AAFrequentFlyer

All the bills are paid. One more shopping trip on Tuesday morning and off to South America in the evening for the entire month of March.

March 1-4 - Rio
March 4-7 - Sao Paulo
March 7-10 - Montevideo
March 10-16 - Buenos Aires and surrounding area
March 16-22 - Santiago and surrounding area
March 22-25 - Easter Island
March 25-26 - Lima
March 26-29 - Cuzco and Machu Picchu
March 29-31 - Lima

I will try my best to make a report from every stop.

Have a wonderful MARCH!

I know I will.......

owlwoman

Don't buy too much, the shopping in BA is fantastic. We'll be passing ships in the night as we arrive in BA on the 16th for our 2 1/2 week adventure (we can't swing a full month, yet....).

Have a wonderful March!!! Looking forward to reading your adventures.

AAFrequentFlyer

The AA flight to GIG through GRU was very nice, but it should have been as I flew in first class. The 777 suites are some of the most comfortable, and still one of the best seats in the industry.

Today I flew Varig in coach to GRU, ok flight, and just checked in to the Hilton Morumbi. More on this city later, but here is a short report on Rio,

The airport really sucks. It doesn't matter if you are coming in or departing, it's a mess....and it will take you just as long either way. There are lines for EVERYTHING and very little commitment in manpower from the Federal Police (they are in charge and also the main cause of LOOOOOOOOOOOONG lines)

I got out of Rio alive....(barely)

I'm not talking about crime, I'm just talking about the women, booze, party, etc......

I had a great time. Met some wonderful people, had some wonderful food, took some great pics. Celebrated my friend's b-day last night.....oooohhhh......still hurting!

The Sheraton Leblon was somewhat of a disappointment, but it did the job.

Ipanema and Copacabana beaches are all that and more.

Did the tourist thing and visited the Christ statue, (thumbs up), and the Sugar Loaf Mountain, (ok).

Nightlife in Ipanema is GREAT!

Did not do too much shopping as I still have almost 4 weeks to go. I decided against carrying gifts for that long.

Great city, IMHO - relatively safe, (as long as you don't look for trouble). I wore a nice watch and never felt like I was being targeted. I'm sure there are neighborhoods that I would not want to do the same things, but as long as you stay within the beach areas, I believe it's very safe.

Thumbs up for Rio!

SharonNRayMc

Thank you for updating us on your travels. I think it is always fun to read a "reporting live" posting.
I'm certainly waiting for the first installment and hope the little travel guide I sent you is helpful for the Peruvian segment of your journey.

-Sharon

AAFrequentFlyer

Sao Paulo - not much to say. It has very little to offer to tourists. It's a HUGE city with ~17M population, but unfortunately most are poor. It's a dangerous city. My only reason for coming here was to visit with friends. I hate to say it but I would not recommend this city for anybody that enjoys walking around, taking public transportation, and/or enjoying the things that a big city like this has to offer. I was lucky enough to have friends to take me around and show me few things, but I doubt very much I would have planned a visit here if it wasn't for them.

Anyway, The Hilton Morumbi is a magnificant property. Highly recommend it if you must make a stop in this city.

Have a free day today as my friends are working, so I plan on just relaxing at the spa/gym and pool which is located on the top floor of this great property.

Tomorrow it's off to Montevideo and I'm really looking forward to it.

AAFrequentFlyer

Montevideo?

First the hotel - The Four Points Sheraton in central part of town was a good choice for me. The room was nice, but nothing extravagant. I did pay extra couple of $s for a corner room and IMHO it was worth it. It seemed like a much larger room and it did have a jacuzzi tub, but don't get too excited about the tub. It was a very cheap imitation of a jacuzzi tub. I suppose it was better than not having it. The location was perfect for me as I like the inner city action, but if you want more luxurious place and a beach front location, then the Sheraton Montevideo is the place.

