We started out from Calgary on the 24th of December, after a few last minute administrative issues were sorted out. Check in was at the Business counter, which I have done after a very long time. The flight was normal, and the only surprise was that we got a cheeseburger as dinner. In other non North American airlines, we would have got something far better. But we have come to expect very little from these “First World” airlines.
We circled around Dallas airport for about 45 minutes without landing. At this point the pilot informed us that the airport had been shut down due to snow/ice. Now, the amount they got was minuscule. But since they are not used to any snow, the airport diverted our flight to San Antonio, which was thirty minutes away. At this point I was convinced we were going to miss our connecting flight to Santiago, Chile. The stewardess kept comforting us, by telling us that all flights had been delayed. After three hours at the tarmac, we took off to Dallas.
As soon as we landed, Lillian rushed out to the Information counter, expecting to hear that we had missed our connecting flight. This would have been a fine Xmas gift!! Luckily, our connecting flight was much delayed, so we headed out to the Business class lounge, where we were entitled a single drink each, and free internet. Our bartender told us that we were very lucky, since there was only one flight out of Dallas to Santiago, and they always went full. If we missed it we would have had major problems. We boarded the flight, and somewhere on the runway Xmas started.
The flight was lovely. There were Business class seats which spread out as beds. There was a personal entertainment system along with Bose Headsets, which really impressed us since the noise cancellation meant that we couldn't hear the aircraft engines, or anything else for that matter. It helped us to get a good night of sleep.
The flight arrived in the afternoon in Santiago, Chile. The airport was hot (the AC was not cranked up to Dubai standards!) and the immigration/customs were not in a Christmassy mood. We were told to dump all animal products, especially anything made with honey (our lip balms, given to us in the flight, had to go). Our hotel pick up took us and checked us in. Now we made a critical error. It was around 2 pm., so we thought we would skip lunch and have dinner at our usual time, around 5 or 6 pm. However, most restaurants were closed and the hotel restaurant opened only at 8 pm. We were absolutely famished by dinnertime. The food was great, some sea bass and conger eel grilled in cheese. This is the main Chilean specialty. The service was charming, in a very typical South American way.
The next day we went for a city tour. Our guide, Jose, was very relaxed. And on time, despite what we had heard about South America. We started from the San Lucia hill, which is where Santiago was founded in 1540 by Pedro de Valdevia. Since the area was surrounded by hostile natives, the hill was selected as it was an easily defend able base. There was a pretty gate, with a 2 meter inscription of the letter from Pedro de Valdevia to the King of Spain. After that we headed to the government palace, in a pretty little square. The architecture looked European. Our next stop was the Plaza de Aramas, of which there seems to be one in every Spanish speaking country. In Santiago, there was a park at the centre, The Cathedral on the northern side, and the post office headquarters on the eastern side. This location is also the Point zero of the city, where all the distances are measured from. The Santiago Cathedral was where Pope John Paul 2 had a service, after successfully negotiating peace between Chile and Argentina during a border dispute in 1978. It was decorated with frescoes and typical Spanish architecture.
We were dropped off for lunch in a Peruvian restaurant, which I found strange. I guess there wasn't a huge variety in the Chilean cuisine, so Peruvian food was recommended! It was our first experience of the cuisine, and the food was excellent. We of course also had a couple of types of pisco sours. For dinner we headed to Café Liguiria, where they served some good Italian food along with some excellent local wine.
The next day we went for the vineyard tour. We started with the Maipu vineyard, which was owned by three Frenchman and a Chilean. They made some excellent Malbec. The interesting aspect of this winery was that the owner had started a rumour that the Devil lived in the wine cellars, so that the local workers would not steal the wine!! There is a little room where one can see a ghostly shadow, which must have convinced everyone about the Devil. We met quite a few Brazilians here, the first of our many Brazilian friends and acquaintances on this trip. They were buying a lot of wine because their currency has appreciated significantly, and everything is much cheaper for them. The next winery was the famous Concho y Toro. This is one of the biggest wineries in Chile. The wines were very good, and again, the Brazilians were buying up the whole place.
