Signing Off.......

After 27 flights and eight countries in less than three months we decided to return to Canada a little early. We arrived back to Calgary just in time for Alana to write her provincial exams for Grade 6 after being away for three months. She was up for the challenge.
We've now settled in and look forward to the summer in Canada.
Thanks to all you readers out there. We appreciated your comments on the blog and we're glad you enjoyed following us along on our trip.
We would encourage you all to visit South America in the future. Ignore the common misperceptions out there about continent and go and see it for yourselves.
Have a great summer.
Tony, Ruth and Alana

Let’s do the time warp today….
With apologies to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tony hums the tune as we see our first 1960’s car in Havana, stepping outside the airport. The city is full of them – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – along with the tin boxes on wheels we know affectionately as the Lada, the symbol of the former Soviet empire.
It was explained to us there is a shortage of private cars in Cuba and so these cars are passed down through the generations, held together by what surely must be coat-hangers and glue. Like a family pet you’ve grown old with, deep affections develop for the family automobile, despite the obvious inconveniences like constant breakdowns, terrible fuel efficiency and belching exhaust. I understand from a friend that Canada’s very own David Suzuki has been heard touting the “greenness” of Cuba. Has the man even been there? He must have been sucking on one of these tailpipes or some ganja.
We’ve decided to visit the socialist experiment called Cuba before the hoards of Americans return to the Caribbean island. Obama is signaling some relaxations in travel, starting with allowing more visits back to their home by Cubans living in the U.S.
Our focus is on the beautiful city of Havana, where officially 2-million residents of the 11-million in Cuba live. Unofficially, a guide tells us the number is closer to 4-million, as an economic death-grip on the country prevails since the fall of the Soviet empire in the 1990s, forcing people into the city to survive.
Sadly, the country’s best and brightest often give up on their chosen careers to work in tourism or anything where they may get tips or propinas from foreigners. We heard the story of an aeronautical engineer who now drives taxi, a teacher that now is a Havana guide, a doctor that waits tables in a fashionable local hotel restaurant. By doing so, all saw their family incomes go up by as much as 10x.
We spent most of our time in Old Havana. The place oozes with charm. Most of the buildings are old Colonial, some dating back more than 300 years. Here again lies a problem. After the revolution of 1959, the communists said they would improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba after Castro's abrupt expropriation of all private property and industry under a strong communist model backed by the Soviet Union followed by the U.S. embargo, hit Havana especially hard. As a result, today much of Havana is in a dilapidated state.
There have been recent efforts at restoration and many buildings are in various stages of getting a facelift. As well, the lovely stone streets are generally in good repair.
You don’t have to walk very far to find the Caribbean Sea. Its breezes are welcome in the sweltering heat. There is a popular malecon or boardwalk along the water. And only 30 minutes out of Havana is the Playa del Estes area with white sand beaches.
Nightclubs are abundant and we took in the famous Tropicana show, which lived up to its building. A little unnerving for visitors is how dark the city is at night. Again, our friend says David Suzuki cites the conservation of electricity for the “greenness” of Cuba. I suspect the real reason is Cuba doesn’t have enough power to keep the city lit.
Readers now may be getting tired of the rant against socialism. Just a little more please. Tony’s Blackberry can’t get a data signal (he suspects no Blackberries work here out of government fear they could be used to overthrow the Castro regime). Similarly, Wi-Fi at our hotel is more than CDN $10.00 per hour, whereas hotels run by the same French chain we stayed in South America offered free Wife. Surely, a Communist plot too!!
There are some small signs of improvement for Cubans under Raul Castro. As of this year, they can now step inside and even stay in hotels. Previously, they could only get access for special events like a honeymoon night. Cubans can also now buy a cell phone. I should add both hotels and cell phones are beyond the financial reach of most citizens.
Enough on the politics.
A great attraction to visit is Ernest Hemingway’s Havana home, the hotel room he used to stay in before buying the house, and the three locals bars he frequented. We spent a morning touring all of the above with a guide.
The hotels and bars are smack in the middle of Old Havana. He drank daiquiris at The Floridita, mojitos at Del Mundo and virtually anything in a bottle at La Bodeguita del Medio. Alcohol was an important part in Hemingway’s life.
He was initially dragged by his wife kicking and screaming to the home, on four square kms of land, 20 minutes outside of the city centre, expecting he would be bored. Initially, they rented but then after a year bought the home for $18,000 from the French owners. Hemingway grew to love the extraordinary property.
The man had some idiosyncrasies. He wrote standing up. He had 50 cats and four wives and countless lovers. He loved hunting, fishing, cock fighting and bull fighting. Numerous trophy heads from many safari trips to Africa adorn the home’s walls. He had graves and tombstones on the property for his four dogs, but due to superstitions the graves for the cats were scattered randomly without any markings.
Interestingly, the home is now a museum and it sits almost as you would have found it when he killed himself with a shotgun in 1961, ending four years of suffering from liver disease. After his death, his last wife donated the property to the Cuban government.
Should you still decide to go to Cuba after reading this, do go to Havana and do stay at the NH Parquet Central. It has one of the best rooftop pools you’ll find anywhere with sweeping views of the city and of the Caribbean. A perfect place to sip mojitos and daiquiris.

Our Top 10 Lists from South America

It’s been almost two weeks now since we left South America for Mexico and we’ve had time to digest the last two months. Here are the Top 10 Lists for Tony, Ruth and Alana. Any overlap is coincidental as the lists were prepared independently.

Alana:
1. Galapagos Islands
2. The Bird Park at Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)
3. Rio de Janiero (mostly Copacabana Beach)
4. Seeing how the Natives live in Peru
5. Shopping in Valparaiso, Chile
6. Mendoza wineries
7. Soccer game in Brazil
8. Meeting people who travel too
9. Seeing the Alto City in Bolivia
10. Buenos Aries

Ruth:
1. Having so much time together as a family.…
2. Alana’s company; laughing until we cried
3. Trekking in the Andes; reaching the summit at 15,000 feet
4. Peruvian native culture in action: dress, customs
5. Galapagos zoo without cages; Tony’s sea lion encounter; Marine iguanas
6. Being taken care of after long days on the road; Romina’s kind care and optimism in Buenos Aries 
7. Meal time discussions and Hot beverages with David, our guide on the trek
8. Argentinean Beef and Malbec
9. Rio’s Beaches and the View from Sugar Loaf Mountain
10. Cusco and the rooms and courtyard and atmosphere at the Novotel, our hotel there

Tony:
1. Getting up close and personal with the land and marine life in the Galapagos
2. The exhilaration of seeing Machu Picchu
3. The architecture and interior finishings of the many Catholic cathedrals throughout the continent (and I’m not Catholic!)
4. Native culture in the Peruvian Andes
5. Richness of the flora and fauna in the Amazon jungle
6. Vastness of Lake Titicaca
7. The glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
8. Traveling to the End of the World at the tip of South America
9. The energy of Buenos Aries
10. Friendliness of the people throughout South America

