We are headed to Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas. Now that I’ve been alerted to the dangers facing us Senior Citizens, I’ll be on the lookout for Death Turtles and their ilk. I’ll keep you posted.

Tour days minus 1 and 2

Heaps of apologies to my loyal followers. I did not post last night leading the Lady who tries to manage my activities to admonish me greatly. She is convinced that all of you were waiting for a post and since I did not post, you will abandon me. Please do not abandon me. Mostly so she won’t be correct. And secondly, you will miss so much if you leave me now.

I did not post last evening because we are in the pre-tour period. The tour actually started with a reception tonight, which the Lady who is always correct refers to as the “Opening Ceremonies.”

So what did we do with our extra day yesterday? We joined our friends Betsy and Bert soon after our arrival and headed out for some “on our own” adventures. Since we are normally a part of a structured tour group, you may believe that we are incapable of jaunting off unescorted. Not so much.

We actually ventured on to the Santiago subway and headed for a location containing an area of over 200 shops featuring products created by small business artisans. The entrance is in the photo above. We negotiated the subway without fail and followed walking directions to the shops.

The Lady who dusts things at our house has decreed that souvenirs must be small, light weight and require little, if any, care. We have zeroed in on small clocks in addition to Christmas ornaments as the perfect collectibles. Like the amazing true shopper she is, assisted by friend Betsy, in only a matter of minutes, they found a shop that created onyx wall clocks. And the one they found was created in the shape of South America. As the Lady likes to say, “Done and done.”

The return trip on the subway was uneventful and after a short rest period, we ventured to an enormous mall about a 10-minute walk from the hotel.  The streets of downtown Santiago are broad, beautiful and free of trash. A lot of people were out and about so we felt not a smidgen of anxiety.

The mall was United States comes to Chile. Every brand you are familiar with was represented. If it were not for wisps of Spanish that wafted to our ears, you could have been in Atlanta, LA or New York.  We dined at a clever shop named “Take a WOK” where we spent an extra bit of time learning the Spanish words for shrimp, mushrooms and other wok ingredients. Betsy is our designated translator, but we also benefited from a delightful local who noticed our struggle and offered assistance. Everyone here is friendly and gracious.  After our wok dinner, we initiated a diligent search to find and enjoy a hefty serving of gelato. The perfect end to the perfect first day of vacation.

We lounged in bed a bit longer than normal this morning and headed for a lovely breakfast in the hotel. We are gradually adjusting ourselves to the cultural norm in this part of the world were meals take hours and hurrying is not an option.

Around noon we joined our favorite mode of seeing a city for the first time, the HoHo. For those of you joining the blog for the first time, that stands of Hop On, Hop Off, a bus service in most major cities around the world that gives you an excellent overview of a new location. This was certainly no exception. After about two and a half hours, we had seen a quick glance of Santiago and learned many interesting facts which I will spare telling you.

This evening was the “Opening Ceremonies,” where we met our thirty companions for the next two weeks. They ranged from one couple who are on a Tauck tour for the first time to a woman who is completing her twentieth tour. It looks like a wonderful group of people from which we will certainly gain new friends. At our dinner table tonight was a psychologist from San Diego and her husband, a building contractor.

The touring starts in earnest tomorrow and I’m sure to have lots of interesting things to report.

It's That Time Again

Well folks, you wasted another perfectly good year waiting for my next blog post. But, waiting time is over. How do I know this?

Well, for one thing, there is no food left in the refrigerator. The lady who makes my meals typically is challenged to make sure that we leave the house totally empty of food. This is a warning to burglars that, while there are many enticements to break into this abode, gastronomic delights are not one of them.

The other thing? Well, it has been a year since a Delta Airlines international flight was listed in my trips. A sure sign that it's time to go.

So, let's go. I hope you will enjoy coming along with us, this time to South America. Tauck has created a number of adventures for us to enjoy and you know I will relentlessly comment on them.

As always, while I know most of you like to just lurk out there, I appreciate hearing a comment or two as we go along. Certainly if you have questions, I will endeavor to find answers for you. That's just who I am. And please recall, if you would like to receive an email each time I post, just put your email address into the little box on the upper right of this page and press "Submit."

This will be the first time I can remember where we will be traveling without crossing a bunch of time zones. Most of the places we will visit are within one hour of good old Eastern Daylight time. So we hope for remarkably minor jet lag. Also, because we are headed to the southern hemisphere, we will be leaving Spring allergies and joining Fall allergies. How do you say sneeze in Spanish or Portuguese?

Delta, start your engines. We are ready to go!