The next day was our free day. We headed to Cerro (Hill) San Cristobal, which overlooks Santiago and has a giant statue of the Virgin Mary. It was a warm day, about 30 c, and we had to take the funicular (a type of winch) to go up. One could, of course, trek up the hill, but neither Lillian nor I are in any shape to do so. One could see the view of the entire city from the hill, even if it was a bit smoggy.
My impression of Santiago so far was that it resembled a European or a North American city. The infrastructure was as good, or better than many North American cities. There were also many cleaners everywhere very obsessed with cleaning all the time. Monica from “Friends” would love this place!
On our flight to Santiago, we had met Brian Monk, who was a former diplomat with the Canadian Embassy in India and Iran. He was also travelling on the same day back to Canada. In Santiago, we bumped into him a couple of times in cafes and restaurants. I nicknamed him our stalker friend, because what are the chances you will meet someone from your city and flight in a foreign city, a few times.
On the 29th, we took a trip to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso. The road to these two cities was covered with farms, where they grew corn, avocados, grapes, etc.. There was a tunnel through the mountains, which cut the journey by a few hours. In the old days, it took the Spanish settlers days to cross the Andes mountains.
We entered Valparaiso, which is a hill town. All the houses are on hills, which was due to an earthquake/flood that took place in 1800s. The downtown core is still on the plains, and people get a lot of exercise walking up and down. Pablo Neruda, Chile Nobel Laureate Poet, said that women of Valparaiso have the best legs because they are constantly walking up and down these hills! The houses were something to behold as well. They were all in very bright colours, and somehow did not look as tacky as one would have expected. We visited Pablo Neruda’s house, a sort of pilgrimage spot for Chileans to their literary hero. The house is named Sebastiana after the architect.
We checked into our Bed and Breakfast (Casa Olga) in Vina Del Mar later in the afternoon. Our hosts were a charming couple – Carolina was from Chile and Jose Maria was from Argentina. The dog was named Che, after the great communist hero (who was Argentinian, as anyone who has watched Motorcycle Diaries knows). The house was spacious, located in front of the sea. The furniture in the house was expensive and from Pottery Barn in the US, which is where Carolina had it shipped from. They lived in Miami for eight years, and were fluent in several languages. The neighbourhood was an upper class one with large houses, and we also chose it since the famous New Years fireworks could be seen from right in front of house.
The next day we went by the metro to the city centre of Vina Del Mar. It was a typical city – one couldn't have distinguished the city centre from anywhere else. We were enjoying the fact that we were walking around in 30 c heat, while that day Calgary was around – 26 c. That evening we saw our new Brazilian and American fellow boarders. The Brazilian couple, Aline and Luciano, went for a two hour run, which resulted in Lillian feeling very depressed! We are both quite out of shape relative to those two.
The next day, 31st December, was what we were in Vina Del Mar for. During the day, we took the metro and went for a walk around Valparaiso. It was a beautiful summer day, and we were accompanied by Luciano and Aline. In this trip, time and again, it was the Brazilians that we made friends with very easily. Perhaps it was Lillian’s suspected Portuguese ancestry, or the fact that my parents lived in Brazil, or because we were all tourists, but they seemed to become our friends in the drop of a hat.
Later that evening, Carolina and Jose prepared a delicious spread. We were joined by Karen and Elaine who were from Chicago. There was cerviche, smoked ham, champagne, wine, beer, sushi, and many other delicacies for us. At ten minutes to 12, we all trooped to the street outside. It went up a hill, and gave us a clear view of the ocean in front of us. Lillian placed the camera on the wall. The fireworks started exactly at 12, and there were all sorts of colours. The fireworks went of along the whole length of the coast from Vina Del Mar to Valparaiso, about 10 km long. It was one of the prettiest New Years that I have spent. At three, Lillian went to sleep. I stayed up and sent greetings on the Net to friends and family.
At four in the morning, after a very short one hour of sleep, I had to wake up Lillian. We took a taxi to Santiago airport, about 150 km away. The airport was empty (nursing hangovers I am sure), and we headed to Lima, Peru. There was a lesson learnt in the airport. Lillian cabin bag is rather large, and though technically cabin sized, like all good Indians we stuffed the bag. We were sitting right in front of the gate, and one of the staff came and told us they had to measure Lillian's’ bag. Once they found it was just a tad too big, we had to send it as checked baggage. So from now onwards we never sit in front of the gate, where some bored staff member can see us and check the baggage.