May 22-27:
We are in waiting areas, cars or airplanes for 21 hours on our trip back to Mexico from Rio, via Sao Paulo and Houston. It’s an overnight flight with little sleep. Normally, the wait in Houston and Cancun immigration can be an hour or more. The swine flu hysteria has clearly grounded travelers’ enthusiasm in North America. The wait is short in Houston and non-existent in Cancun.
In the 17 years we’ve been going to the Mayan Riviera, I’ve never seen the Cancun airport so quiet. We go right through immigration, pick up our bags and have them x-rayed, clear customs and find our driver in 15 minutes. About 45 minutes later we are opening the doors to our condo. We’ve taken as long as three hours to do the same during peak holiday travel. This is the US Memorial Day long weekend and usually very busy.
We experience another scary medical emergency – the second in three days – 30 minutes outside of Cancun. A flight attendant looks to be suffering a serious attack of some sort and she’s lied out on the floor directly beside us while a nurse passenger and a friend is administering oxygen and medical care. Tony tells Alana to look at the Caribbean outside her window as we come in for landing. He fears the worst. Paramedics greet the plane on arrival. The flight attendant returns to consciousness. We are not sure of the outcome.
The first day back is a bit surrealistic with nobody on the beaches or in the restaurants. More than 20,000 are laid off currently. One local hotel offered a week’s stay with all food and booze included for less than $200. Another hotel that has five lobbies and 2000 rooms is down to one lobby. There are signs of desperation for those without any savings. One man was caught be local police with an ATM in the back of his truck, insisting he was taking it home only to do repairs.
The famous and frenetic Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen is empty of shoppers this Sunday afternoon. Some restaurants aren’t even bothering to open.
In our building, where there are 17 condos, ours is the only occupied. A couple from Utah, renting in the building beside us, appeared, relieved to see Alana and I as they’ve seen few people during their three-week holiday. We are offered beverages and a plate of nachos and guacamole. Alana looks baffled as she’s served coke in a Super-sized, one-liter Styrofoam container. Tony is not so lucky with his Corona.
Ruth has temporarily returned to Canada for a family commitment booked in advance of the South American trip. Tony and Alana will be by themselves in Mexico and Havana, Cuba for a few weeks.
Alana has become a good translator during the travels. She is demonstrably more comfortable using her Spanish. Tony hasn’t and usually needs help. Alana comes to the rescue again with the air conditioning technician, fearing Daddy is ordering three new units instead of just getting the Freon recharged.
We learned the US has just lifted a travel advisory for Mexico, and it is as if a light switch was turned on. By Day 3 the beach is showing some life. Then we are awoken Sunday night by an American couple arriving late evening and staying above us. Both Tony and Alana like their peace and quiet so they are a bit annoyed by the noise at night and their music in the morning. We want people to come back to Mexico – just not Quinta Maya in Puerto Aventuras!
The Yucatan Peninsula rivals any place in the world for beauty, culture and heritage. It is home to white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Mayan Ruins dot the landscape throughout the Yucatan, including Chichen Itza, one of the modern wonders of the world. The Mexican people are far more laid back than their counterparts in other parts of the country. It is classified as sub-tropical, like parts of Brazil but it is much drier here. We are in the middle of a very dry spell with almost no rain since leaving in March.
One of the most overlooked features of the Yucatan is its vast networks of underground caves or cenotes. Cenote is a Mayan word for “abyss”. There are an estimated 7000 cenotes in the region, all interconnected by undergrounds streams and the ocean. Think of them as a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. Cenote water is often very transparent, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore there is very little suspended particulate matter. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers since many of them are entrances to underlying flooded cave systems, some of which have been explored for lengths of 100 kilometers or more.”
There can also be layer of heavier, salty water that sits near the bottom. The water levels rise and fall with the tide and with rain fall. Many cenotes feature fantastic stalagmites and stalactites.
We spent a day exploring a park just down the road that features several cenotes, among the best known here due to being featured in BBC’s Planet Earth series and also on Discovery Channel. IMAX also used the location to film Journey into Amazing Caves. As a testament to the clarity of the water, in one scene you don’t know the camera is filming underwater until one of the actors suddenly appears in scuba gear.
The first cenote we visit is called the “Church” due to its cathedral-like formation. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of thousands active stalactites, which grow at the warp-speed pace of one inch every 100 years. A drip of water at the end of the stalactites tells you they are still forming.
We rappelled, then later zip-lined and snorkeled in the larger Tak Be Ha cenote. This cavern is remarkable for its sheer size, along with diversity of its stalagmites and stalactites.
Outside of the caves, the property is unique as it is situation on Mayan land in the middle of the jungle. There are spider monkeys, quatimundi (raccoon-like creatures we also saw in Brazil), reptiles and several species of birds. Jaguars are known to come to the cenotes to drink fresh water at night.
The park has invented a “skycycle” that takes you over the canopy of the jungle and through three cenotes. Yellowstone Park in US is reported to have acquired the technology for its visitors.

May 18-21:
Name the most beautiful cities in the world and the top names are always Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro. Tony’s pick has always been Vancouver. Not any longer. Rio now gets the nod.
It’s hard to argue against billing. The city of 5-million people is a series of crescent-shaped bays filled with white-sand beaches, surrounded by mountains. The emerald waters of the Atlantic add even more color to the palate.
Our hotel is looking out on to the famous Copacabana beach. The beach runs about 5 kms long and has the cleanest, whitest sand you’ll find anywhere. It is so perfect we all thought we had stepped onto an artificial beach. The city takes care of its pride and joy with constant care. In the morning, machines and workers rake the sand. During the day the workers return to ensure any garbage dropped is quickly picked up. What is amazing is Copacabana isn’t Rio’s best beach! Locals prefer the beaches of Ipanema and Leblom, a short walk from Copacabana.
There is no better view of the city than the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, reachable by taking two cable cars.
Another outstanding feature of the beaches is the lighting. At dusk giant stadium lights are turned on allowing for a 24-hour playground. There are endless games of soccer, beach volleyball and a strange soccer/volleyball game that features volleyball net and soccer ball but the players can’t touch the ball with their hands. The players are incredible athletes. Tony’s high school friends continue to argue almost 30 years later who was the best athlete in their youths. This game would settle the score.
In Rio you also can find one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. Christ the Redeemer sits atop Corcovado Mountain, surrounded by the Tijuca National Park, looking over the city of. It was completed in 1931 to commemorate 100 years of Brazil’s independence from Portugal. We’ve now seen three of the Seven Wonders: Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Picchu in Peru and The Redeemer. They are all so different to choose a favorite so far. The Redeemer isn’t as grand as the other two but it truly leaves you wondering how they managed to erect at the very top of the mountain the 38 metre Christ with an arm span of 29 metres.
A day later we headed south to the Green Coast. Here are hundreds of tropical islands along a 100 kilometer stretch. The vegetation gives the Atlantic a green hue. We are on a tour boat with a dozen Aussies and Americans. We learn later the Aussies were out all night drinking and had only gotten back to their hotels minutes before the bus arrived. Our first stop is a small bay with a beach where four locals are partying at 11 in the morning. They are already half-cut, and the women are down to their bras. Alana and Tony are first in. Ruth follows with an Aussie gent beside her. Minutes later we hear screaming from the boat. Apparently, Ruth’s Aussie friend seized up on entering the water and was drowning. The two petite American men from St. Louis heard the screams first and by the time the rest of us got in the water from the beach, the Aussie was being pulled ashore, his life saved. The event cast a pall on the rest of the day.
During our last evening we experienced the true religion in Brazil – soccer. Brazil has won more World Cups (5) than any other country in the world and has born some of the most famous players ever – Pele, Romario, Ronaldo.
How important is soccer in Brazil? When the country hosted the World Cup in 1950 in the soccer stadium we visited, more than 200,000 crowded in to watch the final versus Uruguay. In a surprise, Uruguay won the game. Several people suffered heart attacks in the stadium after the defeat and one man even shot himself in the head, not able to face the world or Uruguay fans any longer.
We ditched a scheduled samba show for a Brazilian Cup play-off game between Rio’s Fluminese and archrival Corinthians from Sao Paulo. Ronaldo, in the twilight years of his career, is the striker for the Corinthians. He grew up in the shantytowns of Rio and vowed when in Europe that he would never play for a Sao Paulo team after returning to Brazil. He did the unthinkable.
With the exception of the raw wieners served in the concessions, you haven’t lived until you go to a game in Brazil. The giant stadium now has seats, but you wouldn’t know it. Everybody stood on the seats for the entire game, and the deafening roar continued. Children stood on the armrests. Flares were being lit and giant flags waved. All this is unimaginable at a Flames game.
For some unexplainable reason we ended up being seated with the visiting fans, surrounded on three sides by Rio fans. This turned out to be toxic when the Corinthians beat the home team. At the end of the headed out of the seats and our group gathered at Section 30 to wait for the guide. Suddenly, everybody around us was scattering like a gunman was amongst us. I looked behind the pillar to see burly police officers with three-foot billy clubs wailing on a hooligan who was trying to pick a fight with Corinthian fans. Seconds later, police – clearly jacked up on adrenaline – approached our group yelling in Portuguese for our guide. We were directed back to the stands for our safety. About 15 minutes later we headed again for the exits, boarded our waiting bus and left. Along the way we could see police surrounding the stadium, all carrying billy clubs and some with very large German Shepherds by their side.
Our final day in Brazil and South America was spent on Copacabana beach. Beautiful indeed, but we are use to hassle-free beach time in the Mayan Riviera, free from any peddlers. That is not the case in Copacabana. In four hours, we are approached by some 50 venders, selling everything from bikinis to shrimp on skewers to bags made out of only zippers. Time to head back to Mexico.

