Back to Chapter Twenty Seven - South Africa, Botswana, & Zambia

Chapter Twenty Eight Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina

Chapter 29 - Coming Soon (Maybe Europe)

Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina

I figured we had better see South America sooner rather than later, as I knew it would require a level of fitness that we may not have if we waited many more years.

We are in our mid to late fifties in 2011, and climbing to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu is not a casual stroll, especially at altitude. I'm glad we did this when we did, as there were a few other places that required more than the average amount of physical exertion than we are normally used to.

When I first thought about a tour of South America after we had our tours of Egypt and Southern Africa in 2010, I simply Googled "South American Tours". There were heaps to choose from. To make life easier I then contacted our usual travel agent from TravelScene Greenslopes in Brisbane (Hi Michelle) and requested a selection of brochures from about half a dozen tour companies. They ranged from about 19 days to 35 days. This can be a bit misleading as most seem to include the 16+ hour flight time between Australia and South America via New Zealand.

The 19 day tour I thought was a bit short to fly that far for, and it finally came down to a choice between a 35 day tour of six countries, and a 33 day tour of five countries. Remembering how rushed we seemed to be on both African tours, with scarcely any time to relax and enjoy a free day, I decided to go for the five countries instead of six. It didn't make a lot of difference. While the sites we packed in were amazing, we seemed rushed anyway. Eileen and I simply said no to some of the excursions and got some free time that way. Ideally we would have liked a free day at most of our stops, but for the company to do that would probably have priced the tour outside the range of many, and certainly above their competitors.

The five country tour we chose through Contours Travel was entitled Sensational South America, and included Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina. Before we left I knew I wanted to see Machu Picchu. I had heard of Lake Titicaca and the Iguazu Falls, and it seemed that Bariloche was similar to Ushuaia where I had wanted to take Eileen ever since my trip via there to Antarctica. I had also heard of the capital cities of the countries we would be visiting, and that Chile sent volcanic ash across the Pacific to close our airports occasionally, but that was about all I knew about South America other than that Incas, Francisco Pizarro, Simon Bolivar and Ernesto (Che) Guevara wandered around there quite a bit at various times.

Before we left Australia, Contours Travel sent us lots of useful information on what to pack and what to expect. There was a brief itinerary plus a 17 page one, and a hotel list that promised to be four or five star.

All our flights, hotels with breakfast, excursions, and several lunch and evening meals were included in the price. We took about $4,000 in US dollars (nothing else is as useful) of which we only spent less than $3,000, a credit card which we hardly used, and a debit card to use at the many ATMs and which we didn't use at all.

The things to spend money on were the meals not included in the tour, all alcohol other than hotel's complimentary drinks, the helicopter flight over the Iguazu Falls, and shopping. The girls might think differently but I just couldn't bring myself to buy any of the thousands of red, yellow, blue, and green stripy bag/clothes/doll things etc. For souvenirs I bought two T-Shirts. I did buy a Columbia jacket in Cusco for about one third Australian price, and a pair of Merrell shoes in La Paz for the same deal. I think they are genuine. They were bought in relatively up-market, no bartering shops; not in any of the dozens of markets, or from the hundreds of hawkers that proliferate at anything remotely touristy. My well worn old jacket and shoes are now hopefully ending the last of their days on some needy Bolivian and maybe Chilean. I couldn't bear to part with the jacket when I bought a new one in Cusco. I had had that jacket since 1987. I eventually gave it to Jane our tour director to pass on as we were departing South America.

On the 15th October 2011 our twelve to thirteen hour LAN flight from Auckland landed at Santiago de Chile. As we were soon to find out our luggage had landed at Buenos Aires de Argentina. At least the LAN staff at the airport knew where it was, and promised to have it in the right country and in our hotel room that same day. Luckily Eileen and I always carry spare clean undies in our cabin luggage. It's also a good idea to know exactly what names and addresses are on your luggage as this helps airlines identify your recalcitrant bags. People, myself included, have a habit of leaving the same name tag on luggage for ever, despite having changed their actual address.

Before we even knew about our missing luggage we had to pay our 'compulsory reciprocity fee' of exactly $US61 (no credit card accepted, no change given).

We were prepared for this, but we didn't actually have to pay immediately we walked into the terminal where there were a lot of people doing something at a counter. I have no idea what. Instead we had to go up the stairs to pay our entry fee.

At the luggage carousel, where we drew the short straw to get nothing, we met two of our tour companions, Graham and Carmel. So they with their luggage, and us with a promise, made our way out of the terminal to meet our collection/transfer person. And waited, and walked around a bit, and waited some more. We also met our other tour companions, Alan and Carol. So we all waited, and looked around, and waited even more.

We had been told in our printed information to look for someone waiting for us holding a sign with our names on it. Eventually we were united with a fellow carrying a sign saying, "CTS Turismo", and some hotel contact details. None of us had remembered these names. And there were several people standing around holding signs with similar tour company names, but not our names.

Mind you during the hour we spent standing around, our collector had been standing only a few metres away. It hadn't occurred to him to enquire with the half a dozen gringos guarding a small department store's luggage stock….minus ours of course.

Our restaurant table

Our first night's accommodation was at the Four Points Hotel, and if this was a taste of things to come, we were in for some very nice digs on this tour. Speaking of taste, our complimentary drinks were Pisco Sours, which are based on a grape brandy with lime or lemon juice, egg white, syrup, and bitters. We were to take quite a liking to these over the first few weeks of the tour. Eventually the novelty wore off and we reverted to more traditional wines and beers.

We also met our tour director/escort. I would have said "Baby Sitter", but Jane said she didn't like that term, so I won't.

The tour director's job is much more than that of a guide. We were to have local guides everywhere we went to explain everything we saw and did on our excursions. The tour director's job is to be with us every step of the way and make sure we all get on the right bus or aeroplane, and that no one gets lost. They help with money changing, knowing the best shopping areas and restaurants, and how much to tip for what. This is very important as Aussies are not used to tipping and many (me included) feel very uncomfortable doing it.

In our case Jane's most important job was translating. My Spanish knowledge consisted of distant memories of the Cisco Kid on TV in the 1950s and 60s, watching Dora the Explorer on TV now with our grand-daughter, and scanning the pages of a phrase book on the flight. No one else in our group was much better, and everyone's Portuguese for Brazil, was nil. Jane is an Aussie who lives in Brazil, and was fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.

Even on the first day there was no rest for the weary traveler. In the afternoon we went for a walking and mini van tour of Santiago, led by a local guide and Jane the minder.

We saw the old city buildings, an up-market artifacts shop, and a wine cellar, where Eileen bought two bottles of Chardonnay. This is not normally our favourite wine. Eileen normally prefers reds, although she has taken a liking to my favourite wine, Sauvignon Blancs. This 2010 Reserve Chardonnay was from the Spaltagua Winery in the Casablanca Valley, and it was agreed by all of us that it was the best tasting wine we sampled. Our first experience of internationally famous Chilean wines was well received.