I liked the city and the surrounding areas. I stayed within the city and did not travel to the historic town of Colonia nor the resort town of Punta del Este. My friends were staying in Punta del Este and I will hook up with them tonight here in Buenos Aires so I will report on their thoughts of the place later. I did a lot of walking around Montevideo and saw some very interesting contrasts but that's pretty much true for alomost every South American city. The one positive I got was the fact that no matter where I was I felt safe. That was not true or not even close, when staying in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Another observation I made was of the wealth in this tiny SA country. It seems to be doing pretty well when compared to their neighbors. Beautiful beach front homes and not just few, but miles and miles of them on the road from the airport to the city and hundreds of what seemed like very nice to luxurious condo buildings. The city seemed more healthy than most in this region. I just wish that all these countries adopt the emmission control laws soon. The smoke/smog/stink just gets to you after few days.

I liked Montevideo, although I felt that 2-3 days is more than enough.

I may still do Colonia from Buenos Aires as it's cheaper and faster to take the ferry from here to the historic town than it is to drive from Montevideo. If I do, I will report.


Reporting from the Buenos Aires Hilton, where once again I'm being treated like a royalty. It's a steakhouse tonight with friends and a River Plate match tomorrow afternoon.

AAFrequentFlyer

3 nights in BA and loving it. Had great dinners with friends. Did a private city tour and was able to see parts of the city that the regular tourist just does not see. Fascinating.

Yesterday was a very full day. Started in the LaBoca neighborhood in the Caminito area. Many local artists display their work and it's also a very lively and loud and touristy, but very poor neighborhood. Just think of the colorful houses on postcards and that's where it is. Bought couple of original art pieces, had some great laughs with the locals, and also got a quick lesson in Tango from a local dancer. I will have to go back there tomorrow or Wednesday to complete few more purchases. Did a quick walkthrough Ave Florida, a pedestrian only street, with many high end stores, designer boutiques and shopping malls. Very busy on Sunday afternoon. Came back to the hotel to drop off the purchases, grab my camera and hook up with friends. I was just about to attend my first Argentine top league football match between the visitng River Plate and the hosts, Independiente. The facilities are old, but that just added to the total atmosphere. The stadium holds ~35K people and it was full. One section (the worst, with no seats and exposed to HOT afternoon sun throughout the entire game) was reserved for the visiting fans. They were surrounded on all sides by riot equipped police and high fence. They were a very lively bunch. Although outnumber about 1 to 7 (~5000) they were just as loud as the home crowd when doing their cheers and team songs. Their team scored first at the end of first half and that section just went wild. It actually felt as if there was an earthquake as they were jumping in unison and singing something in Spanish, which I presumed was their team song. The home team tied it up very early in the second half, and that was even more wild. The only thing that concerned me was the upper deck which did not seem to be all that well constructed, all cement and it was shaking above my head. Thankfully nothing happened. The game ended in a draw, but the atmosphere was electric and magical. I started to mimic the home fans and point towards the visiting fans as they were singing. If you are a football fan and visiting this part of the world, do see a match. The facilities are not the best, but the fans more than make up for it. No alcohol sales (for obvious reasons), and only coke and water to drink. Food was a hamburger that was being cooked on a grill right in the main pathways in front of the seats about every 50 feet apart. The smell just made me break down and buy one although to be honest I wasn't sure about it. It was fine, actually better than fine. I survived.... Just remember. Whatever section you sit in, that's the team you cheer for, or at the very least don't even think about cheering for the opposing team. Also, colors are very important. If not sure, wear a white t-shirt, almost always a neutral color. They do take their football games very seriously around here. It's their religion.

In the evening I hooked up with a lady friend, had a nice Italian dinner in the Puerto Madero area. There are literally 100's of retaurants in this new up and coming area. This is also the SAFEST area in BA. You could walk anywhere at any time and it's almost a guarantee nothing will happen. The reason? This is an old port and thus it's under the jurisdiction of the Argentine Navy. The Federal/Local Police do not have any jurisdiction here. It's the Argentine Coast Guard and they have hundreds and hundreds of their MPs patrolling the streets and all the access streets to the area have checkpoints. The locals tell me that there is nothing to fear in this neighborhood and thus that's why all the restaurants and many clubs as well as some very new and very expensive condo developments already completed or being build are here. Obviously a fight in the nightclub over a lady or whatever could still happen, but muggings will not. Highly recommend this area for tourists. Central and Recoleta are also fine, but you have to be more weary at night when walking around.