May 14-17:
From ice to flowing water – lots of flowing water. We left the cold and ice of El Calafate in southern Argentina for the warm tropical climate of Iguazu, the incredible falls straddling the Brazil-Argentina border. We are heading back north for the first time on this South American trip, foreshadowing the end is near.
Iguazu is a Guarani Indian name meaning “big waters.” Movie buffs will know the falls from the great epic film “The Mission.” The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers of the Iguazu River. It is considered one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World”.
For Canadians and others who have visited, comparisons with Niagara are inevitable. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara.” Iguazu is taller than Niagara but Niagara has 50 per cent more water flow. Iguazu is much more accessible with a series of footpaths and trains allowing visitors to stand perched right over the edge of the biggest part of the falls – the Devil’s Throat. At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil's Throat has water pouring into it from three sides. As well, Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, so these can be viewed one portion at a time.
There is no Niagara-like Made of the Mist boat that takes you on water near the falls, but for the adventurous there is a speed boat that goes upstream in the whitewater and actually takes you right under one of the falls. We chose this option and got a good soaking. Tony maintains it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done.
Visitors to Niagara often leave disappointed in the town as it is filled with hotel towers and tacky gift shops. Iguazu Falls are in National Parks of both Brazil and Argentina and have little development. A wide variety of birds, mammals and reptiles fill the parks, including the elusive jaguar and several poisonous snakes.
The one blight on the Argentinean side is a Sheraton in the park. Allegedly it got the nod from a former dictator of the country to build in the park when Argentina hosted the soccer World Cup in the 1970s. Our guide suggested a commission was exchanged for the right to build.
We spent a full day on the Argentinean side viewing the falls and another half-day on the Brazilian side. Never bored.
Outside of the falls, the towns supporting the tourists are interesting but not destinations on their own right. We stayed on the Argentinean side, about two blocks from a beautiful park that sits at the junction of two rivers and three countries. To the left you could see Paraguay, and to the right Brazil.
We re-encountered the brilliant red soil, last seen in the Amazon basin in Peru.

May 11-13:
El Calafate is all about ice. Big pieces of ice. Colorful pieces of ice. Dirty pieces of ice.
Let us explain. The town sits on Lago Argentino, the country’s largest lake, situated near the Andes in the south. Nearby is the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Here is the biggest assortment of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica. Canadians know ice already, so Ruth is wondering why the visit. We don’t know ice like this.
On our first day we depart from the hotel toward the park. The first 60 kilometres presents little evidence of what we are to encounter. It is parched, dry land with eagles sitting on the side of the road picking at rabbit remains. Only the tumbleweeds are missing. A few kilometers more we pass through the park gates and the through some wizardry of nature the landscape suddenly changes. The flora erupts into low alpine forest, mixed with beautiful fall colors – all typical of a Patagonia in late fall.
Another few kilometers and we get our first view of the Perito Moreno Glacier. This is one big piece of ice. At its front it is 4 kms wide and 60 metres above lake level at the front and some 350 metres of depth in the central part. The glacier is some 30 kms wide.
This frozen river causes ice cracks and thunderous bursts that make the glacier a beauty in constant movement. We witness the glacier calving several blocks of ice during our two-hour stay. At the front, the ice is formed in a series of raptors that are deep blue in color and is so grand UNESCO was moved to given it a “World Heritage Site” designation. Some of have called it the 8th Wonder of the World.
What is interesting is Perito Moreno is only the 3rd largest glacier in Argentina. A guide attributes its notoriety to being accessible by car from El Calafate, a three-hour flight from Buenos Aires and an hour from our previous stop in Ushuaia. Two other reasons are its interesting formation and movement.
A funny aside is the glacier is named after Italian Perito Moreno, who explored these parts more than 100 years ago. He found Lago Argentino and came within a short canoe from the glacier but never did see it. Instead, Moreno had seen enough of the lake, turned around and went home. His efforts were enough, however, to have the glacier named after him.
Tony’s interest is sufficient enough that he decides on a second day of ice watching. Ruth and Alana need a little faster pace and choose a five-hour horseback ride into the hills surrounding the lake.
Tony sets his alarm for a very early start the next day. He’s chosen an 11-hour excursion that has him setting off in the dark for a 50 km drive to Puerto Bandera, where he’ll board a catamaran and set sail for the northern arm of Lago Argentino. The gem on this trip is to visit the front wall of Upsala glacier from the water. At more than 1000 square kilometers, Upsala is the biggest glacier in the national park and second largest in the country. It is four times the size of Buenos Aires. To get there you sail through an impressive array of icebergs, formed from ice detached by the glacier.
We are warned when we get on the boat that icebergs can jam the inlet to Upsala, preventing access to the wall, and are offered our money back should we not want the risk. There are no takers.
The boat leaves dock for the 90-minute trip on the lake surrounded by the mountains. As if on cue, the sun breaks over the mountains just as we near the first large iceberg. The day is perfect, not a cloud in the sky with calm winds and relatively warm temperatures. A reader can see by the pictures to the right just how blue the ice is. More giant icebergs dot the horizon and Tony is thinking seeing the Upsala wall is not looking likely.
The boat then arrives at a solid wall of ice and Tony is thinking we are at the wall. The guide announces over the loudspeaker in Spanish a number of interesting facts about the glacier and the surroundings. Then the same in English. Then with some disappointment in her voice, she says it will not be possible to access Upsala and points to some ice several kilometers away and says that is our view of the glacier. Tony is in disbelief as he’s sure we are at the glacier with the ice in front of him. The guide explains that when Upsala calves infrequently, but when it does ice kilometers wide falls into the lake. That is why the icebergs in front of us give the appearance they are still attached to the glacier. Most impressive.
The navigation continues towards Canal Spegazzini to see Seco, Helm Sur and Spegazzini glaciers. The latter being the highest in the park, rising 110 metres above the level of Lago Argentino. Because we don’t get to the Upsala wall, the captain treats us to view of the northern wall of Perito Moreno on our way back to the dock.

May 8-10: We’ve arrived at the end of the world – and lived to talk about it! The end of the world as we know it is Ushuaia, in Patagonia, Argentina. It is the last stop before Antarctica and the last stop on the Pan-American Highway, 17,894 kms from the start of the highway in Alaska. Ushuaia is on an island, Tierra del Fuego. While man has been here for 10,000 years, most of the time there were only hundreds of half-naked Yamana natives. Missionaries started to become active only in the late 1800s. When the Magellan strait started to be viewed as an important bioceanic passage, the Argentinean government saw it as necessary to establish a population as a way to claim sovereignty in a long dispute with Chile. Borrowing the idea from the French in Algeria and the English in Australia, Former president Julio Argentino Roca decided there was no better way than create a penal colony in the region and send the worst criminals – one step from the death penalty – south, as far from Buenos Aires as possible. Criminals started arriving in 1896 and Ushuaia was born. What was once a densely forested region, it has few trees today. A railway was built and the prisoners helped cut virtually all trees down. Today the train is for tourism only and runs to the National Park. On a cold morning, with fresh snow, we embark on the train ride through the Rio Pipo Valley, towards Mount Susana. Along the way we pass a “tree cemetery”, with thousands of stumps looking like natural tombstones poking up through the snow. Little imagination is needed to see the gaunt faces of prisoners who cut the trees down, freezing to death in the elements. The prison is now a museum and is filled with fascinating history. Once in the National Park we load a tour bus and drive deeper into the southwestern reaches of Argentina. We learn that locals see few Canadians here, perhaps because it is so similar to Canada. We are surrounded by snow-capped Andes, the brothers and sisters of the Rockies. It is only here that the Andes run north and south, and east and west. There are plenty of fresh lakes and streams. And, it is cold. This morning it is -8 C. It will now stay cold forever. The reality here is that it never does warm up due to the cold currents all around and the fact it borders the Beagle Channel. The average temperature in the summer is only 10 C. There is the odd freakish day, like the record 28 C day a few years ago, when locals suffered as cars and homes are not equipped with air conditioning. Our hotel is up on the mountain, only a 20-minute walk from the small ski hill used by locals. Our view is majestic, overlooking the city and the Beagle Channel. A day earlier we tour the Channel by boat and witness hundreds of birds, along with sea lions and fur seals. During the summer months, penguins come north from Antarctica. The last penguins we’ve seen were in Galapagos. We don’t see any on this day. Our hotel is full with Russians. An oddity we’re sure. It turns out the 100-strong Moscow Symphony Orchestra is here for a festival. Tony threatens to find one of the flutists to give Alana some tips. She has left her flute in Mexico and recoils in horror at the thought of blowing the wrong note in front of such esteemed musicians. We get a sample of a trumpeter’s prowess on the boat, when he pulls his horn out of plastic bag and gives an impromptu concert to surprised passengers. Despite the severe climate, the city is growing rapidly and in a much disorganized fashion. The government a few decades ago, decided to encourage population growth and development by creating a tax-free zone. Thousands of people rushed to the frontier to take advantage, even though few services or housing were available for them. Even today there is still a shortage of housing and Peruvians and Bolivians here illegally have built what amounts to squatter settlements on the side of a mountain, complete with plasma TVs and new cars. Ushuaia attracts young Argentineans from Buenos Aires because of opportunity and higher-paying jobs. Tourists from around the world will continue to come here to see the “End of the World”. It is also the launching pad for trips to Antarctica. Argentineans come for the snow and skiing, along with national ski teams from 14 countries, including Canada. Besides our skiiers, Canada has made two other contributions to the regions -- neither we should be proud of. Due to the tremendous population growth, residents scoured the world for affordable and quick housing. It appears our country is known for its pre-fab housing. Dotting neighborhoods here are Made-in-Canada homes. None are interesting or attractive. Our Canadian beaver is also wrecking havoc on the landscape. Locals introduced the beaver about 50 years ago, hoping to strike it rich on the fur trade. Argintineans never took to beaver pelts, instead favoring more expensive fur like mink. Beavers don't have predators here so they are everywhere, and large, and build funny dams. The average beaver here is twice the size of those in Canada. As well, because they don't have predators, the dams are very shallow. The beaver has gotten lazy.