Not long after we arrived back at the hotel our bags were reunited with us, all shrink wrapped like little mummies.

Eileen at San Cristobal

Day 2 saw us seeing different parts of Santiago including a ride in a funicular railway to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a hill rising 300m above the city. We were lucky to have a not so smoggy day which let us enjoy views of the city and the Andes Mountains. At the top there is a church with an amphitheatre, and a 22m high statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which was gifted by France during the 1920s. Pope John Paul II gave mass there in 1987.

Day 3 and we were off on our first of many South American internal flights. Well internal South America, but still international, because we were going to Lima, Peru. This was different for we Aussies, because everywhere on our continent is Australia.

The first thing we noticed about Lima after we left the airport terminal was how cool it was for mid Spring. We thought this unusual because Lima, despite being on the coast, is at the edge of a desert, and at about 12 degrees south latitude it is only about 1,100km from the equator. That puts it on about the same parallel as Cooktown in tropical north Queensland, or Madras in India and Managua in Nicaragua in the Northern Hemisphere, places where you would never describe the weather as cool.

The reason lies mainly with the cold Humboldt Current that sweeps up the coast from the Southern Ocean. The water temperature is fairly constant at about 18 degrees C so swimmers and surfers need wetsuits. The city temperature rarely gets to 30 degrees C. There is high humidity because of interaction between the cool ocean and the warm Pacific air, but it hardly ever rains.

The Passionate Couple in Lima, Peru

Our accommodation this time was again top notch at the Casa Andina Private Collection, a weird name for a hotel, but it was in the up-market district of Miraflores.

After being given the previous afternoon off, next morning, with jackets on in the tropics, we were escorted on a tour of Lima. As well as the many historical buildings of the city, and the parks and statues along the ocean foreshore, our tour included a visit to the Larco Herrera Museum which houses the most important archaeological collection of the north coast of Peru, and exquisite gold, silver, and erotic artefacts. The museum is located in an old Vice Royal mansion that was built on top of a pre-Columbian pyramid.

Our dinner that evening was at a restaurant that gave us views of the Huaca Pucllana Ruins, which, as it was originally built in the fifth century, was mainly a very large pile of sand. But workers have restored the site in several parts of the 15 hectares to show the original stone construction. This floodlit area gave us a fascinating view during our evening meal.

I've lost track of which day it is already in this story, just like I did on the holiday, so I have to resort here to saying that next day we were off on another aeroplane flight. This flight gave us excellent views of the Andes Mountain range with many snow clad peaks. I couldn't help but think that if anything happened to the plane and we were forced to land, we were dead. It was that rugged down there. Even our circle approach to the city of Cusco's runway had the plane skimming the tops of hills.

Thankfully, although no one clapped, which I thought was some sort of South American tradition, we landed safely in the ancient capital…..and we never left the plane. Some people got off, others got on. Then we flew on to Puerto Maldonado where everyone got off.

We were going to the jungle. The Amazonian Jungle. By bus!

The Andes Mountains - No Place to Land Clouds against the Mountains Tambopata River Canoe

After an hours travelling in the bus over a very interesting (read rough) road, we arrived at a river. No it wasn't the Amazon. It was the Tambopata River which eventually joins the Amazon.

We then boarded our canoe. Actually it was a very big canoe. About 12m long with an outboard motor and a driver. Our group of seven had swelled to about 20 something for this bit. So with the bulk of our luggage left to be taken to our next hotel in civilisation, we and our backpacks/daypacks crammed with three day's essentials, headed for the Posada Amazonas Lodge.

Tambopata River Pirahna

After a steep climb up timber steps from the muddy river bank, we settled into our accommodation. It reminded me of our river raft room on the Kwai River in Thailand. There were a few gaps in the timber walls and floor, and the door was a curtain, but it was clean and tidy, the toilet flushed, and the shower had hot water (a recent concept apparently). One side of the room was open to the jungle, but we had nets over the two single beds to keep away the Yellow Fever mosquitos.

We had been warned about these before we left home. We both had to be vaccinated, and keep our vaccination cards with our passports for the next year or so, as many countries who saw a South American stamp wouldn't let us in without proof of vaccination.

Also as advised, before we left home I had soaked two old long sleeved shirts each, and one old pair of long trousers each, in a pyrethrum solution for us to wear in the jungle. We also brought DEET (read Poison and wash your hands before eating) formulated insect spray.

I saw one mossie! But hey, it might have been the one that carried Yellow Fever.

We did various bush walks looking for native wildlife with William from the local indigenous community as our guide. Many people think a trip to any part of the Amazon will always provide a display of numerous animals and birds. Hello! This is not Africa.

To see the best displays of wildlife in South America you probably need to go to the Pantanal in Brazil. The Pantanal is a swamp that is larger in size than France. There it is possible to see over 3,500 species of plants, 400 species of fish, and over 650 birds, including the most amazing tropical birds you can imagine. If you go with a good guide you also have a chance to have a close encounter with crocodiles, anacondas, piranhas, and monkeys.

The reason the Pantanal is not mentioned in many tour brochures is because most people have never heard of it, and therefore it is not worth marketing. That would be my perfect reason to go there.

We did see plenty of birds, including the magnificent macaws, but ground animals were mainly limited to tarantulas, ants, and rats. On the water in our 'cruise boat' we saw otters, capibaras (a bloody big rat), and a caiman. The caiman is a small alligator, in fact so small a group of otters will kill one if it comes too close.

Our main claim to fame was spotting a jaguar. This is rare. The local guides hadn't seen one for about three years. We were on a tour in the canoe when one of them noticed it about 60m away on the river bank. My video effort is a bit unsteady from the canoe, and I probably zoomed in too far, but it's not too bad.

We went to a garden where through an interpreter the shaman explained the medicinal uses of about a dozen plants. I still remember reading a medical article years ago which said that many natural medicines had curative powers. The advantage of going to a real doctor was that the medicine prescribed for you should be the correct dosage. In the wild, not enough may do nothing, and too much may kill you.

Our group had a standing joke after sampling an erectile dysfunction remedy.

"Is it fifteen days yet"? ............You had to be there.

One week of our holiday was over as we boarded another plane from Puerto Maldonado back to Cusco, the ancient Inca capital. This time we got off. But we weren't staying around. Instead we climbed aboard another mini van and drove through The Sacred Valley.

One stop was at the magnificent gallery of Pablo Seminario and Marilu Behar located in Urubamba. This couple have become internationally famous with their beautiful pottery and other ceramics. Their workshops use the techniques and designs of ancient Peruvian culture. They list amongst their celebrity admirers Olivia Newton John.

For the next week we would be at altitudes of between 3,000 and 4,000m above sea level. Here altitude sickness is a serious concern. Luckily our itinerary had us starting at closer to the 3,000masl and working our way up. As a sampler for what we would experience we stopped for lunch at a view point along the road at about 3,800masl. We were all out of breath with a tingly head within minutes.