Not sure what I will do today, but it may be just an easy day.
That's it for now. 3 more nights in this wonderful city.

AAFrequentFlyer

I forgot to mention. LaBoca and the Caminito area are off limits after 6 pm or so. Don't even think about it as a tourist. The local police disappear as well. The Caminito area is great for a day visit because all the artists, crafts stalls as well as the restaurants and bars are geared towards the tourists during the day. There is some police presence, but I have a feeling the "actual" power lies with the controlling gangs and they probably collect some of their own taxes from the merchants and guarantee a very safe and fun afternoon for the tourists in this very poor, yet very traditional, old Italian immigrant neighborhood. Many tour buses, small tour vans and individual tourists in taxis are very safe there during the day, but don't even think you can stick around in the evening. I was told that ~6pm it may be very difficult to find a taxi to take you back to the other neighborhoods, so plan accordingly.
Again, during the day, you could wear a 5 karat diamond ring and nobody will touch you, but ~6pm and after, you are dead meat.
The taxis are sooooo inexpensive here that I usually take one from the hotel, make him wait and take the same one back. Yesterday I did about an hour walk around Caminito and with R/T it was 30 pesos with tip. (That's about $12-13)

During the day you don't have to do that as they are taxis everywhere within that little fun place, but it's just easier this way as the taxi driver knows where you going back to. My Spanish is non existent. Language is a problem with taxi drivers if you don't know Spanish.

AAFrequentFlyer

Had some great moments in BA during the "second" part of my visit. It's a great city, wonderful restauarants. I actually made it to the famous cemetary this time. WOW!

My flight from BA to Santiago on LAN Chile business class was very nice. It was Airbus 343 and I could not get row 1 (usually sold as 1st class, but on this flight sold as business), but the business class seats were very nice. It was a short flight, only about 1:45. Beautiful view of Andes mountain range. Some of the peaks were as high as we were flighing. It felt like you could open the windows and touch them. BTW, the LA FAs = GORGEOUS!!! and the 1 male FA, if I was gay.......

Doing a city tour this morning. Staying in the city until the 19th and then Vina del Mar, a coastal town about an hour drive from here for 3 nights. Returning to Santiago on the 22nd for as flight to Easter Island.

Elizabeth_S

I just returned from Easter Island - if you want a private guide while you're there (which I strongly recommend) I can highly recommend Josie Nahoe Mulloy - I found her name on this site ... here's a link to the article

http://www.fodors.com/features/nfdis...i_easterisland

Her grandfather is reverred on the island - he was an archeologist and anthropoligist on the Heyerdahl expedition and then returned to the island for virtually the rest of his career. Josie is half American/half Rapa Nui and brings a wonderful sense of history to the tour.

Her email address is

[email protected]

She and her husband Ramon have a very comfortable Suzuki 4 wheel drive SUV, plus they can arrange horseback riding tours or hiking tours. We went to Ahu Tongariki for sunrise - it was beautiful and we were alone there (and at the quarry) for hours. We also went to many of the caves (lava tubes) which was fascinating and into the interior......her rate is about $150 US/day and very worthwhile.

Have a great time - by the way there's a great (but pricey) restaurant called Taverna de Pechuer (or something like that - the locals call it the french restaurant as it's owned by a french chef).....outstanding slipper lobster....wish I'd had it twice!

seeall

AAFrequentFlyer:

Great report. We have visited Argentina and Uruguay and Our next plan is Argentina again, plus Chile and Peru. I am looking forward to read your report when you visit Chile and Peru. Have a wonderful time.

doledrums

you posted nothing about visiting Palermo soho and Las Canitas in BA which are the 2 most happening neighborhoods, did you get over there?

AAFrequentFlyer

Chile - what a delightful surprise!!!

Santiago - a wonderful, cosmopolitan, modern city with thriving economy and much new construction.

People seemed to be happy, well dressed, traffic with many new cars on the streets.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and it was fine. Nothing fancy, but very clean, modern and nice location.

There was an Intercontinental just few doors down, but it was about twice as much. I just walked over there one night and had a dinner at the Bice Restaurant. Very nice.