May 7:
Buenos Aires is a large city. About 3.5-million reside in the immediate area, but the population doubles during working hours and people flood the city for business. Despite its size, the city is full of enormous and wonderful parks. They provide an escape from a hectic life. The biggest parks are in the neighborhood of Palmermo. We need an escape from the Brazilian Consulate this morning. After we finish our trip to the country in a few weeks, I will explain why. We taxi to the park and immediately head to the world-renowned rose gardens. Again, remember we are in the southern hemisphere and it is deep into fall here. Yet, the rose gardens are in full bloom – a most amazing sight. There are acres and acres of roses in several different colors with an army of workers tending to their every need. A short distance away is the “Haponese” Gardens. Again these Japanese Gardens are most extraordinary. Hundreds of carp fill the ponds, centering the gardens.
Later in the day we really escape the city. We leave downtown for the residential areas of San Isidro and El Tigre to the north. Wealthy residents live in San Isidro, some in gated communities, choosing the safety and cleaner environment the suburbs offer over the city centre. We have lunch in one gated community, at a private boating club, near the river that has several canals, natural and manmade, featuring waterfront homes complete with docks for yachts and sailboats. There are also tennis and rowing clubs, along with a golf club. It is patterned from communities in south Florida, and is similar as well to our Mexican home, Puerto Aventuras. Again we are served a massive lunch. Alana’s steak is six-inches in diameter and about two inches thick. She cannot eat it all. Surprisingly, the food at the club is very inexpensive. Our three-course meal with wine is less than CDN $30…in total…for the three of us.
A little further north is El Tigre. Here is a 21,000 sq. km. delta made up of more than 5000 waterways, the branches of three rivers. About 3000 residents dot the waterways that are connected only by boat. There are hundreds more homes for Argentineans who use the vacation properties to escape the heat in the summer. It is self-contained with super markets, schools and hospitals. Only 30 kms from the city centre, El Tigre is still largely undeveloped. We take an hour-long guided boat ride to explore just a fraction of the area.

May 3-6:

We would be remiss in not acknowledging the good weather that has followed us so far throughout South America. It is late fall down here, after all. We celebrated the beginning of what is our November (May in the northern hemisphere) with 27 C weather in Mendoza and arrived to temperatures in the low 20s in Buenos Aires. All the locals have commented on the unusual weather. One of our guides even swam in the Atlantic a few weeks back, unheard of a decade ago. We are not complaining and fear writing this will jinx a good thing. Touring is made much easier with mild, dry weather. Our good fortune may run because of sheer geography. Later in the week we head to the southern tip of Argentina, the last stop on the continent before Antarctica. Forecasts show temperatures near zero and maybe even some snow.
Here we are in Buenos Aires, the “Paris of South America.” Tonight we hit a tango club. The last few days have been a dance through this fantastic city. Today we visited the actual birthplace of the tango. It is a community in BA called San Telmo, one of the oldest areas. For the uninitiated, tango was a dance performed by prostitutes originally in the 19th Century. High society types initially snubbed the activity due to the early participants. It now helps define the city – for the poor and the rich. Tango clubs flourish.
Bordering San Telmo is La Boca, which is a rough area housing many of the recent immigrants to the city. The community does feature Carminito Street, a little Italy of sorts where immigrants from the European country first arrived more than 100 years ago. During the day Carminito is alive with restaurants, bars and shops. Tango is also on public display. At night it closes and tourists are advised not to even make the trip in a taxi. We all found it delightful.
Puerto Madero is BA’s second port after La Boca. Its old warehouses have now been converted to restaurants and apartments. New highrises shine down a few blocks away, making this one of the most expensive place to live with apartments costing about USD $6500 sq/metre. BA is filled with expensive real estate, despite the sketchy political and economic history of the country. The Palermo and Recoleta areas are also highly desirable.
Recoleta features a must-see in BA. The cemetery off the central plaza is like a town of dead people. Excuse my description but it features acres of the most extraordinary mausoleums you’ll see in the world. I understand only Paris and Milan have something that might resemble the Cementerio de la Recoleta.
You look down the “streets” of the cemetery and it looks like one of the finest streets of Rome or Paris in miniature. On each side are the mausoleums, all individually designed and built – usually in Europe – and outfitted with fine marble, travertine, wood, iron and concrete. The sculptures, murals and stained glass are extraordinary.
There is still active trade of the mausoleums. You can buy one for between $30,000 and $1-million. The selling family will unearth the coffins and cremate them, making room for the new family to move in as they die off.
It is here that the infamous Evita lies, among many other famous residents.
Can we write any further without mentioning food?
We sat down yesterday for lunch in Puerto Madero. Even before we ordered, a selection of breads was laid before us, along with six types of appetizers. The portions here are massive and too much even for the biggest eaters. Tony’s ribe-eye steak looked like a pound of beef on the plain white plate. They brought Alana a whole chicken and Ruth’s pescado looked the size of a small tuna. It was our only meal of the day as we had no room in our stomachs for dinner.
Portions aside, the food is astounding, along with the vino.
Meat was on the menu again today with a visit to ranch north of the city to experience life as a “gaucho”, the famed Argentine cowboys of the Pampas. We enjoyed a barbecue of beef, chicken, chorizo and blood sausage. We found the Pampas to look much like Olds or Crossfield. We spent some time riding horses and watching tango. Tony skepticism about the trip proved out. He would have preferred more time in the city. Alana loved being on a horse and it got her excited about the summer and her horse camp in the Rockies with friend Hayley.
We took a second trip to San Telmo, this one at night, to enjoy a tango show and dinner at El Querandi, which has been entertaining customers since 1920. The tango is provocative indeed, and despite the late hour kept our interest.