Several remedies were recommended, such as drinking lots of water, suck on coca leaves, drink coca tea, and take coca capsules. I think nothing was better than our itinerary of working up to it.

At the town of Yucay we were reunited with our main luggage and stayed at an old monastery that had been converted into a stylish traditional hotel, complete with the by now obligatory hawkers at the front of the hotel, and even inside it. They weren't too bad anywhere though. They could take no for an answer. They weren't all disappointed though as Carmel and Eileen had decided to turn their holiday into a five week shopathon.

My main recollection of Yucay is spending most of the early hours of next morning on the toilet and the rest of the day in bed. Apparently I missed a market, sob sob, and a visit to a local community where visitors are encouraged to donate useful items such as school supplies, and participate in everyday life. For a few minutes apparently Eileen became a ploughwoman.

One of the things in this district I did manage to make it to was the Temple of the Sun at Ollantaytambo, a quaint little town with amazing little canals and cobblestone streets where we had lunch at the Hearts Café. All profits from this café are donated to the local community.

With Lamay Villagers In Peru We're at Machu Picchu

Climbing the 600 steps to the top of the terraces to the temple turned out to be harder than I thought, and gave me doubts about exploring Machu Picchu. I had only climbed up the first section of about thirty steps when I was exhausted. Somehow I got my second wind and made it all the way to the top. After that I took it a bit easier in the initial stages of the climbs, and had few problems for the rest of the holiday.

We also experienced a weaving demonstration at the pretty little town of Chinchera, a stop at a Llama, Alpaca, and Vicuna farm, and a visit to Moray to see where the Martians had made huge concentric crop circles indented in the ground like an amphitheatre. Well even Washington our local guide, and probably our favourite local guide for our holiday, admitted that the theory that the terraces were for crop experimentation was only a theory.

It was a likely theory because it was known that the Incas built many terraces on high steep mountain slopes, carried fertile soil from the valleys to the terraces, and grew their crops there, chiefly potatoes. Their storage fortresses were even higher up near the mountain peaks. All this was done as an aid to defence against enemy tribes. If the villagers down below needed a potato for dinner it was a long climb to the shop.

In a worldwide internet poll conducted in 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It was built in the 15th century as an estate for an Inca king. When the Spanish invaded it was abandoned by the Incas and never found by the Spanish. It was therefore never destroyed by man, only nature. The jungle took over. Many of the structures have been restored so tourists can see what it was like in its heyday. There is ongoing argument between UNESCO and Peruvian governments about how much restoration should be done. Go there and form your own opinion.

Aguas Calientes To do that ourselves we took our mini van to the train station at Ollantaytambo, and then caught a luxury train with seats better than aeroplane first class, with panoramic windows and a significantly glassed roof, to the town of Aguas Calientes. The expanse of glass was to allow passengers to appreciate the near vertical mountains and rushing streams that bordered the train tracks. Once again our main luggage had been taken to a hotel in our future, and we had only our packs with what was necessary for two days. From a shuttle bus terminal in the street, the nine of us (six tourists, plus Washington our local guide, Jane the minder, and Jonathan, Jane's friend and assistant and our occasional minder) caught one of the dozens of shuttle buses that take hundreds of tourists every day up the steeply twisting dirt road to the restaurant at the entrance to the site. From the restaurant we walked about fifty metres past the cafeteria and toilets and payphones and souvenir stalls and souvenir shop to the turnstile entrance, and preceded on to the 'lost' city of the Incas.

Machu Picchu Machu Picchu John, Washington, and Eileen

Our Group at Machu Picchu

If you want to pretend you're an Inca you can circumvent all of this and hike the old Inca Trail for four days up mountain and down valley to the Sun Gate, the original entrance over a saddle in the mountain range. Remember you will be mostly at altitude above 3,000m so suck your coca leaves. If you make that you may want to try climbing the 400m of near vertical steps to the summit of Huayna Picchu Mountain. Two lots of 200 people a day are allowed to do that at about $US10. You must sign a waiver to say that if you fall and die you won't sue anyone. We did walk the Inca Trail from Machu Picchu to the Sun Gate and back.

All up we had two days at Machu Picchu. We overnighted at the Hatuchay Tower Machu Picchu Hotel in Aguas Calientes. That evening we walked through the substantial markets and I bought one of my T-Shirts. I couldn't come to Machu Picchu and not buy a T-Shirt.

On the second afternoon we used the same train to return to Ollantaytambo. Someone in their wisdom had set up a show on the train for the return journey. There was a colourfully costumed character who danced up and down the aisle encouraging several ladies to dance too. Then there was a fashion show where a young man and young lady donned various top quality alpaca and other fine garments and passengers were able to buy them.

From Ollantaytambo we bussed back to Cusco. This time we got to stay. We were booked in to the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco, which is situated only three blocks away from Cusco's main square. It is a large old colonial house from the 18th century that became the finest boutique hotel in the city. From here we went on another walking tour to see more historic buildings, temples, and churches. Several churches were built on the foundations of otherwise destroyed Inca temples.

Christo Blanco and the three Crosses Cusco Street Scene We actually had a day of leisure here with no itinerary. Eileen and I wandered around the city centre and it was here that I bought the Columbia jacket. In the afternoon the girls had a massage while I went to collect the laundry I had dropped off the afternoon before at a shop that sent out laundry to somewhere. The dropping off was interesting in that they did not count individual garments. Instead they put everything in a large plastic bag and weighed it. We were charged by the kilo. We were glad that we seemed to get back everything that was ours and only what was ours, and whites and coloureds didn't seem to have been washed together. In the evening we went along to a musical held in a local theatre. The singing and dancing were all locally produced. Every number seemed similar to the one before, but it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Sacred Valley Boy

We got to stop at places along the way too. Our first stop was at a small insignificant little village that had the most amazing church we had ever seen anywhere. From the outside it looked like all the other buildings around the village square. Inside was a completely different world. The artwork, the sculptures, the carvings; all were incredible. Apparently a lot of the fresco work was done by two Italians who had studied under Michelangelo.

This is one of many religious sites here and around the world where photography of any type is forbidden. I don't understand. In this case restoration work was already being done so camera flashes weren't going to permanently affect anything. They could simply touch it up again in a hundred years time. It can't be a commercial thing. This place is so magnificent it wouldn't matter if it was on display around the world, people would still come to see it. In fact the publicity would bring even more visitors.

That would please the hawkers at the market in the square too. They also weren't pushy, and after watching Washington buy a dumpling like morsel from a street vendor I bought one as well. It was delicious. That and the two hot potatoes that came with it cost me 50c. It filled me up. What a bargain?

Our second stop was at Raqchi in the Valley of Vilcamayu, 120 kilometres south of Cusco. It has the largest remaining temple of the Inca empire.

That's as high as we got.

Our third stop was at Abra La Raya, and at 4335m above sea level, the highest point of our trip. The altitude certainly didn't bother the locals who had set up many stalls there. In fact there was nothing there but stalls. The main reason for stopping was that allegedly this was the source of the Amazon River, right before our eyes.

