Aguas Calientes to Vancouver

We returned from Machu Picchu to a very wet Aguas Calientes, which I guess was not surprising since Aguas Calientes means Hot Waters. It was raining so hard we were reluctant to leave our very comfortable hotel suite looking out over the river and mountains. But since it was one of our last nights on the road, we walked around the town and settled on one of the many attractive cafes serving Peruvian food and Pizza. We were subsequently told we should have eaten at India Felix, but we didn’t discover it until lunch the next day. We’ll be recommending it the Moodies who are off to South America later this year.

While Aguas Calientes didn’t seem very attractive when we first arrived, it is a much better place than that described in most of the guidebooks. It has a dramatic setting with two rivers and a train track running through the town. A lot of money has been spent on upgrading the pedestrian realm, with new sidewalks and public spaces. Although the choice of hotels is limited at the moment, there are lots of cafes and restaurants, and far too many shops selling native artifacts.

We probably should have planned to go for a hike or visited the local museum on our last day. But we just were not up to it after climbing around Machu Picchu. Also, we had had far too many early mornings in the previous week. So we decided to sleep in and take it easy, until we discovered the hotel had a 9 am check out to accommodate its 10:30 check in time.

So we strolled about the town, running into others on our tour, who had also decided to not climb any more mountains or go on a hike. And we did have an excellent lunch at India Felix.

The train set off at exactly 3:55 and we were soon entertained by members of the crew doing native dances and putting on a fashion show down the aisle. I had to buy a black sweater, although afterwards discovered that Peruvian sweaters look much better on handsome Peruvians than they do on bald Canadians! When the train made a short stop at a small town, a young girl was out on the tracks trying to sell a wall hanging. I purchased it, although the negotiations had to end when the train started to move. She had a big smile on her face as we pulled away. Hopefully, one of my daughters will like it.

We didn’t take the train all the way back to Cusco. Because it has to do quite a bit of shunting from track to track, you can save forty minutes by getting off at the second last stop. Sure enough, the tour company was there with a big bus, from which we were transferred to a small bus and dropped off at our hotel. That evening we sought out the MAP restaurant, considered the best in Cusco, but couldn’t find it. So we ended up eating at the Inka Grill, another popular spot. I had the roast guinea pig, like Jesus did.

The next morning we discovered the Cusco Novatel also had a 9 am check-out. But the sun was shining and we wanted to see the town before flying back to Lima and on to Vancouver. Fortunately, we came upon a parade, with some wonderful costumes and music going through the main square. It was very joyous and a lovely way to say goodbye to Cusco.

Again, the flight to Peru was uneventful, which as you’ll recall, is good, but not always common in South America. We debated whether to go into Lima and try and see the Gold Museum, but weren’t sure if we would make it through the traffic in time. Furthermore, we had been so careful over the past week to ensure nothing went wrong to delay our return home. So we decided to check in early for our 11:30 flight and spend our time in the business lounge, finalizing the blogs and enjoying the airline’s hospitality. Unfortunately, this couldn’t happen. There was no one at the Continental Airlines desk to check us in until 7 pm, and without a boarding pass, we couldn’t get through customs and into the lounge. So I worked away in a restaurant, while Sally read, and went to the counter at 7:15. It was just being set up. At 8:15, it was still being set up. Then we learned what the problem was. The entire Continental Airlines world wide computer system was down! Eventually the system came back up, but of course, the flight was delayed.

So we now sit on Continental flight 261 from Houston to Vancouver. We are both quite excited at the prospect of being home. Other than having a camera stolen in Malaysia, difficulty getting a Belarus Transit Visa, and some challenges in India, we both agree the trip has gone very well. We have been to some wonderful places, and had many good surprises. While there are some places we won’t rush back to, such as Moscow, there are many we would like to see again: the Adriatic Coast for example, and Buenos Aires, as well as places we missed like Chile, Northern Brazil and other parts of Argentina. We would also like to return to New Zealand. But there are also many places that we haven’t been to that we would like to see. Ireland is near the top of our list.

During our travels, we often extolled the benefits of House Exchanges. Hopefully we can get back to doing that, fitting them in between work. But we also hope that not too far in the distance, we can be like the Homelink Members whose listing reads, ready to go anywhere, anytime! That’s our next travel goal for the future.