PERU
Lima was very quiet, noticeably poorer than Chile. We were warned not to go to a lot of places alone at night. The taxis don’t have meters, and we avoided them through our stay. Our hotel was a disappointment – run down rooms, slow front desk. The area was called Miraflores, a very touristy area that was full of restaurants. We ate at the hotel that night, and Peruvian cuisine was a revelation to us. It is not the typical South American cuisine – it has spices and meat and dishes that are completely different from other places.
The next day we were picked up for our Lima City tour. It has a very European style architecture. The highlight was the colonial and the modern sections of Lima (which is also known as the “City of Kings" in Spanish). Colonial Lima included a visit to the Main Square, located in the heart of downtown to view the Government Palace, the Town Hall, The "Desamparados" Train Station ,the old streets with their vice royal mansions and Moorish style balconies, the Bishop Palace with its beautiful balconies and the Cathedral of Lima. (Its outstanding features are the choir stalls, the Churrigueresque Chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and a Christ made of carved ivory).
The tour continued with a visit to San Francisco with its convent (considered to be the most important religious monument of Lima, built in 1542 in Baroque style and consecrated in 1673) and the museum of colonial art, cloisters and catacombs. Our drive through Lima passed by several Colonial squares, churches and mansions, then we continued to the Modern Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, for a glimpse of life in this huge city, as well as its beautiful parks, modern buildings and great ocean views.
In the evening we went to a lovely restaurant called Astrid y Gaston, which served us some the best food we had on this trip. It was a high class restaurant, which we entered in our casual jeans. The restaurant manager (or someone who looked like one) asked me if I wanted something spicy. He sent us this spicy sauce (Rocoto) that totally numbed my tongue and drove Lillian to tears. After that food was excellent. It was topped of by the Suspiro de Limeña, the sigh of the lady from Lima – a very rich dessert.
After Breakfast, very early this morning we boarded a flight to the imperial Incan city of Cusco. Upon arrival the tour company's representatives met and escorted us to our hotel.We took the remainder of the morning to adjust to Cusco's high altitude (11000 feet above sea level). Cusco is a hilly town and we had to stop every hundred metres to catch our breath. Now we know that both of us were completely out of shape!!
In the afternoon our guided tour of the Inca Royal City of Cusco started in the very impressionable Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by a beautiful stone arcade. In the Plaza is the Cathedral, with outside façade in Renaissance style is in contrast to its Baroque and plateresque style of its interiors. The Convent of Santo Domingo was built above the most important Inca Temple, the Temple of the Sun, or Koricancha. Near the City of Cusco, you will visit the Inca Fortress Sacsayhuaman, made up of three gigantic terraces, superimposed in a zigzag form. Qenqo, was a religious centre formed by a singular flowering of calcareous rock. It has underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheatre with a series of stone seats. Nearby is Tambomachay, well known as Baths of the Incas, a place dedicated to the cult of the water, formed by aqueducts, channels and small cascades worked in the rock.
The next morning, after breakfast, we were picked up from the hotel very early in the morning and transported to the train station. We took the Vistadome train (operated by the Orient Express Travels) to Aguas Calientes, located 120 km from the City of Cusco and after 3 hour train trip we arrived at the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Machu Picchu complex which is an extraordinary combination of remarkable architecture and unforgettable scenery.
After arrival in Aguas Calientes bus station we were transported by bus to the Citadelle, which is located on the top of a steep mountain that dominates the deep Canyon formed by the passing the Urubamba river and whose sides are so sheer that the ancient buildings of Machu Picchu City Complex cannot be seen from the bottom of the mountain.
Machu Picchu is also called The Lost City of the Incas. It was planned and constructed in two distinct areas, the agricultural one formed by the cultivation terraces or platforms and located in the precipitous hillside of the mountain, and the urban area, where Machu Picchu inhabitants lived. In the high part, a line separates the agricultural and urban areas. In the urban sector, you can observe two very well defined: civil engineering works. One is the residential neighbourhoods, and the other water canal systems. Both constructions did not reach the same perfection in their finishing as the buildings of the Sacred Valley (temples, mausoleums, squares, real houses). Here it is very common to see the use of the trapezoidal window and of niches where they deposited their idols as well as the prevalence of the rectangular constructions of a single floor.