April 26-May 2:
Swine flu caught up to us this morning as we were set to depart Santiago, Chile for Mendoza, Argentina. The Argentinean government suddenly decided all international flights have to be routed first to Buenos Aries then on to other destinations in Argentina. We were looking forward to a short, early morning, one-hour flight to Mendoza and instead arrived at the airport to discover we wouldn’t get to Mendoza until midnight – 17 hours later. Who knows what would have been in store for us in Buenos Aries.
We made the executive decision to hire a driver for a six-hour van ride across the Andes to Mendoza. Ironically, there was little checking of foreigners’ health’s at the border. We were handed medical forms to complete a few kilometers from the border but nobody asked for them at immigration into Argentina. Workers who took our bags for searching seemed more interested in getting a propina (tip) to return our bags a few steps to the van.
The drive into the mountains didn’t disappoint. The countryside between Santiago and Mendoza is similar to the Okanagan. There are mucho vineyards and fruit trees. The Andes provide a spectacular backdrop. At one point we can see the magnificent Aconcagua – the highest mountain in the Americas. Only the Himalayas have higher mountains. It rises 7000 metres above sea.
Mendoza is famous for its fine wines and produces over 70 per cent of the country’s wine. The wine tradition in Argentina originated in the 16th century with the arrival of the first grapevine stakes brought by the merchant classes that travelled the world selling their goods. Still, it was really not until three hundred years later that wine production really became an important aspect of Mendoza’s economy.
Mendoza is also characterized by a sophisticated aqueduct system introduced by the pre-Incas. Water is brought to this desert climate from the Andes. Unfortunately, a large earthquake devastated the old city in 1812. Yet in the rebuild the city built a series of large parks with impressive plazas and sculptures. The plazas today also serve as a safe ground in case of earthquakes, where citizens can flee in case of crumbling buildings.
We are in Argentina for 18 days and will visit the country’s regions to the north, south, east and west. At one point will be in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
Our stay earlier in Chile lasted four days and during this time we toured Santiago, the capital with six-million people, and the coastal cities of Vine del Mar and Valparaiso.
Santiago sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains. There is little airflow so the pollution is bad, ranked as one of the top ten worst in the world. It also sits on a fault line so tremors and earthquakes are frequent. Much of the construction is new due to a history of earthquakes. It has everything a big city offers, and is close to the country’s wine regions.
Vina del Mar and Valparaiso are 90 minutes west on the Pacific Ocean. People escape Santiago’s heat and pollution in the summer for the coast. The towns rise up from the water in the many hills that make up the towns. The homes, hotels and condos sit precariously on the hills.
Valparaiso is often described as the bohemian and cultural capital of Chile and was one of the famed Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s favorite places. We tour the Nobel Prize winner’s home here. It is very eclectic. A communist, Neruda died shortly after Pinochet’s military coup. Vina is a contrast, a luxurious beach resort town where both Chileans and foreigners vacation in the summer.
For such important places we find it funny that in both towns, many large dogs run free with no owners around to pick up after them.
Usually, Tony says he can live almost anywhere he visits. Not Santiago, not the coast. He is unimpressed, except for the food and wine. They are good, but relatively expensive for South America.
Perhaps foreshadowing this experience in Chile was the flight from La Paz to Santiago. The plane stopped in the middle of the desert in the town of Iquique and we had to spend an hour clearing customs and our bags were searched. It seemed like a strange exercise. We also learn later the country spends about 10 times the amount on the military they do on education. Perhaps this layover is giving surplus soldiers something to do.
The fact the military is so large is likely due to having lived under the Pinochet dictatorship for nearly two decades, ending in 1990. The public still lives in the shadow of that difficult time. We see many “Pinoshit” graffiti slogans in our travels. Tour guides have been instructed not to dwell on Chilean politics as they are uncertain of the political leanings of customers. One thing for sure is the period under the dictator was not good for culture, architecture or life in general.
With apologies to our friends who might enjoy coming here to ski during Canada’s summer months, Chile can be avoided on future South American trips.

April 22-25:
We were warned by our tour company in Canada of the poverty we were to see in southeastern Peru and Bolivia. And a neighbor of ours in Mexico who used to travel to the region with the Canadian government described Bolivia as “lawless”. Yes, people here don’t live the lifestyles of Calgarians, but we don’t see much begging and there are lots of smiles wherever we turn. And, no, Bolivia is not lawless…far from it today.
The trip south for us from Cusco is a world away, regardless. We board the train for the 10-hour journey in a valley near the Andes. This excursion is ranked among the top train trips on the world for its beauty. Again, like the Machu Picchu line, it is owned by the London company which operates the Orient Express. This train is much more luxurious than its Inca sister. Tony is seated with some Greek travelers – a father and his daughter -- and they have seen nothing like it in Europe. This train has white linen and flowers on the tables and overstuffed chairs. Asparagus soup or Alpaca Carpaccio is served as an appetizer at lunch. There are three choices for entrees. Later at 4:00 pm there is afternoon tea.
Our Greek friends are delightful. The father owns a construction company in Athens and loves to hunt ducks in exotic countries like the Sudan. He’s treating his daughter to a 30-day Peruvian holiday as a graduation present as she’s just completed her architecture degree in Greece and will take graduate studies in restoration either in England or New York. Tony talks business with dad and shares music with daughter on their respective iPods.
There is one stop on the trip – a market along the tracks at the highest point of the trip, about 14,000 feet. Tony is a sucker for the tough selling tactics of Peruvian natives. This time, after several “no por favors”, a squat lady in colorful dress leaves a sweater on his shoulder and walks away. Tony is next seen reaching into his pocket for $40 soles or USD $13. The vendor maintains it is handmade from baby Alpaca. Later Alana and Ruth see a street kiosk with five just like it in Puno.
Puno is one of the fastest growing cities in South America. It is situated along the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is the highest navagatable body of water in the world, as well as being one of the largest at 8200 square kilometers. Jacques Cousteau brought attention to the lake with his expedition in 1968 when he discovered the Uros Islands made of reeds. Rising six metres above lake level, the islands are anchored by logs and connected to each other by ropes. The same reeds are used to make boats, and we later meet the Lamachi Brothers in Bolivia, who gained infamy sailing grande reed boats across the Atlantic and Pacific to prove that perhaps the world’s civilizations are more connected than once believed. In fact, Pharoic diagrams can be found in Egypt showing something very much resembling reed boats sailed by the Lamachi’s.
People live on the islands sustaining themselves through fishing and making handicrafts to sell in visitors. The islands need to seen to be believed. Cousteau also found the largest amphibian in the world in Lake Titicaca.
We also visit Taquile Island on this tour of the Peruvian side of the lake. UNESCO has the bestowed a special title on the island for this handmade textiles, each a piece of art.
The only hiccup on this day is leaving the dock when protestors confront boat drivers. We have seen several protests by tour guides in Peru over the past 19 days. The guides we’ve had are all excellent, university educated on history, culture, and flora and fauna. Most speak more than two languages. Up until now, guides are required to have such training, but the government is proposing relaxing laws so anybody can be a guide.
The following morning we are up early again to snake our way along the lakeshore road on the way to the Bolivian border. We are greeted on the Bolivian side by Carlos, our guide. He is the great-grandson of a former Bolivian president. Due a stroke of luck with scheduling, we have two hours in the original Copacabana. The Copacabana name has been borrowed everywhere. Most famous is the beach of the same name near Rio in Brazil. Copacabana is also home to Bolivia’s most treasured Virgin Mary. During Holy Week, some devout Catholics walk three days from La Paz to visit her. She is considered extra special due to darker skin pigment. The cathedral is extraordinary – although we’ve concluded every cathedral we’ve visited so far in South America is extraordinary for their own special features.
From Copacabana we board a hydrofoil for a trip to Sun Island, believed to be the birthplace of the Incas. From here we resume the hydrofoil trip to Huatajata, on the Bolivian shores of Lake Titicaca. Here we overnight and are treated to an incredible tour of the universe through the lens of a telescope donated by NASA. Scientists from NASA descend on these parts every year to study the planets and different galaxies. We can see why on this night as the clear sky reveals more twinkling lights than darkness.
Alana takes ill the following morning, but it is short-lived. Her system cleared, we make the short 90-minute drive to La Paz, the capital. Albertans would think they are driving on the eastern slopes of the Rockies until we arrive at the Alto City. On the outskirts of La Paz, this city has sprung up under the force of massive migration from rural areas. Locals believe over the next 10 years it will house more people than the 2-million in La Paz. It has the feel of the Wild West. Carlos’s stories of the local justice confirm our gut feeling.
As we exit the Alto City, Carlos has us close our eyes for a “special treat”. Ruth and Alana cheat by squinting. Tony doesn’t. On his command we open our eyes and we have arrived to a magical valley city called La Paz (Spanish for ‘Peace”). In the background are huge mountains, covered by glaciers; the city is cradled in the valley of the foreground.
We spend the day touring city, made more beautiful in recent years under the guidance of a mayor, nicknamed the “The Gardener” through his efforts to beautify by planting flowers and trees on every median, street, park and boulevard.