Machu Picchu: one of the 7 wonders of the world

At 4:30 in the morning we received our wake-up call. At 5:30, we were loaded into a waiting van and taken to the train station. We didn't take our luggage, just an overnight bag, since we were warned there was not much luggage space on the Vistadome 2 train. We didn't get off the bus in front of the station like most other passengers. Instead our driver went up a narrow lane and dropped us off right at the train. I guess this why people pay the extra premium for tours!

There are three train services from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the town next to Machu Picchu; the backpackers’ special, the Vistadome, and the Hiram Bingham. The premium for the Vistadone is about $50 and definitely worth it. The Hiram Bingham is a luxury train and costs about 3 or 4 times what the Vistadome costs. You also have to take a bus to catch it since it doesn’t come into Cusco. It might be worth investigating, especially if you want your breakfast and dinner served by men in dinner jackets. Although, our crew looked quite smart in their navy suits.

If you have the choice, try and sit on the left side of the train going and the right side returning. We quickly realized that this was going to be a very memorable journey with constantly changing scenery. After some good views of Cusco, we went through small towns and villages set into the mountains. At one point, a lot of cacti appeared. Then we were in the jungle. Every once in a while we saw Inca ruins and regretted that we were not fit enough to have done the 4 day Inca Trail hike from Cusco, which Georgia and many others had done.

I found that I wasn't taking as many photos as others on the train; but then, they lived in places like Tampa and Virginia and didn't regularly travel the Sea to Sky highway.

Around 9:30 we arrived in Aguas Calientes, a small town which initially didn’t appear to be that attractive, from where we took an exciting 30 minute bus ride climbing up a tortuous road to the site.

Machu Picchu is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. While I did not find it to be as impressive as the temples around Angkor Wat, or Bourabadour in Indonesia, (the largest religious structure in the southern hemisphere), it is an amazing sight in a very majestic setting. We soon realized that visiting it is not for the faint of heart, especially those with a fear of heights, or in poor physical condition. There can be a lot of climbing along very narrow unprotected steps. But there are also lots of easy trails. Just like Whistler.

Not a lot is known about the origins of Machu Picchu. It was probably built in the 15th century for religious and military purposes. It was 'discovered' in 1911 by Hiram Bingham who was exploring in Peru for Yale University and the National Geographic Society. He apparently was told about the ruins by one of the locals who he paid to take him there. He returned on a number of occasions, taking many artifacts with him. The Peruvians would like some of them back.

The lack of information about Machu Picchu is illustrated by the story of some skeletons that were found at the site. 135 skeletons were found and it was determined that 109 were females. This led to speculation that the site accommodated primarily women who were fleeing the Spaniards in Cusco, and were the chosen ones of the Inca.

However, it was recently determined through more sophisticated DNA analysis that the ratio of men to women was about 50/50. This has put an end to this speculation. However, one thing that is certain is that the Spaniards never discovered Machu Picchu. As we wandered around our guide kept pointing out things that are still unknown, like two small circular pools carved into the rock. What are they?

As we wandered around we noticed some new construction taking place. It seems that much of what is there is restored, in part since Hiram Bingham did a lot of damage by trying to burn off all the vegetation that had covered much of the site. We also came across some llamas that have free roam around the property.

We spent much of the day looking around; but we didn't go back the second day as initially anticipated, since Sally has a fear of heights, and many of the better climbs can be quite treacherous coming down. But we saw enough to appreciate the special qualities of the place, and are now keen to learn more about the Incas and their place in history.

Machu Picchu had always been planned as our last stop of this journey. It was a very good way to end it. We were glad that we had booked a tour through a travel agent, and can heartily recommend Florencia at Barcelo Verger Business Travel in Buenos Aires. Whatever you do, book a tour with someone. It’s so much easier.

One final thing. There is a very nice hotel, the Sanctuary Lodge at the top of the mountain. It’s about $600 a night or more. We chose not to stay there, preferring to pay less and be in the town. We don’t regret this decision. But we did have the buffet lunch there. This, I do recommend, since it allows you to have a break, and then go back for more climbing with a stomach full of ceviche and alpaca.

Cusco: on the road to Machu Picchu

I was looking forward to seeing Cusco, since this is where Georgia spent some time working in a clinic late last year. She said we would like it.

The flight from Lima took about an hour. It was uneventful, which is a good thing for any flight in South America. We flew on LAN, the main Peruvian airline, since this is what Florencia recommended. I was beginning to trust Florencia’s judgement after our night in Lima.