We were told that springs from the surrounding snow clad mountains began their journey downhill to form the Vilcanota River which flows into the Urubamba River which flows into the Ucayali River which flows into the Amazon.

The town before Puno is Juliaca. We were amazed at the number of fuel stations on the highway on either side of this city; many more than we had seen together before. We were told that this was a legal way to import lots of kerosene into the city which is used in the production of cocaine. The filthy buildings, and filthy bomb cratered streets of this mafia run city belie one of the hubs of the international drug trade. Forget Columbia, think Juliaca.

Puno is located at the western edge of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 3,860 metres. The border between Peru and Bolivia runs across the lake, giving the largest portion to Peru. But all agree that Bolivia got the prettiest bit.

More than 25 rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated. Titicaca is fed by rainfall and melt water from glaciers on the sierras that abut the altiplano. It is drained by the Desaguadero River, which flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poopó. This accounts for less than five percent of the lake's water loss, the rest is caused by evaporation as a result of strong winds & sunlight. The water loss is significant. For centuries the water level dropped in the dry season and rose again by almost the same amount in the wet season. Lately a two metre drop in the dry season has only been replaced by a one metre rise in the wet season. This was most noticeable where jetties had to be extended to reach boats that could not approach through the shallower water that exists now. Our new guide said that it was quite calculable to determine when Lake Titicaca would dry up if the water level fell at the present rate. It is only about 100 years.

Contours Travel must have a deal going with the Casa Andina Private Collection hotel chain. We were at another one. This one was not as good as the other two we stayed at mainly because the rooms were significantly smaller. Unfortunately our room also happened to back onto a road along which trucks and cars travelled most of the night. There was also a chorus of dogs to listen to when the traffic stopped. The service was still good though.

Puno was a base for more sightseeing with our new guide Eduardo taking us on a boat ride to the floating islands of Uros. This village actually floats. The totora is a cattail type rush growing native in the lake. Its dense roots support the top layer which rots, and must be replaced regularly by stacking more reeds on top of the layer beneath. The islands change in size, and more are created as the need arises. Islanders who are banished from a group simply have their section of island literally cut away with a huge cross-cut saw.

The surface of the islands is uneven, thin, and some liken walking on it to walking on a waterbed. The unwary might not notice a thin spot and sink a leg or more into the frigid waters of the lake. The Uros people even make boats from the reeds that look like the boats that the pharaohs used on the Nile.

Eduardo also took us to Sillustani, an ancient Inca and pre-Inca cemetery back along the road to Juliaca. This archaeological complex has the remains of circular stone towers which were erected as mausoleums. From the edge of the cliff there are magnificent views of Humayo Lake.

Alan and Carol with Alpacas at Sillustani

Pre-Inca Cemetery at Sillustani

Eduardo was not the group's favourite local guide of the trip although I didn't have any negative opinions of him. Some of our group said that he didn't explain things as well as Washington, but I think Washington was just so outstanding that we had been spoilt.

Eduardo did bring up an interesting point. We had been told that many Peruvian buildings remain unfinished because once they are completed the owners have to pay higher taxes similar to Cairo, Egypt. Eduardo said that he didn't understand why other guides said that, because the truth was that people increased the size of their homes, predominately upwards, only as more children, or the next generation required, but they did prepare the concrete roofs for this by presetting re-enforcing rods in the concrete before it set. Poorer Peruvians have difficulty getting credit, so all major purchases are pay-as-you-go. Often, he said, it takes three generations to complete a house.

This actually made more sense, as I would have thought that the government would be aware of such tax avoidance tactics and put a time limit on construction. Then again maybe they were being benevolent to their poorer citizens. Wealthier citizens would probably complete their houses as a matter of ego. I decided to Google the question and there were several results supporting each theory.

Village on Sun Island

Our bus journey continued next morning with a trip to the border and a casual crossing into Bolivia. The officials on both sides seemed relaxed with the world. I had heard from unaccompanied travelers that border crossings in South America can be fraught with problems (read Bribes Required). I guess being part of a guided tour has several advantages, and not having to personally deal with officials, corrupt or otherwise, in a language you don't understand, is one of the biggies.

We drove on to Copacabana….not in Rio…..that would come soon. No this was Copacabana, Bolivia! It wasn't on an ocean beach, but it was on the banks of Lake Titicaca…..the pretty Bolivian bit.

We only stayed long enough to leave our main bags behind again before we were boarding another boat to go to lunch. It took about an hour to reach Isla del Sol where we enjoyed a local lunch at a very small outdoor restaurant several exhausting steps (we're still at altitude) up from the water's edge.

Then began one of the most arduous treks of our holiday. Our overnight accommodation was to be on the island, but for our group with an average age in the mid sixties, the trail from the lake level of 3,860masl to the village at 4020masl took nearly two hours. There were many stops for breath. The advantage of stopping often was that we had many opportunities to admire the magnificent views of Lake Titicaca and the surrounding snow clad peaks which gave a wonderful alpine, Mediterranean effect. I have always liked the mood of a setting sun as evening approaches. It gives a feeling of melancholy and impending wining, dining, and relaxation.

The village where we stayed was very isolated, and the resort/hotel was delightfully low-key. But it had everything we needed. A comfy bed, a warm room with solar hot water, a restaurant, and a bar. We were advised to be sparing with the water as all of it had to be carried up from the lake to the village by donkey.

The rooms had a very intriguing heating system. There was a structure built external to each room similar to that which would house a wood combustion stove. The inside was painted black to absorb heat while the roof was clear plastic to allow entry of the sun's rays. There was a window into the room.

During the day the window was left open so the accumulating heat would disperse throughout the room. At dusk the window would be closed to keep the retained heat in the room.

All in all this experience remains one of my most endearing of the holiday. The struggle was worth it. It just seemed a shame that once again we couldn't stay to relax and enjoy a truly sensational location far from the madding crowds at the tourist attractions.

However leave we did, but not before exploring abandoned ruins on another island, Isla de la Luna.

Copacabana, Bolivia

Back in Copacabana, Bolivia, we had lunch at the hotel where our main luggage was stored, and then headed for the highest capital city in the world, La Paz.

Along the way we had to temporarily part company with our mini van as we boarded a small passenger ferry to cross the Taquile Strait. Our mini van followed by barge. Apparently the Bolivian government had considered constructing a one kilometre bridge across the strait, but the locals of the towns on both sides rightfully complained that this would take away their only source of income as the ferries and barges would become redundant. The government appears to have listened.

As we approached La Paz across the altiplano we drove through the new city of El Alto. It used to be just an outer suburb of La Paz, but because the cost of building in La Paz is escalating, this has become a fast growing city in its own right. It mightn't look like it but the city is being well planned with utilities like natural gas to houses being pre-installed down the streets. The streets we saw looked a mess. But apparently all will be fine when the work is completed.