April 15-21:
We’ve arrived at 12,000 feet in the incredible city of Cusco – the gateway to Machu Picchu. During the next few days we will trek to 15,000 feet on our way to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and the adopted spiritual centre of the Inca civilization.
For some perspective the top of the Summit T-bar at Lake Louise is 9,000 feet.
The altitude is on every visitor’s mind. It prompts sudden dizziness excruciating headaches, tingling fingers and nose bleeds. In some cases it hits so severely oxygen has to be administered. As a precaution we brought prescription drugs for altitude sickness, and we are using them.
The local remedy is coco tea (yes, from the same leaf as cocaine). The natives drink the tea and chew on the leaves to alleviate sickness and give them energy. Our hotel serves the tea 24/7 and we are encouraged to drink the tea immediately upon our arrival. No argument from Ruth or I. Alana worries about an addiction at 12 years old.
Luckily, there is no rain in Cusco. This will give us a chance to dry out and launder our muddy clothes from our stay in the jungle. Ruth and Alana also picked up a mysterious eye infection in the jungle that left them both with eyes half-closed and gooey.
Laundry is charged by the kilo and we have 15 kilos of wet, dirty clothes.
Our hotel is a historic site, a 16th century hacienda that has been restored, including original artwork found under several layers of paint.
We begin our seven days in the region with a tour of the Sacred Valley. We start with Pisac, famous for its Sunday Mass and native market. Later in the day, we stop at the junction of three valleys where the fortress of Ollantaytambo resides with its magnificent mountain stairway. Intriguing is the enormous six pink stones found at the site. Each weighs approximately 50 tons and was brought to the site from the other side of the river, several kilometers away. How these massive stones were transported is still a mystery to historians and archaeologists alike as the Incas did not use the wheel.
Every ruin seen leaves a visitor awestruck and questioning how the construction was possible.
Last stop on the day is Chincheros and a visit to an old colonial church – the South American Sistine Chapel with original paintings on the walls and ceilings. Residents here are also known throughout Peru for their handmade textiles – each a piece of art. We buy a wall-hanging from a lady who laid out her wares on the plaza.
Our trip to Machu Picchu the following day begins with a four-hour van ride into the Andes. If any readers have attempted the drive between Kimberley, BC and Creston through the mountains will have some appreciation for our drive to the little town of Lares and the trailhead. It is filled with hairpins turns and 500-metre drops off the side of the one-lane dirt road.
Lares is the home of hot springs. We consider ourselves adventurous but we could not dip our toes in the water, let along our entire bodies. The water is brown.
We expected others on the trek, but soon discovered the crew of five (a guide, cook, assistant cook, two wranglers and four pack horses) is for us only. We will be sleeping in tents and for the three days.
A better known trek is the Inca Trail, but it must be booked eight months in advance. The Inca Trail eventually takes you directly to Machu Picchu by foot, but through cloud forest and at much lower altitudes. It is also full of gringos.
The Lares Trek takes you into the high Andes and through villages where Indians live their traditional lives and see few outsiders. There are alpacas and llamas and sheep everywhere. We only saw a couple of other white faces in our three days.
Our first stop is the tiny village of Huacawasi. We camp in what appears to be a family’s yard, surrounded by chickens, roosters, pigs and dogs. Barking dogs keep us awake for part of the night. Despite the altitude we feel no serious effects yet. The first day is a warm up as we will ascend to the mountain pass on Day 2.
The 6:15 wake-up call comes much too early. It is made easier as the cook delivers hot coco tea to the tent. Ruth wonders why she doesn’t get this service from Tony at home. We will be climbing uphill all morning. Abra Huacahuasikasa (or Huacahuasikasa Pass) is our goal. It is at 15,200 feet. David our guide explains that they brought an extra horse in case one of us is overcome by altitude or exhaustion. Alana and Tony touch fists in an endearing sign of solidarity that they will both make it to the top without assistance.
Despite the paucity of trekkers, village people still set up their goods hoping for buyers. Tony succumbs and becomes the proud owner of an authentic, hand-made alpaca toque for $20 soles or USD $7.
Ruth starts to experience a tingling feeling in her fingers from the altitude. The higher elevation means less atmospheric pressure, which leads to larger blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Consequently, less blood makes it to the extremities.
Our pace slows as the climb continues. It’s fascinating to see farming all along the way. Terraces are built into the side of the mountains and potatoes are grown. In Peru they have 4000 varieties of patatoes. They also raise alpaca, llama and sheep. An enduring image for Tony is catching the glimpse of a young Indian girl running – yes running!! -- to catch us. We learn she is nine years old and her family had sent her alone to the pass to herd sheep. She looks about six, compared to Alana. Her smile is contagious. It is around this time Ruth’s nose starts bleeding and Alana develops a severe headache and begins to see spots out of the corner of her eyes. Tony gets a boost after borrowing our guide David’s walking sticks and has no apparent issues with the altitude. Handicappers would not have put a bet on Tony being the strongest trekker on this day.
The extra horse will get a workout. At a rest stop some 400 metres from the top, David suggests Alana rides the remaining distance on the horse. Tears well up in her eyes as she's determined to do it alone. After explaining how important it is to alleviate the risks immediately, Alana succumbs and gets on the horse and is led to the top by the wrangler. Alana admits her disappointment went away quickly when she felt the warmth of the horse and could breathe again. It is very cold at 15,000 feet even under a clear sunny sky. We all don extra layers and trudge on one foot after another until the summit is reached. We hold a brief celebration then start to head down the steep trail to a mountain lake in eyesight, where lunch will be served. Ironically, Tony finds it more difficult going downhill than up. He snags David’s walking sticks again.
We did not dine on typical camp grub. The cook is well-trained in preparing meals on a gas stove. Meals are authentic Peruvian and gourmet. Our main courses are lamb, beef, chicken, pork, alpaca….guinea pig is popular in Peru but none is served as I think there is an appreciation that North Americans don’t like to eat their pets.
Meal conversations are lively and entertaining and last until we finish the kettle of hot water for coco tea and hot chocolate.
David is particularly entertaining. He can discuss any subject from politics to the effect of snake venom on a human’s kidneys and does it with a terrific sense of humour.
After reaching the summit, the rest of the trek is a blur for Tony. He’s already thinking about the train to Aguas Caliente and Machu Picchu.
Alana’s first train ride is one to remember. David is joining us and we board a single train car that is empty. Due to some freak event, we get the entire car to ourselves. David had finished telling us a story earlier in the day about the rich Saudi prince who bought an entire car for him and his entourage. We felt like the Blue-eyed Sheikhs of Alberta. The rail line is owned by the same company that operates the Orient Express. The trip is extremely picturesque through the mountains, following the white waters of the river below. We each get a front window seat to ourselves, beside the conductor. We can see directly down the tracks and could watch frequent switching activity.
Aguas Caliente is a quaint but touristy town with no car traffic. It is the end of the rail line and is where anybody who wants to get an early start at Machu Picchu stays. We are surrounded by Asians and Americans and Europeans. From here the only way to the site is by coach or walking. The road up is closed to all other traffic.
The first bus is 5:30 am for the opening a half-hour later.
David started guiding 30 years ago and learned his craft at Machu Picchu. By his estimate he’s visited the site 1000 times and there is nobody better for the job. The train from Cusco will arrive mid morning so David figures a 7:30 am start will give us a few hours before the crowds. He’s also become sensitive to Alana’s need for sleep. She is not shy to tell him.
Ruth’s journal entry describes her impression: “Machu Picchu is amazing!!! Different than I expected and different than any pictures I have seen. We have continued luck with another sunny day and the contrast of the huge mountains (pichus in their local language), deep gorges and the Machu Picchu site is dramatic.”
Tony later shared his impressions with a Japanese visitor and they both agreed the beauty of the site is not just in the ruins but in the surrounding mountains, which photos don’t do justice.
A surge of spirituality flows through the bodies of many who see the site for the first time.