The first thing I noticed after arrival was that my fingers were tingling, almost vibrating. I didn’t know whether this was due to the altitude, or the Diomox, the drug Sally was giving me for the altitude. I also noticed I was easily out of breath, but wasn't sure if that was due to the altitude or the fact I had spent too much time during this trip on the computer when I should have been at the gym.

At most of the airports, bus and train stations we have been to for the past eight months, everyone has had someone to greet them, except us. In Peru it was different. Once again, we were met at the airport by our Viajes Pacifico/Gray Line Peru driver. He looked after our baggage, took us to our hotel, and checked us in. All we did was sit in the skylit courtyard and drink coca tea which apparently helps you adjust to the altitude.

While we were told to rest, we were keen to see the town. Tourism has taken over Cusco in the last 20 years. We couldn’t go anywhere without someone wanting to shine our shoes, or sell us knitted dolls, wall hangings, paintings, table cloths, carpets, hats, cloth bags, and on and on. Most of the stuff was very colourful, and quite beautiful, but we kept thinking we’re 35 years too old to be buying it! But we did get a couple of small things, since that’s what keeps the economy of the place going.

In the afternoon, we did an organized city tour with 20 other English speaking people. It had been a long time since we were with so many English speaking people. Our first stop was Korikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, where we all stood around and admired the amazing stonework. Built around 1350, there was no mortar between the stones. Instead, the stones were cut so that they slotted into one another. The objective was to create buildings that could withstand earthquakes. And they did. Unfortunately, they didn’t withstand the Spanish who destroyed much of what the Incas had built, and used the stones to build their own structures.

We then went to the Spanish Cathedral, but we weren’t that keen to see it since the Spaniards had been so cruel to the Incas and had built the cathedral on the foundations of an Inca Palace; we had already seen a lot of magnificent churches on this trip; and it was also very cold inside. But it was impressive, and I was particularly intrigued with the ‘black Jesus’ that had been sent from Spain with the hope that it might attract more natives to the Catholic religion. I also was amused by a painting of the ‘Last Supper’ featuring a guinea pig as the central dish.

We then set off for Saqsayhuaman, a megalithic complex about 2 km outside the city. Not much is known about its origins, but it is speculated that 20,000 men worked for more than 50 years on its construction. Some of the rocks are immense, and again, it was designed to withstand earthquakes. But the Spaniards destroyed much of it, and used the stones for other projects, including their cathedrals.

It was all quite interesting. The guide was good, and we regretted not paying more attention at school when we learned about the Inca Civilization. But we had not come here to see these sights. We were really here to see Machu Picchu, our next day’s destination. We were also interested in seeing a bit more of Cusco.

So we were quite happy when we were loaded into the bus around 6 o’clock and taken back to the main square, where we could check out restaurants for dinner, and be assaulted by more delightful young Peruvian boys and girls and older ladies trying to sell us things.

That evening, we did find a good restaurant, with a very interesting buffet. We had some excellent ceviche, whipped up by the chef on hand, which I followed with Alpaca carpaccio. We ate a number of things that we had never had before, some of which were quite good. The local river trout tasted much better than most of the meats. During dinner we were accompanied by Peruvian flute players, and just as we were ready to leave the dancers arrived.

But it was all very good, except for the fact that El Condor Paso had taken over from The Girl from Ipanema. One lady on the bus wanted to know if the music was written by Art Garfunkle.

We went to bed quite early, since we had to be up at 4:30 the next morning, to catch the train to Machu Picchu.

Lovely Lima

Sally says Lima has been the biggest surprise of the trip. That may be because her guidebook misled her by suggesting it was a dangerous place with little to see. It may also be the result of staying one night at the Hotel Lima Country Club, perhaps the nicest hotel of our trip.

Unfortunately, our flight out of Buenos Aires was delayed 4 hours. As a result, we missed the afternoon tour of the city that had been arranged through the hotel. But we managed to join a night tour, which although probably not as good, did allow us a brief glimpse of a few areas of the city. We particularly enjoyed San Isidro, where our hotel was located, and Miraflores, with its outstanding waterfront parks and elegant homes and shops. These were once small villages, but today are two of the main residential and tourist neighbourhoods. They are where you want to stay.