Bolivia doesn't have earthquakes, but La Paz has landslides. La Paz is built mainly inside the valley of the Chuquiago Marka. The top of the valley which is on the altiplano is at about 4,000masl, while the bottom is at about 3,300masl. The wealthier citizens live at the bottom where the lesser altitude makes life more pleasant.

The poorer citizens live on the slopes where they are more prone to landslides. Unfortunately the poorer they are, the less likely they will be able to afford the proper drainage and foundations required to build their houses in a safe manner. That is why, especially after landslides have destroyed whole sections of the city, many are relocating to El Alto on the altiplano above La Paz.

Our hotel here was the Europa, in my opinion one of the best hotels we stayed at. The room was fine. The service from all the staff we encountered was excellent. So much so that out of generosity this is where I left behind my two pyrethrum soaked shirts and my old sneakers after buying the Merrells from a Timberland store near the main markets of the city. As a note; if you do decide to do something like this, make sure you leave them in or very near the rubbish bin, or you may find them gift wrapped and waiting for you at your next hotel.

Street in La Paz

I wanted to go to the cities black market that was further up the hill from the main market. Apparently you can buy lots of brand copies and pirated stuff. I wanted to go for a look but was advised against it. I was told that it was a very unsavoury area and that the locals there would see me as an easy target for pick pocketing and maybe even mugging.

That didn't bother me too much as I wouldn't be taking anything much with me other than a small amount of cash and the hotel's business card to show to taxi drivers who couldn't speak English. However when I reached the top of the hill where the main market ended, I walked across the road to look for Mercado Negro but couldn't find it. I found out later it was several blocks further up.

The Black Market should not be confused with the Witches' Market which is located amongst the lively tourist market. There you can buy herbs, folk remedies, and a variety of fascinating ingredients used to manipulate the many spirits that populate the Aymara world. Common products include seeds and various parts of insects and frogs used in rituals.

The most fascinating products available in the Witches' Market are dried llama fetuses. These are quite large and can be moderately disturbing to the foreign visitor. Llama fetuses are often buried in the foundations of new constructions or businesses as a cha'lla (offering) to the goddess Pachamama. Apparently the llama sacrifice encourages the goddess to bring good luck to the business and protect the workers from accidents. The fetuses are only used by the poor. Wealthier Bolivians are expected to sacrifice a live llama to Pachamama.

Moon Valley

Apart from the obligatory churches and temples, our sightseeing in La Paz included a visit to Moon Valley, a unique landscape located about 7km from the centre of La Paz. Moon Valley is a large collection of sandstone monoliths shaped over many thousands of years by the dry winds of southern La Paz. Most of them look like huge termite nests. It is amazing to know that all of this was once on the ocean floor.

One of the main celebrity tourists to Moon Valley was Neil Armstrong. While he was sightseeing from the passenger seat of Apollo 11, he noticed large white expanses on the surface of the Earth in Bolivia. He later came for a visit to see what they were and learned they were massive salt pans. While in La Paz he was told about the amazing formations in this valley and came to see for himself. Not surprisingly he said that they reminded him of the surface of the moon.

There you go. If the 1969 moon landing was all a hoax, how would he know that?

That night we ate another fine dinner courtesy of Jane's knowledge of local restaurants just about everywhere. Our taxi driver unnerved us a bit on the way home though by driving the whole way without his headlights turned on. Apparently this is not an uncommon occurrence.

We were equally bemused next morning to find out that motorists don't have to obey red traffic signals before 7am unless a policeman is watching???

We were up and driving about that early because we were on our way to the airport. It had actually been a week or so since we had been on a plane, and we were about to make up for it by taking three flights in one day to get to Copacabana….no not in Bolivia….in Rio!

Oh, our local guide since Eduardo left us soon after our arrival in Bolivia was Philippe. We all thought he was nearly as good as Washington.

The three flights took us from La Paz to Santa Cruz, still in Bolivia, to Sao Paulo in Brazil (That's three times I've been to Sao Paulo and still never left the airport.), to Rio de Janeiro. "Yippee! The real Copacabana at last."

Well; Bolivians may dispute that. In fact Bolivians probably have a certain right to say lots of things have been stolen from them and that they've generally been hard done by. Their land route to the Pacific Ocean was taken from them by force in the war of 1879 to 1884 with Chile. During the War of the Chaco (1932-1935), Bolivia lost vast territories and oil deposits to Paraguay. Their music is often played at Peruvian events. While Bolivia was the first South American country to commence proceedings to become independent from Spain they were the last to achieve it.

They did get even on one score though. A certain game of football/soccer. Apparently back in Diego Maradona's (who was of Italian descent anyway) day Argentina was flogging everybody else in South America. Bolivia challenged them to a match in La Paz saying, "You think you're the best. Come and play us on our home ground."

The great man himself actually helped influence the Argentinean Football hierarchy to accept. At nearly 4,000masl the Bolivians repaid Maradona's good nature by belting his team six to nothing.

Anyway we're in Rio now, Brazil, but not staying at the appointed hotel because it was undergoing renovations. Instead we were booked into the Windsor Excelsior Hotel, probably the most disappointing hotel of our trip. The staff were fine. No problem there. The problem was that this used to be a smoking hotel, or at least most of it was.

Some rooms had been cleaned and freshened but all to little avail. Even the hallways stank. Eileen and I were taken to four different rooms on three different floors before we found one that Eileen didn't immediately start to feel an asthma attack coming on, something that hardly ever bothers her any more.

Add to that the fact that the tiny bathroom towels were made of sandpaper, and there were no complimentary bottles of water or bathrobes that every other half decent hotel we had stayed in had supplied.

By the way, Australians must apply for a visa to visit Brazil and pay in 2011, $77 per person for the privilege. And it has to be issued at least 30 days before departure from Australia. Something to do with reciprocity with Australia, like Chile I guess. Wouldn't it be better for tourism both ways to just forget the silly visa thing?

With Christ the Redeemer

A bright finish to the day was the restaurant Jane showed us that evening just a short walk from our hotel. It was a buffet of just about everything imaginable, but instead of paying up front and simply pigging out, you collected your plate and a docket. When you had enough on your plate regardless of whether it was all prawns or all potatoes, you had it weighed, and the amount was written on your docket. The secret like at all buffets was to get small amounts lots of times. Our drinks were also written on the docket. When we were finished we simply paid the amount on the docket.

To dampen our mood again next day, the mini van supplied to tour us about was designed by a midget. Real knees under your chin stuff. Thank God, or Jane, this was changed later.

We battled a thousand other tourists to do the Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain thing before having lunch at the most amazing restaurant I (probably make that all of us) have ever seen. It should have been part of the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact most of the exhibits hanging off the walls and from the ceiling looked like that was where they came from.

The toilets were worth a video as I have never peed in a square tub with ice laid over charcoal before. Well that's what it looked like in the dim light. I really do hope they were urinals. Nothing else looked like they were.