April 12-15 – A 4:30 a.m. wake-up call in Lima after a few days of sight-seeing. Urghh!!! The consolation prize is we are heading this morning to Porto Maldonado and the Amazon Basin in eastern Peru. Our destination is Sandoval Lake Lodge, home of the famous South American giant otters – six-foot monsters that are now extinct in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Our flight from Lima first makes a stop in Cuzco where we double back to in four days and start our trek to Machu Picchu. We arrive in Porto Maldonado around 11:00 am to a hot, muggy day. This city of 100,000 is filled with shanty homes, dotting dirt roads. The most popular mode of transport is motorcycles. They are everywhere.
Our guide Herbert (“or you can call me Luis”) is a 26-year-old Peruvian Indian, drawn to the jungle for its beauty and peacefulness. He also doesn’t due well in the Andes Mountains due to a lung ailment. Herbert speaks four languages and hails from a town of 200. “We all know each other,” he tells Tony.
After distilling our large backpacks into small duffel bags, we head to the Madres de Dios (Mother of God) River, where a 30-foot skinny motor canoe is awaiting. We head southeast for 30 minutes to a ranger station guarding the entrance to the Tambopata National Reserve. This is also the trailhead for our 4-kilometre hike further into the jungle along a path with mud up to a foot deep. We are at the tail-end of the rainy season.
Herbert warns us not to touch anything as there could be poisonous plants and snakes along the way.
A short way in, Alana takes an accidental dive into the mud. She falls again a few minutes later. Non-plussed, we all forge on.
We spot two types of monkeys, out of five in the area, on the way, along with numerous birds and insects. The Gardner ants are busy cutting leafs and moving them along their highways. No snakes are seen, thank goodness.
At the end of the trail, paddle canoes await us with one of our porters at the helm. Surprisingly, he had beaten us there despite carrying the duffel bags of five guests. Even the two porters carrying a large, full propane tank arrive before us.
Robert is our paddler today. He too is a local, who recently turned 18 and can now legally work in Peru. We learn that a few years ago from this same dock, a local Indian was attacked by a seven-foot anaconda snake. The snake lung at him and bit his arm, then wrapped his body around the man and tried to squeeze the life out of him. An amigo fortunately happened upon the attack and shot the snake dead with a shot-gun. The man lived but suffered permanent damage to his arm.
There are several species of snakes at Sandoval. If the anacondas don’t get you, perhaps the bushmaster might. These are ferocious, and bite at about knee height on humans. The lodge keeps a pickled bushmaster in a jar near the buffet table that was killed nearby. If it looks like Tony is preoccupied with snakes, it’s because he is and chiefly because he’s terrified of them.
We board the canoe for a 40-minute paddle across the shimmering lake. Within a few minutes we see one of the large and extremely rare Black Caiman, an alligator in South America.
Like the Galapagos cruise, the days at Sandoval are filled with guided tours on and off the water. The day starts at 5:30 am with a boat tour. On our first morning we saw several of the 500 species of birds in the area. Peru has about 1800 different species. There are also 200 species of fish in the lake, including electric eels, stingrays and four types of piranha.
Very impressive, indeed, are the Black Caiman that lurk along the shore. They are abundant. We saw one about three feet long and another about nine feet. Interesting that caiman is afraid of the giant otters that can kill the caiman out of protection by ripping open their soft underbellies with their teeth.
Anacondas also kill caiman for food.
We did not have to wait long to spot the elusive giant otters. One of our paddlers on the first morning spotted some splashing across the lake. As we approached we spotted the family of three – the only family on the lake – fishing for breakfast. They would dive and come up with fish in their teeth. The water is very murky so the otters have to rely on their whiskers to help detect the fish. Piranhas are a favorite and they have learned out of self preservation to only eat them tail first.
A two-hour jungle walk followed breakfast. It started with a little education on the brazil nut, the most important product in the region. Most of know the nut as a Christmas treat, but it isn’t harvested until April of each year. The tree is the tallest in the jungle. It produces a hard and heavy fruit that looks like a coconut. These fall to the ground and when cracked open with a machete, yield 10-20 of the brown brazil nuts.
We now understand why brazil nuts are so expensive. Locals search out for nuts on the floor of the jungle. If they start too early in the season, the nuts have been known to fall and kill an unsuspecting local. Beginners have also lost fingers to razor-sharp machetes. If that isn’t enough, Bushmaster snakes have killed many with their bites. The nuts are then taken into neighboring towns and processed by women for export.
The jungle is an undergraduate course in biology. There is an amazing array of flora and fauna. Among the flora you see are the chocolate tree, mango tree, the plant that produces a natural antidote to malaria, the walking tree (yes, it actually moves about a metre a year towards better sunlight), the rubber tree, Birds of Paradise flowers…….too numerous to name them all.
The days were broken up into different guided tours, usually to try and see specific things. One morning we took off at 5:30 am, paddled for 30 minutes, then hiked in the mud for 30 minutes to a swamp to see blue and gold macaws, parrots and parakeets. There were hundreds of them. We watch a macaw work on building a nest for 15 minutes and two others watched.
Peru is actively setting aside more land every year to protect the Amazon forest. About 15 per cent is now national reserve, compared to 10 per cent about a decade ago, an increase of 50 per cent. Nevertheless, the Amazon basin is in jeopardy under the onslaught of economic activity. An Amazon highway connecting Brazil, Peru and Bolivia is nearing completion, which will only bring more pressures.’
There is no question Sandoval Lake Lodge is in a rain forest. We encounter rain almost daily – none of it light -- and our clothes do not dry. The mosquitoes are better than expected, although we do sleep under bug nets.
April 9-11 – Lima is much different than Quito. For one it is extremely dry, a desert bordered by the Pacific Ocean. It also has more than 8-million people in 43 regions, each having their own mayor and council. Quito seemed large with 2-million. The other thing that strikes you is how cosmopolitan Lima is. It has been influenced by many European countries and the United States. Many of the US chains have a presence here. It was explained to Tony this is due to Peru having good relations historically with many countries, whereas other South American countries have swung back and forth from socialism to capitalism. We stayed in the district of Mira Flores, near the Pacific. It is a fashionable area with good shopping and restaurants and is considered more secure than other parts of Lima. We spent this afternoon on a tour of downtown Lima, which is filled with gorgeous colonial architecture and dotted with cathedrals. It was our first exposure to pre-Inca construction as well, where adobe blocks and mortar were used to help survive a history of earthquakes. Perhaps the highlight was a visit to church catacombs, complete with authentic human skulls and bones. Our guide used the occasion to brief us on earthquakes as we hunched in tiny underground caves.
The church and surroundings were extremely crowded due to Easter celebrations. It was literally wall-to-wall people as we headed into the church. Just inside the gates, Tony heard the clip to his Blackberry holster snap. He’d been using it to keep his camera. The camera was gone, in the hands of one of the masterful pick-pockets that survive stealing from locals and foreigners. A woman saw the crime occur but it was too late to do anything. Later, a magnificent sunset at Love Park almost made us all forgot of the theft.
Nearby Lima is the Pre-Inca Ruins of Pachacamac. These ruins are believed to be among the most important of religious centers for the indigenous people of the central Andes. First occupied by pre-Inca cultures such as the Wari Empire, Pachacamac was later incorporated into the Inca Empire and continued to figure prominently throughout the extended rule of the Incas. Peruvian civilizations predate those found in Egypt, and because of the dryness of Lima artifacts are well-preserved. We saw this first hand later on a tour of the National Museum of Lima. Entrance to this magnificent museum is free but you have the option of taking a guide for the equivalent of $15 soles or USD $5. We opted for the guide and was introduced to Maria, a delightful archeology student and enthusiastic about Peruvian culture and history. She even danced a native jig for us during the tour, captured on video.
The Inca’s receive disproportionate attention, despite only being in power for less than a century in Peru, and leaving no written history.

April 6 – Later in the day we arrived back in Quito, via Guayaquil. We were exhausted so we treated ourselves to room service and were asleep by 9:00 pm.

April 7 – We awoke early for a trip into the Andes Mountains in an old 4x4 Land Cruiser stacked high with kayaks with our guide Miguel and driver Caesar. Our destination was Lake Cucuta, a large lake in an active volcanic crater. In the middle are two large islands created by past eruptions (the last 2000 years ago). As a reminder of its current activity, you paddle over an area where air bubbles seep up from under the lake to the surface. It’s crystal clear with a greenish color. There are no fish. It is 300 feet at its deepest. There are 200-foot cliffs surrounding the lack, which appear to run straight to the bottom of the lake.
Our adventure started with the guides launching the kayaks over the cliffs and we follow switch-back paths down that look like that they haven’t been walked on in years. We launch the kayaks from behind six-foot high reeds that ring the lake. We will visit a lake in Bolivia where islands have been manufactured by Indians out of similar reeds.
Tony and Alana shared a two-man inflatable kayak nicknamed the “barge.” Ruth had a sleek single kayak. You can guess who paddled most of the time in the barge.
We paddled for about 2 ½-hours under beautiful warm rains with just a whisper of wind. A picnic lunch awaited us. It included fresh avocados and chirrimoya (a green palm side fruit containing hard oval brown seeds and soft light colored pulp, the sweet edible part). Both were picked up at a roadside stand on the way up.
During the drive we joked that we might run into our friends from California we met on the ship, slated to overnight nearby. Who should arrive during lunch?
On way back to Quito we made a detour to Otavalo, an Indian market in the Andes. Good thing we only budgeted 30 minutes at the market. During the short time we bought to Alpaca sweater jackets, a native flute and a wood blanket. Change or cambio is always difficult to get in South America for large bills as the vendors are struggling entrepreneurs. Tony was only carrying a $100 bill. “No problemo,” said the tiny woman, who had hand-knitted the sweaters. With that she disappeared looking for one of her amigos to help make change. Tony had a furrowed brow, thinking after 10 minutes had past that he would never see his change again. Finally, out of the corner of his eye, the women could be seen sprinting back waiving at Tony. It’s an enduring memory for Tony.
Back in Quito, we dined on authentic Ecuadorian cuisine – Alana talked us into sushi at the hotel.