About 2 blocks away from the hotel, there was a very nice street, full of restaurants and bars. I ended spending my evenings there. I also took a city tour and found the city to be extremely clean and very healthy pretty much throughout the tour. IMHO, the city and country is way ahead with their economy when compared to their neighbors. There were some poor neighborhoods on the way from/to the very modern and beautiful airport, but nothing on the scale of Brazil or Argentina.

Since I had 3 days free after my visit to Santiago and before my flight to Easter Island, I decided to walk into a travel agency in Santiago and see what they could suggest. I didn't want to fly (as I was flying a lot already) so the obvious choice was Vina Del Mar.

It turned out to be a great choice. The TA arranged for me to be picked up by day tour bus to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar and then drop me off at the beautiful brand new Sheraton Miramar in Vina Del Mar. She also negotiated a cheaper rate at the Sheraton at $200 per night for a deluxe room, when the Sheraton site was showing $225 per night for a standard room. So for $647 all in, I got 3 nights at the Sheraton and a full day tour of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar.

Valparaiso is an old port town and it does show it's age in some parts but still a very beautiful, fascinating city.

Vina Del Mar is a beautiful seaside resort town. Most of the condos, houses are on a hillside facing the ocean. The main drag runs along the ocean and beaches stretch from one end of the town to the other. The Sheraton is about 1/2 mile away from the town, dramatically located on a bend, on a rock, ocean front. When standing on the balcony, and EVERY room has one, you are practically hanging over the ocean. At night I had the balcony door open and it was so wonderful to hear the BIG Pacific ocean waves crashing against the rocks. Highly recommend the hotel and the resort town.

Finally it came time to get back to Santiago airport to catch my flight to Easter Island. When I started asking about transportation to the airport as it is about 60 miles away, I was informed that LAN Chile runs a luxury bus about 3-4 times a day from Vina Del Mar right to the airport, non-stop for 5000 Pesos, about $10. Booked it. It actually books as a LAN flight but no miles

Took a taxi from the hotel to the bus stop (about $3) and caught the bus right on scheduled time.

The flight was about 5 hours long. This was only a 2 class plane so I had to be relegated to business section. .... Just kidding. It was fine. The seat was very comfortable and very roomy. The service was somewhat lacking when compared to first class on the earlier flight.

Easter Island - Very interesting, mysterious place. Worth a visit, but IMHO, a 3 night stay is more than enough, unless you want solitude or you are doing research or writing a book. It's the most remote spot in the world and it's a small island. I rented a dune buggy and did the circle tour of the island with stops to check out the different statues in one full day. I also wanted to try to get to the main statues next morning before sunrise, but it was raining, the buggy's headlights were almost useless, the wipers even more so, and the roads are dark without any lights once you get out of the city. The road is full of sharp turns, so I decided against it once I got about 2-3 miles outside the city. Made a u-turn and came back. Perhaps if I rented a regular SUV then I could have done it without any problems, but the buggy was so much more fun the day earlier when it was a very beautiful sunny day.

I did enjoy the island, but again, 3 nights is more than enough IMHO.

Overall, I was very impressed with Chile and will be returning soon to explore it more. I want to head south to the most southern city in the world, and possibly do a short tour into Antarctica. I also want to do couple of days in the wine regions. Some of the Chilean wines I had in the restaurants were simply outstanding.

One more report to come. Lima, Machu Pichhu in Peru.

Suzie2

Keep it coming!!!!

rsidhu

Hi AAFrequentFlyer,

I loved your report but where's the rest of it on Lima, Machu Pichhu in Peru??? Would love to here your experiences there.

AAFrequentFlyer

Sorry, I don't know why I didn't finish the report, and at this time I don't have a clear recollection of all the details about Peru, but here is the final report.

Lima - I liked it. Not the most beautiful, not the most touristy, not the most accomadating city, but there was something about it.....

Stayed at the Lima Doubletree. Just average but it did it's job. The location was great. A short walk to a very happening and lively shopping/restaurant/nightclub area.