Even the waiters were in costume. It was predominately seafood fare, buffet style, although they managed to find some delicious steak and chicken for Eileen who doesn't eat seafood. Actually it wasn't all buffet style either. Once each person had settled on the choices of their taste, the waters would continually offer top ups of similar type.

After we had eaten our fill it was time for another high rise adventure with a double cable car trip to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain for the views; and spectacular they were. I say double cable car trip because we were in one car from ground level at the base of Babilônia Mountain to the top of Urca Mountain, and then we changed to another car that took us to the top of Pão de Açúcar Mountain (Sugarloaf Mountain).

But our finest hour was spent celebrating Graham's birthday on Ipanema Beach with some fine Chilean wine Eileen had bought in Santiago, and a bottle of Jack Daniels that Graham had bought in Auckland. Our favourite beer in South America was Bohemia, which is apparently a Mexican beer. However this wasn't a night for beer.

The following day was supposed to be at leisure and it probably was. I had a bit of a hangover and it was all a little hazy to me, which was a bit unfortunate because I think Eileen spent $1,000.

I do remember getting a wake up call at 4.30am. This too was unfortunate because we hadn't requested a wake up call, and no amount of talking could convince the person calling us that we were anything but grateful for our wake up call. I suppose somebody else missed their business appointment, or plane, or something.

In the back streets of Rio

On Urca Mountain, half way to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain

We also had experiences with the Rio city bus service. We took some busses to get to a jewellery store. (Hang on a minute I think that's where Eileen spent the $1,000.) You flag the bus and hop on, making sure you are holding onto some part of the bus because as soon as the last passenger has put their feet in the bus the driver takes off. The driver doesn't handle the fares. This is left to a ticketing person who is seated on the right hand side of the bus just after the door. He, or sometimes maybe she, takes up the space of about four seats. You pay this person and then you have to squeeze through this tiny little turnstile to get to a seat. This was never designed with generously proportioned western passengers in mind.

After Eileen spent the $1,000 (God did that really happen?) we went to the Botanical Gardens. I do remember lots of green. Nothing much on the map interested me other than the Japanese section. I followed the map for about 20m and found them. I had seen Japanese gardens in Blackwater, Central Queensland more impressive than this.

I wandered around aimlessly for a while and saw a sign directing people to a bonsai display. It was so small I never found it.

I thought that because I'm not good at remembering to water plants at home, I might get some inspiration from the Mexican section, but a dozen cacti that all looked the same didn't do it for me either.

I was more successful at finding the cafeteria where I waited patiently for the rest of the group to congregate for our appointed lunch.

I did manage to spark up by dinner time and Jane took us to a Samba club for another amazing meal. Once again the restaurant walls and ceilings were covered, this time with memorabilia of the great days of Rio, and the food was excellent too. A note here though, that if you don't appreciate really loud samba music, which sounded to me like tuneless jazz, ask for a table on the second or third mezzanine levels, away from the band and the dance floor that are on ground level.

I was feeling much better next day for our morning flight to one of the most spectacular places I have ever been….Foz de Iguazu, the Iguazu Falls. I had heard of them as being the highest, or widest, or something falls in the world. It turns out they are the most 'voluminous'.

After landing we boarded another mini van and set off to have a look. Our first view was from a helicopter and we were underwhelmed. Four of us had been in a helicopter over the Victoria Falls in Africa, and voted the aerial experience there much better. However we were not prepared for the spectacle that awaited us when we got down in amongst them.

Iguazu Falls Iguazu Falls Iguazu Falls

There were walkways over them and beside them and there was mist and spray everywhere…..magnificent. The sheer power of the water rushing over the top of the cataracts has to be seen and heard and felt to be believed, especially at the aptly named Devil's Throat.

After another uneventful border crossing into Argentina we settled into another brilliant hotel, the Loi Suites Iguazu, on the banks of Rio Iguazu. The décor was magnificent, the room was magnificent, and even the swing bridges to get from the foyer to the room were magnificent. Inside the room not all of the trendy fixtures and fittings worked, but artistically they were magnificent. I guess that's what you get when art takes priority over practicality.

In the morning we went back to the falls to view them from the Argentinean side. Awe inspiring again! But this time we were to get really wet.

We walked down to the waters edge near the confluence at the entrance to Devil's Throat Canyon. Here we stripped down to swimming costumes and placed everything else into a waterproof bag with a water sealable top. Then we boarded a boat which took us underneath the falls. There is no experience like it. The might of the Rio Iguazu was crashing down on our heads. We couldn't see; we could hardly breathe.

A Patchwork Quilt of farms near Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, the Paris of the south, was our next aeroplane's destination. This was a relatively short one hour and forty minute flight, and once again we were booked with a familiar hotel chain, Loi Suites, this time in the up-market suburb of Recoleta.

Recoleta is close to what many could mistake for the Atlantic Ocean. In fact it is part of the estuary mouth of Rio de la Plata. Those old enough to remember would recall the movie, "Battle of the River Plate", which told the story of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee, and how it was crippled here by several ships of the British Navy during World War 11. It managed to limp to the port of Montevideo in neutral Uruguay where it was scuttled by its captain rather than face the overwhelmingly superior force that the British had led him to believe was awaiting his departure.

From the main window of our room we had a commanding view of the cemetery. This is probably one of the most outstanding sites in Buenos Aires. Because of the strong European Catholic influence the cemetery was a self contained city of mausoleums. Our tour took us to the burial chamber of Eva Peron of "Don't cry for me Argentina" fame.

Buenos Aires Cemetery

In the evening we all had a tango lesson. It wasn't too hard if you could count to eight, and remember what to do on each count. When we all passed with flying colours we were allowed to enter the theatre restaurant where we were well fed and watered, and treated to an evening's entertainment of dancing and singing where the stars of the show were obviously our dance instructors. We weren't asked to participate.

On our free day at leisure here Eileen and I wandered the streets of Centro, the CBD of Buenos Aires. Most of the goods in the shops were of high class and high prices. We caught a taxi back to Recoleta and checked out the shopping mall near our hotel. Ditto with the goods and prices; and even more so. We did enjoy an Italian late lunch with some Argentinean wine, which left us too full to bother with dinner that evening.

This was probably a good thing because we did have an early wake up call the next morning….at 3am.

This wasn't in the original programme. We were supposed to be flying to the far west of Argentina to Bariloche. However a miscreant volcano in Chile that had been playing up since earlier in the year had decided to become a nuisance again. It was playing havoc with airline schedules, including ours to Bariloche. We couldn't even land at airports within a couple of hundred kilometres of Bariloche and bus there, so we had to bus all the way from Buenos Aires.

La Boca District of Buenos Aires

This didn't turn out to be as bad as it sounds. The bus was a luxury double decker coach and we were in first class. We were on the lower level but we still had fantastic views from the huge windows. And we had the advantage of very large and comfortable seats, the toilet was close by, and we were served first for meals with wine, and later whisky on the rocks to help us sleep. It made the 24 hour trip quite enjoyable.