We also saw some of the historic centre, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The highlight was the Plaza Mayor or Main Square, laid out in 1535 by Lima’s founder Francisco Pizarro, and bounded by The Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, Municipal Offices, and a club. With its brightly painted yellow ochre buildings, and 17^th century ornamental bronze fountain, it was most impressive.

A few interesting facts that I picked up on the tour. Lima’s population is over 9 million and the region is divided into 43 municipalities with 43 mayors. There is a large Chinese population which migrated to the country in the 19^th century. There is no subway system; no streetcar system (since the tracks were removed years ago); just buses and unmetered taxis. Every fare has to be negotiated.

Our tour started around 6:30 which is in the beginning of the rush hour. The traffic congestion was horrendous, despite the efforts of traffic police in bright green gloves perched above many of the key intersections.

Adding to the congestion were jugglers and acrobats who wandered through the traffic, performing for a few centimos or sols. There were also a variety of vendors selling everything from stuffed animals to food and magazines. At least I didn't see women running out into the street on red lights holding up advertising banners, like they have in Buenos Aires!

I didn’t remember much about Lima's history from high school. But it's a very old place. Some of its archeological sites date back to 200 BC. From the 16th to 19th centuries it was a Spanish Colony, gaining independence on July 28, 1821. Local citizens remember the date since one of the city's streets is named Avenue July 28. Naming streets after important dates is quite a common practice throughout South America. Perhaps Vancouver should have a street commemorating its date of incorporation. I think it’s in May.

Following the tour, the eight of us were taken to a restaurant for dinner and a show. We expected a large venue, but were surprised to find a small restaurant with few other customers. We were seated next to the small stage, and the next thing we knew, the show began. It was a one hour extravaganza with a Peruvian band, and a very unusual variety of native dancers, acrobats, scissor musicians, and showgirls.

The food was very good as well, since it blends a lot of different cultures. We enjoyed some Pisca Sours, Peru's national cocktail, but didn’t try the local wine. Yes, there is a Peruvian wine industry, centred in the area where the recent earthquake hit.

While it was all quite entertaining, we were pleased to leave around 10 and return to the luxurious surroundings of our hotel. It had been a long day, what with the delay at the airport, and a two hour time change, and we were happy to sink into a king size bed in a king sized room ( 675 sq.ft. I measured it!) We slept quite well, despite the effects of the altitude sickness pills Sally insisted that we take to prepare us for Cusco, our next destination.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the Peruvian Gold Museum, which I had been told was a must, nor many of the other museums and grand colonial buildings. I suspect Sally’s guide book was correct in that relative to other major South American cities, there is not a lot to see, but much of what we did see was quite lovely. If you are coming to Peru to see Machu Picchu, it is worth staying over for a couple of days. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be back too.

Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia is another UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, across the water from Buenos Aires and 2 ½ hours by bus from Montevideo. It’s the sort of place where Thrifty rents golf carts as well as cars.

But you don’t need a car, you can walk almost everywhere. The town consists of two parts; an old historic area, and a newer area with streets lined with wonderful old plane trees.

We stayed in a typical small charming 18^th century posada in the centre of the historic area, with rooms located around a central courtyard, and stone walls in the bathroom.

In many ways, Colonia reminded us of Parati in Brazil. Both have become tourist destinations, with numerous restaurants, art galleries, souvenir shops and small hotels. However, although Colonia is on the ocean, its streets are not flooded at high tide like those of Parati.

Many of the buildings have a rough stone exterior, which when combined with the rough stone streets, creates a very interesting effect.

Other buildings are covered in stucco that over the centuries has faded and been painted and re-painted. The result is a very beautiful effect.

The town has a variety of restaurants. Some offer tables and chairs set up in the middle of the pedestrian only roads. However my favourite had seating in an old car parked in front. Now there’s an idea for an enterprising restaurateur like Peter Horwood; a drive-in restaurant for people who don’t own cars.

Before dinner, we wandered into a small art gallery with some very good paintings and interesting sculptures. We subsequently learned the gallery was owned by a husband and wife and he had created the sculptures. A very passionate man, he gave us a brief lecture on Uruguayan art…in Spanish, while his wife tried to translate. When he learned I was an architect, he brought out a small sculpture he had made of an architect with a very rotund belly, that they both thought suited me well. They couldn’t understand why we didn’t buy it right away, but we were concerned whether we could make room for it in our luggage. However, just before leaving the town, we decided to go back and buy it. They were literally overjoyed to see us since they feared we had left without the piece. We were so glad we had gone back. Now we just have to figure out how to get it home.