Cuzco - I liked it but the little Indian kids selling the little Indian dolls got ridiculous. They would follow you for a long time, at first trying the "I'm homeless, starving" kid routine, then "why not buy from me" guilt routine, and finally just "who do you think you are" aggressive routine. All the other times I did enjoy Cuzco. Beautiful old Spanish city with a lively city center square.
Can't remember the hotel's name right now, but it was adequate and only a short walk to the city square.

I was lucky enough (maybe because it was a slow evening, but probably not....read on) to make friends with the hotel's bartender. He offered to show me around the "real" part of town later that evening. I took him up on the offer. Ended up in some very much local nightclubs. Somewhat of an eye opener, but never felt unsafe nor pressured into anything. Couple of young ladies tried to become "friends" but after a short talk and my refusal to any possible "love affair", they just accepted the fact and moved on. Interesting, but I want to warn any single male travelers about schemes like this. In my case I went along with the bartender ONLY because he was the hotel's bartender and ended up having a fun time, but if you ever make "friends" with somebody on a street after they approach you and have a drink(s), food, a great conversation, all brought to you by your new friend and finally inviting you to a great hot spot later in the evening, WATCH OUT! You may end up with a bar bill in the thousand$ or beaten, robbed or drugged and robbed. Just a little warning....

Anyway, I did the day trip from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. The backpacker train leaves Cuzco around 6am. I can't compare it to the ultra luxury train because I didn't see it, but the so called "nicer" than the backpacker train did not seemed all that much nicer. At the very least it wasn't worth the $100-150 extra. The backpacker train was good enough IMHO. I believe you get some drinks and food for free on the other train, but the seating seemed very much the same. There was a little concession bar on our train and for $100 you would probably not be able to walk around Machu Picchu after the 4 hour train trip. Unless you want to do the luxury option, take the backpacker train and it'll will save you ~$100.....

Machu Picchu - a short bus drive from the town, up a very narrow, scary, dirt road, but these guys do it daily and they know exactly what's possible. If you have a fear of heights, do not sit in the window seat.

The ruins were mystical, amazing, fun, eye-opening and worth the scary bus drive up....

I did the tour and then walked around for about an hour on my own. Highly recommend this historical wonder. Just be ready for the altitude and hundreds of old stone stairs, up and down....

Took the same train back, but I was told by one of the guides that if I want to shave off about an hour of the 4 hour trip, just to get off at the first stop before hitting Cuzco and catch a bus (I really don't remember, but I think it was ~$2 and I'll be back at the hotel in about 15 minutes. The train at that point, was still an hour from the main train station and another 15 minutes on the hotel shuttle. I took his advice and I was glad that I did. I was tired and just wanted to get back to my room.
The train, for the first/last portion of the trip does what's called a zig-zag...Goes about 1/2 mile on the side of the mountain, then the tracks get switched, goes another 1/2 mile, then another track switch, and.....on and on.... just think zig-zag....

Flew back to Lima on LANPeru in economy. Besides the gate switches at the last minute which were very confusing as they didn't have any electronic displays, and the passenger's attacking the jetway door as soon as the boarding process started aside, the flight was good. The plane was very clean, the FA's very proficient, somewhat unispired, but they did get the job done.

My last evening in Lima I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful, beautiful lady at the hotel's restaurant. She was having a dinner with 2 friends and I just came down to watch the Indian dance show. We exchanged e-mails, took couple of pictures together and after giving her a hug and saying goodnight, I went back to my room, as I had to get up early to catch my flight to Santiago with connection to MIA. I'm happy to report that I have been back to Lima about 3 months later and I'm going again next week. We're taking a road trip down the coast and to see the Nazca Lines....

The flights were on LAN Chile in first class. Wonderful, just amazing experience. The seats were not top of the line, but with only 5 seats in F 2/1/2, and me sitting on my throne in the middle, and having 2 gorgeous LAN FA's serving the 4 passengers, made the flight a wonderful experience. After a wonderful dinner accompanied by some amazing South American wine, I asked the FA to prepare my bed. The seats turn into a fully flat, fully horizontal sleeper beds. LAN provides full size pillows and duvets. Slept like a baby until breakfast at the last minute before landing in MIA.

Wonderful trip, experiences. I highly recommend South America to all, (with the exception of Sao Paulo).....