These luxury double decker coaches were prolific in Argentina. When we boarded at the bus terminal in Buenos Aires our bus was parked in Bay 37, and the numbers seemed to continue forever, with most of the bays occupied.

Several times during the trip we stopped at towns and cities for passengers to leave and others to board. Most of the time the bus terminals were also quite large. This must be a very popular form of transport here.

I had flown over Brazil and Argentina on my way to and from Ushuaia in 2004 and seen the continuous patchwork quilt of farming land from the air. Now I was able to see it flowing past my window. It really did look like the Darling Downs in Australia where I grew up, right down to the eucalypt trees, and the storm clouds that gathered on Spring afternoons.

This later transformed to a more desert environment until we drove through a combination of low hills with high snow capped mountains in the background, and eventually babbling rivers and at least one impressive lake. I'm not exactly sure where the desert ended or even if there really was one. What I had assumed to be a coating of fine sand or dust over the entire countryside that I had noticed for many many kilometers, was actually volcanic ash that had been deposited by the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in Chile in June 2011. This was one of the two volcanoes that were even now dispersing ash into the air and causing the closure of most of the airports downwind and to the east of them.

On one of the occasions when the bus stopped at towns along the way I stepped off to stretch my legs. I immediately felt the chill in the air. My first assumption was that we were at altitude again. But no, despite seeing mountains in the distance we were at less than 1,000masl.

We're at Lake Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche

Bariloche and Nahuel Huapi Lake, being only at the foot of the Andes, are in fact only about 800masl. The cool air was brought about mainly because we were at about 41 degrees south latitude. The average surface temperature of the lake is about 7 degrees C, so bathers in the crystal clear waters have a real issue with hyperthermia.

On our arrival in Bariloche we were checked into the Design Suites Hotel where we would only spend one night because of our modified schedule. This was a damned shame because the views from our in-room spa bath through the window to the expanse of the lake and the surrounding snow clad mountains were worth staying three nights. The only cloud in the sky was the volcanic ash cloud to our north, and because the wind was easterly, the ash was more or less only a stream crossing the horizon to us.

We did manage our planned trip to Campanario Mountain for a chair lift ride to the top to enjoy breathtaking views of the Nahuel Huapi and Moreno Lakes, St Peters Peninsula, the Llao-Llao area, Victoria Island, and the city of Bariloche.

And Jane did find us another excellent restaurant for dinner after we had checked out the shops around the town square, and we found our own sparkling wine to drink in the spa.

We had caught up with our itinerary for the next day and despite the volcanic ash infringing across the lake with the breeze that had swung more to the south east, we headed off for our three bus, three boat, trip to Puerto Varas in Chile. The first bus took us to Puerto Pañuelo where we boarded the first in the series of boats for the stunning Andean Lake's Crossing. The boat was a very large and quite comfy motor catamaran. This was fairly necessary as our group had grown to hundreds for this part of the journey.

On board we made the crossing of the blue waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Blest. Most of the hour long journey was in a wide channel between snow capped mountains.

Those that wished then went on a one hour bush walk. Coming from Australia and having ample opportunities to do bush walking, several of us declined and instead explored the river bank and boat mooring area, and the old chalet and its coffee shop.

From there we were transferred by buses a short distance to Frias Lake and by boat again to Puerto Alegre. On this voyage we passed beneath high ridges that held condor nests, and we were privileged to see several of these birds with a wing span that reaches three metres, soaring on the currents between the massive cliff tops.

Then we officially left Argentina. This was again uneventful, which was not surprising considering the remote location in the Andes.

Our next bus took us on a narrow winding gravel road cut into the side of the Andes Mountains with rainforest close on both sides. For much of the time we had a cliff on one side and a drop on the other, but we also saw waterfalls and glimpses of snow capped peaks through the foliage. We did stop for a photo opportunity when we passed under a substantial timber arch that was the border between Argentina and Chile.

After nearly an hour the bus stopped at what was the official entry point into Chile. The immigration part was simple, but then we all, and I include the several busloads of other travelers making the same trip, had to identify our bags, and this was our entire luggage now, and open them for quarantine inspection. Just our bus alone took nearly half an hour. Luckily it was organized so that the bus arrivals were sort of staggered.

After standing around for what seemed like ages waiting for our turn, the actual inspection was quite perfunctionary. We could have had anything in large parts of our bags. Mind you I think they relied on the same principle that most airport quarantine personnel rely on. They made an example of some by pulling everything out and relied on the honesty of others to fess up.

We were then bussing along a wide, green, fertile, river valley with many small farms beside the road. We stopped at a much larger hotel/chalet Natura Patagonia, and were provided with lunch in the dining room. The massive windows allowed views of the snow capped mountains on the opposite side of the valley. The room was naturally solar heated by only having a glass or maybe plastic roof, which when it became quite warm inside there was a sprinkler system up there to cool it down.

The bus journey then continued to Peulla on the eastern edge of Lake Todos los Santos. We then boarded a much larger catamaran again with a capacity of 300 passengers. We were to voyage for nearly two hours across the lake to Petrohue before our last bus ride to Puerto Varas.

The lake voyage allowed us views of several inactive volcanoes, including Volcans Puntiagudo and the even more impressive Orsono. Mount Orsono would stand out most in anyone's mind if they had seen Mount Fuji in Japan. The smooth cone shaped slopes and the perfectly snow capped summit could be a mirror image.

Mt Orsono by day Mt Orsono by night Mt Orsono from Puerto Varas

Dotted along the shores of the lake on the sometimes quite steeply wooded slopes were many individual houses and small farms, and sometimes larger communities. It all looked so idyllic that a few of us were picking out our retirement retreats.

Our arrival at Petrohue brought us back to the real world as we watched our luggage being thrown about after being dragged out of the small shipping containers it had been thrown in at Peulla. It was the worst case of baggage mis-handling we had ever seen.

The good side to this story is that we were to travel the rest of the way in our original group in our own mini van again.

Puerto Varas was beautiful. A pretty little German designed town on the edge of the lake. Our hotel was equally as nice just across a quiet esplanade from the water. Not that we went swimming or anything. Hyperthermia wasn't in my programme.

Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Varas

But the Cabana del Lago Hotel had pleasant rooms and a large warm restaurant and bar. And we would be able to have some quiet time as we were here for two nights and almost three full days with not a lot to do. Of course we were winding down towards the end of our holiday after these three days.

I was getting edgy about this and thought of having a real adventure before we left South America. There was an excursion available to the Mount Orsono ski resort and above, via the chair lift. This was only for views, and I had seen plenty of wonderful views. There was another excursion available that would take most of a day, and I may possibly be able to get close to the rim of an active volcano. This appealed to me immensely except for the possibly, maybe, aspect. Then Jane said for a really good volcano experience there were much better opportunities available in Central America. But we weren't going there.

Then Graham said there were opportunities to experience active volcanoes in his birth country New Zealand. This seemed a much more likely prospect so I settled for staying with the group and taking a local bus for the half hour drive to Puerto Montt.