I dwell on this story since I think it describes the Uruguayans we met during our brief stay. They were very proud of their small country, which lives in the shadow of Argentina. They were passionate about the arts, and had a creative edge. This was exemplified by a restaurant where we ate one evening. It was not a barbq house. It was a sophisticated place in a renovated castle that would not have been out of place in a major European city. There’s much more to Uruguay than cattle and beef. It’s well worth a visit.

Underrated Uruguay

We first decided to visit Uruguay 10 years ago, after a dinner in its pavilion at Expo 97 in Lisbon. It’s a small country with a very small population. Although most people are Catholic, there has been a longstanding separation between church and state. As a result, the population has stopped growing due to the government's extremely effective family planning programs.

Half the country's 3.3 million people live in the capital of Montevideo, a 2 ½ hour fast ferry ride from Buenos Aires. We arrived on Thursday night at a hotel near the old city waterfront without a reservation. Much to our surprise, it was full

The clerk was very helpful and recommended a nearby Holiday Inn. For 8 months we have managed to avoid Holiday Inns; but the hour was late, so we agreed. It turned out to be a good decision, since it appeared to be in a livelier part of the city. The new reception clerk asked if we wanted to book a City Tour and a tour of Punte Del Este, Uruguay's popular beach resort. Again, contrary to our normal practice, we agreed; and this too turned out to be a good decision.

The next morning we set off for Punte Del Este in a small van with four other people; a mother and son from Brazil and a husband and wife from California. She was the most stupid person I have met on this trip. One of her typical questions? "What country is Uruguay in?"

Punte Del Este is located on a long narrow peninsula, 140 km from Montevideo. Initially developed as a summer resort for locals and Argentineans, in recent years it has started to attract an international clientele with its beautiful beaches lined with apartments. It was surprisingly sophisticated. We were told Ralph Lauren rented a house last season for $12,000 a day. Although we were out of season, it was still an interesting place to visit. In addition to wandering through the small town, we watched mating sea lions, and fisherman pulling fish off their nets. We also saw the famous hand in the beach.

The town included every architectural style imaginable. Some of the new low rise apartments, with their elegant clean lines, could have been on the Vancouver waterfront. There were some outstanding buildings designed by Carlos Ott, Uruguay's internationally celebrated and award winning architect. However, I was impressed by the buildings with Uruguayan thatched roofs. These roofs are quite different from English thatch and are still regularly constructed.

I was also delighted by a small bridge that had been designed like a roller coaster! Can you imagine that being approved in Vancouver? While it was justified on its structural engineering properties, it was a thrill to drive over.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to Casa Pueblo, a large building complex overlooking the ocean just outside of Punte Del Este. It was designed and built by Carlos Paez Vilaro, an internationally renowned Uruguayan artist, adventurer, and philanthropist. From the air, it looked like a small Greek village with its white walls terracing down the hillside. But it was also a fantastic, organic sculpture containing a studio, gallery, restaurant, hotel, and private residence for its creator who is now 83.

Before touring his property, we watched a film about Paez Vilaro’s life story. It was an extraordinary tale. He got his start when he was asked to paint a mural at Marlon Brando's Tahiti house 55 years ago. Since then, he has explored the world, painting murals everywhere he goes. He also does other work, including large colourful paintings, sculpture and ceramics. But his mission is helping underprivileged people, especially blacks around the world. In Uruguay, he is a major celebrity. The gallery was full of photographs of him with famous international figures. There he was with Picasso or in an embrace with his friend Brigitte Bardot. There were pictures of him with Fidel Castro, JFK and Sophia Loren. In addition to everything else, one of his sons was a survivor of the famous plane crash in the Andes that was immortalized in the movie 'Alive'. And yet, we had never heard of him.

Our tour of Montevideo the next day was not quite as interesting. But as our guide forewarned us, Montevideo is a city of contrasts. While many areas are very run down and disturbing, there are many beautiful buildings and areas, including a waterfront road lined with high rise apartments overlooking the city’s beaches. I was impressed with many of the large sculptures around the city.