April 8 – This was a lazy day. After many pre-dawn wake-ups, we slept in and worked on the first posting of the blog. We headed out for lunch in one of the popular squares at Mama Colinda’s, recommended to us by a friend from the ship. We sampled the soup called fanesca, which is an Easter week soup made of squash and 12 legumes. It is very hearty, almost a meal. It wasn’t Alana’s favorite. We left on a late flight for Lima that night. I should note that the influence of Calgarians is found in small does almost everywhere. In the Lima airport, we found ourselves standing behind a Calgarian who has been active in oil and gas in Ecuador. We knew many people in common.

April 9 – Lima is much different than Quito. For one it is extremely dry, a desert bordered by the Pacific Ocean. It also has more than 8-million people in 43 regions, each having their own mayor and council. Quito seemed large with 2-million. The other thing that strikes you is how cosmopolitan Lima is. It has been influenced by many European countries and the United States. Many of the US chains have a presence here. It was explained to Tony this is due to Peru having good relations historically with many countries, whereas other South American countries have swung back and forth from socialism to capitalism. We stayed in the district of Mira Flores, near the Pacific. It is a fashionable area with good shopping and restaurants and is considered more secure than other parts of Lima. We spent this afternoon on a tour of downtown Lima, which is filled with gorgeous colonial architecture and dotted with cathedrals. It was our first exposure to pre-Inca construction as well, where adobe blocks and mortar were used to help survive a history of earthquakes. Perhaps the highlight was a visit to church catacombs, complete with authentic human skulls and bones. Our guide used the occasion to brief us on earthquakes as we hunched in tiny underground caves.
The church and surroundings were extremely crowded due to Easter celebrations. It was literally wall-to-wall people as we headed into the church. Just inside the gates, Tony heard the clip to his Blackberry holster snap. He’d been using it to keep his camera. The camera was gone, in the hands of one of the masterful pick-pockets that survive stealing from locals and foreigners. A woman saw the crime occur but it was too late to do anything. Later, a magnificent sunset at Love Park almost made us all forgot of the theft.

Ecuador and Galapagos Islands

March 31 – We arrived in Quito without our luggage after a very eventful day travelling from Cancun. Our flight out of Mexico was delayed, setting off alarm bells that we would miss our connecting flight in Houston. We arrived in Texas with only 25 minutes to clear customs and immigration and get through security and make it to our gate at George Bush International. What ensued could not be repeated in a 1000 attempts. We pushed and cajoled our way through immigration and again through security. With three minutes to spare, we took off in full sprint through the terminal. Alana did not look back and arrived at the gate as they were closing the doors to the plane. The Continental Airlines rep radioed ahead. Ruth arrived next, followed by Tony. All of us were breathless and sweaty as we took our seats. The bags weren’t as quick. We went a day without anything we packed and fretted that the luggage would arrive the next day as we need to depart to Galapagos. About six hours before we had to depart for the islands, the bags arrived to the hotel in the middle of the night.

April 1 – We had a morning tour of old town Quito on a beautiful sunny day. The city is at 9000 feet and is nestled in the Andes Mountains on the equator, resting on a plateau. It is surrounded by snow-capped volcanos. The most recent eruption was 1999. Most of Quito was conquered by the Spaniards in the 1500s, before which the Inca’s destroyed what they had built on purpose before the Spaniards arrived.
Alana loved the huge cathedral that was covered on the inside with gold leaf. It was so detailed that when the church was restored a few decades ago it could only be cleaned using solvent on q-tips.
Although it has near perfect weather year-round and unparallel natural beauty, citizens live with the acute awareness that earthquakes and volcanic eruptions pose a constant threat. You can almost set your watch by the sunrise and sunset as it doesn’t change. Regardless of skin color, citizens and visitors wear sunscreen and hats due to the intensity of the sun.
Contrary to popular thinking in North America, Ecuador is not a violent or dangerous country. We found no threat walking the streets.
In the afternoon, we toured a museum on the equator and straddled the line with our feet. The sun was truly right above our heads and at noon there was no shadow. The museum also housed an exhibit of all the different peoples and cultures that still exist today throughout the country. There are some 25 in four distinct geographical and climatic regions: Amazon, the Andes Mountains, the Coast and the Galapagos. It made it feel that nine days in Ecuador is simply not enough.
Alana appreciated the diversity of native people in Ecuador.

April 2 – We took an early morning flight to the Galapagos via the coastal port of Guayaquil. It is only a 30 minute flight from Quito but Aero Gal managed to serve a full flight drinks and snacks. On the 90 minute leg from Guayaquil to Galapagos, we got lunch and drinks. It makes North American airlines look pretty pathetic. In Galapagos we boarded the M/V Legend with 94 of our closest friends from Europe, the US, South America and Canada. The first person Tony saw stepping on board was none other than former Prime Minister Paul Martin and his wife Sheila. They took a last minute detour on the way back from a conference in Chile. He was impressed we new some Liberals in Alberta, the few that are in the province, including Rob Van Walleghem, who helped him on his election campaigns. We found Paul and Sheila to be very likeable and they left quite an impression on people they met. You could pick out the Canadians by those who recognized him. Within the next hour we met an economist from Ottawa who worked for Martin when he was finance minister. She was surprised as we were to find him on the same ship. Truly a small world.
April 2-6 – Over the next five days we saw most of the islands and had stops on six. What struck us was how diverse the islands were from each other in terms of flora and fauna and marine life. This was due to the age of the volcanic islands and their elevation and climate. The higher islands get more rain fall. The first island we visited was like moonscape with virtually no vegetation or animal life, while another was like a rain forest with mucho plants and animals. Alana’s highlights were:
· Seeing penguins on Bartholme Island, our first stop.
· Getting up close and personal with vegetarian land iguanas and marine iguanas – both very prehistoric looking. She loved how marine iguanas snorted excess salt into the air after eating algae from the Pacific Ocean.
· Being within a few feet of sea lions on the beach, one which almost took a chunk out of one of our group members.
· Playing “The Shark” in the Neptune cabaret show. Ruth played a pirate. Tony hid in the back, posing as the official photographer, but was pulled into the show from one of the actors.
· Touring a volcano inhabit Ted by giant tortoises.
The trip was fascinating and very active. We had little down time. Every morning at 6:45 or earlier we awoke to music and a far too-happy greeting in Spanish and English through the PA system. The rest of the day was quite regimented, leaving us little down time.
We were one of the youngest families on the tour, but had the good fortune of dining each meal with a California family with a son Alana’s age. It was amazing how similar the two are in interests and disposition. They are interested in visiting us during the Calgary Stampede.
Most of the travelers were brave to handle the rigorous land and sea tours, keeping up a good pace hiking and snorkeling. Just getting on and off the pangas or dingys was a workout.
It takes all kinds. We were captivated and amused by the extravagant dress of one family who were surely guessed were Italian with their designer wardrobe. On one hike, the mother wore a poke-a-dot knee length dress with three-inch wedge heels and a floppy red hat. This was on an island with jagged volcanic rock and so many marine iguanas you would easily accidently step on them. Tony couldn’t resist capturing her in a photo. Every meal they wore a different ensemble and sometimes the same thing hiking. Turns out they were from Mexico City.
Galapagos was described to us as a zoo without cages and it lived up to the description. How Darwin was influenced was everywhere. We could see the adaptive changes as moved from island to island. We would highly recommend travel to the Galapagos.