In the evening we walked around Aguas Calientes, looking for an oil painting of Machu Picchu. Since it was raining, we retreated back to the hotel, which was right next to the river Urubamba. This river was to flood a couple of months later and cut off Aguas Calientes from the rest of the world for weeks.
The next afternoon we took the Vistadome train back to Cusco. We had (surprise,surprise) Brazilians sitting in front of us. One was Peruvian Brazilian, and the other was Polish Brazilian (therefore I felt an immediate bonding). They were both from a city named Florianpolis, which is now on our list of places to see in Brazil! Their kids came and chatted with us too. The train journey was enlivened by a local costume show (where the overpriced garments were worn by our young Peruvian host and hostess) and Incan traditional dance.
That evening in Cusco, we went hunting like tribal warriors for an oil painting of Cusco. Our rudimentary Spanish came in useful for the bargaining. We finally got a nice one at reasonable price, which made Lillian's trip to Macchu Picchu worthwhile!!
The next early morning we flew to Lima, and caught a connecting flight to Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA
On 6th January, we took our flight to Buenos Aires, best known as "The Paris of South America". Upon arrival our travel representative met us and escorted us to our hotel. That evening we had a fabulous steak and wine dinner, and admired all the trim Argentinians. It was going to be a very beefy (eating wise)trip, but we didn't know it yet. My Hindu ancestors probably rolled in their cremation yards a few times (or their reborn forms did, wherever they are right now).
The next day morning at breakfast we had our first taste of yerba mate (a native tea, which is very bitter unless mixed with lots of sugar) The city tour started at the historic Plaza de Mayo Square, the scene of many resonant, political manifestations. It is surrounded by the Government House, best known as the "Pink House", the Cabildo (the old City Hall), which dates back to 1754, and still keeps its colonial characteristics; and the Cathedral. There are constant protests here- especially by the mothers of political activists who were arrested and disappeared by the dictatorship in the 1970s.
Wide avenues and green areas appeared constantly trying to slow down the rhythm of this vertiginous city. A sample of this is the 9 de Julio Avenue, with its eight lanes divided by small green squares with old, leafy trees and enriched by sculptures and fountains. In the middle of this avenue, in the Plaza de la Republica, the Obelisk arises as a symbol of the city. Nearby, we could see the majestic Colon Theater, whose perfect acoustics make it one of the best Opera Houses in the world (unfortunately closed when we went).
Southwards, we reach the picturesque and colourful port neighbourhood of La Boca with its famous alley, "Caminito", whose architectural characteristics and customs reflect the influence of the European citizens that came to these shores in the last years of the 19th century. The place was full of stalls, outdoor painters, etc.. There was a Diego Maradona look alike who was charging people to take photos with him. I was very thrilled when he called out to me with India, India and to Lillian with Brazil, Brazil!!!
 
The visit continued towards San Telmo, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. Every Sunday an antique fair is held in the Plaza Dorrego. The area has also a lively night life as there are many tango houses, restaurants and pubs.
We then went to the modern Puerto Madero neighbourhood, with its former port warehouses, now turned into offices, flats, entertainment facilities and top-notch restaurants overlooking the Rio de la Plata. We continued northwards to visit the residential Palermo neighbourhood with its elegant residences framed by wide green areas; passing by the Rosedal, the Botanic Garden, the Zoo, the Planetarium, and the Hippodrome.
Finally we reached Recoleta, the most sophisticated neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, where some of the best restaurants, cafés, night clubs and boutiques are placed. The Recoleta Cemetery surprises the visitor with its location, its varied architectural resources and the personalities that are buried there, such as Eva Perón.
Later that evening we went out with my friend Jimena and her husband Mario. She is Mexican, and I had met her and her sister when we were travelling through Eastern Europe with Contiki in 2000. Her husband is Argentinian, and he has a great sense of humour. He is also very multilingual, as apparently many in Argentina are.