But the downtown office high rises could have been in any North American city.There are impressive 18^th and 19^th century buildings just waiting to be renovated. Unfortunately, the economy, which is very much dependent on beef exports, and closely tied to the Argentinean economy, is still recovering. But one day there will be money to restore the properties, especially if the recent influx of foreigners buying real estate continues, and Ralph Lauren and his friends keep spending $12,000 a day for accommodation.

Before leaving Montevideo for Colonia, we did what the locals did. We went to the waterfront market for lunch. The place was full of parillas or barbq restaurants. We had never seen so much barbq'd meat in one place in our lives. It was difficult to decide where to eat, especially with each restaurateur trying to get us into his place. In the end, we picked one, and my only regret was that I couldn’t eat at all the others. But we’ll be back.

At last! Buenos Aires

When we were planning this trip, Buenos Aires and Rio were the two South American cities I was most looking forward to. While I was a bit disappointed with Rio, I was not at all disappointed with BA. After just three days, I think it’s a place we will definitely come back to, and could even imagine living here for a while, should the opportunity ever arise.

We stayed at the Claridge, a lively, urbane hotel that we booked through Wotif, our favourite hotel reservations site that we had not been able to use for some time. From our central location, we could walk to Florida Avenue, the major pedestrian shopping street, where dancers performed the tango while nearby stores sold leather coats and jackets. We tried to buy some leather jackets because it was cold...10 degrees one morning. But we couldn't really find what we wanted, and weren't sure we needed the extra baggage. We bought long underwear instead!

Near the hotel, Sally came across a kiosk selling maps. She was surprised to discover on one world map, that within Canada, one of BC's five major cities was...are you ready?...Richmond. We decided that the map must have been printed in China by a man whose brother lived in Richmond.

We would have gone shopping at the only branch store of Harrods outside of London, but it had closed down. While we couldn’t find out why, it may be because BA is a relatively inexpensive city, especially compared to most of the places we have visited. The best deals are in the restaurants where we generally paid a third of the price for a similar meal in Vancouver.

A few blocks away, we walked along Avenue 9th of July, the widest street in the world. It takes a few minutes to cross! Like many other streets in the city, portions are lined with magnificent old buildings, including some excellent examples of Art Nouveau.

Buenos Aires is a very big, lively and busy city. To get an overview, we took a bus tour and learned about the city in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Sometimes, I couldn’t tell which language was being spoken. We saw some very elegant old and new apartment buildings, and impressive public buildings, usually well guarded by waiting police officers.

However, two highlights were the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried; not because she was buried there, but for its amazing layout with row upon row of large mausoleum structures. It had a nice urban feel!

I also enjoyed Boca, a poorer Italian neighbourhood, with colourful painted buildings and lots of art for sale in the streets. I was tempted to buy a painting of tango dancers, but Sally had already purchased a small 'tango' painting, and didn't want our house looking like a dance school. There was also a lot of work in local galleries that I would have liked to have brought home. This is a city that places a high value on the arts.

The Teatro Colon Opera House, considered by many to have the best acoustics in the world, was near our hotel. I walked over to buy tickets for an evening performance, unaware it is closed until May 2008 for renovations. I suggested to Sally that we see Cabaret instead; but she wasn't as keen to hear 'Money Makes the World go Around' in Spanish, as I was.

Fortunately, there was a Tango recital in the hotel bar that we watched instead, before heading off to dinner at a nearby Argentinean Grill house, which served some very large steaks.

We traveled around by Subway. BA has a very extensive system with four lines, and an excellent mapping system which helps tourists get around. Our favourite line was the first one, which still uses old wooden cars with wooden seats.

On the third morning, we came upon a large Travel Agency. We needed to get to Lima, our final destination. While we had investigated flights on the internet, I wasn't sure we had found all the options. So we went inside and met a very knowledgeable English speaking agent, Florencia Vallarolo. She had a very lovely and professional manner, and within no time she had found a better flight, and suggested we consider a tour package for Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Mach Pichu. Thinking a tour package might eliminate some of the customary drama from not knowing if we'd get on the train, or have a place to sleep each night, we booked it. We even purchased altitude sickness pills, so we are ready for all eventualities during our last five days.

But first, we have decided to take a 3 day side trip to Uruguay. We are traveling by fast ferry from a terminal in the revitalized waterfront area, where there are some very large and beautiful new residential and mixed use buildings, and some of the city’s most expensive waterfront restaurants.