This was really a trip to a market, and was an option in the itinerary. However our local guide, whom we didn't actually even need much here, said that one half hour was normally allocated for the market itself. Our girls scoffed at this and hence the local bus and our own timetable.

For three hours they touched and felt and actually bought very little. The local guide had a lot to learn about dedicated Aussie shoppers.

Puerto Montt is a fairly large city of approximately 150,000 residents, but I was thinking that it was remarkable that the Chilean navy would have a base and substantially sized ships on a lake. My addled brain started to tick a bit more when I noticed an old apparently abandoned and forgotten fishing vessel partially submerged, and on seeing it again an hour later nearly totally submerged, and I wondered how much tide there was in this lake.

Then Graham advised me of what should have been obvious and that this 'lake' was in fact a bay that eventually opened into the Pacific Ocean. Doh!

For our second last day in South America we wandered around the pretty little town of Puerto Varas before our second trip to Puerto Montt late in the afternoon. This time we caught our last domestic flight for this holiday to take us to Santiago. Then we had a bit of a rush to make our long haul flight to Auckland, New Zealand, and finally on to Brisbane.

We had a stroke of luck on the twelve hour flight to Auckland. The plane wasn't full. The two seats in front of Eileen and I were empty. Just as preparations were being made for take off I moved into the seats in front so both Eileen and I had a reasonable amount of room for the night flight. In fact I slept for about eight hours; something I can rarely do on an aeroplane.

We had more good fortune in Auckland. About a month before we left home I had rung Qantas to use some of my frequent flyer points to upgrade our Brisbane to Sydney flight, and our Auckland to Brisbane flight. There was a bit of doubt about confirming the upgrade from Auckland to Brisbane two months early, and I had been advised to double check in Auckland.

Problems started in Puerto Montt, which has a very new and modern airport by the way. LAN is affiliated with Qantas. We tried to obtain boarding passes for our three flights through to Brisbane. We were told that our luggage would be fine. The problem was that Eileen was given an economy class seat on her boarding pass for the Auckland to Brisbane flight, and I wasn't able to be given anything, despite being confirmed as actually being on the flight.

I made a brief attempt at having something done about this at Santiago Airport but it seemed too hard despite the best efforts of some dedicated staff there. I told them thanks and not to worry any more, and that I would hopefully sort it out in Auckland.

As it turned out it wasn't too much of a problem. The worst of it was trying to find where in Auckland Airport I had to go to find the people that could actually fix it. It turned out to be the Qantas Lounge. From here Eileen and I were issued with new boarding passes in business class for the two and a bit hour flight home. The comfort was a fitting end to a great holiday.

Thanks once again to Jane and Jonathan, Washington, Philippe, William, a couple of Robertos, and all the other excellent local guides, and of course to Graham and Carmel and Alan and Carol for being such wonderful traveling companions.

My best advice to others planning a holiday to South America is to book a tour with a reputable and experienced company to minimize your hassles and make sure they introduce you gradually to altitude. Contours Travel were excellent and the entire holiday ran smoothly. Only little things like an erupting volcano thwarted our itinerary.

If you travel in October you won't need thermals or tracksuits anywhere. One all purpose jacket was sufficient, and a couple of pairs of jeans or long trousers and maybe one pair of shorts. I had three long sleeved shirts and three T-Shirts. I only needed one pair of walking shoes, and even though I probably didn't need them I had a pair of Crocs for long aeroplane flights and just lounging around hotels. My swimmers and rain poncho only got used at the Iguazu Falls. The message here is that despite going from 12 degrees latitude to 41 degrees latitude and from sea level to 4,000masl, you can pack light. If you need anything else you can buy it there.

If you have to buy luggage buy no name, but rugged bags. I brought a strong canvas duffel bag with wheels but no compartments, and it was excellent. If you don't bring much you don't need compartments. For my day pack I brought one made of parachute silk that folded up easily in its own bag to the size of my fist.

If you have a HD video camera that needs SD cards, and you need Class 6 and above, preferably Class 10, bring extras with you. In Africa for a month, my JVC camera had a 40Gb HDD. That was plenty. My new HD Sony filled a 32Gb Class10 SD card in two weeks, and I didn't think I was doing an abnormal amount of filming.

Luckily I had a 16Gb card as a spare, but I realized that would leave me about a week short. Trying to buy better than a Class4 SD card in Cusco or even La Paz was impossible. Even at a big multi story electronics market in Rio it took ages to eventually find a photography specialist who had a 16Gb Class10 card in stock, and it cost me more than double what I paid in Australia.

Unless you have a cast iron constitution like I thought I had, you will have a tummy upset to some degree at some stage, and you will also probably get some sort of cold. All of us got both to some extent. Bring Imodium or better, and cold & flu tablets!

It wouldn't hurt to learn Spanish and even a little Portuguese for those moments when you don't have your multi lingual tour director or guide with you. I'm convinced this is the single most important reason for going with an organized tour. Otherwise you can research your own itinerary.

If you are on a budget it is still wise to have a local guide in most places, otherwise you miss so much. We spoke with several unaccompanied travellers during our trip, and before and after our trip, and were amazed at how much most of them had missed, and how many problems they had at border crossings, airports, bus terminals, hotels, and with taxi drivers, shopkeepers, and vendors. Even organising a local guide can be difficult. Most advice is to organise and pay for as much as possible before you leave home. But how do you organise local guides from home? And it is no easier when you get there. Anyone can say they are a guide. How can you be sure you will get an honest and concientious one, even if they are from a local tour company with a nice little office?

Our local guides for Peru and Bolivia were from Condor Travel. They were excellent. Why did we pick them? We didn't! Contours Travel did. They are quick to make changes if there are problems; either with personnel, hotels, excursions, vehicles, etc. Both companies have good reputations to protect, and protecting them means they are continually making sure their customers receive the best treatment. It may cost a little more to use these companies, but we noticed how much better our guides and excursions were by observing other groups and talking with other travellers.

Being on a tour does make you lazy. Usually I've got most things we are going to see and do on a holiday planned out. From the moment we met up with Jane I didn't even care what day it was. We were told what we were to be doing each day, and next day, and that was that. "No hay problemo".

As I was planning this trip to South America I had in the back of my mind the thought that I would like to take Eileen to Ushuaia, the departure point when I sailed to Antarctica. I could have included a trip down there in this holiday. However after seeing the brochures about Bariloche and the Andes lakes and mountains I had decided that the scenery would be similar. Also affecting my thinking was the wonderful experience Eileen and I had driving around the South Island of New Zealand in 2009. For a combination of these reasons I decided not to include Ushuaia.

But neither Bariloche, Puerto Varas, nor Puerto Montt, nor even New Zealand, were really the same as Ushuaia. So there is still this niggling thought…..

Back to Chapter Twenty Seven - South Africa, Botswana, & Zambia

Back to the Introduction and Index

Chapter 29 - Coming Soon (Maybe Europe)

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