The next day we took our tour of Tigre. We started with the Puerto de Frutos (Fruit Port), along Sarmiento Street, which on weekends houses a handicraft market offering wicker pieces, furniture, and plant nurseries.An area featuring restaurants and bars and located by the Reconquista River, which is usually crowded.On-boat trips on Luján River, which are best in spring and fall. There are hundreds of islets spread all along the Paraná Delta, where visitors can stay or just have lunch/dinner and take it easy. These parks and clubs can only be accessed by water.
The Tren de la Costa (Coast Train) is the ideal means of transport to get to Tigre; the station is located in Olivos. The Train travels through the northern area of Buenos Aires. Passengers can get off at any of the stations and get on the train again whenever desired. The most visited station is San Isidro, which includes a shopping centre and restaurants, and visitors can stroll along quiet streets and residential neighbourhoods, visit the Cathedral of San Isidro and, in the evenings, spend some time in any of the various bars, some of them located on the riverside.
 
The next night we went for the Tango show - it was a spectacular presentation of the acclaimed popular and sensuous Tango performed by professionals who are the best and will left us breathless with their skills, timing, passion and stamina. We were in a table with few Brazilians, who were as usual very friendly and chatty. The show started with a history of the Spanish conquest of the Americas and ended with an opera singer singing the "Don't cry for me Argentina" song!!
On January 10th, we made the trip Lillian had been waiting for. Our flight to Santiago Del Estero, a city in North Argentina, took us two hours. We were greeted at the airport by Natalia, Oscar and Leandro (the apple of Lillian's eyes). We had met them during our trip to Spain & Portugal in 2008. And Leandro had stuck to Lillian the whole time, refusing to go back to his parents!!
Santiago Del Estero is in the pampas.Oscar & Natalia have a huge house there, and apparently a couple of large houses that they are renting out. We went for a drive to the nearby dam. The temperature was a sweltering 37 c (too hot for us Canadians!!).
After an excellent lunch, they took us to the casino and the resort where a four star hotel is being built on the lake shore. There were sailing boats and beaches. it reminded me a little bit of Kelowna, in British Columbia.
At night we went out for an excellent meal of Argentinian beef. It was a warm and humid night by the lake. It also happened to be our first wedding anniversary.
The next day we went out to the town square. It had a beautiful old Cathedral, and an old train station which takes only cargo now (like the rest of South America, train travel seems to have fallen behind bus travel). There was a statue of a mythical creature named
The next day we took a bus to Cordoba, a town famous for having the oldest University in Argentina. Our bus was late due to heavy rains on the way to Santiago Del Estero, so we reached Cordoba a few hours late. We went on our own to the major sites, including the University and The Cathedral, built in 1577. There was a little river named Canada (!!) in front of our hotel. A pretty mall called Patios Almos was a few minutes walk from the hotel, where (of course) we had to go shopping!
The next morning we took a cab (which was dirt cheap) to the airport. It was one of the emptiest airports I have seen (there must have been a couple of dozen people, in a medium sized airport). Our flight to Mendoza was uneventful. From the air it looked like we were going to a desert, which Mendoza is. Our hotel (Diplomatic Park Plaza) was a beautiful one with marble flooring, large chandeliers, etc.
The next day we took our city tour of Mendoza. It was the city where Jose San Martin organized armies to liberate Argentina, Chile and Peru from the Spanish. It also has the largest wine growing region in Latin America, and is one of the nine wine centres of the world. We went to the Park, with a statue of San Martin liberating Argentina. The next stop was a winery, which was a lot more low key than the Chilean ones.
The next morning we took the Andesmar Bus from Mendoza to Santiago, Chile. The trip goes cross the Andes mountains, which was breathtaking. |
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The Andesmar Bus Service offers business class like trips. There are full reclining seats, personal TVs, and stewards serving food. The VIP seats are on the lower floor of the double decker bus. We were watching a Hollywood movie, which we thought was dubbed in Spanish, but was actually in English! We had become used to reading subtitles without checking if the movie was dubbed or not!
The border crossing was intense, and took over 4 hours (it was supposed to have taken 30 minutes by the bus schedule). The Chileans are hardcore about not allowing any honey products, or any other agricultural products! Our knowledge of Spanish came through, because even the English section of the customs used Spanish words liberally.We landed in Santiago late int he evening, to some well deserved rest.
The next day we headed home. On an another business class flight.
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