After Uruguay, we'll have two more nights in Buenos Aires, before flying to Lima. This time we will stay in another part of the town and hopefully see more of this lively, sophisticated city that feels a lot like Paris and New York. I may even look for a leather coat.

Iguazu Falls, Foz Iguassu

I first heard of the Iguazu Falls at Heinz Stulmuller’s birthday party when my old friend David Mooney said he planned to go to ‘those falls’ on his trip to Argentina. Sally first heard of them when the travel doctor asked if we planned to see them and if so he would give us malaria pills. He thought we would not need the yellow fever vaccine given our advanced age.

We then heard about the falls during just about every discussion with someone in Brazil. “Are you going to Iguazu Falls?” or “You must go to the Iguazu Falls”. This was usually followed by “Make sure you go to both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides. The Argentinean side is better”. While it was a bit out of the way to get there, we knew we would have to go.

Looking at the map, we decided to use it as a stepping stone from Curitiba to Buenos Aires. We arrived on the Brazilian side,at a small airport where we were greeted at the terminal by Brazilian musicians promoting a dinner/theatre production. “We must go to that” I thought. Once inside there was a large advertisement for a golf resort owned by the Bourbon Hotel chain, where we had stayed in Curitiba. “Maybe we should play golf too”.

I had booked the Hotel Carima on the internet since it was advertised as the state’s largest hotel. I wanted to be somewhere lively. It turned out to be a good choice, in terms of location, since it was close to the airport, the road to the falls, and the road to Argentina.

But as for lively, I couldn’t have been more wrong. When we arrived, the lobby was so dark and gloomy we weren’t even sure if the hotel was open! For some reason, it was full of old cars and equipment, but no guests, other than the staff. (We did see a couple the next morning.)

The pleasant receptionist told us we had time to visit the Brazilian side of the falls that afternoon, and should see the Argentinean side the next day. So we left our bags in our very 60’s room, and got onto a bus to the National Park where the falls were located. From there we took a two-decker bus and got off when most of the other people did.

Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy and overcast. We couldn’t see much, but heard a giant roar. After walking down a long walkway, the falls were before us. They were impressive, but I wasn’t sure they were worth all the trouble getting there. We walked a little further, and I then realized there was more to see. The falls seemed to go on forever! We kept walking, and there were more falls. I subsequently read there were 275 falls over a 3 km precipice.

They made Niagara Falls seem like a small ripple! Sally kept saying she couldn’t understand how the Argentinean side could be any better.

That evening, we did go to the dinner/dance production, and I fell in love with a dark skinned dancer who looked very much like one of the girls in the painting I bought in Rio. I had my picture taken with her, but she looks much better in real life.

We woke up the next morning, and it was raining. Really raining. After breakfast in a large gloomy dining room, we set off for the Argentinean side. It was a lot easier getting there than expected. We took a $10 taxi ride through the Brazilian and Argentinean customs and were soon in the Argentinean town. Had we known how easy it was going to be, and how hard it was going to rain, we would have flown out that afternoon to Buenos Aires. Instead we stayed for the day, with plans to leave the next morning.

We're not sure we can say the Argentinean side was better since it rained so hard, we only saw a small part. But it was very well worth the visit. From the park entrance, we boarded a narrow gauge train out to a station, from where we walked along a 1100 km metal walkway over the river. Given the heavy rain, it was slippery and felt a bit treacherous. It was also disconcerting seeing remnants of older walkways that had washed away.

Eventually, we got to a point where we could stand literally on top of one of the two greatest waterfalls in the world. (Only Victoria Falls in Africa compares to it.) It was outstanding. Despite my white plastic raincoat that made me look like a member of the Klu Klux Klan, I got soaked. We therefore decided to skip the 4 km hike through the jungle to see the other portions of the falls, that we had seen the day before. Instead we returned to the small town on the Argentinean side to buy some wine and spend some time in the hot tub or sauna to warm up.

We did get the wine, but the hot tub was just warm, and the sauna needed an hour to heat up. So we stayed in the room and read the Vancouver Sun on the internet, including my story on safer cycling in the city. That evening, we had dinner in the hotel dining room, where I met a delightful young couple from Israel. We discussed our respective travels and I urged them to try out house exchanges and see Laos. We agreed to meet in Vancouver in 2 years.

Around midnight I went to bed and awoke the next morning feeling quite sick. But we were off to Buenos Aires, a place we had both wanted to visit for a long time.